Three women keep a diary about their insecurities before trying ex-Hollyoaks actress Mel Wells top tips on learning to love your body
Our recent survey shows that only ONE per cent of women were completely happy with their appearance while 67 per cent think they're overweight
OUR brilliant survey reveals most women constantly fret about how they look.
While just ONE per cent are completely happy with their appearance, 67 per cent think they’re overweight.
And a third polled for the survey in yesterday’s Sun on Sunday Fabulous magazine, with escentual.com, admitted to having negative thoughts about their bodies every day. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Body image expert and ex-Hollyoaks actress Mel Wells says: “To get a body you love, you must start loving the body you have – accept its flaws but appreciate its strengths.”
CLAIRE DUNWELL asked three women to keep a diary of their body thoughts. Then she asked them to try Mel’s tips to change their thought patterns.
Mel's top 10 tips
- Wear clothes that actually fit. Throw out items too small you have held on to. When you are comfortable in what you’re wearing, you will feel more confident.
- Forgive yourself. You are not a problem and you are not broken. If you want to change your body, you must accept how it is now. Don’t hate yourself thin. Love yourself healthy.
- Be naked alone more often. The more time you spend naked, the more confident you will be.
- Celebrate who you are as a person. Instead of focusing all your attention on the mirror, realise all of your qualities as a human being.
- Unfollow accounts on social media that make you feel like you’re not enough. Treat your newsfeed like your friends circle – only invite people in that bring positivity.
- Throw out your bathroom scales. You are more than a number.
- Happiness does not come with a dress size. When you stop chasing numbers, you will find fulfilment.
- Instead of thinking that your body is just something to look at, think of all the incredible things it can do.
- Write a love letter to your body. Thank it for keeping you alive and for all you have been through together. Apologise for speaking down to her.
- Practice self-awareness. When a thought comes up, ask: “Where does this come from?” Be your own cheerleader.
'I'm insecure about my scrawny legs'
DIET and fitness coach Laura Colledge lives in Newquay, Cornwall, with partner Ross, 32, a business manager and sons Noah, three, and Josh, five.
Size eight Laura takes part in bodybuilding competitions and is currently South East of England Masters Bikini Fitness Champion. Laura, 37, says:
"Sometimes I love my body and other days I can’t find anything I like about it.
I’d always been sporty but in my 30s I felt I needed something that would challenge me.
I am obsessed with going to the gym and I constantly push myself to build muscle and keep my level of fitness at peak. But I feel insecure about my scrawny legs and bottom."
LAURA’S DIARY
5.30am: I feel muscular and lean. I’m trying to not get anxious about a bodybuilding competition in three weeks.
6am: Starting to feel puffy and bloated in my gym gear. I know I’m probably the only one who would even notice.
7.30am: Practising posing in the gym class studio and feeling motivated and buzzing.
Midday: I notice my C-section scar. It’s hard to not be conscious when getting ready for the stage in a few weeks when I’ll be in a bikini.
6pm: I don’t feel like eating ANOTHER meal after four others already today.
7pm: My belly is like a basketball and I feel uncomfortable.
- After following Mel’s body image tips, Laura said: “These habits slowly encourage the mind to naturally reach for the more positive habits. Celebrating the life wins is a great thing to do if you are feeling low”
'Can't look like beautiful celebrities on the news?'
NEW mum Abbie Rhodes, 22, lives in Rotherham with her welder fiance Daniel Halder, 29, and their one-year-old daughter Ava. She says:
"I’m the same weight and dress size I was before Ava but my figure has changed completely.
After Ava was born, I lost a stone in a week and expected the rest to fall off but it didn’t. I was over the moon as a mum but didn’t recognise myself. My boobs are less full and I count the stretch marks. I got back down to 7st 5lb four months ago but I still have hang-ups."
ABBIE’S DIARY
6.30am: I scrutinise my stretch marks in the mirror. My body did an amazing thing giving me Ava. I try to focus on that.
9am: The news on my phone is full of beautiful celebs. Why can’t I have their flat stomach, long legs or pert bum?
10am: I catch my reflection in a shop window. I have much wider hips and thighs than before Ava.
11am: I shower and find a stretch mark . . . on my ankle.
Midday: At Ava’s play group, the mums compare how our bodies have changed. It’s reassuring.
3pm: Daniel takes me out for a late lunch. I throw two dresses in the bin because they don’t fit.
5pm: Ava lifts her T-shirt to show me her tummy. I used to love my toned midriff.
9pm: I feel guilty for thinking negatively but catch my reflection and it starts all over again.
- After following Mel’s tips, Abbie said: “I had a big clearout of clothes and mornings are now easier as I can grab anything and know it fits. ‘Loving myself healthy’ is my favourite new life motto. I’ll be trying to follow it from now on”
'I hated being a size 22 with a saggy mum-tum'
YO-YO dieter Ashleigh Connor, 24, lives in Worcester with her partner Jim, 26, a forklift truck driver, and their daughter Cassie, four. Years of dieting has left Ashleigh with excess skin and stretch marks on her tummy. She says:
"When I became pregnant, I was a size 16 and I liked it. I gained five stone and after having Cassie, the yo-yo dieting started.
I hated being a size 22 with a saggy mum-tum. In six months I lost eight stone, down to ten stone and a size eight. I lived on energy drinks and soup and did 300 sit-ups a day. But I lost too much weight too quickly.
My hair thinned and I looked terrible. When I began eating properly again, I couldn’t stop. I shot back up to 15st. Now I’m 13st 5lb and the yo-yo dieting has left me with stretch marks and a pouch on my tummy. I think constantly about my appearance."
ASHLEIGH’S DIARY
7am: I look in the mirror. I hate my flabby stomach and my double chin is getting worse.
9am: I do a home workout and plan to share it on Instagram but when I watch it, I’m shocked by my wobbly bingo wings.
Midday: I feel sluggish and when I undress for a nap, I stare at my chunky thighs.
4pm: I take Cassie to gym and see the slimmer, prettier mums.
6pm: I take a bath and everything wobbles beneath the water.
8pm: I go to watch Jim play football. I worry everyone is looking at me and wonder what Jim sees in me.
- After following Mel’s tips, Ashleigh said: “Now I only follow women on social media who promote body positivity. I feel better about myself already. I used to think the thinner I got, the more I’d be liked. But being happier and smiling gets a better response.”
