Well...we all know the rest, right? Right?!?!? Believe it or not, no...not everyone does. At least that's been my experience lately.
I've at times been overwhelmed by some of the things people say to me. More than a few people have actually said that I am an inspiration to them. I have motivated them. They want my help. They want to know my 'secrets.' They say I encourage them by the way I keep at it...even at times when I don't feel like it. Even days when I'd much rather sleep in than get up early and workout in the living room or (if I'm lucky enough that my husband was off the night before) head to the gym before 6 a.m. That if I can do it with my schedule (I work full time and then some, have a 20 month old toddler, and a husband that works a shift opposite mine) then they should be able to do something as well. I love to hear all of these comments. I'm surprised. Still. But to know that I have actually inspired people to do good for themselves, something I have never done before...well, that just feels good. It really does. And then....
And then...
And then there's my family. Doing the best they can to negate all of the positive comments I've heard from so many others with their own negativity. Funny how just a few words from just a few family members, negative words at that, can stick with a person more than all the good from everyone else. Sad, really. What do I hear?
"You're too skinny." "You need to quit." "When are you going to stop?" "You cannot lose any more weight." And so on. I quit listening, if I am to be honest. I heard enough with the first few comments and am doing my best to shut out all the rest. These few comments, though, are enough to make me really want to avoid being around them...not hard to do, actually...but with some events coming up over the next several months, I'm sure that's bound to piss off people.
Let's think about this though:
I've at times been overwhelmed by some of the things people say to me. More than a few people have actually said that I am an inspiration to them. I have motivated them. They want my help. They want to know my 'secrets.' They say I encourage them by the way I keep at it...even at times when I don't feel like it. Even days when I'd much rather sleep in than get up early and workout in the living room or (if I'm lucky enough that my husband was off the night before) head to the gym before 6 a.m. That if I can do it with my schedule (I work full time and then some, have a 20 month old toddler, and a husband that works a shift opposite mine) then they should be able to do something as well. I love to hear all of these comments. I'm surprised. Still. But to know that I have actually inspired people to do good for themselves, something I have never done before...well, that just feels good. It really does. And then....
And then...
And then there's my family. Doing the best they can to negate all of the positive comments I've heard from so many others with their own negativity. Funny how just a few words from just a few family members, negative words at that, can stick with a person more than all the good from everyone else. Sad, really. What do I hear?
"You're too skinny." "You need to quit." "When are you going to stop?" "You cannot lose any more weight." And so on. I quit listening, if I am to be honest. I heard enough with the first few comments and am doing my best to shut out all the rest. These few comments, though, are enough to make me really want to avoid being around them...not hard to do, actually...but with some events coming up over the next several months, I'm sure that's bound to piss off people.
Let's think about this though:
- "You're too skinny." Since when is a few pounds over 130 on someone who stands 5'5 too skinny?
- "When are you going to stop?" Stop what? Exercising? Eating healthy? Um...this was not about dropping a few pounds and then reverting to an unhealthy lifestyle.
- "You need to quit." See comments above.
Really I don't get this at all. I'm not underweight. For the first time in years, I'm not overweight. for the first time in a long time, I'm not feeling shitty because of my crappy diet. I'm not hating myself because my clothes look like crap on me (although I am not hugely excited about the fact that I've had to replace my entire wardrobe a few times over the last year). I've gained confidence in myself by getting healthier, getting in much better shape. I look at my family history of health problems and see how much of it is tied to an unhealthy lifestyle...why would I want to stop or quit...and go back to looking at a future full of health problems tied to weight and unhealthy habits? What am I missing here? And now that I think of it...not one person in my extended family has said anything positive...at all...about my transformation. Nothing. Not one thing. That kind of makes me sad. I did this for me, I did this to set a positive example for my daughter. And apparently my family would rather me be fat miserable unhealthy unhappy. Sad.
I went through the same exact thing with my in-laws. I think they continue to say these things because they aren't willing to make the same changes in their lives and it makes them uncomfortable to see someone they love doing it. Also I think (personally) in the U.S. because so much of our population is overweight/obese that when you see someone in good shape who is of a healthy weight they may actually seem very small in comparison. Again all my opinions.
ReplyDeleteAlso I'm really happy to see you making such progress and continuing down a health and happy road! Congrats on all your success, you look great (and healthy)!