Day 39

The speaker shares her experience of believing she couldn't take care of herself through exercise and healthy eating because of her identity as a fat girl. She would punish and berate herself, but it didn't motivate her to make lasting changes. She realizes that to lose weight, she needed a transformation of identity, not just temporary outcomes. She encourages the listener to recognize their limiting thoughts and change them to improve their life. I spent about 25 to 30 years of my life believing that I couldn't eat well, exercise, and take good care of myself consistently. I thought that movement and healthy eating was for other people. I didn't have any evidence from my own home that we were those people. So I thought it wasn't for me at all. How ludicrous is that? I have a body. I am a woman. I eat food. I move. Yet I didn't think it was for me. How could that be? My identity was that of a fat girl. It was. I know that sounds harsh and I don't mean any harm, but for me it meant that fat girls didn't move, that they didn't go to dances, that they didn't speak up. They don't stand out. They don't shop at regular stores. They avoid risk because too much attention never turns into the right kind of attention. It's not every young person's experience, but it certainly was mine. So many times I tried losing weight and I'd punish myself, I'd berate myself, I'd repeat the bullying said by others in my own head. I did that because I thought it would motivate me to take action on the things that I should do. But I wasn't successful in fat loss for decades because the journey was miserable and miserable people do not change. They can temporarily get an outcome, but they cannot inspire transformation. And to lose a large amount of weight, you must have a transformation of identity. Transformation of identity, though, is a flourishing. It's not a tearing down. As we near the end of this challenge, I hope that you've started to recognize some of the thoughts that can limit your progress in fitness and in life. I hope that you've given some thought to the stories that you tell yourself and the meaning you've attached to certain experiences because when we recognize them, we can change them. And when we change our thoughts, we change our life. I believe in you. I am cheering for you and I can't wait to see your progress.