What To Do If You've Gained Weight And You Don't Want To Diet

So if you haven’t already heard about it I’ll just speak briefly because I want to keep this space as real as possible. I made a vow to myself in early September that I was going to put more effort in to my business than I ever had before. I was really going to go for it in a way that I hadn’t. I knew that I was going to be pushed to my edge and do things that felt really uncomfortable but what I didnt expect was that I wasn’t going to get results in the time frame I had hoped for. So, when it didn't happen it completely crushed me.

Not only that but I had some financial stuff come up, that freaked me out. Truth be told, I got tested in ways that I hadn’t in a while. And it was a really hard and long emotional process for me in which sometimes I was pulled under with a lot of grief. Mostly because when you know you have a bigger calling and you want to help as many people as possible it just feels vulnerable. My career is my world and my passion.

So guess what happened??? For the first time in four years my clothes started fitting me differently. Things got tighter and I put on a little weight. I really struggled with body image issues for the entire month of December and January. The most disheartening part was the fact that nothing changed with my eating habits and I was still really active. But, I gained weight. If I thought weight stuff would never test me again I turned out to be wrong. My weight fixation was still buried deep inside me to a point where when things didn’t go my way and my body changed it was really hard to feel good and love myself. But, even more so I found it hard to be happy and experience joy. Even a few of my close friends and family members were worried about me.

I wasn’t sure what to do.

I knew restricting calories wasn’t an option for me.

I knew I couldn’t exercise any more than I already was, since I’m pretty active.

SO..I DID NOTHING. For a while.

And, I waited patiently and acknowledged that this shit was hard! Why the hell do I have to deal with this? Why can’t someone else go through this? I felt all of it. I gave myself the time and space to look at that part of myself that still feels my self worth and beauty is dependent on my weight.

And then february rolled around and I realized that I wasn’t having fun anymore because I didn't like how I looked.

So, I decided to say fuck it and go back to my basic principles of what to do when I have gained weight but I SURE as heck don't want to handle it with dieting.

Now I want to share it with you in hopes that if this happens to you, you know what to do. .

1- I went through my closet and put everything away that was tight on me.

2- I purchased a few (inexpensive) pieces that I thought made me feel/look beautiful.

3- I decided to move my body for the sole purpose of joy. Anything else, I skipped. Even though it could have potentially helped me get the weight off.

4- I stopped trying to cut corners with food (not treating myself a lot) and started eating for energy and shocker alert…. Pleasure!!!!

5- I learned to really focus on what was awesome about me from the inside out and holy shit! I can honestly say I have a lot of beauty coming from my heart that can never be affected by an X pound weight gain. Turns out that I AM ENOUGH!!!!

6- I tell myself I am waiting this one out and that self compassion heals everything. And, my body acceptance practice has gotten way more solid this time around because NOW I KNOW FOR SURE that everything can change even when you are doing all the ‘right’ things and the only thing you can hold on to is acceptance of exactly what is, in the present moment. Even if things aren’t the way you want them to be.

Now, I want to encourage you to do the same. I’m gonna be honest. Gaining weight can be hard. But your reaction to it, is everything. Don’t be fooled that a clean diet and doing exercise that makes you miserable is a long term solution. It is not.

Self love is. Self acceptance is. Body acceptance is.

x,

Soshy



Soshy Adelstein