Oooh, confidence.

One word that can make the difference between you and a new job, a budding relationship, or pretty much anything that requires initiative and seizing an opportunity. And then there’s that one age-old saying: “fake it till you make it!” If I had I had a dollar for every time I’ve been given that advice…well you get the idea.

Listen, I’m not exactly disagreeing with the aphorism– I do believe to an extent that “faking it” can be beneficial and that eventually, the fabrication can become genuine. However, not everyone is able to fake it as well as others because not everyone’s lack of confidence & anxieties come from the same place (this should go without saying). If your low self-esteem is correlated with your weight & weight loss, specifically those smack dab in the middle of their weight loss journey, then this is the post for you.

My own personal experience with confidence is somewhat rocky. There are moments when I’m working on something and I’ll go in total “b*tch I’ve got this” mode! Then there are others when someone can so much as sneak a glance in my direction and I’ll want to crawl into a hole underground and live there forever.

OKAY, maybe not that bad.

Social Anxiety & My Weight

Honestly, I just hate having attention put on me or having to speak in front of large groups (or social interaction in general) and often don’t know how to behave in such situations. I get irrational and worried about what others are thinking of me. As you can imagine, this can lead to some awkward scenarios, which in turn make me even less confident. It’s a vicious cycle.

In truth, I don’t think I’ve met a person who doesn’t struggle with some of those things (of course those people exist, I just probably wasn’t confident enough to meet them). The reason I believe my anxieties and lack of confidence are as bad as they are is due to the embarrassment of my physical appearance (it’s important for me to note that this isn’t some random assumption–when I was thinner some 5 years ago I was A LOT more confident, anxiety disorder and all).

Even now, regardless of my weight-loss and slowly increasing satisfaction with the way I look, there are times when I don’t even want to see myself in the mirror let alone have other people looking at me. My body is getting smaller, but I am still obese. I’m excited, but still ashamed. You get the picture.

That is why when those spontaneous moments of confidence do occur, I really treasure them. There were a number of times this week that I felt I was totally rocking it, and what better place to share those experiences than Lose it Lyss. For those who can relate or are on their own weight loss journey, here is a handful of confidence boosting tips that really help in times of need!

5 Confidence Boosters While Losing Weight

1.) Try on old clothes (part 1).

That is if you’ve held on to them! Throwing a pair of your larger “fat” clothes and physically feeling how loose they’ve become is enough to say YES, look at this change I’ve made! Earlier this week I had the pleasure of going through my entire closet a.k.a. a task that usually would make me want to DIE. However, because I took advantage of trying on almost every article of clothing I own and seeing just how big some of them have gotten on me, it wasn’t so bad!

2.) Try on old clothes (part 2).

This is the opposite of #1! Have any clothes that are smaller you’ve been holding onto for that one miraculous day that you fit in them again? Well, I dare you to try them on. Chances are, if you’re far enough along in your journey, some of them might fit again! This was another amazing discovery I encountered while cleaning my closet. It’s like the universe is telling me to clean more…

3.) Check out some old photos.

Look through some photos of you when you were at your heaviest. You know, like the ones your friends tagged you in on Facebook that you quickly untagged yourself from due to the embarrassment. Check them out again and I guarantee you’ll see a much heavier body and face than the one looking back in the mirror at you now. And in my case…holy double chin. Take pride in how far you’ve come!

4.) Do tasks that you struggled with before.

Do you know what I noticed this week at work? I wasn’t completely dying and out of breath while going up the stairs to my office! Something that would have had me huffing and puffing before. So maybe you had trouble with tieing your shoes, or getting out of your car (my boobs have honked my car horn more than my hands ever have). Next time you’re doing that thing that once challenged you, take notice of the level of energy you’re exerting to do it. If these things have become easier for you, then congrats! I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel pretty good!

5.) Go shopping!

This one should be self-explanatory 🙂 Buying new clothes, especially clothes that are sized smaller than your old ones, can be one of the best feelings in the world. Especially if you’re wearing those clothes and receive compliments from your amazing co-workers unexpectantly (another exciting thing to happen this week)! Even if you just treat yourself to one or two new outfits, it will be worth it. Go dress the new you, the skinnier & healthier you! Your confidence will thank you for it.

Having confidence and belief in oneself can be a difficult thing, no matter what the number on their clothing tag reads. Confidence comes from within, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 23 years on this Earth, some of that “coming from within” depends on whats happening on the out. Next time you’re feeling doubtful of your hard work and progress you’ve made, I hope these tips can be of use to you.

Have a happy & healthy day,

Lyss <3