12 years ago I lost 80 lbs in 8 months. I went from a size 22 to an 8. How did I do this you may ask? Well I'll tell you - Crack and Puking. Just kidding. I did it by working out 6 days a week, eating healthy 6 days a week and drinking tons of water. I felt strong! I felt accomplished. I felt powerful. I kept this up for some time and then entered into a dysfunctional relationship where my self esteem plummeted and my weight steadily rose. I stopped working out. I started drinking more and eating things that did not make my body feel good.
My self esteem recovered after that dark time but my weight remained high. I've been losing and gaining the same 25 lbs for the last 10 years.
Now I am 40, almost 41. I am sick of being the slowest person on a hike. I'm sick of having to spend way too much money on clothes because I am a "specialty size."
My goal now is not necessarily a number on the scale, my goal now is health and budget clothes shopping. I want to be in the middle of the pack of hikers when I go with friends. I want to avoid adult onset diabetes and heart disease. I also would like to be able to buy my clothes at any store, not just Layne Bryant, Torrid and the tiny plus sized sections at Target, Ross, and Khols.
But hear me my friends. I am not doing this to be hotter or prettier or more desirable. I've got that covered at any weight.
Which brings me to my next topic. AKA My Little Rant of the Day
I cannot stand it when people talk poorly about fat/chubby/heavy people. This includes speaking poorly of yourself. It saddens me that Mindy Kaling refers to herself as chubby when she is a size 8!
A size 8 is an ideal size for many people. She doesn't look chubby to me, she looks healthy. This is probably just the natural size for her body. She is gorgeous in my opinion; but better than that, she is funny and smart, which trumps physical beauty any day in my book.
Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. From this hottie
Let's all stop the body shaming. Saying a woman is too skinny is just as bad as saying a woman is too fat. Both are not okay. While I applaud heavy women having pride in our bodies, that does not make it okay to bash thin women. Examples of thin woman bashing disguised as chubby pride -
Let's just celebrate every body type. Let's let every woman decide what size is okay for her. Let's not imply that thin women are not as womanly as "curvy" women. Let's just love ourselves, our bodies, our minds, our hearts.
And when it comes right down to it, remember this wise advice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGt9jAkWie4 (I promise you will smile if you click that link)
Okay I'm stepping off my soapbox now. Love and hugs to you all.
