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2,725 Comments
Well the relationship I have with my body is terrible. I am working on it and some days are better than others. But..when you can still hear all the mean things kids said in elementary and high school (and your 45) it takes awhile to overcome the negative talk. Especially when that negative talk is like a movie reel going on in my head. I’m 6’1 and really hate being this tall and I know there’s nothing I can do but it doesn’t make it better…. Anyway i have recently stopped getting on the scale and just concentrated on how I feel and how clothes fit me. I’ve actually started feeling better about my body.
Hearing you talk about getting out and having fun and finding people that lift me up was a huge awakening for me. I think it’s about to get even more lonely before it will improve…
My number one struggle with my body has been to really appreciate the way it looks at any time frame in my life. I feel like even when I was skinny and 23, my body wasn’t perfect enough or in the right shape for me. Now, two children later (and a decade and a bit later) my body has drastically changed, I’m no longer that skinny 23 year old (that I wished I appreciated more then), I find that it has been harder to get back into clothes that I fit into after my first child.i still can’t fit into them and I don’t know how to dress my muffin top!
Today I invested in a new pair of runners for my health and well being. It was fun to do that and I’m hopeful that for fun I get to try them out and take the dog for a walk tonight (depending on how the kiddos go to bed tonight).
I have always struggled with my body image. Even in high school at 102 pounds, I thought my thighs were too fat! What I wouldn’t do to be that “fat” again! I slowly gained the weight over the years, especially after having my children. Since then, I used Weight Watchers to lose a significant amount of weight, but unfortunately, I found it again along with some of its friends.
I have discovered that I am a social exerciser. I enjoy exercising, but only with other people. I have exercise videos and equipment a plenty in my house, but just can’t get myself to use it consistently (or at all in the past year or so).
The positive thing is that right now, I don’t feel as overweight as I am. It takes me seeing my reflection or a photo that makes me realize how bad it is. So, my denial keeps me in a better frame of mind about my body.
Okay, now onto FUN! Tomorrow, I am in charge of 2 gatherings for work. The second one is after work hours and is bound to be fun. We will be playing some lawn games and just visiting with each other. I am a very social person and get a lot of joy from just being around others. Even with the craziness of this week (last few days of school – I’m a second grade teacher) and planning several events in the next 2 days, I will get lost in the moment of the event and forget about all that I still need to do before the next day.
Life is good! 🙂
I have a so/so relationship with my body. I am currently the heaviest I have ever been and waver between: denial, I don’t care, I like it anyway, and I hate it. I have been on diets since I was 9 years old and, while being measured for a spaghetti strapped, turquoise satin costume as a sea anemone for a ballet recital, was described to the seamstress as “plump”. I am almost 68, and I have done it all: diet pills in high school (couldn’t stand them),skipping lots of meals, writing it all down (for years), Dr. Atkins, Stillman’s, grapefruit, cabbage soup,Weight Watchers, LA Weight Loss, Diet Workshop, liquid diets,dance therapy, mindfulness, read the books on emotional eating, Curves. I have been successful, sometimes for years, and I have been a total failure at it, also for years. Atone point, I completely gave up dieting and felt very free but then I gained weight and went back to it again and more programs and more counselors. I am totally skeptical of the American tendency to view food as its component parts: carbs, fat, protein, gluten, fiber and not as something creative, artistic, and nourishing.to be savored and shared. I was always terrible at gym and have struggled to find the way I like to move, I have tried aerobics and weight bearing exercises with machines and have learned that a mind/body connection is important for me. I am religious about my African Caribbean dance class and perform several times a year. I am not particularly good at it, but I love the colorful costumes, the way learning choreography challenges my brain, working towards a goal, and even being in front of an audience. I’m good at line dancing, not as good at couples dancing. I take a low key yoga class but don’t practice at home. I love nature and belong to more than one hiking group including a Women Outdoors group where we lead each other on hikes, kayaking, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, which gets me out in all kinds of weather. I have tried NIA, Qi Gong, Feldenkrais and enjoyed them all. They all help me connect to my body in a kind way. Sometimes, when I see photos of myself, I hate my body, but other times, I say to myself, “If Oprah can be cute, I can be cute”. I dress in a quirky way to suit my personality. I love jewelry, and I wear red lipstick almost every day. .
1.Relationship with my body: I struggle with waking up feeling bloated & full all the time and loathing having to get dressed in the morning.
2. Fun: I’m going to watch an episode of The Bachelorette with a girlfriend and have a glass of wine (or 2)!
3. TBD…
<3 Jessie
Hi Sarah,
A lot of what you talked about resonated with me. My mother put me on my first diet when I was 9, going to bed hungry was considered a good thing because it meant I would lose weight. My ex husband was equally supportive of my being thin. I wasn’t allowed to keep potato chips or cookies in the house, except those he liked. I discovered that after he left, I could keep potato chips and cookies in the house, except they went stale since I knew I could have them and then could stop at a reasonable portion.
I was happy with my body until recently, I have been a plus size for years and years, but I loved to dance, garden and entertain. After a car accident I received a brain injury which leaves me tired when I am in groups. Dancing in clubs is too overwhelming, large parties exhaust me. I loved dancing, and found a way to participate in smaller groups until I cracked my heel and my achilles tendon detached. Now the things I CAN do aren’t the things I LOVE to do. Without movement, I am feeling like my body is a prison.
The thought of trying to have fun on demand made me feel even more hopeless as I couldn’t think of anything that I could do today that sounded fun. I am going to try to play with my dog, and see if that makes me feel better.
At my heaviest weight, and right after hitting 30, I just bought my first bikini. Like you Sarah, I’ve been perpetually dieting since elementary school. My body and I have never been friends … but I’m working on changing that! After a bout of hypochondria last year, I started the mantra “my body is not my enemy,” and now I’m letting that spill over into my body’s appearance as well as its function. I see a lovely friendship between myself and my body budding before my eyes! 🙂
Sarah,
Thank you for sharing your story! I am excited to be doing the Live More Challenge, and think that it is definitely adding what I’ve been missing; me! It is easy as a wife and mother to put your own needs on the back burner. I loved the first challenge of buying flowers for myself! I usually wait for my husband to, and get frustrated if I feel like it has been, too long (ha!)But, who knew I could just buy them for myself to make me feel good! In my personal spiritual journey I have found recently that I struggle with my own self worth, so I am excited to learn to love me! Today, my fun will be time alone soaking my feet, and then painting my toes! I think the polish flecks that currently remain are probably from at least a month ago! Because I don’t always stop to just take care of me and my needs. Thanks again for what you are doing!
1. Always waking up feeling bloated & full and loathing having to get dressed in the morning.
2.Fun-going to watch The Bachelorette with a girlfriend & have a glass (or 2) of wine!
3. TBD…
HI
My number one problem is fighting off the voice that says “frumpy middle aged lady.” It makes me want to shrink away from engaging with people.
The one thing I am going to do for fun today is twerk to a Rihanna song in the mirror!
1My number one struggle is beating myself up with unrealistic expectations with my weight (and life!)
2. Fun today, I’m going to read! I’ve been wanting to and have books piled up. Its a beautiful summer night and I’ll be on my porch reading!
3. Dinner at my dining room table is marvelous. Who knew you dont have to balance your plate on your lap!
Sarah when you were talking in the video I felt like how you described your early feelings about yourself could have been me saying those words. I have been under the illusion for a long time that losing weight would be the magic answer to everything. I know now that it isn’t but I have been living in this space where I don’t think it will ever change. I have not known how to change it. I appreciate all you said and it truly hits a chord with me. I am really going to think about what is “fun” for me. Thank-you so much. Looking forward to the other videos.
I have struggled with my apple shaped body for years. I was obsessed in high school with my weight and got sick worrying about having the perfect body.
When I met my husband, he changed all that because he loved me no matter what. I ate when he ate and my portions grew and grew.
I have PCOS and insulin resistance. I know that I need to love my body and find happiness apart from being skinny. I am really looking forward to this challenge!
One fun thing I am going to do today is spend some time coloring. It was another stressful day at work and I am looking forward to pouring a glass of wine and decompressing tonight in a coloring book.
Thank you Sarah for reminding me that I have to find ways to make myself happy and everything else will fall into place… Including my weight.
Ii have a terrible relationship im always looking at my size and shape and what to do different. I’ve had in drilled in to my head since i was 6 years old ftom family,media,magazine,and school that im suppose to be skinny or will just end up fat or that other women are perfect and I’m not. I have deeply rooted emotional pain from all of this and more and feel like it’s just getting worse then better. I’ve never tried diet because I didn’t want to fail.
Sarah thank you so much for sharing this video. I cried watching because it felt like you were speaking directly to me.
I got to my goal weight about 6 years ago and was amazed at all the new things my body was capable of. Then my best friend passed away after a 9 year battle with brain cancer and all I could feel was lost and sad. My emotional eating came at me with a vengeance and I’ve put back on all the weight. This past year I’ve been really reflective and trying to love myself as I am. I started noticing other areas of my life that don’t bring me joy. I’m sort of just going through the motions. This challenge is perfect to help me make changes to live a happier life!
1. My relationship with my body right now is one of neglect and denial. I hope I can reconnect and find the energy and health I know it holds.
2. For fun tonight I am going to journal. Not super crazy fun, but it is something I used to enjoy and have been trying to get back to.
3, I love the eating without distraction idea. Will start working that in tomorrow!
Hi! I am 45 years old and have been over weight almost my whole life. In fact, in my baby book a comment was made that at 2 yrs old my Dr said I was over weight.
I have never been in a true romantic relationship. I’ve been in 2 that were all about Him and I finally got out of them but never one where there is true respect and love. Never married, no children.I have always attributed all oftyese disappointments to my obesity. The problem is I have several friends who are larger than I am and happily married. So it can’t just be about my weight, right??
Recently I have begin to understand that there is something deeper that needs to be addressed. Ultimately my goal is to meet a wonderful man and be in a loving happy relationship with him. But now I honestly feel like I want to get in a healthy, happy relationship with myself first. I want to get to the bottom of all this and stop missing out on life.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to learn more about myself even when it is a little bit scary!
Sara
I never really thought much about my body until my late 20s. I was an athlete most of my life and ate pretty healthy and loved my life, so my weight didn’t even cross my mind. When I hit 30 I started having knee issues that took me out of soccer, I moved out of state which took me away from my friends and family, and my husband and I stated having some issues in our relationship for the first time in 10 years.
Needless to say, I gained a lot of weight and that’s when the dieting started. I did all kinds of things including weight watchers and cleanses. I started LMWL last year and only made it 1/2 way through the program. I’m trying to have a better relationship with my body but am struggling with loving me at my current weight. I still get out there and do stuff but try not to look at myself in the mirror in yoga class or, god forbid, at the beach! So that’s where I am now, it’s a process.
For fun tonight I think I will spend some alone time with the hubby, maybe a walk or a drink on the patio. I will also start to plan a romantic weekend for our anniversary which is coming up!
Loved #1 FUN – I so agree with adding one little fun thing everyday. What I did today for fun was to volunteer at our Arboretum and taking a nice walk in my garden. Will be working on doing ONE Fun thing a day. thanks! #2 FOOD – OH MY GOODNESS, no wonder my stomach’s digestive system is out of whack! BE Me and the Food – practice without distractions. It’s late right now so I will start it tomorrow. I’m so excited about this simple strategy. 🙂
Oops I forgot to mention what my relationship with my body is. When I am feeling down, I eat whatever I can find. The older I get, the less I am able to keep weight off around my belly and no metabolism to speak of. Not a good feeling. Have had digestive issues lately, I thought about it and it’s stress, distracted eating, eating things I KNOW I shouldn’t like dairy and gluten. I look forward to learning more. It’s funny, just have this first video I have learned more about me and my body then I knew before. Thanks Sarah!
1. My biggest struggle with my body is the extra weight around my middle and on my thighs. It makes me uncomfortable, but I can’t seem to get motivated to fix it.
2. I am going to watch the Broadway Carpool Karaoke after the kids go to bed as my fun for today.
3. I will check back tomorrow about the eating challenge. Eating while I’m reading is one of my biggest issues.
I’m about to turn 43 and my body has changed in a big way! Suddenly there are these pooches and flabs that never used to be there! And as a full time working mom, it’s very hard to make the time to exercise as much as I’d like so I am scared to lose the body I’ve always known. I hope that this series will not only help me to feel ok with my age and new body but also allow myself to have fun with my life!
I have had weight issues my whole life. My weight has gone up and down over the years and I have been on so many diets. I have had brief periods of loving my body but then I resort back to poor eating, weight gain and with that the discomfort with my body returns. My life has been rough lately and I don’t even know if I can remember what I like to do for fun anymore so i will have to dig deep. I started another diet and I have lost weight but I am still not finding joy and fulfillment in my life. I love seeing that you are in such a good place now and I will try to believe I can work on getting myself there too.
I rode my bike today to the park with my dogs in tow…I love watching them run and play. Thank you for inspiring me to have a better relationship with myself.
So I’m checking back in tonight to share what it felt like to eat without distraction. The only time I was alone to eat was when I stopped mid-afternoon to get an ice cream cone at a nearby store. This is a rare thing for me to stop and get a cone just for me alone. I rarely treat myself to this decadent luxury which I ate without distraction and made a point to enjoy the flavors,the ice cold feeling on a hot day, and the enjoyment of a treat just for me.
My story with my body…I have always struggled with my weight as long as I can remember. Have been a size 5 up to size 20 until at 26 years old I too went on weight watchers and lost 100lbs which I kept off for over 15 years. Now at 44 I have been going up and down about 40 lbs over the the last 5-6 years. Have decided I just mainly want to be healthy and comfortable in my body! I don’t feel a need to weight what I did 10 years ago but would like to feel good again. I love to exercise but for some reason have just been in a rut lately feeling like I am just missing something in my life, bored maybe, I just don’t know. I was not able to have kids but I am on my second and last marriage going on 14 years now and we have a good life, we love to travel and have two cruises coming up in the next year – one over New Years and would love to be able to wear a cute dress! Lol
For fun today I took a drive in in my Jeep with the top off and enjoyed the beautiful weather in Kansas today!
Yes! Very similar to others, my biggest struggle has been sticking to any kind of new eating habits. Temporary diets, and life changing habits have always ended the same: gaining more. Now at my heaviest, I struggle to love the body I’m in and feel sexy/confident in it.
Today, for fun, I will look into joining a bellydancing class. I participated years ago and it really helped with my body confidence. I look forward to seeing what is available in my area and trying to eat more consciously.
For me I guess I’m one of the “lucky ones” who hasn’t had to necessarily struggle with my body image. For me, my biggest struggle is my mind and not loving myself like I should. I am someone who always focuses on what I do wrong and how to fix it rather than live in the moment and be happy. That’s why I started this challenge and two days in I’m already excited. Thank you everyone! For something to make me happy today I’m having a get together with my girlfriends. Hope the best for all you doing the challenge!
my number one struggle has been to be happy with my body. I accept that I will never be the size I dream of or even be the weight that I’m “supposed” to be but it is hard to be happy with who I am now. For fun today, I am going to read – which is my favorite activity and then go for a walk to think about what I read- my second favorite activity.
My body has let me down since I was young. I had my first back surgery at 13 yrs old and have been overweight since primary school although my weight didn’t skyrocket until after university. After my last back surgery in 2012, I gained an additional 40 pounds and I am now at my heaviest. Thankfully the surgery relieved my constant pain so I only have to deal with pain if I do too much in a day. I have been on every diet and know what I should eat but often make poor choices since I work hard and don’t have the energy to make food or exercise. For fun – most likely play with my furry children – 2 dogs and 4 cats.
I also went to WW when I was 10 yrs old! But it was because my mom took me. She thought it would be a good idea to do it together although neither of us were overweight at the time. Someone telling you to track your food at 10yrs old when you’re already a free spirited kid? A recipe for a rebellious “I can eat what I want” attitude with underlying body image issues acquired from the women in your family calling themselves ‘fat’ when they were smaller than you. Years and years of negative self talk and holding back. I’m done with that! That’s an old story! I am 37 and just now getting to a point where I accept and love myself. You have it right, Sarah! No more waiting on the weight! Live more now! Thank you!
I don’t have the greatest relationship with my body, but not the worst, either. I was always very small & got used to being able to eat anything I wanted, but it caught up to me. So, I was more careful, achieved the body I wanted, & now I have a job that requires a lot of sitting. That makes it so much harder, but I’m trying to take more time now for my body. I’m now a registered Dietitian & feel like I have the food portion of my life on target, but now it’s the activity. For fun, I’ll be taking my dog out for a walk in our beautiful weather!
Love this message. Makes me want to work on myself. Today I will hit 10,000 steps to make me happy. I hung out with my mom to make me happy and have some fun.