Finding Your Thinspiration

     So now that you’ve begun a weight loss diet, you’re starting to pay close attention to the number of calories in the food you eat . . . and you’re starting to realize that everything seems to have like a bajillion calories in it! How can you possibly make it to the end of the day without dying of starvation or without eating over the number of calories you are allowed per day? When first starting off on a diet, you begin to realize just how difficult weight loss is, and thinking about the journey ahead may scare you. But don’t give up just yet! Dieting is a learning process, and for many, this learning process will eventually lead to the realization that nutrition and fitness is a lifestyle. Once you begin to understand more about health and nutrition, dieting will become less of a struggle and more rewarding. Yes, it can be ridiculously frustrating at first. Sometimes you may think you have eaten well and exercised enough only to find out that you have not lost weight that week. Sometimes you may feel exhausted or be having a generally bad day and will want to say “screw it” and spend the day eating whatever you want. Sometimes you will think that you just can’t do it anymore; the strict eating, calorie counting, and intense workouts are too much. But in moments like these, you must stop, breathe, and find your inner strength and will power by remembering your fitness goals and how important it is to you to reach them.

     Today’s dieting tip is finding your “thinspiration.” “Thinspiration” is your personal reason or inspiration for losing weight. Maybe your goal is not to drop pounds but to just tone up your body, but regardless of your fitness goal, there is a reason behind the goal, and that reason is what is driving you to reach it. Many people have an image in their mind of what they want their body to look like, and that image may be comparable to the body of a professional athlete or celebrity. Your thinspiration may be to lose 10 pounds before a big event like a wedding or your sorority formal, so you can fit into your dream dress. Your goal may be to get a fabulous bikini body before you hit the beach on your next vacation. Whatever your personal goal is, it is crucial to keep your “thinspiration” or reason for getting into shape in mind especially when the journey gets tough. Hanging up a picture on your wall of that celebrity who’s fit body you’d love to have or the size four dress you want to wear can help remind you why you’re on a diet/why you’re working extra hard at the gym an will help keep you motivated. This is NOT to say that you should hang a picture of Mary-Kate Olsen or Nicole Richie on your wall or write “Stop Eating” on your fridge. I am referring to celebrities who are thin but healthy and in shape like Beyonce, Jessica Biel, Halle Berry, or Jessica Alba. Remember that looking ano or emaciated is not actually attractive.  

     Finding your thinspiration is also important because you should be sure you’re dieting and working out for the right reasons. Your thinspiration should never be to please people other than yourself. You should not be dieting to win someone’s love or to “fit in” with a certain crowd of people. If you are attempting to drop pounds for the wrong reasons it is not only unhealthy but also much more difficult and less rewarding. So make sure that you are slimming down and toning up because YOU want to!