Between May 2013 and December 2013 I gained a whopping 30 pounds, which is a significant amount on my 5’5″ frame. The reasons behind my weight gain really do not matter, it was a perfect storm of working a high stress job, keeping late hours, moving in with my fiance who eats every meal like it is his last, and finally not having a college budget and consuming about 10,000 calories I didn’t need from Starbucks. Nonetheless, I am two years removed from college and still holding on to those thirty pounds. Literally everywhere.
For awhile I tried to fight it and would briefly resort back to my disordered eating days when I would subsist off of a Special K bar and a Lean Cuisine before attending yet another wedding, baby shower, engagement party, Wednesday night happy hour before going on a three day bender and then evening out to normal eating again.
In the midst of a week of crash dieting, I had an epiphany. (In full disclosure, this was probably just hunger)
Why am I treating my body like crap?
The amount of time I spent on obsessing about my body, was a waste. I finally decided that whatever weight I was is the weight I was supposed to be. After deciding this, my whole outlook changed. I began eating food because it was good for me. I started working out because it was fun. Soon, I looked in the mirror and didn’t just glance at my face, but I actually look at my whole body and I liked what I saw.
My weight didn’t budge, my attitude did. Liking my body isn’t something that is constant and I definitely have to work at it but I here are some things I do to make it easier.
- I only wear clothes I like and that fit me.
- I don’t talk about other people’s bodies.
- I eat food that I enjoy. This includes a healthy mix of salads, fruit, vegetables, steak, and the occasional pint of ice cream.
- I compliment other people.
- I compliment myself.
- Weighing myself is a waste of time.
- I workout regularly because I enjoy it and give my body a break when I need it.
- I surround myself with people who feel good about themselves.
- I drink water because it is good for me.
- I practice a lot of self forgiveness because I still slip up.
We live in a society that profits from us feeling bad about ourselves and a woman who loves who and what she is unstoppable. Loving my body for the way it is and for what it can do isn’t easy but it is an investment I am willing to make in order to spend my life happier.
Go out and unapologetically love yourself!
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