I’ve tried everything

I’VE TRIED EVERYTHING

I asked her: what have you done already?

 

What have you done to feel good in your skin?

to end the battle with your body,

to stop the tug-o-war with your food ?

to stop obsessing over your weight?

 

She said:

 

Everything

 

Every diet you can imagine:

 

Weight Watchers

Paleo

Keto

Raw food

Scarsdale

Grapefruit

Juice cleanses

Whole 30

Shakes

And starving until it turned into a binge

 

“I could go on” she said.

 

and of course there’s the exercise…

 

I’ve done marathons

boot camps

kick-boxing

crossfit

and so much more

 

I’ve tried it all.

 

And I keep coming back to the struggle

 

I start to give up

Try to convince myself I don’t care

 

But then I think the next thing will work

 

Because

 

I want it so much

To feel good

To feel like I’m taking care of myself

To feel at ease in my clothing

To be there for my kids and their kids

I want to stop the body-war

 

And then she said…

 

But maybe this is just the way it is.

Maybe being in a woman’s body is just a struggle

 

She cried

 

I cried

 

The war is exhausting

The obsession is draining

The “next-day I’ll start again” mantra is soul-sucking

And each diet has left some sediment of failure

Until she truly believes there’s something wrong with her

 

There’s not.

 

She was duped

Into thinking her body was a project

Into pushing her body into all kind of shapes instead of honoring the shape of her

 

We were all duped

To believe that there is ONE way to be in a body.

 

There is no project-management app, no diet book that will take away the reality of being in REAL relationship with your body.

 

Instead there is:

Reconnecting

Relearning

Respecting

Responding

To your current body.

 

There is:

Compassion

Connection

Kindness

And Caring.

 

If you’ve tried everything

I invite you to stop trying

 

And instead explore:

 

Nourishing

Nurturing

and Knowing her – your body.

 

She’s worth knowing.

She has a depth of wisdom beyond everything you’ve already tried.

 

~ Nina Manolson

 

Want to read more of my poetic essays? They’re here.

Come on over and share here!

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nina Manolson, MA, NBC-HWC, board certified Health Coach, Psychology of Eating Coach and Certified Body-Trust Provider, believes that every woman deserves to feel good in her own body.

She helps women create a healthy and positive relationship with their food and body so they can love their body and life! She’s the founder of NinaManolson.com and The Nourished Woman Nation.

She helps busy women feel good in their own body.. She specializes in working with women over 40 who have tried other diets and approaches but are still struggling with their body and food.

She’s the creator of the BODY-LOVE MAP and the recipient of the prestigious Health Leadership Award from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

To get your F.R.E.E. ebook: HOW TO BE A WOMAN AT EASE IN YOUR BODY  click here.