All of the weight loss resolutions I’m seeing are starting to grate on me.
Did you know that I lost about ¼ of my weight and have kept it off the last 9 years? Probably not. I don’t mention the weight loss because it’s not particularly significant in my life. I was somewhat overweight according to the charts, and now I’m not. In some ways, it’s been one of the most trivial changes, which is why I don’t think it’s ever come up on my blog after almost 6 years of blogging.
You can read that again if you’d like. I lost a big chunk of poundage and have kept it off almost a decade and it’s pretty irrelevant to me. 
Why?
I was pretty awesome at my highest weight. And gorgeous inside and out. Do you think I would have looked happier at my wedding if I weighed less or my arms were more toned? I don’t think so.
What I am proud of and care about:
- Dramatically changing and improving my eating habits. Yes, I’ve gone from the woman who ate frosting by the spoonful on many occasions to the woman who can’t get enough kale.
- Ending a long-standing binge eating habit.
- Learning to love and cook amazing food.
- Getting physically active, even despite physical limitations
- Meditating daily!
- Taking great care of myself, and learning to love the person I am.
- Maintaining loving relationships.
- Finding much better emotional balance
- Starting a business and watching it flourish
- My love and my kittehs.
- Managing all of my health conditions.
Those accomplishments are a result of a change in habits and attitude, not a rigid plan.
I am so much healthier than I was, in almost every way. When I changed my life, my everything else changed. And if my weight had NOT changed when I changed my life, it still would have been worth it.
Please understand…my intent isn’t to diminish others in their goals for health, including weight loss. But you can hate yourself thin; you can’t hate yourself healthy. Same goes for bullying, and often that seems the cornerstone of many diets–beating yourself into submission. Thanks, but no.
So before you plan those New Year’s resolutions, consider what you care most about. The number on the scale doesn’t define your health. You can aim higher than just seeing the scale move.
I’m also really loving Johnna’s post on dieting–check it out.
Stumble It!
Beautifully written, Cheryl! You were beautiful then and are beautiful now. Kudos on the changes you have made. Those type of meaningful changes really don’t come from quick start weight loss and exercise programs. It just doesn’t happen. And the biggest point is that it would be a shame to give up all that we are for all that we want to be or think we should be. Those aren’t my words. I read them somewhere, but they resonate with me. It’s time to love ourselves and makes small changes and see where that will lead us. I love Johnna’s post, too. Both of you speak from experience and nothing is more meaningful than that. No pretty tv commercial, no glossy ad in a magazine, no idealized number on a scale, etc. Thank you!
Shirley
Shirley,
That is such a beautiful quote! My google-fu failed me in tracking it back. I know we share the philosophy on wellness from a loving place within, and I love how vocal you are in sharing that.
Can you provide any insight as to what helped you to stop the long-standing binge habit? Any advice how beat it for good? It’s controlling my life while I feel out of control….
One of the best summaries on weight loss I’ve read in a long time!
Brings back memories of how positive i used to be… and can be.
Many thanks for sharing your thoughts, they are sincere and honest
Megs,
For me, meditation was huge for dealing with binging. I actually started meditating for pain management but and help with binging was an unexpected huge bonus! There’s actually a lot of research showing that mindful eating can help with binging, and so can self-compassion meditation. I have an article here http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030413p42.shtml. The more I think about it, there were quite a few parts, and I may post on my own personal experience some time in the future. Wishing you well!
Konoups–thanks, that’s sweet of you. Much appreciated.
I love this post! Recently I’ve been reading a few books that suggest that our bodies are merely a reflection of our thoughts. So the kinder and more loving our thoughts, the more healthily our bodies will appear to us! And the happier we will feel too. I think quality of life is much more important than any set of numbers, but we often focus only on the image we perceive.
Thanks so much, Kate! You’re so right. I know that fits for me; my issues and ailments all have a lot of significance for me in many ways.