For the rest of you – I have a little something to tell you about.

I’m stepping outside of my comfort to admit some things I usually reserve for private conversations with only the closest of friends.  I have had body image issues and fluctuating weight gain and loss since high school.  I know I’m not alone but this isn’t something I usually share publicly.

Growing up I was the super skinny girl – my great aunt used to tell me I was shaped “like a bed slat” – thanks Aunt Mary!  That makes a teen feel good!  Then I went to France my junior year and the emotional eating kicked into gear – I gained about 35 lbs in 3 months and cried the day my dad thought he was clever starting a letter with “Dear Chubby…”  It all came off when I came home but my belief that I could eat whatever I wanted was gone.

Since then I’ve been like many, many others – gain weight, try a diet, lose weight, gain it back… Avoid cameras, try to position myself in the back of group shots, avoid mirrors… any of this sound familiar?  Things could be going well then something happens and I turn to food for comfort.  I search and search for love in the bag of Raisinets… only to feel great while eating and then terrible about myself when I’m done.

I could go on and on but you get the idea… let’s move on to what I want to tell you about.

I met this woman named Laura Fenamore about 3 years ago at a weekend retreat for a business class I had taken.  It had nothing to do with weight loss – we were just both students and meeting lots of other interesting people.  She seemed nice, had a great weekend, went on my merry way.  Same thing happened the next year.  I talked to her again because she is just so nice – one of those people that just has kind and friendly energy.

One day on Twitter she posted a blog about art and weight… being an artist, it caught my eye.  I innocently tweeted back, “I need to be kinder to myself.”  (SO TRUE!  You probably need to be kinder to yourself too – try it, it will feel weird at first but you might like it!)  I started to look into exactly what it was that Laura did…

I knew her basic story – she had been overweight as a teen and young adult, lost 100 lbs and kept it off.  (WOW!)  She’s been on many radio and tv shows, featured in magazines and more.

I started looking at her OnePinky programs and thinking… maybe it isn’t just about the food.  Since I’ve repeated the lovely cycle of dieting, success, and going back to my old ways, maybe I should try something new.

I’ve been working with Laura for a few months and I can tell you – it is not for the faint of heart.    She asks you to look at the tough stuff – like what you love about yourself and what unkind things you tell yourself on a daily basis – not just “eat more broccoli! Rah! Rah! Rah!”  In fact, I don’t think we even talked about food for the first 2 months.  Because it really isn’t about the food…  if you have a weight issue – a big or little one – it probably is more about why you eat what you do and why you eat when you eat.

Figure that out and you can be friends with food – what a concept!

The reason I am telling you my deep, dark, emotional eating secrets isn’t just to make myself uncomfortable and incredibly vulnerable (which is precisely how I feel!) but because I want you to know where I’m coming from.  I became an affiliate of Laura’s OnePinky programs because they have and are helping me and they just might help you too!

Here’s the deal – there is a new, 12 week group program starting October 4th.

You can live anywhere because it’s all done by phone.  If you are willing to take a serious look at your beliefs, shed some tears and know that you will come out the other side feeling better about yourself and in turn your body, I encourage you to check it out.  Go to www.OnePinky.com/BodyImageMastery/* for more details.

Now… back to your regularly scheduled day.  Wishing you health, happiness and a sense of peace with your body!

– Tara Reed

PS – as an affiliate, that means that if you click these links and decide to sign up, I will earn a commission for bearing my soul and telling you about it.  Seems fair, right?