Your weight is not your problem.

In my experience women don’t have weight problems they have problems with loneliness, relationships, self esteem, boredom, career dissatisfaction, stress, lazy, denial, parenting, self confidence and myriad of others. Here are a few examples:

Loneliness

1. Your closest relationship is your TV
2. Your iPad and video games replace love
3. Your bed is too big
4. Your bed is too empty
5. You need a pet
6. You need a new boyfriend
7. You need a girlfriend
8. You need some new friends
9. You wait for people to call you
10. You wait to be invited
11. You wait
12. You cocoon for too long
13. You crave more connection

Relationship

14. You want a relationship
15. You don’t want a relationship
16. You hate your relationship
17. You need to end your relationship
18. You want more intimacy
19. You don’t know how to create more intimacy
20. You wish your boyfriend/girlfriend could read your mind
21. You leave stuff unsaid
22. You want more sex
23. You NEED more sex
24. You’re not having any sex (even with yourself)
25. You’re playing games with your love life
26. You’re leaving your love life up to the Universe

Boredom

27. Netflix is your best friend
28. Your couch is your best friend
29. Wine is your best friend
30. Anything with cheese is your best friend
31. Chocolate is your best friend
32. Your cat is your best friend
33. Feeling sorry for yourself is your best friend
34. Cookies are your best friend
35. A bag of potato chips are your best friend
36. All of these together = your perfect night

Self-Esteem & Body Image Issues

37. You trash talk your thighs
38. You curse your muffin top
39. You diss your back fat
40. Your butt is too big
41. Your butt is too flat
42. your butt is too round
43. Your boobs are too small
44. Your boobs are too saggy
45. You’re too short
46. You’re too tall
47. You’re too curvy
48. You’re not curvy enough
49. You’re never enough
50. Your body is never perfect enough
51. you feel inadequate
52. You don’t feel sexy
53. You don’t feel confident

Career Troubles

54. You’ve hit the glass ceiling
55. Your boss yells at you
56. You yell at your boss
57. You want to be a stay at home mom (SAHM)
58. You’re a SAHM who wants to be a WAHM (Work At Home Mom)
59. You’re a WAHM who wants to be a WOHM (Work Out of Home Mom)
60. Your hours are too long
61. You don’t make enough money
62. You crash at 10am
63. You crash at 3pm
64. You’re still working at 11pm
65. You don’t get enough holidays
66. You don’t take your holidays
67. You can’t think before your triple pumpkin spice latte
68. You hate your cubicle
69. You hate your colleagues
70. You hate what you do

Parenting

71. You’re sleep deprived (constantly)
72. You let your baby “cry it out”
73. Your baby nurses 24/7
74. You bottle feed
75. You breastfeed exclusively
76. You said no
77. You said yes
78. You changed your mind
79. You snapped
80. You really snapped
81. You can’t stop worrying
82. You hate the fighting
83. You hate the silent treatment
84. You just wish everyone could be happy
85. You’ wonder if you’re doing a good job
86. You wonder how much therapy they’ll need

Overwhelmed

87. You don’t think you can
88. You don’t think you deserve it
89. You’re tired
90. You’re stressed
91. You’re overwhelmed
92. You just don’t care
93. You just can’t handle it
94. You’ll worry about it tomorrow
95. You’ll worry about it next month
96. You’ll worry about it next year
97. You don’t know how
98. You’re scared to try
99. It’s too hard

Here’s the thing I want you to get – of the hundreds of women I’ve worked with I’ve never met a woman with a weight problem. Sure, she might not like the weight she’s at but the real problem is never the weight. In my experience carrying excess pounds is a symptom of something else going on in your life – it may simply be that you’re too busy or it could be more painful, like you’re not in a good relationship and don’t know what to do about it.

As humans we’re wired to seek comfort and solace. When something painful or unpleasant is going on in your life it’s much easier to simply deny and distract yourself from the real problem by eating.

We can’t change what we’re not aware of so my request today is this – write down all of the things in your life that you feel like you’ve been avoiding dealing with. The first step is awareness and I invite you to be gentle with yourself as you open to this insight. I also want to know – what’s one problem that you use food to feel better about? Leave your comments in the section below or send me an email: jennifer@jenniferpowter.com

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