Getting Back to the Basics

I can't even tell you how many times I've had to "go back to the basics" with this weight loss journey. I will be going along on my happy way, losing weight, working out, eating right.. and slowly it starts to slip. Not all at once, maybe I'll get really busy with the kids and ease up on my workouts. Maybe I'll eat more than I should've or spent a few days just celebrating with cake for no other reason just to celebrate :)! In the past, I will admit I've blamed it on that I must be at a plateau! But the fact was it was really me and my choices. Sometimes we just have to go back to the beginning. I'll ask myself what am I doing now that I wouldn't have done in the first few weeks? What was my purpose in doing this whole "losing weight/getting healthy" thing? I have those times when I make myself go back to being a "weight loss newbie." Remember when you just started? The drive you had? I do! And there are times that I go back there to remind myself what it was and become a newbie all over again. It's not because we are slackers, but because it is a lifestyle. There is no real big prize at the end, we earn prizes as soon as we start and we get prizes throughout the whole journey! I recently spoke with a friend that walked through a very sad experience and she said that she got off track a bit and wants to get back on. I find that so inspiring. She isn't giving up! She's going back to the basics and jumping back on. I find there is no one that can do anything for your health, there's no one that can make you lose weight.. besides yourself. So what if you've totally blown it, this isn't a race we're on it's a lifestyle. I've said it before... life happens. I'm sure there will be MANY times I will have to go back and get back to the basics. We can't give up just because we've fallen off track and maybe even gained some weight back. I guess in my mind there's never a reason to give up. We always have the choice to get back up again. I really want to encourage those that need some encouraging, get back up today. Look at some of your choices and see if there are different ones that need to be made. Go back to the basics. Remind yourself why you started this journey. And just don't quit!

I'm always here if you need some encouraging!!

A pet peeve of mine..

Not sure if any of you have noticed the pictures going around, comparing skinny women to curvy women. These have got to be some of the most annoying pictures to me. I understand the emotion behind it, showing that being really skinny isn't considered sexy. To show young and older women to not strive for the skinny look of what we are supposedly being taught is sexy. In all my days of being overweight, I never once felt pressured to be skinny, but I do believe that comes from a confidence inside. I personally don't believe it's a body type that anyone should shoot for but it's about being healthy and happy. Feeling confident in who you are and not chasing after something that the media would say is "sexy". I don't think these pictures do anyone any good. So we pretty much slam a skinny girl in order to say curvy is way better?! Can you imagine posting pics of curvy girls vs. very overweight women?! Oh man, the criticism those pics would get! I don't want my daughter growing up, striving to be curvy, skinny or overweight. I want Kennedy to grow up being strong and healthy, confident in herself. And when she's older, much much older, I want her to feel sexy because of the woman she is on the inside and not because she looks a certain way. Women can be ruthless sometimes, tearing each other down and always comparing ourselves to each other. It's absolutely ridiculous. I've never once seen a post about muscular men compared to super skinny men.. because men don't do stuff like that. I hope you're hearing my heart in this. This has been something that's been frustrating to me and I wanted to hop on my soap box for a few minutes :) I was searching for an article about Marilyn Monroe and I found this and thought it was very interesting.

Marilyn Monroe WAS NOT A SIZE 14!!!! Clothes are sized differently today than they were in the 1950's. A 50's size 8 is a modern day size 4, a 50's 12 is a modern day six. To contrast, today's size 12 would have been a 50s size 20! Marilyn at her heaviest was in 1957 and 1959, both times following pregnancies that ended in miscarriages, and even then she was only 140 at her highest weight. She was usually around 120 lbs, and the time of her death was 117 lbs, 5'5, and had a waist of 22 inches. She wore a size 12 dress and size 8 pants, which in modern day would be a 6 and a 4.

5'5, 117 lbs, 22 inch waist. That's not ''fat'' by anyone's standards.

Source(s):

Marilyn Monroe historian. Studied her for 18 years. Own nearly 90 books about her. Gets annoyed when people perpetuate the Size 14 lie.

Marilyn Monroe, today, would be considered smaller than the average woman, which is about a 14. In my mind she was much bigger than her actual size. For me, it just goes to show that we shouldn't strive to be a size or shape, but rather who we are. I can't say it enough.. strive to be healthy & strive to be active. After that comes the confidence and then sexiness is just there! I think women are beautiful, no matter what shape or size, but the true beauty comes from within. 

Thanks for reading :) I hope no one hates me after this blog!