[Image from my Operation Beautiful Book Tour Post]
‘I don’t have a goal weight, I have a goal life.’
I heard this quote while watching an interview with an Extreme Weight Loss participant and it really clicked with me!
Along my journey, I realized that a certain number on the scale wouldn’t magically make my life perfect. For years I chased this number while becoming more and more unhappy.
I now focus on creating the life that I want, by taking small steps each day. It’s about how I feel each day when I wake up. If I wake up happy and eager to start the day, I know I’m on the right track. A certain number can’t dictate my happiness, but I can make changes in my life to feel my best.
While, I’m busy baking up orders today, I thought it would be fun to have a Glo Bar giveaway!
Leave a comment below sharing a lesson you’ve learned along your journey or simply share one of your favourite quotes.
One lucky winner will receive a delicious box of 10 Glo Bars! Goodluck!
Coming up, one of our favourite recipes so far in 2011….get excited!
My motto these days is “Get happy.” Although it’s more like “Get joyful.” Always aim for more fun and alignment. It’s interesting to see that that can be my number one priority and all the practical, day-to-day realities still get tended to. Not only that, but life in general is becoming increasingly awesome.
I have learned to view food as a fuel and not an emotional clutch. Although I sometimes stumble I know I feel mentally and physically better when I am being good to my body. This has been a slow process that has been evolving for about 5 years. I started slowly by incorporating running and healthy eating into my life, however, about a year ago I became burnt out from working out too much and losing too much weight. This past year I have truly learned what it means to be healthy. I now work out for fun and try new things, for example, yoga, hiking, circuits, biking or just jumping on the trampoline with my nefews. Being healthy isnt about a number on a scale, trust me, I got to my number and was more unhealthy than I have ever been in my life. I loved the way I looked, but I was empty on the inside. This bible verse helps me to be mindful of how we should view our bodies. Regardless of what religion you are or what you believe it is a good principle to live by.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
The most important thing I’ve learned along this journey (so far!) is that I’m not perfect. (Not that I ever thought I was. Maybe. Only a little!) Just because I decide that I’m only going to eat 1200 calories a day and exercise for at least an hour and never make a single mistake, doesn’t mean that’s the way it’ll happen. It’s more important to find a way of eating and working out that fits into my life, as opposed to taking over it.
Probably the most important thing I’ve learned is that making mistakes doesn’t make me a failure – it’s part of the learning process.
So… I basically grew up watching my mom almost kill herself to be thin (I’m serious – she was in a coma for 3 months) by having weight loss surgery, pill addiction, and eating disorders.
I grew up being VERY conscious of my weight, my looks, and my problems, but seeing how she was, I just one day realized that I never want to live my life obsessed with how I’m SUPPOSED to look. I now just live my life with how I WANT to look – Healthy! There are no shortcuts in happiness. Happiness is a long rough road that bumps and turns, but we should be on there with a go cart at max speed enjoying every minute of it.
The most important thing I’ve learned – mistakes are just part of the process. They don’t make me a failure.
First, I have just recently found your blog and love it! Thank you for sharing your experiences and your journey. In trying to get my weight where I want it and trying to become a healthier person (ultimate goal) I realized that by focusing so much on the scale, I was making myself and my family miserable. I was weighing every day and then hit a plateau where I stopped seeing the scale move. At that point a few months ago, it became very discouraging to put myself through the weigh-in torture each day. Recently I decided to let go a little, weigh once a week to keep track and try to focus my energies on making positive daily choices that are good for my body. This shift of focus is enabling me to be more positive person on a daily basis and will hopefully help me reach the goal of better health. I am learning that the number on the scale isn’t what it is all about!
I’ve learned patience. There will always be leftovers, so I can eat some, enjoy it, and then eat more tomorrow and enjoy it then, too!
“Above all, don’t lie to yourself.
The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love, and in order to occupy and distract himself without love, he gives way to passions and coarse pleasures, and sinks to bestiality in his vices, all from continual lying to other men and to himself.” –Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov…my favorite author, my favorite excerpt. The excerpt defines my lesson :)
If theres anything i’ve learned it’s that A: listen to your body, and B: you can be healthy and happy without starvation! I’ve come a long way and it’s because of bloggers like YOU! I really, really admire and thank you for your openness about who you once were and how comfortable you are talking about it…Makes me relize im not alone…Oh, and favorite quote, “the best angle to approach any situation is the TRYangle.”
Thank you Alaina :)
“do it for those that can’t” last year I ran a 10k in to raise money for the wounded warriors. It was amazing to learn about that organization and to run for those people that served us and take action to help others. Today even on my toughest days when I think I cant run, spin or swim any further I am thankful for the men and women that serve our country.
What I’ve used on my journey is a kind of nerdy quote, but I love it. “Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda My dad has even taken it on as his mantra in his battle to quit smoking. I also love the Einstein quote “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Each one of us is unique and we need to appreciate that about ourselves. And, in our uniqueness we all lose weight, get healthy and feel great by doing different things. We need to stop looking for the one size fits all approach to health. We need to listen to our own bodies and respond accordingly. As they say, “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.”
“You can either activate thoughts that produce stress within you, or activate thoughts that make stress impossible. It’s your choice.”
-Dr. Wayne Dyer
Something I try to remember everyday!
I struggled with my ED for over 10 years and one thing i was constantly obsessed with was WEIGHT; that darn number! it took me years to figure out that no matter what the number read, i never won. if it was too high [what i thought was too high], i felt disgusted and tortured my body more. if it was low i thought ‘oh wow, okay, now how can i get this lower’. nothing good ever came from a scale and that silly number. i now have absolutely no clue what i weigh. not a single idea. i was even in the doctors office the other day for an eye infection and turned around on the scale and quietly told the nurse ‘please, don’t repeat my weight’ – yes, i get many ‘strange’ looks for this but at the end of the day, that number is nothing but a number. I am a strong, healthy, athletic and beautiful person and i don’t need to own a scale to know that.
thank you for your post today – this is what every woman needs to read. you and your blog are an inspiration – its comforting to know that us that have battled and won but still have our moments, are never ever alone.
my favorite: “this too shall pass” : )
I love this Angela – I think it’s so important not to focus on a number on the scale to determine our self-worth and happiness. My favorite quote is “Life’s what happens when you’re busy making other plans” – John Lennon and “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. WHAT I WANT AND WHAT I FEAR.” – Joan Didon. Love these on life and writing :)
I’ve learned to keep a positive outlook on life. As cliche as it sounds, I believe that everything happens for a reason, and we may not know what the reason is at first, but it is for the best and life will work out how it is supposed to. So just be happy! :)
I have three quotes taped to my desk at work, but this is probably my favorite: “Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” — Mary Kay Ash
This has helped me to realize that only I am holding myself back from doing things I want to do, limited by my fear and doubt. When I start thinking, “I wish I could….” I have to stop myself and say, “I can do that…. only I am stopping myself.”
“Life is change. Surrender to it. Allow it. Create it.” ~Tricia Huffman
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
My focus now is on training for a half-marathon. Any weight-loss that comes with it is just icing on the cake :) I do have more baby weight to lose but I try not to let it dictate how I feel that day. I have learned that if I focus my energy on something other than the numbers on the scale and my clothes I feel so much better!
My favorite quote: “You are so much stronger than you think”
I really want to try a glow bar!!!!! :)