Loving oneself is critical to successfully lose weight and maintain good health. If you hate your body and your mind is full of negative self-talk any effort to lose weight would feel like punishment.

Imagine this: You were feeling angry, stressed, unhappy, sad or low. So, you treated yourself to ice cream. As the ice cream was melting in your mouth, negative self-talk started rolling “I am weak! I have no will power. I can’t believe I gave in to this ice cream again! If I can’t follow this diet, I will be fat and ugly for the rest of my life. No one is going to love me. I suck. I hate myself.” What would your reaction be? You could stop eating, feel deprived and hate dieting. Or, you could continue finishing your ice cream because you feel you deserve a treat after all the punishing diet that you have been doing (and regret later). Even if you lose 100 pounds because you’ve starved yourself, you will probably realize that you are 100 pounds skinnier and you are still not happy. As long as you feel being punished trying to lose weight, it won’t work. You will pick up that tub of ice cream again to soothe your bruised emotions. And in time, you will likely regain the weight.

Before you start an effort to lose weight, acknowledge that you are doing this for the most important person in your life – YOU. Start with the loving acceptance that your body is divine, a gift from God. Believe that what lies in you is a beautiful, perfect spirit that is capable to love and be loved no matter what shape or size. You must reclaim, honour and love that part of yourself as you embark on your weight-loss journey towards better health.

Here are 9 tips on how you can cultivate self-love as you lose weight in a healthy way:

1. Stop negative self-talk. Be conscious of the thoughts that are running in your mind without control.– “I have no self-control in eating.”, “Who would love someone with this kind of body?”, “I look disgusting.”, “I hate how I look.”, “I look so fat and ugly.” Stop the thought from completing every time they come up. Channel your thoughts and energy to doing something about your situation and achieving more of what you want in your life.
2. Honour your body and feed your soul. The human body is an amazing gift from God, honour that gift and treat your body well. Be mindful of what you put in your mouth. Certain foods may feel heavenly when you eat them but they may not be good for your body. It pleases the soul to serve the body with healthy and nourishing food – green vegetables, fresh fruits, whole foods and not canned or processed, clean pure water and not soda, and lean and hormone free proteins to restore the muscles.
3. Blessing your food and drink is an important spiritual practice to feed your soul. When you bless your food and drink, you are expressing gratitude to nature’s capacity to grow and for all of the labour of individuals exerted to create the sustenance you are about to enjoy – the farmers who harvested the vegetables and raised the livestock, the labourers who packaged, shipped and sold the food, and the workers who helped bring clean drinking water.
4. Rest and recover. We are not machines, we are human beings. Even machines need to be shut down for maintenance. Sleep early. Don’t feel guilty taking time off for yourself from work or taking care of your family. Apply luxurious lotion on your naked skin. Unwind in a long luxurious, scented bath. Have a massage. Take care of the mind too. Mental stress can take as much toll on the body as with physical stress.
5. Avoid stress or emotional eating. If you are feeling anxious, sad or low don’t rush to grab something to eat. Don’t feed your emotions. Eating may make you feel good temporarily but the bad feeling will soon come back again. Instead, recognize what is making you feel bad – “I am upset with my boss”, “I feel sad that my father abused me when I was little”, “I feel bored and I hate my life”, “I am angry because my boyfriend/husband left me”. Give yourself permission to FEEL. Honour your feelings. Negative emotions are normal, just don’t let them drive you towards undesirable behaviour. Instead of running to the kitchen, grab your journal. Write your thoughts and feelings.
6. Listen to your body. Eat only when you are hungry. If you think you are hungry, drink water first because dehydration gives the same feeling as hunger. When you no longer feel truly hungry, stop eating.
7. Give your eating time your whole undivided attention. Avoid distractions – don’t watch tv, use your computer or phone while eating. Your mealtime is ‘me’ time. Eat slowly to enjoy your food, improve digestion and increase satisfaction with your meals.
8. Move your beautiful body. Our bodies are meant to move. No matter how sedentary you think your life is, you can move. If you can sit perhaps you can stand. If you can stand perhaps you can walk. Start with having short breaks from sitting in front of your computer to get the blood circulation going. Take the stairs. Gradually increase duration. Even if you can only manage a slow 20-minute walk per day, do it. Use the time to reflect and meditate. Repeat affirmations to yourself such as “I am growing stronger, fitter and healthier every day.”
9. Cultivate an unconditional love for yourself. Make peace with the person in the mirror with an unbreakable promise. Example, “From now on, I will take care of you. I will treat you with love and respect. I will listen to what you need. I will feed you with only what is good. “Then you can also give more positive affirmations to yourself, “I am complete. I am capable of reclaiming my health. I am beautiful, lovable, and perfect in every way.”

Regaining your health and maintaining a healthy weight with self-love is sustainable. Believe in yourself. Love yourself. Be whole. You are.