The Dieting Blame Game

I must be close to winning this game I have been playing for 4 decades.  

I have blamed myself for failure to lose, failure to succeed, failure to sustain.  

I have blamed the diets I have tried...saying they don't work. 

I have blamed the exercise trends for not producing the results they promise...

Blame this, Blame that, Blame me, Blame you...

I have deluded myself that it is someone else fault, my fault.  I don't have enough will power.  I am not strong enough, disciplined enough...bla bla bla...

In actuality...Diets are just specific (usually restrictive) food plans and Exercise fads are just alternative ways to move your body.

What works for your body, and your life, will not necessarily work with mine.  I am different.  You are different.  

The blame does not belong on you, or me, or the diet or the exercise plan. 

weight watchers, jenny craig, opti-fast and zone
deal-a-meal, master cleanse, south beach and clean
paleo, cabbage soup, low fat and OA
scarsdale, dexatrim, gluten free and effedra.

jazzercise, jane fonda, richard simmons and suzanne summers
buns of steal, cross fit, tabata and johnny G
insanity, bootcamp, marathons and HIIT
step, slide, cycle and barre
fitbits, heart rates, target zones and more

Blaming this, Blaming that..
all comes down to this fear of FAT

FAT: Essential Food Nutrient.  Important for structural and metabolic functions
FAT serves as a source of energy in the body.  It serves as a protection mechanism by providing padding around essential organs, and provides insulation from the heat and cold
FAT produces an important hormone (leptin) to help us with satiety

Since when did it become an adjective?  A word that is associated with lazy, ugly, unmotivated, undisciplined, sloppy, unmotivated....

Why have we spent years blaming ourselves for not succeeding as we follow a plan that was not designed for us?

This Blame Game cannot be won by anyone...

It is time to begin to trust YOURSELF...your hunger, your fullness, your internal drive to move your body in a way that feels good to YOU.

Your body is smarter than you think. It knows what it needs, if you just start to listen.

Start this year out by taking responsibility of your choices, and release the blame. 

It is time to let go of the should do's  and the have to's, or the newest diet or exercise trend you see on Facebook or TV. 

You are worthy of eating food, for it will provide you with energy and pleasure
You are worthy of JOY-ful movement, for it will feel good in your body and soul.

Stop playing the blame game and decide to choose what works for you, trust in yourself.  

Need direction?  I can help...Intuitive Eating Coaching releases the blame.  
It is a weigh to finding peace with food and body.  Freedom of the guilt, shame and blame.  annepoirier11@gmail.com  

20% MORE

I see the apple on the table, I hear my stomach growl, I start to calculate as the numbers tick away in my head...60+80=140+50=190+10+120= 410...no, too much, just walk away...

I walk up the stairs, thinking of what I had done...20 minutes of core work, step class, 30 minutes of legs...not enough, I should go for a run...

My thoughts continue...

The numbers of calories burned, exercise classes taught or taken, miles run or walked

Calories consumed, calories NOT consumed, points, fat and carb grams counted, Adding and Subtracting; Plotting and Planning 

How much longer do I need to stay on this stair master?  What should my workout look like tomorrow? the day after that? next week?

What will the scale say when I step on it tomorrow?  Have I worked hard enough? Eaten too much?

What will the ALL MIGHTY SCALE say about my worthiness tomorrow?

Minute after minute, day after day, year after year...from 10 years old until almost 50...Over 95% of my thoughts every day tick away thinking about how I can effect the number on the scale.

4 DECADES of my life, I have spent all of my time counting and calculating, shaming and blaming, pushing and pulling. 

I am sad, frustrated, angry and depressed as I come to this realization....Why have I wasted so much time with this non-sense?  

I sit and cry,  I walk and cry, I curl up in a ball and cry as I move through this strange GRIEVING process.  

So many should haves, why didn't I's, your so stupid's...I morn the loss of so many years of my life...until...Exhaustion sets in, I am tired and all dried up from crying.  

It is time to "fish or cut bait" as my dad would say..."shit or get off the pot" my uncle would say...

Stagnation and depression set in...until...

I think about my daughters, how much I love them, how much I want to see them grow, learn, live and love.  

FINALLY, I get it...I need more time...more time in my brain to live here in this world, to live here today...

It becomes apparent that it is time to THROW AWAY:

• The calorie counter in my brain
• The scale on the bathroom floor
• The fit-bit "rewards"
• The class schedule
• The "map my run" app

Time to gain back TIME:

• Time to read and write
• Time to share time with friends and family
• Time to reconnect with my body
• Time to think about what used to bring me joy
• Time to make a difference

This was me only 4 years ago, and every year since then, I have opened up more space in my head, 20%, 30%, 40% more time to focus on the life I am living.  Less and less time spent on obsessing and calculating.

This valentines day, give yourself the gift of TIME, time to enjoy the life you are living TODAY, in the body that you have TODAY, in the shape that you are in TODAY, at the weight your body is TODAY.  

This is my wish for you...It is SO worth it.

I am here for support and guidance.