Geez am I fat!? A short rant

This is by no way about me.  I can honestly say I am pretty damn happy with the way I am.  I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin, expect when I'm bloated, but that is something so different.  Yes, I am currently bloated.... so I'm ranting here.

So what am I talking about here?  Men and women who constantly and consistently talk about how fat they are.  Yes, I put men in this too - they are just as guilty.  Come on though, do you think you could really go up to a guy and ask him if he is happy with his body?  What do you think he is going to say?  He may give you a dumb ass look or state that he's "fine".  Saying I'm fine really doesn't mean I am fine.  When my dad states it, it's anything but fine.  It means he is completely irritated and is just done.

So getting back to all this.  What makes someone think they are "fat"?  Society, family, significant other?

ALL THE ABOVE.

It generally takes but one single comment for the downward spiral.  Think about it.  I bet there is something that someone said that you have never forgotten. I also bet, that said person doesn't even remember it.  So why hold on to what they said?!  They clearly didn't.  So just drop it, leave it and let it go!  I remember I was 7 or 8 when my step mother said my ankles were getting fat.  Seriously?! Ankles?!  Clearly there was something going on in her life that she wanted to reflect on me.  

My mom was always dieting when I was growing up and I thought she was perfect.  Come on, she was my mom.  What child thinks anything different.  So, in junior high I went on her medical weightless program with her.  Not that I needed it but I didn't want her to do it alone.  That probably began my own journey, but that was then and all the things in the name of being "skinny".

Ugh.... didn't I say this wasn't about me?!  So, if you have to say how fat you are or how you don't like X about yourself would you go about changing it? Or would you just keep repeating it over and over and hope that magically something would be different?

I see and hear this so much lately - from both men and women.   

WHA............

I'm not talking about some crazy crash diet, weight watchers, etc.  You've seen what I have written so far.

EAT REAL FOOD AND ALL THE FAT!!!

Seriously, it's no simpler than that.  Did I say it was easy?!  No, I would never say that.  I'm saying you have to want it enough to not even care about the ice cream, cookies, cakes, bread, pastas, etc.

Sure I love watching Cupcake Wars and cake decorating.  WHY?  Am I punching myself?  Nope not at all.  I watch it because I love the creativity and I think watching someone decorate a cake VERY relaxing!

So challenge time - go find those trigger foods - the bread and chocolates and high sugar items and donate them, give them to a neighbor or take them to work.  Eat real food, prep, do the things that make it easy and excuse-less to accomplish what you want.  Go for walks, you don't need strenuous exercise.  Drink more water.  Get rid of processed foods!  

Just remember your pant size will NOT MAKE YOU HAPPIER - YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN!!

By the way - this is my present state.  No 6 pack here, but that's ok.  Weight is a number and means nothing.  I wear a small, sometimes a medium.  Does it tell me what my self worth is?!  Nope - I've come a long way.  If you have listened to Jason Seib, you really need to.  Seek out Body Beliefs and Altshift.

Rant done - I could go on.  Just remember to love yourself for who you are.  Peoples opinion should not have anything to do with your own happiness.  Make your own happiness!

Should I talk more about this??

A beginning in the middle....

Today is another start... a start of something I keep meaning to do.  We have all been there.  We have the grand idea and we have these big plans and then.... (Yes, I love to use ....).  Life, jobs, other projects or activities get in the way of the best intentions and before you know it, it's a year later.

I started a blog a long while ago, the last post was 3 years ago.  I don't think it was going where I really wanted it to go, but ultimately I'm not sure about this one either.

Here is my thought.  I want to talk about being healthy, that's not too hard.  I have learned so much from where I began over 4 years ago when I stumbled onto Diane Sanfilippo and Practical Paleo.  I was/am following Purely Twins and were talking about her new book.  I had tried so many things in the past (not that I was looking to lose weight.... maybe?) and wanted to finally get healthy.  I believe I started to search around about this person and soon bought the book as well as Liz Wolfe's skin care guide.  4 years later, I am still Paleo, though I would have to say more Primal and following Jason Seib's AltShift.

Ok, so who am I and why does any of this matter?  Well, maybe it's to document the process I have gone through from the beginning in hope's that others will learn from my mishaps.  Maybe it's to show what a healthy, strong lifestyle can be.  Of course, I am not saying I am perfect and know everything.  I'm still learning something new everyday.  I want to document that, as well as anything super tasty I make in the kitchen!.  I'm also hoping to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, like those that I currently follow are.

I almost forgot to say who I am!  My name is Heather and currently 40 years old.  I don't mind stating my age since I never "felt" my age.  Unless many are lying to me, I have been told I look much younger.  Yay for my husband, right!  I am a former marathoner.  I qualified for Boston during my second marathon.  I ran Boston the year after the bombings and I have to say what a euphoric experience it was.  I also did a half Ironman (70.3) almost 2 years ago now.  I run now, but mostly just to enjoy the feeling.  2 months after my Ironman I developed a hip fracture.  I went all out too!  My fracture was in the femoral neck of my right hip, worse place ever!  I was diagnosed with osteopenia and have been in the process of building my bone mass.  I have also been diagnosed with Hashimoto's.  I'm blaming the years of being a vegetarian.  I certainly was not healthy during those 10 years!  I can get into all that at another time.  I also have been a yogi for about 16 years and been teaching for 7 years.  I started following Yoga with Adriene in October to get back into morning yoga and more flexibility.

So flash to now.  I'm sitting in my living room, in a small chair typing with my 55 lb. German Shorthaired Pointer Jack, smashed in next to me and my ever loyal Vizsla Stryker across from us on the couch.  It's a freezing rain here in Michigan, I'm waiting for the snow to begin.  It's the 3rd snow-pocalypse here (I work in a upscale market, that's how these things are treated).

So until next post.... here are a few pictures.

Boodles (19 years old - aka - Old Man)

Jack - 8 year old GSP

Stryker - 9.5 year old Vizsla