We are obsessed with our need to have a better body than we do – even if ours is pretty great already. This obsession is evident in the number of weight loss plans you can buy and meals through the mail and weight loss supplements available over-the-counter. In our quest to look better than the other girl – admit it! – we rarely stop to take a look at how our bodies are designed and what our “best” figure may be.

Weight loss specialists agree that most women will not ever be thinner than they were at their thinnest point in life. “Your body simply has a threshold that it won’t go past unless you choose unhealthy means to lose weight. If your lowest weight was 130, you probably will not diet down past that number unless you jeopardize your health.” Knowing that your body was designed a certain way is like saying you have a Cadillac but you really want it to be a Porsche. It’s not going to be something that it’s not unless you take extreme measures to make that change.

So how do we learn to accept and love the body we were born to have? How do we know what that boy is? Take a physical inventory of your figure. Be honest as you look at yourself. For just one minute, look past what you don’t like and see yourself as you are. If your hip bones are right there under your skin, they aren’t getting any less wide no matter how much weight you lose. If your nose is crocked or too long (in your opinion,) sure there are nose jobs and all sorts of cosmetic surgery – even one that will file down those hips, hence the Cadillac into the Porsche theory – but what a difference you could make in your mental well-being if you didn’t fixate on the features you were born with and concentrated on the ones you can actually improve.

Another approach to loving your body is to set reasonable goals that you can attain. If you really want to improve you abs and your calves, find exercises that will make the most of your energy by zoning in on those areas. Always incorporate healthy eating and lots of water in your efforts. Next, realize that it will take some time to see big results in your calves, so look long term for those changes and wait patiently for those abs to improve. Certain areas of your body will lose weight and tone faster than others.

When you focus on the areas that you can actually change and set realistic goals for yourself, you can boost your appreciation for your body and those parts you don’t love. When your focus remains fixed on the unchangeable you only create a no-win situation that is depressing and unhealthy. So take a good look at yourself and dare to appreciate even a few things about the woman you see in the mirror.

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