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??
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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! :)
Hi Angela! So glad you did this post. I enjoyed reading, and it made alot of sense..
To answer your questions..
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?
To be honest, I haven’t been at my happy weight since I was a kid. A weight where I am so comfortable that I don’t think about it on a day to day basis. I would be able to enjoy ALL food I eat (bad and good) without worrying about getting excersise in after..or daily. My skin would be healthy…I would be energised daily…I would feel comfortable in my own skin..and not to mention smaller sizes of clothing ;) I would ENJOY shopping! And wearing a bathing suit. lol.
2) What about unhappy weights? Have you ever been there too? What was going on that made this an unhappy weight?
I was at an unhappy weight this time last year..I was over 215 pounds. Not only the number made me unhappy..but I felt like poop to be honest. My body felt slow and weak and sore all the time, my skin was very uneven and definitely not glowing…I craved food that just made me feel down..I binged and I starved. I’m glad to say that I am on the road to recovery and feeling much better these days… I’m losing weight, not in an obsessive way..but healthy way :)
I’m not sure that I do know what my happy weight is.
Sometimes it seems that my current weight is my happy weight. At this weight I can basically eat how I want to eat. I’m active. I’m fit. I feel good.
But at the same time, sometimes I am dissatisfied with this weight. However, my only real issue is that I would like to have less weight around my waist. (Hence my goal to have a smaller waist measurement.) To be honest, I know that only a few pounds one way or the other makes a big difference on my midsection, so… I would say that if I’m not at my happy weight, I am close to it. I would at least say I am in my happy weight range. Would I be happy 3-5 pounds lighter? I’m sure I would. Would I be happy 1-2 pounds heavier? Yes.
Another reason I would say this is my happy weight range (I think having a happy weight range is better than having a specific happy weight – less stressful to maintain and who needs more stress?.) is that I can do the things that make me happy and still maintain this weight. I can run. I can strength train. I can push my levels of stamina and endurance. I can enjoy a pretzel at the farmer’s market. I can go out with friends. I can have a few drinks at a party. I can have pizza and cupcakes and cookies and ice cream when I want them. And I can do it without feeling guilty, without feeling like I am failing at something, without obsessing over every bite and feeling constantly under scrutiny. And THAT makes me happy. I am happy to be free of that. If the cost of being able to actually live life, not hide from it, is a couple of extra pounds – that is a price I will pay. Happily.
I love this Angela :) I have ditched the scale too but I think my body is finally at its happy weight. It’s been about the same more or less for a while now, in terms of fitting clothes and just me feeling good, and that is all that matters.Who cares about a stupid number anyway~! :)
I was at a happy weight most of my life, at least in retrospect. Of course at the time I thought I needed to lose a pound…I am 5’7″ and never weighed more than 128 naturally. No exercise required. At age 26 I got depressed to the tune of thirty plus pounds lost….and it then turned into an eating disorder right before my very eyes until I was only 88lbs. One day I woke up and realized I could die any minute. While I never sought professional help as I should have. I started to eat( but I would also chew and spit) but still not like I should. In turn my body turned against me and in effort to save us both hung on to evbery last morsel I ingested. Not sure how much I weigh right now but it has been almost a year since I started gaining weight and last weigh in I was 151. Which is uncomfortably high for me. Naturally I have beaten myself up for messing up my body. I have developed ovary cysts from a lack of periods for more than 2 years. My thyroid was out of wack, no muscle mass left…the list goes on. I can honestly say it is the hardest thing to take control of I have had to encounter thus far. Every day is a battle with myself to not beat myself up. It took me a ahwile to get down so low, it will take a lot of TLC to rebuild my body. I am finally taking care of myself in a proper way and including exercise to rebuild my muscles. I am also happy to report I have had two periods in a row which is a big accomplishment. Will I ever look at food the same as I did before? I am not sure. I do know that when I beat myself up I start to envision myself as I want to see my reflection in the mirror. I dont want to be just like I was before. I want to be better. I will be better. Our minds are the most powerful tool we have. Thank you for your blog, it inspires me daily. I actually just started my own yesterday. Like my life it is a work in progress.
I think I’m getting close to my happy weight. I was there about 5 years ago, but then I was young enough that I didn’t really have to ‘try’ to keep it there. Now, it’s work! But I’m really loving the work :)
Unhappy weight – ohhh, yeah, been there. In the past year I hit my highest weight and I was just … well, unhappy. I slept all the time, I was depressed, I didn’t feel good about myself, none of my clothes fit, I didn’t feel pretty, let alone sexy, I just hated myself. I hope I never feel that way again.
I must say, this morning, I was still in my pajamas when my hubby said to me ‘wow, you really have lost a lot of weight – it really shows.’ That made me smile. I looked at my legs and have really noticed a lot of definition in them that I didn’t have before. I’m really proud of myself.
I think I’m getting close to my happy weight. I was there about 5 years ago, but then I was young enough that I didn’t really have to ‘try’ to keep it there. Now, it’s work! But I’m really loving the work :)
Unhappy weight – ohhh, yeah, been there. In the past year I hit my highest weight and I was just … well, unhappy. I slept all the time, I was depressed, I didn’t feel good about myself, none of my clothes fit, I didn’t feel pretty, let alone sexy, I just hated myself. I hope I never feel that way again.
I must say, this morning, I was still in my pajamas when my hubby said to me ‘wow, you really have lost a lot of weight – it really shows.’ That made me smile. I looked at my legs and have really noticed a lot of definition in them that I didn’t have before. I’m really proud of myself.