Welcome back everyone!
I hope you had a lovely weekend, whether it was celebrating the 4th of July or just a couple days off work! :)
Two quick things before I get into today’s hot topic:
1) Glo Bakery got a Face Lift!! I finally created a header and sidebar for Glo Bakery that I am pretty proud of!
2) Canadians: Glo Bakery is having a Glo-Out today!!
What’s on??
20 samples of my Glo bars for just $19.99!
You will get samples of the following scrumptious flavours of bars: Chocolate Peanut butter, Chocolate Peppy-mint, Orange Hazelnut, Almond raisin, Coco Glo, Coco Carob, Classic PB, and more!
The first 10 orders that I receive today will also get a FREE blueberry banana loaf!
Please click here to submit an order!
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Jillian Michaels in Self Magazine:
While I was on the treadmill the other day, I was reading Jillian Michael’s interview in the latest issue of Self Magazine.
Jillian Michael’s on her weight:
“I try to start the season [of The Biggest Loser] in the best shape as possible…Then, during the season, I’m so exhausted that it’s hard for me to workout, so my body will change on the show. I get 8 to 10 pounds heavier. I’ll go from 115 pounds to 125 pounds…At 115 pounds, I look ripped, but I also look old. And my hunger is raging, my body doesn’t want to be there. At 125 pounds, I’m working [on the show] like crazy, stressed out of my mind, having a glass of wine every night. 120 pounds is actually good, I can hold it there.”
I think this quote is so interesting because it reminds me that our weight is typically not a static, unchanging thing. I used to have the mindset that I wanted to be ‘x’ number of pounds and once I got there I was going to stay there for good. Ummm….sorry, Ange…never going to happen! Not even celebrity personal trainers are immune from weight fluctuations from time to time.
I can relate to Jillian’s words so much because it took me a while to figure out my happy weight.
What is a happy weight? A happy weight is a weight that your body can maintain with relative ease where you feel healthy, energetic, and sane. For Jillian, her happy weight would be 120 pounds, the weight that she can feel good and ‘hold’ or maintain.
What is an unhappy weight? Our ‘unhappy weight’ is a weight that we do not feel our best at energy wise, health wise, and hunger wise. For Jillian, an unhappy weight was 115 pounds. She said she ‘looked old’ and her ‘hunger was raging’. In my opinion, it is almost impossible to achieve a healthy balance in our life when our mind is constantly on food and we are always starving! This is a signal that our body is trying desperately to put on a few pounds.
Another unhappy weight for Jillian is 125 pounds. She says when she weighs 125 pounds, she is typically highly stressed out, drinking alcohol, and probably eating poorly. She recognizes that life happens, and her weight can fluctuate depending on what is going on in her life. I think we can all relate to that! I know I put on some weight when I was injured despite my best efforts and I also tend to gain a bit of weight over the winter months.
Since I have come to the realization that my weight is not a static thing, my mind has been more at ease and I have been able to see the bigger picture of my overall, long term health. If I go up a few pounds in the winter, does it really matter? Probably not. If we have a stressful month and gain a bit of weight, is it the end of the world? Hardly. Life happens and whether we like it or not, our weight is going to fluctuate a bit over the course of our weeks, months, years, etc!
I have had unhappy weights. I have been at lower weights in the past and I was miserable. Much like Jillian, I was starving all the time. I couldn’t get my mind off food. I was obsessed and barely thought of anything but my weight and negative thoughts about myself and my body. I never felt like I was good enough. Actually, at my lowest weights, I felt the worst about myself. Depriving oneself can really mess up the mind, that is for sure.
When you aren’t treating your body properly, you will never feel good, no matter how small the image is looking you in the mirror.
When it came down to it, when I was at my lowest weight, I couldn’t even appreciate it because all my body wanted to do was desperately gain a bit of weight! I had no time to think of anything but food and weight. I couldn’t study and I couldn’t go out with friends. That was NOT a happy weight!
I think it is really important that we learn that being super thin or ‘x’ amount of pounds will not bring happiness. Happiness comes from the inside, feeling good about yourself, and making healthy choices in your life.
I have also been at higher weights, that I would call unhappy weights too. Even though I was heavier than I am now, my mind was always on food. I was like a rollercoaster ride…barely eating one day and bingeing the next. It was not healthy for me because my body never had a healthy balance. It never knew what to expect from one day to the next, and when I did eat, you can bet your bottom dollar that it held onto every single calorie that it got.
I definitely think that the place I am at now, and have been for a while, is my happy weight. I don’t know what I weigh (since I ditched the scale), but I know I am at a happy weight because I can eat when I am hungry, enjoy an active lifestyle, and my clothes generally fit about the same. Of course, some days my pants may feel a bit tight or something may not fit right, but I have come to realize that that is pretty normal, especially being a woman and all! ;)
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My questions to you today:
1) Do you know what your happy weight is? Without getting specific with numbers, try to talk generally about what a happy weight is to you. Do you know when you are there? Have you ever been at your happy weight? How did/do you feel?
2) What about unhappy weights? Have you ever been there too? What was going on that made this an unhappy weight?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts as always! :)
Oooo happy weight, that is definitely a hot topic. I can honestly say that I’m above my happy weight right now, whatever that may be. I just don’t feel as comfortable in my skin these days as I remember feeling 2-3 years ago. It makes me sad to say that, but it’s the truth. Whenever I get too down, I just try to remind myself that I’m a work in progress.
This is such a great post! I’m personally having a hard time finding my happy weight. :( I lost 20 pounds since I started blogging in September. My goal. Then I lost about 6 more, and now i’ve gained back the 6 leading me to believe this may be the weight my body is comfortable at. I seem to maintain here- feel satisfied, but not hungry or full. I walk a lot for exercise- but not too much to where I can’t squeeze it in and not too little to where i’m not challenged. I’ve thought about giving up the scale, but for now i’m a daily weigher trying to ensure I don’t let my weight balloon again like I did during my engagement! Hopefully i’ll get there one day.
This is a steller post!
At 34 years of age, YES I do know my “Happy Weight” yet i still fight it tooth and nail. It’s a mental thing with me know and something that will take a while to over come.
I’m 5’9 and my Happy weight is probably 140-145lbs, this is with muscle and all. I was 135 a couple summers ago, size 4 and loved it for all of 1 week? With that low weight came a slew of digestive issues, irregularity and unhappiness. My body can work much easier at 140 and below 148lbs.
Another bad side effect of getting my weight to 135(extreme for me)…Thyroid issues. Bad diet can create hormone issues that lead to thyroid problems. Sigh* Guess you can call that..on the job training.
Thank you for always posting good stuff that makes us really think!
Great post, Angela.
I love the topic of “happy weight” vs. “unhappy weight”. I’m a dietitian and I work with clients/patients struggling to lose anywhere from 5 pounds up to over 200-300 pounds or more. Often it is the people so close to a healthy weight that are so unhappy with their bodies and are constantly striving for better.
Personally, I struggled with finding happiness in my body for years. I think most women do from time to time. And, what I found is that how I felt about myself manifested in how my body looked….meaning, if I was unhappy, my body was not in its best place. As I became happier on the inside, my weight naturally came to a happy place and my body image followed.
I see the point of a scale as a tool, but I believe for most people who struggle with their weight…it is more of a hindrance. I haven’t owned a scale in years and go by the way I feel. Great topic – Angela. Thanks for provoking some interesting thought and discussion.
I’m happy when I’m 145 or less. I haven’t found my unhappy low weight yet, and I know that my ideal weight is probably going to be 140, maybe lower, but I’ll figure it out along my journey. My goals are to go low enough to feel good about myself, look good, be happy, and feel strong and not hungry all the time, like jillian felt. I do not want to go under 130 because I may veer into underweight at that point, but as my body is very deep (big bones) I feel that I need to be on the lower end to be happy, but we’ll see how it goes!
-Muffy
I was at a happy weight once, right before college. I had lost about 45 lbs and felt sooo good! Unfortunately, the challenge to maintain and dealing with going off to college happened at the same time and I never figured it out. I’m again on a search for my happy weight and hoping I can figure out what it is. I’m trying to not focus on the scale right now, but focus on developing habits that are sustainable.
My current weight is a very very unhappy weight. I feel really insecure about my looks which trickles down to a lot of other areas of life. It’s not fun being the big girl. From feeling like you are the elephant in the room to the fact that I can’t even purchase the cute clothes I want because they don’t come in my size. Even as I lose, I still feel unhappy, but at least more positive. It helps that my fiance is MAJORLY supportive and understands that even if he doesn’t care about my weight, it’s something I am working on to make myself feel better.
Oh, and I CANNOT WAIT for Glo Bakery to ship to the US! Jealous of the Canadians who can order this sampler pack!
I haven’t found my happy weight yet. I do wonder if it’s maybe harder to figure it out when you’ve lost SO MUCH weight. I’ve lost over 80 lbs, and as my BMI and % fat and all other guidelines are higher than I would like, I feel pretty sure that I am where I need to still lose another 20 or so. Or instead, 10 plus some muscles. Because it’s not really POUNDS I’m after, it’s INCHES.
I’ve actually adjusted my thinking a lot re: the NUMBER on the scale, though. I actually don’t care what it is. Maybe it will help me later when I get to that happy place, just to know what it is. Maybe not.
Another obstacle I have is excess skin. I have some… but I can’t tell where it begins and where the excess fat ends. I don’t know how much of it CAN come off anymore.
Since I’m not always feeling happy and healthy, since I’m not always fueling my body with the best possible nutrition, I know I’m not at my happy weight yet. I hope through inspiration like all you food bloggers who have found that balance, I can get there.
I think I’m more or less at my “happy weight”. I weigh myself about once a week (sometimes less) just to see where I’m at and I’m still learning that if I’m a little bit over that “happy” place, it is just fine. I’m healthy, I’m active, and I know that my body is capable of a lot. If it wants to hang onto a few pounds, there’s probably a reason for it (or sometimes it is the ice cream…mmmm ice cream).
Great post, Angela! I have written about this topic in depth on my blog as well, because I think it’s such an important one. I, too, finally gave up weighing myself. I think even Jillian may be a little strict on herself — 5 pounds up or 5 pounds down change how she feels about herself?? A little harsh, perhaps? I feel so amazing now because I’m not at my lowest weight and I’m not at my highest — I haven’t binged in months — I haven’t gone to bed starving in months. My clothes fit nicely, and like you said, some days are a little more snug and some days are a little more loose. I love being active and consider “working out” to be my playtime! I enjoy healthy foods and indulgent foods on occasion and a daily treat. Most importantly, I’m able to focus on the things that matter in my life and really soak in every moment. I love spending time with my husband, family, pets, and friends. My mind is finally free to do so! No matter what I weigh, I’m at my healthy weight because I’ve never felt happier in my life.
What a great topic! I can relate to finding my happy weight – I am there now but finding it was not always fun getting to. I can now balance out my eating and treat myself and now get upset if I eat too much over a day or two because I know it will all smooth out again! I LOVE food now and it doesn’t stress me out like it once did!
1) I recently talked about “happy weight” as well. To me happy weight is when I can enjoy life, feel good about the choices I make in food & exercise and not feel hungry or stuffed all the time. My happy weight is when my body feels happy – it needs a certain amount of comforts to feel good: a minimum bodyfat%, enough calories in, enough challenging exercise and enough rest. Within those things there’s a weight range where my mind generally feels happy too. Even if happy is realizing I over indulged a little and maybe I need to watch the wine or fries a while. Somehow I think that signal comes 50% from my body (saying it needs better nutrition) and 50% mind (seeing clothes not fit properly).
2) Unhappy weight is when I’ve not exercises for a while and constantly over-eaten, as well as whenever I get down to the lower end of fluctuation – I personally don’t feel unhappy, but I can feel my body does not want to go lower. It would be happier with a few extra lbs.
I also am learning that getting to a certain weight someone else has, does not mean you’ll get their body, *lol*. It’s so personal!
My happy weight has changed over the years. I used to look really good weighing XYZ lbs and that’s what I weighed all through college. Ironically, I didn’t eat healthily *at all* back then.
A decade later, I look *way* too bony at that weight and I have to work pretty hard to get down to it. I guess my fat has distributed itself differently because if I only weighed that now, my chest bones would stick out in a manner that I consider to be frighteningly unattractive. I also don’t have much of an appetite at that weight, and I didn’t feel strong or healthy then.
Conversely, right after I graduated college, I put on 15 lbs. in a about a year. I was definitely unhappy at that weight. I just didn’t know anything about being active or eating right and I felt really tired and heavy all the time.
Since then I’ve become much more active, but my weight has still gone up and down. I recently found myself at my highest previous weight again- (after having a very social fall and a decadent Christmas holiday)- and it spurred me to lose about 10 lbs., but one thing I noticed is that although I was at my heaviest weight, I was a lot smaller because I was more active than I was the last time I weighed that much. I still wasn’t happy because my pants were too snug, but I was in much better shape and really didn’t look too bad.
Now I’m the most active I have ever been, I’m at a weight in between my highest and lowest points, and I feel great. This is my happy weight for now. But I do think that number changes as one’s body changes over time. I honestly need to carry a bit more weight on my body than I did when I was younger- both for beauty and health. I guess that’s once of the differences between being a girl and a woman for me.
i love the sound of all the new flavors of glo bars!
my happy weight is still something I’m figuring out, but I want it to be where I can eat healthy, stay sane, and still enjoy the things I want to without freaking out about it. I know weight fluctuates day to day, so I don’t worry about that
Another incredible post! I think I am currently at my happy weight finally at 32! This is after my high point when I was constantly drinking and eating in college, my lowest right before my wedding and two healthy pregnancies.
Although the number on the scale is fine with me, I am striving to get into better shape. A little less jiggly would be nice but, my goal right now is to workout consistently over a longer period of time. I tend to get frustrated and give up. Your blog is a great inspiration though! :)
First off let me start off buying saying, “Man I wish I lived in Canada! I would’ve tried to be 1 of the 1st 10!”
Second, this topic is FABULOUS! I know exactly where my happy weight is and when I’m there I feel so energetic, lively, and confident! I have also been above and below my happy weight as well. When I was below I always thought about my next meal and would NEVER put anything into my mouth that I hadn’t planned on. (Ie. The samples at WFM even if they were healthy or treats someone brought to work) When I was above my happy weight (before I even began to think about health and vitality) I ate out almost daily and made very unhealthy choices. I didn’t feel bad about my body then, but looking back on it now…the pictures disgust me amd made me realize that I was not taking care of my body and I can’t believe I treated it that badly!
I have no idea what exactly I weigh right now. I haven’t weighed myself in months and I am so proud of myself for that! I personally think I am fairly close to being at my happy weight. I workout daily, I eat healthy and I lead an active lifestyle. I feel that means where my body is right now is where it should be.
Anything below what I believe is my happy weight means I have lost tons of my muscle definition and I am not eating enough. I have been much smaller and I felt awful…weak, sore and starving. I thought if I reached a certain # that all my issues would go away. They definitely didn’t and it is almost impossible to maintain that small number. I have weighed more and I absolutely hated myself when I looked in the mirror. That was my motivation to try and slowly and healthily lose the weight…so I wouldn’t be angry at myself because that is one of the worst ways to feel in life. When you feel anger when you look in the mirror, there is almost no chance you can enjoy anything else in life. Once you are happy with yourself, the other things will begin to come too.
Happiness Awaits
Great topic! I think that it is really healthy to remember that weight fluctuates and that it’s not the end of the world to gain or lose a few pounds! I forget that all the time. When I was engaged, I lost several pounds and could relate in a way to how Jillian says she feels at 115… I could just feel different pains in my body and felt like there wasn’t a lot of cushion for my muscles. Right now I’m feeling a lot of stress due to a variety of circumstances and I feel like I’ve gained a couple of pounds… which stresses me out more! It’s releasing to realize that it’s not the end of the world if I gain a few pounds… there will be a less stressful season (hopefully soon!) that I can focus more on being in shape. Thanks for your post!
God, those bars are TEMPTING! I just booked a week long trip to Washington DC and New York, so the cash flow is a bit low right now. Otherwise, I’d so order right now. My mouth is watering, the new header is WORKING! ;-)
Regarding your question of the day, I’m very very happy to say that I’m at my happy weight right now. It’s easy to maintain with regular exercice (at least 3 x a weeks which is what I should be doing to my health anyway) and I can splurge on that cake on the weekend without freaking out.
I don’t weight myself anymore. I measure my waist about once a month but I usually know beforehand if I maintain by the way my clothes fit.
If I maintain this lifestyle (that I love!) I’ll maintain the body I also love. Win win!
I remember being happiest with my weight in high school but even then I was not small. Crap I haven’t been small since I was 10 years old. I am not a small person either (5’8″-large boned etc) by build or by genetics, thanks irish german roots lol! I am sorta amazonish is what you would call it but it has taken me the last 3 years to really embrace it and be ok with it (losing 65lbs helped to). Plus I always wear a 3-5 inch heel so I usually tower at 5’10 – 6 ft.
Being a happy weight to me means not ever being over 200lbs again (haven’t been there in over 2 years) but also being strong, being able to run, having my joints not hurt etc. I actually feel my best when I maintain a healthy diet and workout, my body and mind actually need exercise and crave it.
My unhappy weight was 30 lbs heavier than when I got married. Just like the freshman 15 I gained “happy” weight when I got married. I was eating pure crap! Yes I will eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s after having a Large size Wendy’s meal. I was incredibly sedentary and felt like I was on a rollercoaster, I am an emotional eater. I made a decision in October of 2005 that I was not going to be 30 and feeling and looking like I did. By the time I was 30 I had lost 60lbs and I really would like to see another 20 gone but slower is better and I am pretty content now which is why it is probably taking forever for it to come off!