Tips to a Better Mindset: Weight Issues Audrey Costa I ’ve always had a weight problem. Whether I’m thin or heavy, my size seems to reflect how I’m feeling and what I am going through. Like Oprah, my weight has yo-yo’d for as long as I can remember. But even with massive weight loss in my early twenties, I still saw myself bigger than I actually was. My therapist suggests that I have body dysmorphia, which I agree. But I feel like I know how I look, too. I could definitely stand to lose, but it won’t happen because I’m incredibly hard on myself. started slimming down on a very gimmicky, very effective shake diet. After drinking 2/3 of my food intake for what felt like forever, I got sick of it and the pounds came creeping in. Slowly, but surely, I was that insecure, hyper- self-conscious girl I’d worked so hard to transform. I recognize that I have to make myself a priority, as clichéd as that sounds. To upgrade the mindset before, and while, taking any weight loss (or gain) journey. It’s essential to get to a place where we can be happy and I was living the thin-life for years before having a child, healthy at any size. then the lbs came back for revenge. After 3 years, I finally 10 | WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE | MARCH 2018 Winter Garden Florida