Hi friends!
Today’s post is about a topic that a lot of people struggle with: finding, reaching, and staying at their “ideal” weight. It feels very personal for me to write about, but I’m doing it because I know a lot of other people have a hard time with it, and why be afraid to be honest and talk about my journey right?
My Weight Story
I’ll spare you the sob story about how life isn’t fair, but I’ve never been a person who can just be thin without eating right and exercising. The reason why I’ve never been heavy is because I’ve (thankfully) never eaten a standard American diet, and I’ve been active my entire life. I’m so blessed to have grown up in a household where healthy living was just a way of life, and I’ve carried that mentality with me as an adult. I’ve never been a little skinny mini, which was hard growing up in a family with some 5′ tall 100-pound women, but it’s something that I’ve embraced as a woman in recent years.
At the beginning of last year when my hubby deployed, I decided that I wanted to tone up as much as I could. I was burning a ton of calories boxing, and while I was experimenting in the kitchen and enjoying eating as usual, I was being strict about the amount of calories I ate. I lost 10 pounds and was at my lowest weight since I can remember. I met my Marine in Thailand a couple of months into the deployment (aka the best vacation EVER)…
elephant riding in a Thai rain forest
Clearly my light skin could not withstand the strong Thailand sun – even with lots of SPF and shade!
…and wound up gaining a few pounds on vacation. For a few weeks, I tried to get it back off, but the scale would not budge. Looking back, I should have just accepted that my body wanted to hold onto those couple pounds for the time being, focused on being healthy, and kept on doing everything I had been doing, or perhaps recognized that my weight before had been to low for me to comfortably withstand. But instead, I got frustrated and thought Screw this!
On top of the scale taking too much control over me, I was having a rough time post-vacation dealing with being on my own. I had flown around the world to see my man for a beautiful vacation, but then had to fly back alone and not see him for another 4 months. Like a lot of people, food comforts me in stressful times. I dealt with things by baking cookies or drinking a bottle of wine. By the end of the deployment, a couple more pounds crept back on.
source: vividlife.me
Since then, I’ve gone up and done the same 5 or so pounds time and time again. And you know what? I don’t want to play that game anymore. I want to find a, so to speak, “happy weight place” and stay there.
A lot of times on the blog I’ve talked about finding happiness with yourself, appreciating your body and being the best person you can be in all facets of your life. It’s a constant never-ending journey — I mean what’s life if you’re not learning and growing? For me, I think that being my best self physically means slimming down a few pounds. It doesn’t mean I think I’m fat or am ungrateful for the body I have right here, right now. It just means that I think I’ll be my most confident, happiest self if I lost a few pounds.
source: wileyvalentine.com
I’ve been within the same 8-pound range since I was probably in high school or younger, so I’m not talking a lot of weight here, but I’ll be making some minor adjustments to help achieve my goal. I already exercise a lot and eat healthy, so this just means making sure my (….gulp….) wine drinking, dessert eating, and portions in general are in check for the next month or two while I aim to shed 1.5-2.5 pounds a week. But don’t worry, there WILL still be wine and there WILL still be dessert. After all, a big part of this blog is food, and I love to eat! As a kid, I can remember feeling fat because I loved food, but now I just feel….like a foodie. 🙂
I would never want to be on a meal plan, nor would I ever want to be eating the same things every single day. Food is a fun aspect of my life, and I have no desire to take the joy out of eating, cooking, baking, dining out and more. I’ll be blogging about my journey, and I hope that you’ll be along for the ride. Better yet, if you aren’t at your “happy weight place” at the moment, I invite you to join me in slimming down this fall. No better time than the present!
Question: How much do you have to watch what you eat to stay at your ideal weight? If you’re not at your ideal weight, have you been taking steps to getting there?
This is a topic that hits home for me. I’m about 25 pounds over where I would like to be, and you’re right in saying that I need to just start trying to lose weight now. No more excuses! But for the record, I think you look great!
Thank you! Well you can do it if you set your mind to it–that sounded like a total rhyming cheer but it’s true!
First up, I think you look amazing!! I totally agree that food is an important part of enjoying life and I would never want to give things up (wine) for an ideal weight but at the same time, I do want to be healthy, which includes maintaining a healthy weight. I know that I could eat a lot better and maybe lose some weight but I try to balance eating healthy with indulging.
Aww well thank you! It is always a balance act right? I would guess that you’re already at your ideal weight — you look great!!
Nicole, you are honestly perfect just the way you are! That said, I am not you so I don’t know how it feels to walk in your shoes and if it makes you happy to lose a few pounds then so be it. I have to commend you for doing it over fall. Fall/winter is when my routine and diet takes a hit. All I want to do is wrap up in a blanket and eat warm comfort food! 🙂 Breaking a sweat is a much better way to stay warm though.
You’re sweet Sarah! Yup you’re right, what matters most is how you feel about yourself. Well we’ll see how it goes! 😉
I’ve always struggled with my weight. I had to work 10x harder than my girlfriends to loose weight and for as long as I can remember I’ve had to watch what I eat – because if not I would gain weight like crazy. It’s definitely a balancing act, but I’ve learned that I just need to enjoy life and keep doing what I am doing. Eating right (most of the time) and maintaining an exercise schedule is important to me and is part of my life. I couldn’t imagine not doing it!
I’ve always felt like that too, and you’re right that it’s a constant balancing act. Me too! Perhaps having a slow metabolism can be a blessing in disguise. I think at one point I was eating well and exercising just because I didn’t want to be heavy, but somewhere along the way, healthy living turned into a passion of mine. I love it!
I think your beautiful and would seriously love to have your body! It has always been hard for me to maintain a healthy weight. I grew up in a household where fast food and unhealthy snack foods were always around so in my adult years it has been hard to switch to healthier eating habits and not reach for the potato chips whenever I’ve had a rough day.
You are too kind Ali! I could see that being hard, as living healthily is really a lifestyle and not just a phase or temporary thing. Luckily there are so many resources out there to help guide you in making healthy choices!
I soooo appreciate your honesty! I think you look fabulous but how you feel is really the most important. As long as you’re not pushing yourself too hard or depriving yourself of life’s greatest treats then you do what feels best for you! To be honest I don’t know that any woman is able to find her ideal weight…we are we so damn harsh on ourselves? Also I feel ya on the comfort food. I’ve never understood people who lose their appetite when they’re sad or stressed!
I agree, I think it’s easy to get carried away with being extreme, and that is definitely something I’ve tried to steer away from in recent years. First and foremost I just want to stay healthy, and I won’t let wanting to lose a couple of pounds compromise that. Hmmm, oh jeez I hope that there’s an ideal weight for me haha I think I was at it at one point, but then I always wind up losing a few pounds, then gaining a few pounds. But I know exactly what you’re saying… us ladies are our own worst critics!
I’ve been trying to achieve my ideal weight for eons. I too love food and wine, and always struggle with the balance. I’ve since learned to experiment with healthier versions but the wine still plays a part in my weight. What I’ve learned is that I’ll just have to workout harder in order to enjoy my weekend wine.
I look forward to following your journey.
Thanks for sharing Nikki! Balance is something that’s easier said than done. I’ve definitely overindulged many times, but then there were also periods where I think I was too strict with myself. Finding that middle ground and staying around there permanently is what I’m striving for.