Good morning!
Today is a very exciting day…
- 24’s new season starts tonight and it is 2 hours
- The Golden Globes are on (I love the fashion pre-shows mostly!)
So fun. :) Is anyone watching?
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5 Things That Helped Me Beat My Obsession With Weight
Yesterday was one of those days that I really appreciated how far I have come with my Road to Health. It occurred to me that I haven’t weighed myself for about a year and a half now. I haven’t counted calories, and I generally haven’t obsessed about food for a very long time. Sure, I have my moments now and then like anyone, but for the most part I have been able to leave my eating disorder in the dust!
1) I Ditched The Scale
I have written about this countless times over the past year and for a good reason. Ditching the same, for me, was one of the most important steps in my Road To Health. I struggled for years in figuring out how to stop obsessing about my weight and what I ate. I finally figured out that for as long as I weighed myself everyday, I would never get past my focus on these issues. I don’t think weighing in is a bad thing for everyone, but for my personality it surely was. Once I stopped weighing myself, I was able to focus on other aspects of my health and take my mind off the numbers.
2) I Stopped Counting Calories
I counted calories from the age of 12 until about 25. That is a very hard habit to break! I always get emails from readers asking me how I did it and the truth is, it is not easy. While I do see the value in counting calories for some, for me it was not a good thing in my life. It took me a few years to finally stop counting calories all together. Many failed attempts. I started with not counting one meal a day, and then worked my way up to a full day, very slowly. I was quite ridden with anxiety at first, but I got over it. Much like ditching the scale, stopping calorie counting allowed me to take my focus off the numbers and onto bigger things, like my overall health.
3) I Learned About Nutrition
Before I learned about nutrition, I used to think that living off apples and ice burg lettuce was ‘healthy’. In university, I took a few advanced nutrition courses and they really changed the way I viewed food. I learned about the components of food, digestion, physiology, etc. and it really made a light bulb go off inside my head. I no longer viewed food as simply how many calories it had. I appreciated how complex nutritious foods are and what they could do for my body. These courses were instrumental in my love for nutrition.
4) I Set Goals
Goals are so important to me. As you may know, I have goals in all areas of my life for 2010. They keep me motivated, inspired, and challenged. Prior to beating the disordered eating, I never set any health related goals. Last year I set goals of running my first races- a 10k, 10 miler, and 2 half marathons (recaps here). I realized that having health and fitness goals showed me that fitness could be FUN, inspiring, and exciting. Finding something that I enjoyed made it seem less like ‘work’ and more like ‘play’. Even when I am sweating it out on the treadmill on cold winter days, I think about my spring time goal of running another race, and that instantly inspires me to train consistently.
5) I Stopped Comparing
I used to be horrible for comparing myself to other women. She has skinnier thighs, a tiny waist…she is prettier…taller…more fit. It is a vicious cycle that will never end unless you put a stop to it. There will always be someone out there who you will perceive to be ‘better’ than you in some way. I had to commit to accepting myself for who I was at this very moment in time- not 10 pounds from now. It took me a very long time to accept a few things about myself that were never going to change. Learning to love myself was one of the hardest things that I have ever done, especially after years of being my own worst enemy. Seeing a counselor while in university helped me plant the seeds and start a new journey.
It is a long road, but one that us surely worth traveling.
Have you ever made any changes in your life that helped you stop obsessing about food or your weight?
Updates:
- I changed around a few blog colours yesterday- I think it is a bit easier on the eyes now.
- Women’s Post selected me as Women of the Week- check out my interview here.
I have a full day of baking orders today…but first, a workout is in store!
Make it a good one! :D
Insist on yourself. Never imitate.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
What a great post Angela. I too was obsessed with calories and fat when I was younger. I’m 35 and I feel like I’m finally eating really well and have come to love myself. I use to consume large amounts of diet soda and candy on a daily basis. I ate the candy (like licorice or gummy bears) because it was fat free and I therefore deemed it a good food to eat. Crazy right? Because of my sugar addiction I just had an infected tooth pulled on Tuesday! I was so careless with my body but am on the mend now. I have completely cut out artificial sweetners from my diet and no longer eat candy. I look at food for its nutritional value, not how much fat it has. I feel so much better now at 35 than I did at 25. My weight used to flucutate 20 pounds between summer and winter. Now I stay within a 5 pound range and am sooooooo happy. Thanks for your honesty Angela!! I love love love your blog
Congratulations on the article! You are truly an inspiration to many. :)
This is a great post! I think it is good to focus on being healthy and strong rather than obsess over being thin.
Thanks for posting this! I think my biggest thing is to stop comparing myself to others. You’re right! Being happy with who I am RIGHT NOW rather than who I will be 10 pounds skinnier is so important. Thanks for being so inspiring!
Even though it is so hard I love these 5 things. It really is true, and I think the most important is learning about nutrition. Once you do that all the other stuff sort of falls into place. Thanks for this post!
It is because of posts like this that you were selected as Woman of the Week. You’ve come so far and are a great role model to your readers! :)
I keep my bad snack foods out of the house, otherwise I will just think about them all day, wishing I could eat them, then eventually giving in a eating them, then feeling bad about myself
The shift from wanting to be “skinny” to wanting to be “healthy and fit” is the key.
Thank you for continuing to write posts like this. They are very helpful and inspiring.
And YAY for The Golden Globes! looking forward to them!
Wonderful post!! I agree with you on all of your points. Though, I can’t say that I don’t weigh myself — I don’t obsess over it. I wish that a few friends of mine would read this post and take all of your points into considering! :)
I don’t weigh myself either-we do not have a scale and I go by how my clothes fit and how I feel.
I also never come downn on myself if I ate too much-guilt is not healthy.
I’ve made so many changes, it’s hard to say where to start.
It’s been three years since I began to work towards ending my food addiction and disordered eating. I no longer binge, in fact, I no longer feel the need to binge. It’s amazing to really think about. It’s difficult some days, but for the most part, I’m comming to accept myself as I am, not as I will be.
wow that is truly beautiful…thank you for sharing :)
great post! i started counting calories earlier this year…at first i thought it was really helpful showing me that “just a little bit of this and a little bit of that” isn’t really so “little” and that all those little nibbles added up…but then it started stressing me out trying to find calories in foods and trying to stay under my target and feeling guilty when i went over. now i’m just trying to eat healthier :) much less stressful.
i was wondering though, i went and re-read your road to health series, and i know you mentioned the weight loss was gradual, but i was wondering how soon you noticed changes in the way you felt and saw the weight coming off, etc? like, hey! this is really working!
As a total pop culture geek, I am entirely excited about the Golden Globes tonight! Congrats on the interview–fantastic! :)
I used to be obsessed w/ weight and super restrictive. The single most helpful thing I did was start focusing on what my body could DO. By focusing on running, I shifted from obsessing about being skinny to thinking about actual accomplishments. Plus, I needed to be well-fueled in order to be successful!
Congrats on being Woman of the Week!!
What wonderful information to share with everyone- I can only imagine how helpful and reassuring hearing this is for many readers.
HECK YEAH I’m watching 24! SO EXCITED!!!! EEK!
This is a great post. I also recently (within the past 6 months) ditched calorie counting. Now my problem is working out and trying not to be too obsessive with it! I think both are almost equally addicting. Who knew it would be so difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle!!
Your post inspired me to blog about my own struggle and how I overcame it as well :) thanks!!
Funny thing – ever since I started my blog, I have stopped thinking about food as much (even though I blog everything I eat), and have stopped obsessing over my body and what I eat. It is weird how the blog has changed me – in a good way!