Being thin isn't the answer to everything!

21^st July 2013

A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.  – Eeyore

On Friday I posted this photo of a beautiful plus size lady in her underwear and commented “You can be healthy, happy & gorgeous at any weight - enjoy the journey”, I was making a point which I think my comment explains.  I had one reply saying “She looks ok, but is she healthy. No.”  I beg to disagree, I suppose it depends on your definition of “healthy” but in my world (and that’s the one I’m commenting on – these are my opinions, no one else's) healthy covers both physical and emotional aspects.  I consider myself to be extremely healthy at this moment in time, I’m in a great place with my emotional health, I feel good about myself and the way I look and I also feel physically well and the recent tests I’ve had appear to back that up.  I’ve weighed a lot less than my present weight over the years but I wouldn’t say I’ve ever been this emotionally healthy, I’d also add my physical health wasn’t as good at some stages, usually when I was struggling to get to the lower end of my ‘healthy’ bmi weight!

Some may question why as a Weight Watcher leader would I be posting photos of plus size (or overweight as some would say) women, well because I want all my gorgeous members to realise they are just that – gorgeous!  They are beautiful already – inside and out and to lose weight won’t make them a ‘better’ person, being slim doesn’t make you a ‘healthier’ person necessarily either, I know a lot of skinny unfit folk! 

I believe that if you learn to love yourself for who you are now then you’ll find making changes easier because change comes from valuing and caring about yourself enough to want to improve your life.  If you can get yourself into a positive relationship with your body, even if your body isn’t “perfect” (trust me not many, if any are!) you’ll strengthen your ability to make the changes you desire. 

It’s obvious isn’t it, if you feel better about yourself, you make better choices, that’ll include both food and activity choices, you’re more likely to want to do positive things to make yourself feel even better.  Whereas if you feel down about yourself and your body, you are more likely to go into self destruct mode, if the only reason you exercise is because you see it as a “punishment” for being overweight, you’re never going to enjoy that activity.  If you eat “diet” food because you want to change a body you hate, you’re unlikely to enjoy anything you eat and probably end up overeating in defiance.

Think about it if hating your body was motivationally effective – there would be more slim people!

I’m not saying don’t try to lose weight, what I’m suggesting is that accepting yourself as you are right this minute and learning to love yourself for who you are not just what you look like, you’re more likely to succeed because you’re now going to be eating and moving to take care of a body you look and respect. Xx

If you don’t feel that way right now - try it, you might like it!

Trust me a thin body will not make everything right in your world, stop believing when I’m thin everything will be so much better – it won’t necessarily be any different at all!  Decide today to accept who you are right now – don’t wait until you become the person you imagine being – live now, have fun, be healthy and happy because you can do that at any weight. Xx

Today I shall mostly be being “BeYOUtiful”, fancy joining me ;-)