Summer has finally hit! Mornings are no longer a drudge, as glorious, beaming sunshine puts a spring in our step at the beginning of each new day.
But, just imagine you’ve managed to drop some pounds and reached your target weight just in time for summer!
For the first time in forever, you have to invest in new swimwear – not because the old suits are old and faded – but because they are literally swimming on you, instead of the other way around! 😂
There are no words to express the exhilaration!
I know because that is my life right now, and, believe me, it is amazing!
To be able to fully embrace a summer wardrobe without being weighed down by feelings of dread, self-loathing and self-consciousness is beyond liberating.
And then there is the added bonus of the confidence boost that comes from setting a goal and being successful in achieving it. Who knew that smugness could feel so satisfying?! 😉
Longtime readers of this blog will know that this has not been an overnight transformation for me. Far from it!
It was around this time last year that I decided to make a positive change in my life. So I joined Weight Watchers, or WW as it is now known. For all the details of the early stages of my weight loss struggles, click Mostly Mum’s baby bulge fight – a losing battle?
Throughout this blog, I have detailed my diet dos and don’ts, but, if you are at all impatient, like me, you won’t want to wade through countless blog posts to decipher the secret to my final weight loss success.
So, instead, I have decided to write this post as the ultimate cheat’s guide to total body confidence.
Intrigued? Read on and all will be revealed!
This time last year I was struggling with an energetic one-year-old and intense feelings of frumpiness, as I battled to lose the baby bulge which just wouldn’t budge.
I was feeling tired and defeated when I decided to join the Weight Watchers programme as a last ditch effort to finally, once and for all, get my weight issues under control.
However, just six months later, I was singing a totally different tune when I was finally able to wear clothes, that, for the first time in an eternity, did not make me look like a mobile tent. 😬😳
And, believe it or not, ”narcissistic” selfies were a powerful tool in my overall success, as they documented each little success along the way; little successes which motivated me to keep going even when I felt like it was all too much and that I would never, ever reach the top of that metaphorical mountain.
Equally astonishing is the positive influence social media played in my bid to banish the baby bulge.
Rather than fall into the ”comparisonitis” trap, I looked to celebrities like model Vogue Williams…
And Made In Chelsea star Louise Thompson to inspire me to become the very best version of myself.
But, perhaps, most inspiring of all were the ordinary Instagram mums like me, who were setting themselves weight loss goals and managing to achieve amazing results, often despite seemingly insurmountable challenges.
@boobum_myswjourney is one of the most inspirational stories I stumbled across in my online world.
This young mum of two succeeded in overhauling her entire lifestyle and outlook in just over a year by shedding a jaw-dropping 6 stone 13 lbs through the Slimming World programme.
A truly inspirational lady! 👏
Her success story is best summed up in the following post…
If at first you don’t succeed… ❤️❤️❤️
So, enough of the suspense! Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, the crux of the issue…
What do I, celebrities like Vogue and Louise, and the Slimming World Instagram lady all have in common when it comes to body confidence success?
Major hint… We absolutely, under no circumstances do this…
The simple answer to, what often seems to be, the most complex of dilemmas can be summed up in just one word…
Discipline!
Yes, folks, unfortunately, there is no easy way around it, no magic wand, no miracle cure, no shortcut to success.
Once you commit to a diet, a healthy lifestyle change, you have to dig deep down into your discipline stores so as you don’t fall at the very first (or even any subsequent) bump in the road.
And then once that weight loss target is reached, you will need to dip back into those discipline reserves once more, so as not to fall back into old habits and ultimately pile all those pesky pounds back on.
Phew!
Not for the faint-hearted!
But totally and completely achievable for each and every one of us!
It’s simply a case of mind over matter!
Once you achieve that, success and total (lasting) body confidence is well within reach!
My only regret?
Not realising all of this before I hit my fifth decade! 😩😳
Oh, well!
They do say that life begins at forty!
Better late than never, I suppose! 😉😊
Stay tuned as I continue to navigate the often choppy waters of weight loss success.
Until next time,
💋 Mostly Mum
*All gifs are via GIPHY
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