Quit the Blame. Quit the Shame.

I was talking with one of the Doctors I work with today about how much weight I gained during my pregnancy and that I wanted to blame it on a multitude of excuses, such as fluid fluctuations and hormonal changes, but the truth is, I was trying to bypass my own personal responsibility, and place the blame on outside factors. I told her how embarrassing and difficult it was (and is) for me to publicly admit my highest weight here on my blog and to share my story. Her response was simple- but it hit home. She said, "There is no shame".

No Blame. No Shame.

This is kind of a difficult post for me to make but I feel that it is important, none the less, to help those out there who may be going through the same thing.

Too often, when it comes to weight loss, we blame outside factors and fail to consider that we may have played a role in getting to the point we are at today. We like to point fingers. We don't want to openly admit to overindulging or eating unhealthy foods. We blame lack of time. We blame lack of energy. We blame our family. We blame our jobs. We blame everyone, but ourselves. I will be honest with you. My diet, prior to starting my own personal journey, was far from perfect. Yes, I am a dietitian, so this is hard for me to admit, but important that I face the facts.

I am an emotional eater, and if I was having a bad day, I would easily sit down and finish a tub of Ben and Jerry's. I am guilty of having moments where I finish off an entire box of cereal in two days or eating upwards of 6 cookies in one sitting. I am guilty of binge eating and the shameful feelings that are associated with it.

In order for me to gain control over my eating, I had to quit the blaming and openly admit to myself that the food choices I was making were the root cause of the position I was in- being 80 pounds overweight. I had to quit the blame.

Once I quit the blaming, I could take a step back and evaluate my situation and plan to be successful. I now know my limits. I know that certain foods simply cannot be kept in our home. Chocolate chips? nope. Cookies? Definitely not.  I realized if I wanted to see a change I had to make a change. And I worked at it. Day in and Day out. Change is hard, but without going outside our comfort zone and putting forth every ounce of effort we have, nothing substantial will come.

Through the help of my coach, I gained control over my eating and with the help of the 21 day fix, I have gained a balance in my diet that I have never had before.

But guess what- that did not change the feeling of shame that still lingers today. Yes, I am close to my goal weight now, but, I am still ashamed to talk about where I started. You see, society has placed expectations on us that we feel the need to meet. We are expected to look a certain way. It is portrayed in the media. day in and day out, that if we want to be happy and successful, we need to look good in a string bikini and we need to fit in size 0 jeans. And when we can't? We feel like failures and become ashamed of ourselves, uncomfortable in our very own skin.

What we do not consider though, is that this feeling of shame and failure suffocates our potential.

When we learn to let go of the shame and guilt we experience, we can reach heights we never thought possible. We can hold our head up high. We can confidently take control of our life through diet and exercise.  The Bible tells us that we are to love ourselves, we are to treat our bodies as a temple of the Lords, and that there is no shame in Christ Jesus.

I want to personally challenge each of my friends and family to quit the blame. Quit the shame. See your potential. Take control. and Love yourself in the process. Remember, our victory is already won.

Decide. Commit. Succeed. 

If you are interested in ways that I can help you reach your personal health and fitness goals, feel free to e-mail me at bbaeznutrition@gmail.com