5 Ways This Former Biggest Loser Contestant Learned to Love Herself

Gosh, we love weight-loss success stories that feature a healthy dose of self-love! Which is why we especially love this guest post from Alexandra Cristin, a certified holistic health coach, plus-size model and entrepreneur in New York City. After losing more than 100 pounds and keeping the weight off, she created a few organizations to help others transform their lives. She is dedicated to helping other women find their inner strength and beauty. She is also a beauty expert and has created a line of organic hair extensions called Glam Seamless Hair Extensions where she helps other women look and feel their best. You can join her in a life transformation journey at www.alexandracristin.com.

5 Ways I Learned to Love Myself by Alexandra Cristin

When I weighed 310 pounds, I had absolutely no clue as to how much I lacked self worth. I allowed people to walk over me, I allowed opportunities to pass, and I had no strength to fight for a better life. It all stemmed from not loving myself. I knew I wanted a better life, that I wanted to love myself but I didn’t know how. I held myself accountable by signing up for NBC’s The Biggest Loser and my life transformation began. I forced myself to change and continued to see success years after the show. After losing more than 120 pounds, my sense of self and self worth increased dramatically and I slowly but surely learned to love myself for the first time in my life. I chose to change by respecting myself and following through on the goals I knew deep down I could achieve. Loving myself was the key to transforming my life and living my best life possible. Here are five ways I did it!

1. Acknowledged fear. I acknowledged the self doubt and fear that I had about various challenges, but I let them pass. I didn’t suppress my fear; I observed and then I set out a plan as to how I would overcome any challenges. When you acknowledge your fears and face them head on, they hold less power over you. You are then able to move forward crushing any fear that may be lurking. Facing fear was the first step that helped me move forward.

2. Kept promises. I started making promises to myself and kept them. I vowed to never break the promises I made to myself. When I started following through on my promises, I started to trust myself more. That led to me to have a stronger sense of self. When you trust yourself you start to feel confident in your decisions and you start to feel empowered. If you say you are going to go to the gym, you have to see to it. Truth be told, so many of us keep our promises to others but not ourselves. Make and keep promises to yourself; it will allow you to be mentally stronger and empowered. With these two qualities, self love is sure to follow you.

3. Faked confidence. I didn’t know where to start when I started my life transformation. I knew I wanted to be fit and healthy, but I didn’t know where to begin. I started to “act” like a fit person. I planned out my workouts, I invested in nice trendy workout clothing, and I worked out harder. I saw myself as a fit person before I actually truly became fit. Honestly the whole “fake it ’til you make it” is a very good strategy. This may seem a bit cliche, but the reality is that when you start to act and think like what you want to become, eventually your actions and thoughts turn it into reality.

4. Stopped comparing. I used to constantly compare myself to others, especially those who appeared to have it better than me. This behavior didn’t make me feel good about myself. Every time I compared myself I felt less than. I decided that I didn’t have time to compare and that it just wasn’t worth the agony. There will always be people who are both worse off and better off than me. However, I decided to live my life and be thankful for all that I had. When I stopped comparing, I felt better about myself.

5. Let go of the past. Letting go of any pain you have from the past is key to loving yourself. When you let go of the mistakes you’ve made and learn from them, you don’t allow any time for self hate. I was kicked off The Biggest Loser the first week because my partner didn’t lose enough weight. I was upset at myself for choosing that person as a partner. For weeks I was angry and bothered. In the end, those negative feelings only hurt me and no one else. If I had held on to that anger I had I would have not been able to go on to achieve losing more than 100 pounds. Unfortunately, bad things to happen to all of us, but learning from each experience and moving forward is key. Embrace what has happened to you and be thankful that you had the experience to grow from.

She’s wise, no? Which love-yourself tip resonated most with you? —Jenn