Self-Acceptance Is More Powerful Than Any Diet I Have Ever Been On

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A few months ago Carla invited me to write a guest post for her. Right around the same time I was in the process of finishing my book, AFTER (the before & after).

I wasn’t sure how I was going to end it, because as we all know, this is pretty much a never-ending journey.

What I ended up writing for Carla turned out to be the perfect ending for the book. Funny how things work out.

Being as gracious and supportive as she is, Carla agreed to let me give away a copy of my book here on her blog. Here’s a “third-person” description of AFTER (the before & after):

 

After having been obese for most of her adult life and thinking she’d magically lose weight “some day,” Karen Anderson finally got it together and lost 55 pounds in 2005. She became a weight-loss “success story” with her picture on the cover of a weekly women’s magazine and appeared in a national commercial for a popular weight loss web site. She was on top of the world.

But like the vast majority of people who lose a significant amount of weight, she then proceeded to regain half the weight she’d lost. That’s when she started writing with the intention figuring out just what the heck was wrong. Why couldn’t she just lose weight and keep it off?

She decided to stop trying to change her body and changed her mind instead. She stopped signing up for other people’s goals and dreams and finally realized what it she really wanted. And most importantly, she stopped hating her body. The result? Well, like many “before and after” stories, the results were NOT typical.

Part memoir and part “day in the life” reflections, AFTER (the before & after) is the result of Anderson’s belief that having a healthy body (mind and spirit) shouldn’t be a life-long struggle. It is NOT just another book about how to lose weight. It’s about the power of self-acceptance, and it’s about realizing that it takes as long as it needs to take. And that’s okay.

 

Anderson is a freelance writer. She lives in New London, CT, with her husband Tim. Her blog, “Before & After: A Real Life Story” chronicles the lessons she continues to learn.

To learn more and to read excerpts from the AFTER (the before & after), please visit here.

You may be entered to win a copy by answering this question in the comments below:

Do you have an unusual “before and after” story? Are your results not typical?

Karen will announce the winner on her blog 4.18.11

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Comments

  1. My results are not typical.

    I lost 115 pounds of emotional & physical weight.

    I gained a whole me!

    Before: Lost

    After: Absolutely Found!

  2. My results are not typical either. I realized that it was never about the weight or the food or even the habits. It was about fear, shackles and a profound belief that I was simply not good enough, that their was something fundamentally “wrong” with me. That belief is now gone and it is as if my light can finally shine at its full intensity, for all to see, and for me to see by.

  3. RESULTS NOT TYPICAL HERE EITHER. IT IS ABOUT UNHAPPINESS AND LETTING OTHERS DECIDE FOR ME. NOT LIVING THE LIFE I WANT. HAPPY ME = HEALHY ME.

  4. I’d say my results are not typical. I’ve lost 80 lbs. so far. It takes a lot more than a diet to lose weight and keep it off. So being “not typical” is my goal!

  5. My results are also not typical. I’m down 77 pounds – with about 50 more to go. What’s weird for me, is that this is the first time in my life I’ve tried to lose weight. I’m hoping it’s the only. I’m really trying to figure out what my “non-weight” issue is so I only have to do this once!

  6. Changing the mind – love it & doing what was right for her!

    I don’t have an unusual one – I lost it the wrong way & took quite a few years to get it the right way – & learn that food is not the enemy.

    I think in terms of my muscle – may not be typical as many women want to look “softer”. 😉

  9. I’m not sure if my results are typical….but I just want to say that I LOVE KAREN! She is a truly unique and loving soul. There is no falseness in her.

  10. I’m not sure if my results are typical, but I just wanted to say that I LOVE KAREN. She is such a unique and loving soul. There is no falseness in her.

  12. I can’t wait to read this book! My before story was always fighting against my body and hating my weight. My after story is just starting. I got pregnant as a plus size woman and finally stop fighting and start loving my imperfect body. I had a very healthy pregnancy and didn’t gain weight. I’m a few pounds less today then the day I got pregnant and by embracing my body I can’t wait to see the progress I make…

  13. My results are not that special (lost 30 lbs), but happily, I am not typical. I’m back to feeling like my strange, not-so-normal self again after feeling trapped in a body that wasn’t mine for a long time.

  14. Looks like a great book! Everytime I move somewhere new– a new city etc… all of the bad habits come back again, the mind is a powerful thing!!!

  15. I’ve yo-yo’d and unfortunately that’s not unusual. I’m working hard to make permanent changes to be the healthiest and fit me I can be. I’d love to read her book!

    Winks & Smiles,
    Wifey

  16. what is typical?!?!

    I am still fighting to find my way, I guess that is the typical!

    I love Karen and am so proud to call her my friend (And big sister)

  17. I have finally realized that there is only now, and that I better appreciate my life now. Who I am now.

    I’m currently trying to love and discipline myself to a better place than I was when I was bingeing. Or that when I do binge.

    And find a purpose and happiness in being healthy, not just to be what ‘they’ want me to be.

  18. i’m not sure i’m a results-not-typical, but i lost 40 lbs in 2009 and i strive for my own ‘normal’ in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

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