I'm OK With It, Are You?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
One thing I do know is that I have learned to be OK with certain things about myself .... not all things of importance, but some things that I have come to just accept & be fine with.
For example, I read a lot of blogs & many are written by very smart & intellectual people. Well, most all of them are BUT some posts are more intellectually oriented than others. I am not the most intellectual person on earth. I am not saying I am stupid BUT I don't always see the secret meaning behind the words.... my mind does not work that way. In high school, all those books we read that had all those alternative meanings.. I just did not see it. I took much work for me to get beyond the words on paper & then, many times, I still did not see it. I am kind of a face value type of person. More a hands on vs. words on person. When I want to learn something, I rather a person show me than read about it because that is what works best for me.
It used to really bother me that I was not getting the hidden meaning behind the words & that I could not think that intellectually. My Mom & Dad were both very very smart people along with my brother & sisters. In fact, half the time, I had to ask my mom to define the words she was using!
When I was younger, I never felt like I could live up to my siblings and parents "smartness" & it was a battle to get those good grades & prove that I was smart too. BUT, as an adult now, I am OK with it. I am fine that I may not get all those hidden meanings.... it really does not bother me. I have things I am good at & others have theirs. It is what it is & it took me a long time to get here.
Take the weight game. Many of us are after some elusive number on the scale. Yes, I am a weigher BUT I also use other means to measure my goals LIKE HOW MY CLOTHES FIT! As I have said many times before, I weigh more now & wear a smaller size than when I was at my younger weight loss weight.
Also, many of us tend to see a person in the mirror that really is not reflective of who we are now. I still sometimes see that old fat kid in the mirror. But I can say that for the most part, I have got past that which was not the case when I was younger.
Even now, I do like the way I look at 115 vs. say 117-120 on the scale. But believe it or not, it is a real effort for me to stay at that 115 range. Even the 117 is hard work & 120 is an easier maintenance for me & I still look fine. Being SHORT, 2-3 pounds does add up to a lot on a person. The 5 pounds from 115 to 120 is VERY visible & mostly in my lower tummy, which I call the inner tube area. So, do I say I am OK with myself at 120 OR do I work towards keeping that 115 OR how about the middle ground.
Me, I have decided it is worth it to me to work harder for the 117ish BUT if I can get to 115 without it being a super hard struggle, I will do it... so for now, I am in that 115 to 117 range AND I AM OK WITH IT AND I AM OK WITH WORKING HARD FOR IT RIGHT NOW. I still eat my treats on the weekend & I still have my healthy bread every day! I do get a lot of people that ask me how I look the way I do.... I am honest & tell them how hard I work & how healthy I eat a majority of the time. I also tell them that they have to decide if it is really worth it to them to work that hard for that end goal because it is HARD work. It is OK with me but it may not be OK with them.
Take for another example, my goal to do a wide grip pull-up. I have been working at that quite a few months. I have had to lift heavier & do certain moves that are making my back wider than I prefer... SO, I have decided I am OK with not doing one. I will keep working on my reverse close grip chins to see how that goes BUT I really don't want my back any wider right now. I am OK with not going for the wide grip pull-up.
AND CLOTHES!!!! Don't we all want to fit into that certain size! If we don't & it happens to be a larger size, many people will just not buy it. I know for a fact that clothes vary from maker to maker or designer to designer so I don't get all in a craze about a size 6 rather than a 4 or even a size 4 rather than a size 6 or the times I can actually get in a size 2 (rare!) or whatever it may be. So many people do. This past weekend, I got a new workout top with the Dick's Sporting Goods gift card I won over at A Merry Life from Mary. See pic above. I bought a medium because my back was too wide for the top part. It is loose in the body area (and boobs!) BUT I still bought it.... I am OK with a medium even though I normally wear small. It is all relative! I have a pair of jeans that tell me what is really going on whether I try on a 2, 4, 6, small, medium or large! OH, by the way, I RARELY buy any type of clothes for myself including workout ones so this was a real treat on top of the top the GGS girls sent to me to wear as well. And for those wondering, the prAna top is washing & wearing well! Feels like silk on me! Thx Mary & GGS girls!
So, as you reach for maybe that elusive last 5 or 10 pounds, you have to ask yourself if you are OK with yourself right now OR do you want to work super hard to get that little extra weight off. Maybe you already look great & just don't see it. Maybe you could use an extra 5-10 pounds off depending on your height BUT it might not be worth it if it gets in the way of life, especially if you are already at a healthy weight & BMI and are eating healthy & moving your bod each day.
We are all different & all have our own goals & lives so it is up to you to ask: Am I OK with it right now or is it worth it to do more. The answer is different for us all.
Are you OK with it right now both in life & your health goals? What can you offer up to others to help them.
One thing I do know is that I have learned to be OK with certain things about myself .... not all things of importance, but some things that I have come to just accept & be fine with.For example, I read a lot of blogs & many are written by very smart & intellectual people. Well, most all of them are BUT some posts are more intellectually oriented than others. I am not the most intellectual person on earth. I am not saying I am stupid BUT I don't always see the secret meaning behind the words.... my mind does not work that way. In high school, all those books we read that had all those alternative meanings.. I just did not see it. I took much work for me to get beyond the words on paper & then, many times, I still did not see it. I am kind of a face value type of person. More a hands on vs. words on person. When I want to learn something, I rather a person show me than read about it because that is what works best for me.
It used to really bother me that I was not getting the hidden meaning behind the words & that I could not think that intellectually. My Mom & Dad were both very very smart people along with my brother & sisters. In fact, half the time, I had to ask my mom to define the words she was using!
When I was younger, I never felt like I could live up to my siblings and parents "smartness" & it was a battle to get those good grades & prove that I was smart too. BUT, as an adult now, I am OK with it. I am fine that I may not get all those hidden meanings.... it really does not bother me. I have things I am good at & others have theirs. It is what it is & it took me a long time to get here.Take the weight game. Many of us are after some elusive number on the scale. Yes, I am a weigher BUT I also use other means to measure my goals LIKE HOW MY CLOTHES FIT! As I have said many times before, I weigh more now & wear a smaller size than when I was at my younger weight loss weight.
Also, many of us tend to see a person in the mirror that really is not reflective of who we are now. I still sometimes see that old fat kid in the mirror. But I can say that for the most part, I have got past that which was not the case when I was younger.
Even now, I do like the way I look at 115 vs. say 117-120 on the scale. But believe it or not, it is a real effort for me to stay at that 115 range. Even the 117 is hard work & 120 is an easier maintenance for me & I still look fine. Being SHORT, 2-3 pounds does add up to a lot on a person. The 5 pounds from 115 to 120 is VERY visible & mostly in my lower tummy, which I call the inner tube area. So, do I say I am OK with myself at 120 OR do I work towards keeping that 115 OR how about the middle ground.
Me, I have decided it is worth it to me to work harder for the 117ish BUT if I can get to 115 without it being a super hard struggle, I will do it... so for now, I am in that 115 to 117 range AND I AM OK WITH IT AND I AM OK WITH WORKING HARD FOR IT RIGHT NOW. I still eat my treats on the weekend & I still have my healthy bread every day! I do get a lot of people that ask me how I look the way I do.... I am honest & tell them how hard I work & how healthy I eat a majority of the time. I also tell them that they have to decide if it is really worth it to them to work that hard for that end goal because it is HARD work. It is OK with me but it may not be OK with them.
Take for another example, my goal to do a wide grip pull-up. I have been working at that quite a few months. I have had to lift heavier & do certain moves that are making my back wider than I prefer... SO, I have decided I am OK with not doing one. I will keep working on my reverse close grip chins to see how that goes BUT I really don't want my back any wider right now. I am OK with not going for the wide grip pull-up.
AND CLOTHES!!!! Don't we all want to fit into that certain size! If we don't & it happens to be a larger size, many people will just not buy it. I know for a fact that clothes vary from maker to maker or designer to designer so I don't get all in a craze about a size 6 rather than a 4 or even a size 4 rather than a size 6 or the times I can actually get in a size 2 (rare!) or whatever it may be. So many people do. This past weekend, I got a new workout top with the Dick's Sporting Goods gift card I won over at A Merry Life from Mary. See pic above. I bought a medium because my back was too wide for the top part. It is loose in the body area (and boobs!) BUT I still bought it.... I am OK with a medium even though I normally wear small. It is all relative! I have a pair of jeans that tell me what is really going on whether I try on a 2, 4, 6, small, medium or large! OH, by the way, I RARELY buy any type of clothes for myself including workout ones so this was a real treat on top of the top the GGS girls sent to me to wear as well. And for those wondering, the prAna top is washing & wearing well! Feels like silk on me! Thx Mary & GGS girls!
So, as you reach for maybe that elusive last 5 or 10 pounds, you have to ask yourself if you are OK with yourself right now OR do you want to work super hard to get that little extra weight off. Maybe you already look great & just don't see it. Maybe you could use an extra 5-10 pounds off depending on your height BUT it might not be worth it if it gets in the way of life, especially if you are already at a healthy weight & BMI and are eating healthy & moving your bod each day.
We are all different & all have our own goals & lives so it is up to you to ask: Am I OK with it right now or is it worth it to do more. The answer is different for us all.
Are you OK with it right now both in life & your health goals? What can you offer up to others to help them.
Posted by truth2beingfit at 6/2/2010 9:00 PM 
Categories: Challenges, Motivation/Support, Life, Tips, Life Experiences
Tags: body image acceptance life experiences Dick's Sporting Goods Tips challenges choices
Categories: Challenges, Motivation/Support, Life, Tips, Life Experiences
Tags: body image acceptance life experiences Dick's Sporting Goods Tips challenges choices
I have a few friends who are really, really smart and it is a bit annoying sometimes to be around them because they dominate the conversation and don't really want to know my opinion. So... are they too smart for just a normal chit-chat time? I think yes. If you are not smart enough to give feedback in conversation, well, maybe you "is a duhmmy". lol.
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Lisa, and here I always thought you were way too much smarter than me. You must have some really smart friends!
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A)You are very smart because you have figured out away to achieve what many "intellectuals" desire but can not obtain -- a supremely functional body!
Being able to ask this question, and further being able understand that the answer is different for all of us makes you wise, if not a book worm
C) 115, 117, 120... you might see the difference, and you might even feel the difference, but a person on the street, or a person in your life never would. I believe that to be true.
You're a gem Jody -- true.
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Roy, you are wonderful!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for your insight, always!
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Well, I think you qualify for a doctorate in fitness and health (and supporting others).
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Gina.. you are too sweet!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!
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Wow! This is what I'm going through right now!!
I've gone up about 5 pounds and I feel like a fat pig! I keep telling myself your not as fat as you think, but my word my mind won't let me rest. So, I'm on the path of losing that 5 pounds and getting to a lower weight.
Thanks for this post Jody, there are a lot of us out there that struggle with the same thoughts!
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Sheri, it is all in what is right for you, how hard you want to work for it & if it is worth it to you!
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I needed this post and being the non intellectual I am I understood every word
I wouldn't mind going up in weight if my arms looked like yours.
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April.. you look great! I have been at this for longer than you are old!
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Jody - I was going to write about whether or not it's worth working for that lower weight next week! I may still - but you are so right. It's about what's okay with you and what you WANT. You look fabulous by the way!
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Diane, write away! I would love to hear what you have to say!!!!!
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I am one of those people that knows you can't diet forever. I know how to get really lean but I sacrifice energy that I need to just be human so I have to pull back and know when to stop and just be happy with the body I've built.
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Joanna, you have it right! We can all learn from you!
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Great post, Jody, except for the fact that you didn't think you were as smart as the rest of the family. . . you've got to be kidding! We've talked about all of us feeling the pressure to succeed/(over)achieve--it was a family sickness! ; - (
You definitely made your mark in the corporate world. . . as did I, but we know what we feel about that!
I agree with Gina--you get an honorary PhD. for this work!
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Bethe... THX! I still don't understand everything you say!
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Jody, interesting topic to chew on re: is the final 5-10 pounds worth it? Oh, you look fantastically fabulous by the way no matter what the number on your scales says.
As I am just getting going here I targeted to lose 121 pounds where my goal weight is 199. Why 199? Well it says so right at the top of my own blog; "Responsibility 199 is a belief; I believe that to be healthy and to increase my longevity I need to weigh 199 pounds or less..."
I have no clue what my ideal body weight should be. None. I don't know what weight I will be comfortable at. None what so ever. I believe I know that the number has to be 199 or less considering my apple shaped body that hangs on to my 5'-10" frame. Will that weight be 195, 182, 176, or 199? Can't wait to find out and will-power willing I will found out in a year or so.
So this is a great post of yours, again… asking if you are Ok where you are right now makes good sense. As for me, currently at 297 I am not Ok with it.
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Patrick, you are working hard & doing great. I think as you get closer & see how everything falls, you can adjust & work things thru to meet what is best for you!
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Thanks for this beautiful, poignant article, Jody!
I usually say, be OK where you are and strive to improve.
Everyone has strengths and challenges. What we do with those is what defines us.
You have done fabulous!!
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Dr. J, like I said to Roy, your are amazing & the insight is too! I like that - strive to imporve.. whatever area the improve is in! AND love that what we do with the strengths/challenges defines us!
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