But I'm still fat!

I think one of the major issues women have with this notion of consciously putting an end to dieting is the feeling that you haven't yet reached your goal weight, so you can't stop dieting.

I want to discuss this early on because I don't want anybody out there feeling like they can't participate in this journey with me right now, just as you are.

Here's the thing: learning to love and accept yourself is more important than any 5 pounds or 10 pounds or even 20 pounds could ever be.
 Let that sink in for a moment.

In fact, it's SO important that I'm going to say it again: taking the journey towards truly embracing yourself and your body at whatever weight you're at is absolutely THE most significant thing you could ever do for yourself.  You are going to benefit from this infinitely more than you ever would from any kind of weight loss.

I think this is really important to keep in mind because it's very difficult to let go of this daydream of how you will feel when you finally reach your goal weight.  Dieting has been drilled into us girls for so long that many of us believe we can't be truly happy, and we absolutely cannot give up, until we get to our goal weight.  But you know what?  Those aren't the rules. 

You deserve to be happy in your own skin, no matter how you think you look or what you weigh or what other people have told you. There is no right or wrong way to be beautiful, and it's time we start accepting the fact that we can be carrying a few extra pounds and also be beautiful and important and valuable at the same time.

So here's your challenge, bloggers: try to let go of your goal weight for a moment.  You don't even need to give it up completely, but you do need to put it aside for a bit and realize that embracing yourself, your body, and all your flaws TODAY is much more important than any number on a scale could ever be.  You are not defined by how much you weigh.

And you know what? If, in a month, you still feel the need to lose a few pounds, you can address it then.  Dieting isn't going anywhere, trust me!  But for now, give loving yourself a shot, and a fair shot at that.  I can almost guarantee that you won't regret it. #