Been a little over a week since I last posted. In that time I've been in Texas, gained a new nephew, finished two classes and started two new classes. Life NEVER slows down...it is in constant motion. My goal is to always try to enjoy every single moment while it is happening so that I can remember how I felt and what it was like to be there.
Anywho, had a reader ask me a question that I thought could be relevant to others so I asked permission to write a post about it....and here it is! LOL.
If you have ever gained a significant amount of weight, you can probably attest to the fact that it can be life altering. I don't mean like you gained 3 pounds (lol)...I mean like a significant amount of weight...let's say at least 10+ pounds. Gaining weight can severely affect your self-esteem, your body image, and most importantly your confidence. You know how people always say, "I finally feel great in my own skin!" Yeah, that "feeling" can be seriously combated when you add 10+ pounds to that skin. You begin to feel self-conscious and paranoid in some cases. Some people deal with it in different ways. Some choose to continue to wear the same sizes that they once wore to try and "appear" to look that same weight (FAIL) and some choose to wear baggier clothes to try and hide their weight gain (FAIL!!! lol). Either way, it can be ROUGH!! But eventually you get used to it right?? You start to accept the fact that you're a little heavier and if you're smart, you buy clothes that fit (HOPEFULLY) and start to work around the weight gain.
But then you decide that you don't want to work around your weight gain anymore and start to lose weight...and you start to feel a little weird. I mean being thinner and healthier was always the goal, but now your body just seems off. Well, it's not uncommon. I think I've talked before about getting your mind right....well, here's another hurdle for your brain!! LOL. Accepting that your body is changing. Just like it took time for you to accept being heavier, it may take a minute for your mind to catch up with the fact that you are are a leaner you. The important thing is to EMBRACE it!!!!!!! You are working HARD...don't you deserve to accept this new you?? Learn to take the compliments and the double takes (yes, Lord lol)! That just means you're putting in the work and it shows. People from the outside will most likely notice faster than you do. When people see me and say, "ARE YOU LOSING WEIGHT????" my first reaction (in my mind) is HECK YES!!! LOL....but I'll just say yes, yes, I am. The next question is usually, "What are you doing?" My response to that question is..."I'm working my butt off.....LITERALLY!!"
You've got to help your mind play catch up....know that you are making strides and help your mind get on board...
You CAN do this!
Thanks for reading :)
It definitely is a process. I think it's important to maintain a positive mental attitude regardless. I know folks who lose weight and feel bad because they develop "haters", while those were the same "haters" when they were big. I agree with you; if you put in the work, the hard work, embrace the rewards. Great post!
ReplyDeleteSo true Hope and thanks for reading!! :)
DeleteLove ya!
Great post! It's one of the most enlightening for me.
ReplyDeleteI gained 10+ pounds in what seemed like less than a week (I'm pretty sure it was after my honeymoon cruise... I. ate... ALOT.), and I was pretty crushed... Although I didn't really do anything about it. (lol just being honest.) I had people ask me if I was pregnant for about two years after that (what a long pregnancy, eeeh??), and of course the older folks who said "How you get suh fat!? No badda let guh ah yuself!" And then something happened. I switched to a very stressful job and lost 10 lbs it seemed just as fast as I had gained it. (I'm one of those people who loses weight by getting sick, stressed, or simply not eating. A blessings and a curse because it can make you lazy.) I was glad about losing weight, but the same people who told me I was fat started telling me I was disappearing and it didn't look good. Can't win for losing lol. Right now, I think I'm at a decent weight although I wouldn't mind losing 5 more pounds. I'm not too worried about the pounds... What I really want to do is be healthy! And a flat stomach wouldn't hurt either ;)
Again, thanks for this post. I'm really going to stop wishing and start doing... next week. (Nah, for real, my schedule is changing next week, so I promise I'll start then! lol!)
That long pregnancy TOOK. ME. OUT!! LOL...people are relentless! You can do it!
DeleteI absolutely love this post. It is sometimes hard to embrace change. One would think it would be easier to embrace good change (weight loss) rather than bad change (weight gain). A great support system (such as this blog) really helps with the changes that are occurring with my body. I became so comfortable with the pounds I put on that now that I am losing it I feel slightly odd. I am embracing the healthier me and hopefully my mind will catch up with the rest of my body. GREAT POST!!
ReplyDeleteChelle....keep up the good work! You're doing great!
DeleteYou can do it! :)
ReplyDeleteI can definitely identify with this.
ReplyDeleteIt took me a while to "notice" my weight loss and folks did take notice earlier than I did. Like Typhanie I had folks tell me don't lose anymore and it took a LOT of self control to not say what I really wanted to say. Instead I smiled and said thanks for noticing :) I mean it is my body and I will lose as much as I need to without making myself unhealthy. Hellooooo! I do want to live after I've lost the weight lol
It did take a while for my mind to catch up, in fact, I think it caught up when my clothes started to get bigger and I started to use belts which I never liked using before as they only made my chest more noticeable and they didn't need any help getting noticed lol SO now I've tossed some tops, because if I hold them it's like I'm telling my mind, just in case I gain it back I have something to wear. Nah! I'm getting rid of them all!! No turning back :)
Well! Since my mind has caught up I gotta keep working at it, which is why I welcome DST! Time to start walking in the evenings again!!
Thanks for the idea for my next post!!!! (getting rid of old clothes lol).
DeleteKeep up the great work!!
lol You're most welcome :)
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