How can I trust myself to believe in the progress I'm making on my journey to a healthier body?

You could journal about your progress, and be mindful to give yourself the self-validation and love that you deserve. C:

Trusting yourself in relation to your progress can be really hard; usually half the time the issue that creates an unhealthy body is not having a correct self view so communication with others will help you become aware of when your feelings are correct.

I like to think about an animal and connect to that. Would I ever deprive a penguin of food because I thought it was too fat? Would I ever tell a penguin to purge because it thinks it ate too much? Would I ever tell a penguin to keep exercising because it needs to burn off extra calories? When applying my eating disorder thoughts to an animal, the answer is always no.

Food is meant to be a delicious nourishment to our bodies, not a punishment or negative thing. Trust that on your journey you will run into some bumps along the way but when you finally become healthier, know you will lead such a positive life and have so much energy. Keep on going love :)

Pay very close attention to your mind and body. It'll begin to fluctuate in different ways. If you're a teenager, just realize your hormones will begin to differentiate the way you act in situations. But remember, this is your body and though it feels like you cant control it, you can. Its the one thing that we'll always be there for you so just make sure you don't hurt it.

You an make a journal, dedicated to what you eat, how long you exercise, and even a picture of yourself so you notice the difference. Just make sure you don't become addicted, and form a ED (eating disorder) :)

You can start by breaking down your big goals to smaller, more bearable goals by taking note of the small, measurable changes that you specifically want to achieve. You may want to set a sort of realistic deadline for you to achieve those small goals and it will be easier for you to think and stick to a plan or steps or like a "project schedule" you want to take. Then, you can track how you progress. The outcomes may not be visible as readily as you have estimated but at least you have a solid proof that you are doing something and you're sticking to your plan. That is progress too as progress is also evaluated in your efforts and discipline. You may also want to reflect if there have been changes in how you feel or think or interact with people. There will be positive developments but you have to be aware and observant of yourself. Perhaps, you have become more energetic. You don't feel tired easily like you used to before. Or, you have become more calm and not easily irritated.

Listen to your inner voice. When you have thoughts about yourself, determine whether they are positive or negative. If you have trouble evaluating this or noticing a pattern, try writing down thoughts you have about yourself every day for a few days or a week. Then look at the statements for patterns or tendencies. The inner voice of someone with low self-esteem often manifests in one of the following personas: a nagger, a generalist, a comparer, a catastrophizer, or a mind-reader. Each of these unique inner voices either insults you or assumes the worst about other people’s perception of you. Silencing the negative inner voice is a first step in building your confidence. Replacing it with more positive thoughts will be the next goal. For example, your inner voice may say “I didn’t get the job I just applied for, so I will never have a job again and I am useless.” You want to change that to “I am disappointed about not getting this job, but I have worked hard and the right job is out there waiting for me; I just have to find it.