Loving Yourself and Enjoying Life

We had a great time at the beach yesterday and I had my daughter take this picture to share a quick thought with you that has become very real in my life.

I'll have to expound later, but two things:

1. Before I even began losing weight I had to really learn to love myself just as I was. It's not easy, but it was key to breaking through mindsets that told me I couldn't lose weight, because I'd never be perfect.
2. I also came to a point where loving myself as I was also freed me to enjoy such activities as taking my kids swimming. I'd be lying to say that I never think about how I look. I'm pasty white, have spider veins in my legs and about 50 more pounds to lose, but....I'm a work in progress and this is the body God gave me. I refuse to sit on the sidelines and miss enjoying time with my family because of my imperfections.

Folks, I still read blogs here and there of women who are at their goal weight and aren't happy with their bodies. It makes me sad, because weight loss apparently wasn't the answer for their insecurities. That's because it's not the complete answer.

While I still have work to be done to be healthier, my joy in life is not dependent on having a perfect body. I thank God for helping me come to this point, because our day at the beach was so much fun. I would've hated missing out on swimming with my family just because I was too embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit.