Friday, February 8, 2013

Flashback Friday: The Scale Doesn't Call You Beautiful

I was very relieved after yesterday's post, Passing on My Fate Genes. I actually thought I was going to get some sort of hate mail for sticking up for the Diet Mom and understanding her side to the story. But what I got was actually people who either agreed with me, or just didn't say anything.

Yet it still got me thinking. I don't want people to think that I am obsessed with losing weight or even that I am a "Fat" hater. I am not. I think people of all shapes and sizes are beautiful. It really is what is inside that counts.
Stop listening to your scale calling
you fat. It is only a tool.

When I was younger, I was the fat kid. I got teased for it ruthlessly. I eventually grew out of the baby fat, but I also became obsessed with my weight. I became obsessed with dieting. To me, I thought this was just a normal part of teenage life. But looking back, I wasn't fat. I was just blinded by what I thought I looked like.

This leads me to how I am today. I believe in exercise and eating right. But I also believe that you can't restrict yourself from a treat every once in awhile. I believe that you are almost 99% in control of what you look like, and therefore it is up to you to see the beauty inside. This has taken me many years to find out.

I will probably never get to my goal, and that is ok. After all, I am not in high school anymore and I have also had 3 kids. I enjoy the occasional treat and don't like obsessing over calorie counting. I hate that I can't always control the numbers on the scale. But mostly what I learned, is that the these tools that make us believe we are or we are not the "proper" size can only kill our self-esteem.

My kids see that I am in a habit of exercising daily (although lately I have been slacking). They have also seen me count calories and restrict treats. I have openly talked to them about why I have done what I have done. I recently lost 45 pounds and I feel much better now than I did before. I don't want to go back to that person. But I also don't want that person or the health obsessed person to dictate who my children become.
Mostly, I want them to have a healthy outlook on their life. I want them to love themselves. Because of that, we openly talk about healthy eating and the importance of exercise.

So for Flashback Friday, today I am featuring 

The Scale Doesn't Call You Beautiful.

5 comments:

  1. I have to agree with you, Stacy. Building your goals around a scale is warped. Being healthy should be the goal.

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  2. Couldn't have said it better and you are so right about the scale not dictating whether you are beautiful or not. Great post!! :)

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  3. Awesome post! I agree and it's so healthy how you're approaching all of this. Kudos to you! :)

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  4. Stacy - I was so fat in my younger years, you couldn't tell if I was standing up or lying down. Then, my mom died, I watched my best friend get run over by a car and killed, and my dad remarried. I lost 80 pounds in just 5 months. I stayed thin for years after, and didn't see fat until my 40's. Then, it found its way home again through terrible eating habits. I think everyone recognizes they don't like it, but they simply get tired of fighting it and hearing about what they should be doing. Losing weight can be one of the most frustrating trials a person has to battle. I say more power to you!

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  5. You are a huge inspiration, my friend! Seeing you play those Xbox (or other playstation?) games, and reading about your love for exercise. Like you, I enjoy working out. It makes me feel good afterwards, and I like eating as healthy as I can - although you probably know by now, I tend to like a treat now and then too...maybe more. And that's what life is about. We have friends who won't even eat sushi because they "can't" have rice due to their diet (not allergy or anything, but because they don't want to get fat). It's a bit ridiculous. How is that living? Loved your hub...it was perfect and so inspirational, well done! :)

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