Big Blue, actually there are a lot of people who are in shape because they suffer from some form of self-loathing. They attach morality into eating and exercise (“if I eat junk food, I am a bad person; if I exercise every day, I am a good person”). If the underlying reasoning and intention is twisted, then even if you reach your goals, you’ll not feel at peace with yourself. This lack of self-acceptance also reflects on other people, and there are some nasty people out there who project their own body issues onto others.

The morality issue can also lead to either overtraining or self-sabotage. The strong belief that your worthiness is tied to your body image and eating and exercise patterns, can lead to a situation where all reason goes out the window. Skipping exercise or eating a pizza will cause anxiety. Or conversely, someone who truly believes that they are unworthy will constantly sabotage their attempts to exercise more or eat a bit less because it doesn’t fit their own image of themselves.

This is why I’m such a big proponent of “get your head straight first and don’t be too hard on yourself”. If you have a healthy mind, then the body will follow. It might take a while, but perhaps patience would be one vital part of a healthy mind 🙂