Start Accepting Your Body! FULL. STOP.

I am pretty well known in my instagram community for being someone who preaches body acceptance and as someone who frequently talks about loving your loose skin. This is often met with an overwhelming love and praise as more and more people start to realize that your skin is something that should be celebrated and not feared. Honestly, it makes me feel amazing to know of the people who I've helped accept their body for what it is... beautiful and unique. We live in a world where obesity and skin are looked at with such disgust that it makes it so hard to find the confidence to become healthy. Our drive to lose weight is often associated with a want to be skinny and sexy instead of its true purpose... living a healthier, longer life. We forget what weight loss is truly about and quickly place a picture in our mind for what our bodies would look like at a smaller number. When I started losing weight it was never for my health, it was always to look in the mirror and feel sexy. This was a dangerous thought as it set me up for failure, I knew deep down that I would most likely walk away from weight loss with loose skin and sometimes it would stop me from wanting to get to those goals. I dreamt of my skin magically bouncing back, which truly set me up to hate myself more when it didn't.

How could someone love me if my body looks like it's melting? As I approached my goal weight, I began to realize that my body was beautiful no matter what my skin looked like. I wanted to share this feeling with the world and let them know that skin isn't that scary, but every time I made a post I deleted it... I still wasn't ready to accept my skin for the powerful thing that it was. I was worried about the judgement of others and I wasn't sure how I would deal with the negative feedback that was bound to come my way... I wasn't sure I could handle the negativity that might come because I was only starting to accept my beautiful body. It wasn't a fast process or something I was born with and it definitely took time for me to truly accept it for what it was.

I took so many pictures and wrote so many captions... deleting each and every one of them as I slowly grew more and more confidence in myself. One day I came across a post in one of my facebook groups, where a girl was saying how scared she was to lose weight because of the chance of loose skin, and after conversations that happened the night before at work, I couldn't stay quiet anymore.

I posted this picture... a picture that expressed my frustrations and my power as I took control of my mind and realized how my skin didn't show my flaws... but actually served as a reminder of the pride and acceptance that I should have for how far I've come.

Why shouldn't I love my body? Why should I feel shameful for what was naturally mine? Why couldn't I accept my body, why didn't I love it? Why did I live under this false illusion that if I didn't have a six pack and flat belly I should hide this part of me? Why was I doing this to myself? It pained me to think I wasn't alone in these feelings, it hurt to know that so many of us lived with these thoughts in our mind as we carried the shame on our shoulders. I was tired of hiding, I was tired of the worry and fear of others and I just couldn't take it anymore. I live my life with one thought, "everything negative that happens in life only happens to show us the positive, (that we should believe in in the first place.)" I no longer look at all the negative in my life and think "oh woe is me," but instead look at it as the learning experience it truly was. As weird as it sounds, I'm thankful for all the challenges I've faced because it made me a stronger person. It's made me be able to change my mindset from looking at the negative, to looking for the positives. If I never experienced those things, I would never know right from wrong. I wouldn't have grown into the person I am today if I never dealt with sadness, narcism, unfair circumstances or fear. I would never be here today, loving the person I've become, without being a person I disliked or without experiencing negative to push me to being a better me. The same goes for my body... if I never gained the weight, if I never dealt with the challenges of obesity and the fear of judgement, I would never truly know how amazing it is to be healthy or be accepting of my body... I would never be writing a post such as this nor would I be helping others by sharing my experiences. Celebrate your body, celebrate those small wins and the failures because it's pushing you to be better! Your skin should NEVER be something you're ashamed of, you have every right to show off that belly despite what others tell you. Wither you've lost 1 pound or 100 pounds, you are beautiful and you are making all the right decisions for you! Your skin shows how far you've come, it shows you accomplishments and the fact that you battled your mind to get to where you are today (wherever that may be.) NEVER let loose skin stop you from wanting to be healthier, NEVER allow it to stop you from being happy and choose to live your life in the positive. I've since posted so many more photos of my skin and the changes I've made and it mostly gets amazing feedback and support as I watch more and more amazing individuals find their confidence and growth. I watch as others use skin to drive them forward instead of letting it hold them back and I could never be more proud! As for the haters, they come and go. Just recently I received a comment from another account who shared a post of mine and in Spanish and wrote "You need to have some serious ovaries to post a body like this... I could never" (loosely translated) and it broke my heart. Not because I'm ashamed of my body or upset that she chose to make this comment about my body, but because this individual obviously does not have confidence in herself and looks at her body with disgust.

Hurt people hurt people as they say, and it breaks my heart to know that someone is living with that shame on their shoulders instead of looking at themselves as they should... beautiful.

This is not how I would have always looked at a comment like this, but it is because of the acceptance and confidence I've grown within myself, that I can look at a comment such as this and not take it personally. Have your confidence beautiful people, recognize yourself for who you are and how far you've come (even if you've only *just* decided to start becoming healthier!) You are making HUGE strides and even just deciding that your health is important is something to be celebrated! Those negative thoughts aren't worth your time, I promise you. Flaunt that body and be proud! LOVE YOURSELF! You're making the right choices for you and no matter what anyone else says... You. Are. Freaking. BEAUTIFUL!