QUESTION OF THE WEEK

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF WHEN IT COMES TO MAINTAINING YOUR WEIGHT

OR

 TRYING TO LOSE?

I think I was 13 when I started my first diet.  I went for a check-up before I started Junior High and the doctor told me that I should start thinking about losing some weight before High School creeped up on me.  In High School there was swimming class and I knew what that meant.  Bathing suit. 

I spent my entire summer eating salads and passing up sweets.  I walked and biked with my friends and felt totally deprived.  I was definitely chubby, I have photos to prove it. 

 High School did arrive and I was forced to take swimming class. Was I thin enough? What were people thinking of me? The focus on my looks and weight shifted once I started to swim. I was a terrible swimmer and had to stay longer to learn everything all over again since I couldn't swim the width of the pool under water.  No one in my family was a good swimmer so some of the fears that resurfaced came from reactions passed down to me about drowning and how cautious I needed to be around the pool we had.

The gym teacher wouldn't hear of me not passing.  He was tough and wasn't about to give up on my efforts.  I had little confidence that I could do what he was proposing.  Not only was I now conscious of myself in a swimsuit I now had to be conscious of passing my test under water in front of all my peers.  High School can be rough.

The point is, I did face my fear, passed the class and a feeling of elation came over me.  I was so excited that I had passed the class I forgot about the swimsuit issue.  I had also found a new friend who wanted to see me succeed.  She was an awesome swimmer and cheered me on.

There are so many facets to facing our fears. They can be friends pushing us along, our own power to keep going everyday, a gym teacher who has faith in our abilities.

Fears come in all shapes and sizes.  From swimming under water to worrying if I'll always fit into my skinny jeans.  Will I always be able to keep my new lifestyle?  Will I make it through another day eating the foods I eat?  Facing them is the easiest way through.  It may not seem like it at first.  You may fail a few times or make mistakes but when you do make it the feeling is unbelievable.

I've been dieting since I was 13.  After trying so many times my fear was that I wasn't going to ever be thin or healthy in my lifetime.  My fear was where to begin and how much time I was going to have to put into it.  My fear was what others would think of me if I failed.

 It wasn't until I was 39 years old that I found what was right,  faced my fears and learned how to actually lose my weight and keep it off.  I pulled from my memory that fateful day at the swimming pool and remembered how I had changed that day and how I had gotten through that fear of swimming under water.

If I could get over that fear maybe other fears could disappear as well.

SO WHAT ARE YOUR FEARS?  HOW WILL YOU FACE THEM?