Body Talk
I saw a blog post recently entitled "The 'After' Myth" that discussed how even after you've met your goal you don't see your body as a new enlightened thing that you've always dreamed of, instead you can still feel self conscious and unattractive. I completely understood the author's struggles and heard echos of things that friends on weight loss journeys had said to me before and I think it is safe to say that we have all had these feelings at some point. How many times on your journey did you have a great week and was feeling really great about your progress then caught a glimpse of some roll or something from under your t-shirt that made you feel like your "fat" self all over again?
I think everyone that starts down a path to lose weight imagines that one day, after a lot of hard work and discipline that we will look a certain way that we have concocted in our heads and suddenly the battle will be over and we will love our bodies and be ready to tear our clothes off and run scantily clad down a beach.... Ok maybe not that drastic but I think its normal to imagine what your body will look like when you've hit your goal. The disappointment comes when you should be celebrating your after but all you can think about is some other "trouble area" that needs fixing. This is a cycle that can be dangerous and counter productive because it can make you feel like all your effort will never be enough and you'll never fix it all so why bother?
If you are always chasing an ideal that you may or may not ever fulfill, it's pretty easy to get discouraged. This is something I've known early on and I made it a point to make an effort to love my body at every size and shape. Just because I'm packing some extra pounds doesn't make me any less of who I am as a person. I remember when I realized my weight was a looming health problem. I only weighed myself when I went to the doctor's office and when I weighed in at 212lbs it scared me. I knew I had to make some changes to my life and decided to get up every morning and go to the gym. I set my alarm to go off with a note that said "212 but still beautiful. Go make it happen!" When I read the "After" myth I realized that I had unknowingly learned that lesson early and I think it is an important one that every girl should learn because your body is an amazing instrument that you should love enough to nourish, not hate enough to change.
So on those days when I'm feeling like I hate the sight of that roll or have any other thoughts that are less than flattering towards my body I know I just need to take a breath and remember that my body is my friend and that if I treat it with kindness and love it will reward me with strength and longevity.
<3 Katie
177lbs
I think everyone that starts down a path to lose weight imagines that one day, after a lot of hard work and discipline that we will look a certain way that we have concocted in our heads and suddenly the battle will be over and we will love our bodies and be ready to tear our clothes off and run scantily clad down a beach.... Ok maybe not that drastic but I think its normal to imagine what your body will look like when you've hit your goal. The disappointment comes when you should be celebrating your after but all you can think about is some other "trouble area" that needs fixing. This is a cycle that can be dangerous and counter productive because it can make you feel like all your effort will never be enough and you'll never fix it all so why bother?
If you are always chasing an ideal that you may or may not ever fulfill, it's pretty easy to get discouraged. This is something I've known early on and I made it a point to make an effort to love my body at every size and shape. Just because I'm packing some extra pounds doesn't make me any less of who I am as a person. I remember when I realized my weight was a looming health problem. I only weighed myself when I went to the doctor's office and when I weighed in at 212lbs it scared me. I knew I had to make some changes to my life and decided to get up every morning and go to the gym. I set my alarm to go off with a note that said "212 but still beautiful. Go make it happen!" When I read the "After" myth I realized that I had unknowingly learned that lesson early and I think it is an important one that every girl should learn because your body is an amazing instrument that you should love enough to nourish, not hate enough to change.
So on those days when I'm feeling like I hate the sight of that roll or have any other thoughts that are less than flattering towards my body I know I just need to take a breath and remember that my body is my friend and that if I treat it with kindness and love it will reward me with strength and longevity.
<3 Katie
177lbs
Comments
Post a Comment