An Apology Letter to my Body

Dear Body,

First off, I'm sorry. It's taken me way too long to realize how awesome you are. You truly are appreciated. And I'm only just beggining to learn these things. I'm sorry for denying you food when you were hungry and overeating when you weren't hungry. I'm sorry for saying mean things about you and calling you names. I'm sorry for weighing you and letting that weight determine my feelings towards you and my attitude. I'm sorry for being obessive over things that don't really matter. I'm really going to start trying to be kinder to you. It's hard and I'm only beginning to learn please be patient with me.

I must make a special apology to my thighs. All the years I spend staring at you and measuring you and complaining about you. I was wrong, you were right. I need you strong so I can do and teach spinning classes. There's nothing like coming out of a spinning class feeling awesome and hearing people talk about how fast you went. I hope you appreciate the new spinning shoes I bought. There just for you.

I have to thank my stomach for keeping a small pooch to remind me that I'm a girl and that pooch is special and serves a purpose. Thank you arms for being able to do push ups and hug the people who matter most in my life. Thank you legs for letting me run and feel powerful. Thank you body. Your amazing. I want to treat you better.

Love,

Leah

-Post your letter of apology to your body!!!

Dear Body.

I'm just starting to realize how much I've blamed you for keeping me from reaching my goals.  I've always felt that as an early bloomer, i was gaining FAT in grade 4, an I never saw that i was becoming a young woman.  I'm sorry that as my breasts became larger, i assume everything else did too, since I couldn't see it when i looked down.  I'm sorry that when i felt rejected and ashame, I acted like it was your fault, and poured freid foods and alcohol down my throat to punish you.  I'm sorry that i inhaled smoke for years with no concern to you, only to prove my (assumed) invincabilty.  I'm sorry I didn't realize that whatever I was or wasn't doing to you, I was or wasn't doing it to me too. 

I want you to know that I'm trying to become a better person now, and i feel that much of that will be very beneficial to you.  I'm going to put myself first, and since "Myself" lies inside of you, I'll be putting you very high on my list too.  I'm going to promise you that my own opinion of myself doesn't rely on your appearance at all, only how well you feel. 

 I do realize that it's my responsibilty to help you make me feel well.  I have to decide to get out of bed and work out.  I have to decide not to eat all the timbits and treats that people bring to work all the time.  I have to decide not to be SO stringent that i can't let you indulge once in a while too.  I have to decide when we've earned it; that's all. 

I understand that you only need a certain amount of fuel, and that anything else will go into storage.  I understand that that amount of fuel nees to be full of nutrients, not jut calories, and i understand that if i don't move my body, you'll start to store fuel anyway, incase I need to make a quick getaway....because you've always been there for me.  you've given me nothing but unconditional love, and i'm starting to appreciate that now.  You've never faied me.  Like a good friend, I promise that I'll never fail you either.

With all the love you deserve and more......

Me, the inside of you.

 

what a great post. thank you dude. :D

Dear Body,

I'm proud of you.  You have been really good to me.  I'm sorry about that year where I didn't feed you enough.  You kept telling me you needed food and I just ignored you.  That was awful, and I'm making it up to you now.  Also, thank you for not gaining a bunch of weight when I started eating right again.  You did it slowly and you look really good now.  I'm sorry if I ever make you feel bad because I point out things I don't like about you.  Overall, you're pretty nice.

I'm sorry I drink soda.  I'm trying to stop, but I have it a few times a week.  That's okay, right?  As long as it's in moderation?  I drink water too!  And thank you for liking coffee, because it makes me feel sophisticated.

I'll try to eat more fruits and veggies, I know how you like those.  I want to start running, too, but you have to be with me on that one.  I can't do it alone.

I'm also sorry for staying up late and then getting up early on school days.  It's no fun.  I should actually get to bed now so you can get some rest.  Tomorrow maybe we can go for our first jog.  What do you think?

Love you forever, you're wonderful.

Dear Body,

I read this letter from a girl, she wrote it to her body and it made me think about us.  How I pinch you and scratch you when I am angry, how I fill you with alcohol and nicotine, and all the other stuff way back when that I know you are still trying to heal from even though it has been 7 years.  I don't really mena it when I say I hate you or call you and my face ugly and worthless.  Really, you are amazing, because despite everything I put you through and the cancere put you through, we are still going strong.

I love that you can ride a bike and walf and skate and do exercises and I promise to be more consistent so we can fully get back all of th ethings we lost having to stay in bed for so long.  I miss our strength and flexibility and know that distracting us with food has only been counter productive and a temporary sort of happiness, not a real one that comes from accomplishment.

I apologize most to my stomach, for yo get most of my physical abuse, so angry at you for being "fat" that I hit you, still, in the hopes you will retreat in fear of my wrath.  I want to be a healthy example for my son and the other children in my life so they never have to grow up this way, never have to try to stop hating their bodies. 

I realize we've drifted apart inthe past few years and don't hang out at the gym like we used to, testing your strength and endurance.  We were a hell of a team once, weren't we?  What do you say we give it another try?

LOVE,

 Jo Anna

PS.  Think about the cool clothes we used to wear! xoxoxox

Awesome!! I feel this way too.  I am finally going to embrace my body and make it the best it can be.  I need to stop comparing myself to others and be grateful for me. Thanks for sharing.

Dear Body:

 Wow...where to begin. You've been with me from the start. We're going on 30 years together. And while I actually do love you these days, for most of my life, I was ashamed and embarrassed by you. You just didn't *look* like I wanted you to look. There were too many curves. Clothes didn't fit. The other girls were so much prettier.

 I know now that this is silly thinking and non-productive. I have grown to love you...curves and all. Still, I want to work with you on being healthier. Because...well....you're the only body I get to have. And you have been so good to me. So far, we've avoided all the major things...high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. But, I know we're just dodging bullets at this point...they will come for us if we don't change. And, since I'm the brain of this body, it's up to me to change.

 Change is hard, body. I'm sorry that I've been stubborn and ignoring you for so long. I'm sorry that I blamed bad genetics and decided to just not care...to  not even try. I'm sorry for starting and stopping a gazillion diet and exercise programs.

I'm going to do better, body. I really am. As the brains of this operation, I'm going to learn to work with you. I'm going to learn your cues for hunger and fullness. I'm going to find some activities that we can both enjoy that will make us healthier physically and emotionally. I'm not going to take for granted that you will stay as healthy as you are now...I'm going to work hard to keep you healthy. Because, really, it's up to me.

 I'm not promising this will be fast. And I know I'll make plenty of mistakes along the way. But...for maybe the first time ever...I feel truly ready to do this. I'm not feeling pressed to hurry up and lose weight. I'm not looking to be thin. I just want to be able to hike a (small) mountain...and white water raft...and ride rollercoasters. And...maybe even have better....well...that's for a more private entry. *giggles*

So...there it is body. I hope you can forgive my neglect and ignorance. We'll get through this together...and we're going to come out of it much healthier. I do love you...you are beautiful to me. So, I think we're really ready to do this get healthier thing. You with me?

 Love,

Me :)

Dear Body,

 

Over the past few years we have traveled a great deal. With Gods grace you have sustained me. I need to appreciate you more. You are strong and healthy and have never betrayed me. I am sorry for all the bad food and choices. You give me more than what I put in.

Last week that changed and we started down a healthy road, so please forgive me for the past and the though road ahead. Stick with me!

 

Good Idea, Here goes...

Dear Body,

I know that you are not to blame for the condition you are in.  I blame myself, my mind and lack of self control.  You are doing the best you can with what I give you and now I vow to change that.  I want you to be healthy, so I will feed you foods that promote your good health.  I want you to be beautiful, so I will care for you by pampering you as much as I can.  I want you to be strong, so I will exercise you on a regular basis.  I will train you to increase your ability and endurance.  I will love you.

I will no longer hold you accountable or hate you because of what I have done to you.  I will accept that you are the home God gave my soul and you are perfect to him, regardless of what I have done to you. 

Thank you for being a reminder that I will appear as I choose, by what I put you through. 

Always... 

Nic

Dear Beautiful Body,

I am very sorry for treating you to years of neglect and pain and disrespect. If someone treated me the way I've treated you over the years, I would have left long ago. But you stayed with me, taking all the crap and negativity, doing your job the best you could. I never appreciated your dedication and support and expected you to do things that were impossible: don't age, don't gain weight when I don't exercise or eat right, don't have low energy when I never give you the fuel you need, don't be imperfect by this insane world's standards.

I love you body. You are truly beautiful and strong and perfect. You are mine and I promise to treat you to the love and respect you deserve for the rest of our days together.

Love, me.

Dear Body,

I feel really cheesy, and also a bit close to tears after reading everyone's letters. I guess everyone is so close that sometimes they don't realise they've been distancing themselves from their bodies. And I too am guilty. I used to take such care of you, when i was young i was strong and fit but then i took out all my stress and worries on you, i was greedy and steadily overate ignoring all the messages you sent me, all the signs.

I'm so so sorry.

I always prided myself on being a good person and not being a bitch but i've been such a bitch to you. I look in the mirror every day and i think cruel things about you. This last year I've been getting better, but everyday I still demand that you work miracles and become someone else's body.  i'm sorry i don't appreciate your good things and instead talk about you to everyone as though you were just parts rather than a whole. i was wrong to say i hated any part of you. and wrong to tell others i wanted to change you. You are strong, and beautiful, and i promise now, to you (not to some slim dream of you) that i will continue to go to the gym, this won't be some empty promise. I am not promising this to force you into something else, but because i want you to feel the best you can.  I will make it up to you.

i love you,

H xxx

 

Dear Body,

I am sorry that I have let you get this size. I am sorry that I have forced you into clothes that don't fit and are very uncomfortable. I am sorry that I compare you to smaller sizes and look at you like you are hideous and unworthy of being beautiful. I am sorry that I have given up and allow other people to see you as being obese or fat. I am sorry that I don't eat healthy to keep you strong and young. I promise I will try harder. I promise that the clothes that I put on you will be your size and I will not force you into jeans that did into your waste and make so that you can't even breath in oxygen. I am sorry also to my teeth for eating so much sugar and drinking so much pop. I apologize to my skin for not eating better food so that it doesn't break out with acne. I take way too much for granted and I am causing my own suffering. It's time I made the right choices for my mind and body.

 

Dear Body,
  
I'm sorry that I never appreciated everything you've done for me. You work so hard to get me where I want to go and I want to thank you for that.
I'm sorry that I constantly put you down and criticized you. I'm sorry that I denied you energy when you needed it and gave you too much when you didnt want it. I'm sorry that I havent taken better care of you.
I'm sorry that I let other peoples opinions of you determine how I felt towards you. I'm sorry that I weighed you and let that number determine my feelings for you.
I love you unconditionally.

Love,
Christine

Hey Body, whats up?

Been a while. Havent really been paying any attention to you lately. I'[ve been eating strangly large portions and eating snacks that I think are 'little', but I know after I stuff them in me, that they were pretty un-nessecary. Sure I 'work out', but really, 20 min a day, maybe 3 times a week, it just doesnt seem like I'm actually giving you a chance. I know you have great potential, but I keep on ignoring your voice. Yes tummy voice, I hear you. I've saddly just gotten really good at ignorning you. I'm sorry. My mother always told me to listen to my 'tummy voice' and do what I deep down feel is right.  But instead Ive been listening to my tastebuds, and MAN they can be mean, plus their judgment sucks. Like the other day, I was sitting there watchin Tv, beaming with my low-cal day (wich has been rare for the past month or so) and i had this call in my mouth saying "you can just have a few... really... those chips in there... just put a few in a small bowl... its ok... youve been good today.. you deserve it...".
Yeah, I'm not hard to convince. So I jumped up, grabbed a 'small' bowl, filled it with three different types of chips (sour cream & onion pringles, Frito rings BBQ flavor, and some Kettle Chips sour cream and hot pepper flavor) and it was over flowing. My tastebuds were all "Yeaaah, thats fine. Theres really not that many in there... its a small bowl, remember?". So after I finnished that small bowl, i felt rather ill. And pissed at my tastebuds.

What was I going on about again? Oh yes, you my body.
Actually, I should really appoligize to my lower half. I'm (most of the time) ahamed of you. Why? Beacuse your 'thicker' than most womans! (womans... wow... turning 20 is scarry...) I always pull my skin around my ankles so you look more 'normal', and i jiggle my calves so I feel the 'flab' in them. Why? Because I like to kill my ego. Yeah, makes a lot of sence doesnt it? (no, not really...) Actually, Ive been getting pretty proud of you, lower half of body.. Youve been getting a bit stronger, and when I move my leg and put my hand on them, I can feel muscles. I know. It freaked me out too when i first felt that weird hard bulge. I honestly thought it was a tumor. Then I felt my other leg, and felt down a bit, and it was muscle!! How? No clue. Guess eating properly and giving you some excersize really does pay off. Who woulda thunk it? I guess, like i think someone else posted above said, that each body is like a work of art. No one is the same, and thats what makes us beautiful. I have to accept you legs, and I really need to do that now. If be not my legs are beautiful, then be my attitude.

Ok, now arms. You are starting to rock. I'm sorry If Ive pushed you a bit too hard and really made you sore, but I am SO happy that I no longer have armpit rolls. Man, that was my goal before the cruise and we totally got it. Still have a bit of 'bingo wing', but heck, I can totally deal with that. The more I work you, the more progress I see, and its really cool. (maybe I should start paying more attention to my leggs... Wow. I think I just had a break through here.)

Body, I know weve been through alot, and its all been a love/hate relationship with you. I love to drink, you hate it. You love to excersize, I hate it. I love chips, you really dont. You love to eat small and sensible, well shoot I can down a box of KD in one sitting (but not really enjoy it afterwards).

Its time to skip out on the excuses (its that time of the month, I'm half Ukranian so we have large legs, I'll work out extra hard tomorrow, if I cover it its not there) and turn around and truly seem myself. I need to open my eyes, become more exceptant and stop watching TV shows where they portray some weird US fantisy... And watch more Corner Gas. I totally love that show.

Aaaanyways, Body. Heres one to you! *chugs bottle of water*

Love and stuff, 
Me.

Dear body,

Where to begin, I have put you through such a rollercoaster ride, all I want to give you is a beautiful physical fit fantastic life. I owe you that much... and I will give you that. I just need to take the time to get you that gift of being fit. I will take my time to eat the right foods and exersize...I promise I wont give up after three days this time. I will do whatever it takes to give you the gift of skinny...I know you want it just as bad as I do . sorry for not sticking to the plan of becoming a beautiful thin girl...I will get there, I promise! Love me

Dear Body, I am sorry for letting you down when I should be being paying attention to your needs and not your wants. I am sorry that I that I made it worse and made you feel guilty for things I shoud've taken responsibilty of. I should promise you to go that extra mile when I feel too lazy to make it work. I am sorry for not doing the right to be sure you don't miss out on your life as you deserve it. I am sorry especially about the laziness and promise to change that in the future , the near future. I hope you forgive me body because you deserve the best in life you deserve to both look good and feel good.

Dear body:

I am sorry for the selfdestructive ways I did to get you. I'm sorry for wishing you where better. I'm sorry for not caring for you needs. I'm sorry for screaming at you cause you couldnt fit into my pants.

I'm sorry for not being thin & healthy. I'm sorry for not stopping when your full.

I'm so sorry for calling you names and cutting you.

man I'm so sorry, and I'm trying to be better.

love me

Hey, body!

 We're bad. You and me, we're bad. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. We're working together in the best way these days, and I love it! We've always been big -- except for when we were really young, before we discovered how things taste, before we were born.

But that doesn't mean we couldn't have changed it years and years ago.

We've lost twenty pounds in the last two months -- I'm so excited! I can't see much of a difference yet, but other people can, and thanks SO much for agreeing with me on this diet thing. We're meeting halfway and I think it's awesome.

I know I don't sleep enough at night, but we sleep during the day too, so we don't build up too much of a debt. Oooh, but body, 5 AM never has agreed with us. Remind me not to schedule things then, yeah? And I'll try to sleep more, too.

I don't say it enough, but body, thanks for my cute toes and long hair and pretty eyes... thanks for my piano hands, too -- I love how my neon-green-painted fingernails look playing the C chord! They're so long and pretty!

You and me, we still have a long way to go. We started this in September and we're gonna see where we are in May -- I imagine we'll be short of our goal, but that's my fault if it happens. None of this is your fault, other than being too damn quick to pop out of Mom -- we coulda used that extra month or so of bakin', thanks!

Hips, legs, thighs, butt... hooo boy. That's my fault. We need to strategize. Let's call a meeting, okay? You and me, every day, about an hour -- let's get moving! We can't complain about it being too hot now -- it's November. Should be perfect for us -- tomorrow, let's go! And the day after, too. And the day after. And maybe May will show us both what we want to see.

So, I guess what I've been trying to say is, I'm sorry. I'm only nineteen, but in all my years I've never listened to you. I heard the school kids when I was little calling you fat, and I heard them in middle school pulling your braid and laughing at you, and I heard the high school boys turn you down for dances and the high school girls giggle when you moved by. And I just stuffed more food in you, when I should have swallowed my pride, when I should have swallowed down a big dose of responsibility. It's my fault, and not yours. And I'll stop hurting you -- and that should make you stop hurting me.

We're almost crying tonight, you and me, because it's a new birth. It's a new chance, a new start -- a new day, tomorrow, and the next day. We're gonna do this right this time.

So what do you say, body? You and me, friends? I think we'll make a much, much better pair of partners than mortal enemies.

Thanks for staying with me, and here's to many, many more long years.

Love, and so many, many hugs,

Kit 

Dear Body,

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that there was never a time in my life that i liked you, not ever. To me you were always to big, too fat and/or too ugly. Because of this i have always tried to hide you. I buried you under more layers of fat and i wrapped you in loose baggy clothes. I avoided looking at you in the mirror and despised you in photographs. I have been ashamed and embarrassed by you and yet i know i made you look the way you do.

I have neglected you and caused you to carry a heavy load. I have made your back and your joints ache and i have caused you permanent damage and for this i am sorry.

So Body I am trying to be nicer to you and I'm trying to lighten your load. I look in the mirror now but I still don't really know what you look like because I know my view is so distorted.

I dont know if i will ever see you as others do, I only hope that one day I will look in the mirror and be happy with what i see.

Dear Body,

Please please please, listen to me when i ask you to do the tings i want to do. I know i eat the wrong things sometimes, but im sure you enjoy that once in a blue mood ice cream, or that one tiny little bite of choclate, apart from smoking (which i gave up for you) i have never treated you badly, we both know i never indulge on bad things because we dont like them much.

I have always given you the vitamins and nurishment you needed and deserved. YET you just do not seem to want to respond to MY needs. You continue to do the opposite to what i want you to do.

Why do you continue to gain weight? even after diets, exercise and healthy eating and living. I am beginging to wonder why i even bother feeding you at all, you take advantage.

Anyways body, i have always loved you, worshiped you and taken good care of you, i think its time you repaid me. I will always love you body, this is without question, please do the same for me.

Love

Maxien xxx mwah xxx

Dear Body...

I'm not quite ready to love you yet. I've hated  you for so long...blamed you for so much (even when I knew it was my fault, not yours) and have used you to gauge me as a person for so long. I've loved everything about me except for you. I've hid behind you because it's easier to judge others when you are fat. if someone can look beyond that and like me anyway, then I know that they are a good person. When I take care of you, guys respond much more easily. And it makes it harder for me to determine who is good for me and who is bad. And we both know that I am a terrible judge of character.

But in the process of  hiding, I've grown to hate you. because this isn't who I'm supposed to be. Remember 5 years ago, when you were 60 pounds less? Those were amazing days. I miss them so much. 

It seems like such a grueling task. I lose the one day at a time mentality and want instant results for you. But we all know that that's not happening! We're starting today...me and you. And we're not looking back.

Love, Me