Help! I Gotta Lose Weight Fast for the Reunion!

Class Reunions. Weddings. Beach Vacations. As a wellness coach, the desire to “lose weight for the special occasion” is something I hear often – usually with no small amount of angst. And it makes sense – of course we want to look our best when we know there will be photos, we’re going to see people we haven’t seen in a while or we’re going to live in a swim suit for a week.

Let’s look at a few thoughts that might help us navigate this situation:

• BEFORE THE EVENT: Believing that “I have to lose 40 pounds before the reunion” is a lot of pressure. It feels daunting and like there’s a lot at stake if we don’t. This kind of thinking sets us up for certain anxiety.

• AFTER THE EVENT: We’re notorious for working hard to lose weight for something special and then gaining it all back right afterwards…and of course, regretting it terribly.

So we end up feeling anxious BEFORE the event (which should be fun, after all) and then again AFTER.

There’s got to be a better way – a liberating way!

Let’s take a deeper look. The demanding task master here is perfectionism.

Perfectionism promises big but ends up strangling us of joy instead.

But - what if the bride changed her focus from being the ideal bride (perfectionism) to feeling vibrant, healthy and happy for the wedding and the honeymoon and the decades to come? What if the mother of the bride focused on feeling joyful and healthy for the wedding and the grandchildren’s weddings someday and all of life in between?

Choosing to have a nourishing and balanced relationship with food and your body for the long haul is FREEDOM. This sets us up to be able to enjoy special occasions in the broader context of our real lives.

LIFE is full of amazing moments – ordinary and extraordinary. Let’s do all we can to silence the demanding voice of perfectionism. To live whole-heartedly, to feel vibrant, to be fully present for each day – that is a gift that will bless us and those we love for a lifetime.