Have you ever considered how important it is to have a positive body image? For many of us this is not an easy thing to sustain, yet it is vital if we are to lose weight permanently. Think about it for a moment. If you hate part or the whole of your body now what will be different when you lose weight?

  Body Dysmorphia – a hatred of your own body- does not tend to change when you lose weight or even reach your target weight. All those weeks, months and years of focussing on what you hate about yourself, take their toll. Unless during the process of you losing weight you learn to gradually love the skin you’re in, you are likely to remain dissatisfied with your body image when you are the weight you were born to be.

For some people this can lead them into over dieting or giving up and putting the weight back on because they never find the body perfection they seek. One of the keys to sustainable weight loss is therefore finding different ways to learn how to love your body image as you gradually lose weight.

  Don’t worry, this will not stop you wanting to lose weight but will enhance your motivation as you learn to love and take care of every inch of you. It is in this journey of self-love and self-acceptance that true weight loss success lays.

Sometimes it is great to do something different to find ways of loving the skin your in. So last week, I organised a fun ‘girly’ evening for some of my friends and family. Instead of just sitting and doing the usual ‘girly’ things, which of course includes lots of chatting, I decide to organise something different. I arranged for a Colour and Image Consultant to spend the evening with us.

 We spent a great evening discovering the colours and outfits that best suited our skin tones and body shape. This inspired me to have a wardrobe clear out – always a rewarding and freeing experience – and to rediscover clothes and combinations I had not thought of before. I now have a new wardrobe of my old clothes as I am wearing things I had forgotten about and better still, outfits that make me feel a million dollars when I wear them.

A friend of mine recently asked me if I would be her ‘Buddy’ to help remotivate her healthy eating. Like so many of us she had reached a target weight which was a great achievement – 50lbs in 50 weeks. Then it all went to pot and she was struggling to get back on track.

I too have been struggling, for a long time, to stick at regular exercise. Like many people I had an on and off relationship with exercise - more off than on if truth be told! There were always excuses I could come up with as to why I could not find the time to walk or do my yoga exercises. Sound familiar?

So we set out the ground rules…

1.      No criticism of each other, just support and encouragement;

2.      To focus and communicate the positive things;

3.      To be completely honest with each other;

4.      To celebrate success, no matter how small, at every opportunity by sharing it;

5.      To email or text each other every day with a short journal of what we had achieved, how we felt and what we had eaten;

6.      To include in the journal information about when healthy eating and exercise habits had slipped;

7.      To offer supportive words, thoughts and encouragement to each other when things had gone off track;

8.      To meet up a couple of times a week (wherever possible) and go for an hours walk;

9.      To make sure we were always enjoying ourselves;

10. To have fun! 

The transformation for both of us has been amazing. I have never felt so motivated and determined to exercise regularly 4-5 times a week. On the days that I am not due to meet my ‘Buddy’ it is like a personal challenge to do my hour of exercise. Not even this rain has put me off, as I now have an indoor exercise routine.

It is also wonderful for both of us to hear how our respective words of support and encouragement have helped to get and keep us both on track. That led me to thinking about developing a Life Shapers ‘Buddy Up’ Programme. So with the launch of my new web site, next month, you too will be able to find a ‘Buddy’ through the online forum. This is so exciting as it adds a new dimension to the support we will be offering.

There is also no need for you to be living in the same location or country as your ‘Buddy’ either. I have just linked up with a second ‘Buddy’ and she is in Canada. Not only is this motivational it also feeds the soul as we develop new and wonderful relationships across the globe.

So ask a friend to be your ‘Buddy’ set out the rules of how it will work for you and start to get the support and motivation you deserve or try out the Life shapers Forum next month and find a new friend to ‘Buddy Up’ with.