So glad you shared this post; food is indeed a dangerous addiction for many of us, but in our Western world it’s not understood to be so. Dirt-cheap “All-you-can-eat-buffets” are our Kryptonite, as is a society that has no concept of the idea of self-restraint. We are told it’s OK to eat too much and to do everything in excess. Ramifications, consequences and bad outcomes are downplayed. Who cares if you’re catering to my addiction and weakness for food.
So, I hear you and I thank you for helping me understand why it’s so easy for me to eat. It’s a stress-relief; it’s a compulsion; it’s an addiction. I see that now. It’s something I’ll have to work on seriously.

I take it seriously because I too am uncomfortable with the man in the mirror. Or in photographs or videos. Yet the irony for me is that when I encourage folks to love themselves for who and what they are, and not as the world sees them (or they think they are perceived by others) I invite them to do a special exercise. I invite them to go home, find a safe, private space with a big mirror, close the door and then take off all of their clothes (skivvies, too) and stand in front of the mirror with eyes wide open.

Look at yourself. See yourself. Get comfortable with yourself. It might not be easy at first. Maybe you just go down to your undies, and maybe even for just a split second, with the lights down low, but then build up to a full viewing. See yourself and accept that person in the mirror. Then go the next step and say to yourself “I love you. You’re great. You’re amazing” and list off some great things about yourself. How you can tell a funny story. The way you can knit a pair of socks in no-time flat. Or how you’re always on time. Or anything that is good and noble and unique about you. Don’t look at the body in the mirror; see the person within, the real you, the mind, soul and Spirit that is you and you alone. Revel in that person. Praise than person. Accept yourself as worthy and lovable.
Start there, start by seeing yourself and loving that person.

That’s what I ask folks to do for themselves. See beyond what others see; see beyond what you think they see or what limits you see. See your inherent wonderfulness. Ironic, ain’t it, since I’m not quite there yet. I have a way to go.
But, as you pointed out, if there are real physical limits, if your weight impacts your health, you can do something about it; do what you can to get healthy physically, because a healthy body makes it easier to take care of your mind, soul and Spirit. It’s a package deal; we are not just our bodies, or our souls or whatever you understand as Spirit. We are a combination of all four, and all four need each other, feed each other, inform each other.
When I look in the mirror I see a work in progress. When I look at others I try to see the same thing; to see beyond their bodies to the mind, soul and Spirit that defines them and makes them special.
Thank-you for sharing your story. Thank-you for holding up a mirror to my own limits and reality. Thank-you for helping me see the possibilities that lie within.