Gaining
Lately, I have been called "skinny" by a few people who haven't seen me for a few months. Do not get me wrong, I am glad to see that my progress is noticeable. I am glad that the x amount of pounds that I have lost is not just water weight.
But there is so much more to gain than there is to lose.
I guess this idea came from a podcast I started listening to lately about diet culture and food addiction. Any person that is a guest on the show is an expert in healthy eating and the stigma behind eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder (BED), etc.). However, anytime a number is mentioned, such as number of calories consumed or someone's weight, it is literally bleeped out. It is treated like the most vile word and completely censored. Why?
Because it is not that important.
Do not get me wrong, knowing how much weight I have lost has given me a tangible measure of my hard work. The new size of my clothes does the same thing. But I am done sharing that number.
Because it is not important.
Losing something obviously sounds worse than gaining something. Plus, when I say that I have lost, it makes it seem like the size that I took up was not worthy, those pounds were the "bad" parts of me or that it is somehow ugly. Believe me, I am more comfortable where I am now, but it has taken a mindset shift to say that weight is not bad. So I am going to share what I have gained, instead of what I have lost.
I have gained:
But there is so much more to gain than there is to lose.
I guess this idea came from a podcast I started listening to lately about diet culture and food addiction. Any person that is a guest on the show is an expert in healthy eating and the stigma behind eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder (BED), etc.). However, anytime a number is mentioned, such as number of calories consumed or someone's weight, it is literally bleeped out. It is treated like the most vile word and completely censored. Why?
Because it is not that important.
Do not get me wrong, knowing how much weight I have lost has given me a tangible measure of my hard work. The new size of my clothes does the same thing. But I am done sharing that number.
Because it is not important.
Losing something obviously sounds worse than gaining something. Plus, when I say that I have lost, it makes it seem like the size that I took up was not worthy, those pounds were the "bad" parts of me or that it is somehow ugly. Believe me, I am more comfortable where I am now, but it has taken a mindset shift to say that weight is not bad. So I am going to share what I have gained, instead of what I have lost.
I have gained:
- the ability to keep up with (or even pass ;) ) my volleyball players during drills that they need an extra player
- a whole new wardrobe (both a blessing and a curse since replacing old clothes is expensive)
- the energy to workout everyday to clear my mind and find balance
- the willpower to choose the foods that cooperate with my body
- the balance to let myself have the "bad" foods, in moderation, without punishing myself for consuming them
- the confidence to not feel ashamed of my appearance
So while this technically is a post about weight loss, I would like for it to be looked at as a post about health. A post that is about challenging the way we measure health.
You are way more than a number.
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