some solutions

1. “Day one” no longer exists and never will again! At the time of writing this draft, it’s 1am on Friday 12^th August and there is nothing special about today, but I have officially begun my new life. This time I accept that there will be good days and bad days, but having a bad one does NOT mean I have to start back at square one. I will brush myself off and move on, learning from the experience rather than wasting time with self-loathing.

I give myself permission to make mistakes and will not punish myself for them.

2. A tricky one as mirrors are apart of every day life. A simple short-term solution is to wear baggier clothing to the gym while I’m feeling particularly insecure. Long term, I need to train myself to look for the positive and not dwell on the long list of complaints I have about my body when I see myself in a mirror... particularly since most of the thing I don’t like about my body are due to my own lack of discipline and are fully preventable! Don’t like what you see? Get back to work, don’t dwell!

3. I will find suitable replacements for celebration and mourning. Having a bad day? Read a book or magazine, turn on some angry (or uplifting) music, go for a 10 minute run, have a bubble bath… the possibilities are endless! Celebrating? Reward yourself with anything that isn’t edible… a DVD or CD, some new underwear or makeup. Even better, just call someone to chat and pay the good mood forward!

4. Food is no longer the enemy and I will not ban anything from my diet. Instead, the rule will be that I am not to eat when I’m feeling particularly emotional. Food is fuel, and I should only be eating when I’m hungry. If I DO want something yummy, I will plan ahead for it and not have impromptu binge sessions, followed by the guilt and self-loathing, which generally lead to MORE eating. I will make thoughtful and conscious decisions when choosing what and when to eat.