New Year's Resolution

Some of the women at work are going to do an office "Biggest Loser." I've never watched that show, but I think the idea is everyone competes to see who loses the most pounds (or perhaps they measure percentage of their pounds to be more equal). It's supposed to be motivating because everyone weighs in in front of each other and I think they will all buy into the competition and whoever wins gets to keep all the money. Plus, they'll all be watching each other and helping each other stay on track.
Good luck to them all. Sincerely.

But, I do want to take this time to bear my testimony... :)
A few years back, I started working out with my brother. We were lifting heavy weights because he was there to help me when I couldn't quite make it. Sometimes I thought he pushed too hard, but the amazing thing was, something I couldn't lift today, I could lift the next time we did that exercise. Some people find weight lifting to not be very feminine, but I loved it. It gets deep into your muscles like no other exercise and feels amazing. And, I found it to be the fastest and best way to actually change the way I looked and felt. Besides, I've read and heard in lots of places that unless women use steroids, we're just not made to bulk up like men and professionals do. I don't know that I was the best workout buddy for my bro because I couldn't "spot" him on as heavy of stuff as he'd like to lift, but I think it did give him some motivation to show up and, because I love cardio and he hated it, we didn't skimp on that.
When we first started working out, I lost 10 pounds almost immediately. This was encouraging because I'd been going to the gym for a while and felt good and healthy, but never really lost much. However, my pants still fit the same and even though I felt better, I didn't think I looked much different. Give it another couple months (or less!) and suddenly, my pants were falling off and people at the gym even commented to him that I was looking good. During this period of time, I didn't lose any pounds.
Being pregnant, I've gained maybe 5 pounds so far. But, my pants quit fitting a long time ago. I walk funny and my stomach sticks out.
So, I'm a big believer that while you should probably keep an eye on the number on the scale, it's really how you look and feel that matters. And, you should be sensible, not punitive with yourself.

Which brings up my next point. Yesterday I heard one of the women say how hungry she was because the little cup of yogurt she'd had for breakfast just wasn't enough. Okay, I do believe in portion control and, just to exaggerate, if you go from eating 3 greasy Micky D sandwiches for breakfast to a cup of yogurt, it's probably going to hurt a bit. But let's face it, most of us aren't making that big of changes and even if we were, doing so that drastically up front is sure to fail us. We'd never be able to stick with it. Personally, I believe the woman probably needed a bit more than yogurt to get her through the morning and she could probably eat a bit more and still be sensible about it.
The other women around her though chimed in with what I guess was support. They agreed with how hard it is to start a diet and encouraged her that her pain let her know it was working.

Later yesterday, I happened upon an article comparing the top 10 diets in America. It focused almost entirely on weight loss and not long term health. While it was supposedly objective by listing pros and cons of everything from Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig to Atkins and the Mediteranean diet, I really felt like it did little to discuss what is really healthy, what our bodies need, and that there is more to health than the number on the scale.
My favorite example, in a love to hate it way, was the Atkins diet. It mentioned that most people can't sustain a diet that high in protein for long because their bodies can't continually process it all and that long term it causes all kinds of scary heart and other problems but not without also pointing out that it seems to be the most effective in dropping pounds and dropping them fast.

Being pregnant, this is probably the first year since I was 12 that I haven't, at least on some level, had a goal myself to lose weight, work out more, etc as a New Year Resolution. It seems to be making me so clear headed and objective :) I like to think I was pretty sensible before as I've struggled with this issue for so long and learned a lot and also come to love and appreciate my body for what it is. It's not just this year, although everything is annoying me this week, that I really feel annoyed and angry at the focus that is out there to look and be and act a certain way. When it comes to losing weight, the smaller and lighter we are, the better, no matter how we look or feel. We don't eat and enjoy our food. We don't appreciate our bodies as they are. Even if we do, we feel obligated to talk as if we don't, especially when we're around other girls. We constantly compare ourselves.

There's a girl at work in the other department who recently returned from having gastric bypass surgery. She was a large girl and she has a lot of personality. She is dropping weight quickly, as one is supposed to do after that surgery. The woman who sits by me comments everytime the girl walks by about how good she looks and how good it is that she did that and it's so neat. I don't argue and it's not my place to judge. But, I've known a few people to have that surgery. Whether it's worked for them or not, I just think it's really kind of sad that someone would put themself through all that. It seems cruel. The consensus seems to be that it's good this girl did this because now her fun, cute personality can be appreciated.

I think we should learn to thank God for our food. We should celebrate the changing seasons and enjoy what he gives us "in the season thereof." We should trust Him to nourish and care for us. We should be glad for our physical selves, even with our so called flaws, because we haven't always been this way and it's something we wanted and needed. It was a gift. How do you think God feels when we criticize every bite we put in our mouths, every role or bump we see in our bodies? Have you ever given a gift and had it not only not appreciated, but criticized?
It's weird for me to see me pregnant. I'm extremely uncomfortable almost all the time. I can't hold in my stomach at all and boobs that were too big already now look like fat girl boobs. My ankles look funny when I take off my socks because the part above my sock line is about a half inch wider than the part below. But, for the first time in my life, I love my stomach. Not only does it show my baby, but now it's just there as a part of me with no judgement to be made, no change needing to be made. It's just perfect. When I struggle to stand up or move, I know there is a baby in there and I'm so thankful for that, I can't complain about my own discomfort. My body is fulfilling it's greatest purpose and it makes me realize that it has always served me well.