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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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! :)
Wow, great topic! Unfortunately, I have yet to discover my happy weight. I know its not where I am now, but everytime I have lost weight in the past it has been through deprivation. My goal now is not a number on the scale, its to be at peace with my eating habits and to fuel my body with healthy food. I’m about a month into the journey and I have never felt better, though I’m sure I have barely lost any scale weight. I still dont love my body but I do love my attitude towards it, and I adore not being tied to a number on the scale.
Similarly, my unhappy weight is also less about a number and more about when I KNOW I’m treating my body badly!
Love the new header! It looks great.
I am still trying to figure out my happy weight, but I think I’m getting close. I’ve maintained that weight I am at for over a month now by exercising moderately and eating when I’m hungry, stopping when I’m full – something that seems simple, but is actually revolutionary for me!
I have definitely been at unhappy weights. I have been higher, especially when I was younger, during periods of restricting/binging, and I could just tell that my body did not want to be that way. I’ve also been lower, but only got there through unhealthy means. I was so miserable and barely eating, but I thought that I would have to sacrifice happiness in order to be okay with my body. As soon as I started eating more normally, I immediately put on a few pounds, another sign that the weight was unhappy.
Now I feel ok in my body. Sure, sometimes I feel like my weight is too high, but I’m not struggling to maintain it, and more importantly, I’m so much happier!
I read that article in Self too and, like you, I was encouraged to know that even Jillian’s weight fluctuates. I used to think that people in the media and in the fitness business are immune to all of this, but no one is! It is a fact of life–but we can make it easier on ourselves if we live a healthy lifestyle.
I have a happy weight and unhappy weight as well. I used to weigh almost every day, for about 3 years, but now, I rarely weigh. I will probably weigh in a few days (not right now b/c the July 4th weekend has left me bloated haha). The scale can be your enemy is you obsess over it–it is all about what you feel like and does that make you happy. Happiness is not a number–be it dollars or pounds–happiness is a feeling.
I have no idea what my weight is now I don’t even care to know. I feel great in my body and I don’t think a number should change that.
Not that long ago, I said to my husband, “even if I lost 10 pounds, I don’t think I’d really be happy.” I think I’m about at my happy weight, but am still adjusting to it. I started realizing what a good weight was, when I found that gaining a little weight or going down a bit, didn’t make a big impact on how my clothes fit.
I also realized that for my lifestyle — which is very active — I just have to eat a certain amount of food. When I try to get much lower than now, I have to cut out all discretionary calories. I’ve done that a couple of times, but find it’s just not terribly useful for feeling my best day-in, day-out.
An unhappy weight. . . that’s when I can’t see my abs, and have difficulty running (also, been there). It’s where I just feel frustrated day-in, day-out.
Perhaps it’s as much about who you want to be altogether, as it is the weight.
Great post. I’ve loved Self’s idea of a “Happy Weight” ever since they introduced it. I would say I know my own happy weight. Because when I’m lower, like you, I don’t even appreciate the fact that I worked hard to get down to that weight. I end up putting on weight just because I’m stressed out with not liking my body at a place I thought I would. When I’m higher than my “Happy Weight,” I wish I was at a lower one. But was I happy back there? Not necessarily. I’m at the right weight for me when I’m happy, carefree, and still respecting food and what’s put into my body. It’s more the mindset than anything!
Whew! Honesty is tiring, haha.
I love this post. I can totally relate to being happy/unhappy. I am still not sure what my happy weight is, as I don’t think I have EVER been there. I know I am on the right track though. I am done obsessing over food, like you said, I always have obsessed no matter what my weight has been. I try not to pay too much attention to the scale either but I do hop on once a week. Most importantly it’s how you feel about yourself and I am finally coming to that realization.
I’m still struggling to find mine. I was much higher in my teenage years and also quite a bit lower a couple of years ago. It’s hard for me because even though I loved my body at a low weight (I am 5 3 with a very small frame), I know that I was moody, hungry and weak. I maintained the weight with little (very healthy) food, lots of coffee and diet coke (yuck!) during the week, then I went to town on the weekends, drinking about 10 units of alcohol (vokda and diet coke, obviously!)and eating whatever rubbish I felt like. It seemed like an ok balance to me then but looking back it was so unhealthy and could have caused me some real problems!
So now I’m eating good whole foods, no alcohol or dairy. Being an angel as much as I can, but also treating myself occsionally to small portions of sweets/chocolate.
Through reading so many blogs of such amazing women, like Angela, I know that this is the path to a maintainable, happy weight!
Excellent post! I think i’m at my happy weight right now. I’m enjoying foods I never thought I would be able to eat again. My energy is awesome and my workouts are proof of eating carbs = energy.
I do figure competitions and i’m starting to realize that may not be ideal for my health and mind. I get really small and think that is how I should look all the time. I know that’s NOT maintainable. It’s just another form of yo-yoing for me. I’m glad I found blogs like yours and with my trainers help i’m getting happy again :)
Great topic!! I think after all of these years, I have finally found my true healthy weight after giving birth to my daughter two years ago.
I feel great, hardly weigh myself, and just feel healthier and lighter than I did during my 20’s. In all honesty, I am not even sure how much I weigh now, which is a huge change from my scale obsessed early 20’s and college years.
I workout 5-6 days a week, eat healthy 85% of the time, and have never felt better.
i have SO many things to say! this is a huge topic for me. i’ve been at both higher and lower weights than i am now. at my higher weight i knew nothing about nutrition, was out of shape, and unhappy with my body. at my lower weight, i was well versed in nutrition, in the best shape of my life, and still unhappy with my body. i strongly believe that having a positive body image has nothing to do with a number or jeans size, or i never would’ve continued to lose weight past my original “goal.”
for me, a happy weight is a place that is easy and enjoyable to maintain. when i was at a lower weight, i was obsessed with staying there. going lower was ok, going higher was terrifying. i had to be perfect in eating and exercise all the time. i was completely isolated because of it. when i finally realized i had to put on some weight, i was incredibly afraid to give up that control. but once the weight started to come on, i realized i felt so FREE – if i missed a few days of exercise, if i had more than one glass of wine, if i didn’t have exactly x calories for lunch – it was ok. it is easy to maintain my weight when it’s in a healthier place.
i was also very self-conscious that people would think i had “let myself go.” and getting to a “happy weight” made me realize i didn’t care what other people thought – i was so much happier, and that’s what mattered. and i was surprised when the weight came on that i actually started getting complimented on my appearance again. i think if you’re at the right weight, within a range of course, your body just radiates it, your mind is clear, and other people can see that you are where you’re supposed to be. it’s a beautiful thing. :)
Because of the binge-diet cycle I was in for 2 years, my weight fluctuated 30 lbs depending on my eating. Both ends of the extreme can be characterized as unhappy weights for me. At my lowest end, I would be starving and obsessed with not putting on weight, which my body would definitely do if I had just one bad night of eating. At my highest weight, I just felt so uncomfortable in my own skin and out of shape/out of breath. I hated my body and would only go out when I had to and would wear sweats to conceal my weight.
Ditching the scale and stopping calorie counting have been key to ending the cycle for me. I am still amazed that on some days, I would wake up and say, “I feel good about my body today. I feel lean. I look good!” Then I would get on the scale, see a number I didn’t like, and would have a complete 180 in thinking. Its ridiculous how a number can control how you think about yourself. Its stupid actually.
I’m at my happy size right now. I can’t say I’m at my happy weight because I have no idea how much I weigh. All I know is that my body feels great, my face is glowing, and I’m happy. And my clothes fit awesome, so that’s always a good test!
My weight does fluctuate–over the winter I definitely put on some extra. My clothes become a little uncomfortable around December/January/February, and the jeans that slipped on effortlessly in August or September have a bit of “spillage” at the waist. I just take it with a grain of salt–I’m still the same girl, and I know that I’ll get back to my happy point in the spring!
Ditching my scale years ago has allowed me to be more in tune with my body, and now I just listen to what my body needs, rather than letting the scale dictate where my “happy” point is.
Hi Angela,
Great post. I think it is also really important to note in this post that Jillian Michaels is 5’2″, because 120 pounds can seem quite low for a “happy weight.”
Hi Angela,
I’ve found my happy weight for sure. For me, my happy weight is when I eat clean and healthy 85% of the time, and indulge 15% of the time – all while working out 6 days/week. Doing so, my weight hardly fluxuates at all, and I have plenty of energy!
Great topic, as usual Ange :)
I have never had a happy weight. Ever. I’ve always been unhappy at whatever weight I was. When I was thin and fit at 145? I wanted to be smaller, like my friends. Now, at over 200 (believe it or not) I’m pretty much “stuck” but working on being happy with it. *sigh* its a neverending battle!
Here is how I determined my happy weight. I used to weigh about 5-7 pounds less. But I was working out more, and not having many “treats.”
Recently, I said to my boyfriend (who loves treats too), “If I could eat less chocolate, ice cream etc., I would be ripped because I workout so much (only because I enjoy working out most days)
He said, “yeah, you might be skinnier, but you wouldn’t be happy.”
I would say I’m probably right around my happy weight now. After spending a year losing weight, I’ve maintained the loss for two months now. Of course I’ve had some ups and downs but my weight has been fairly stable overall, I eat healthy foods I enjoy, I exercise regularly and I don’t feel as though I’m depriving my body – if I really want chocolate, I’ll eat some.
So that’s really what a happy weight is for me – one that I can maintain through a healthy lifestyle, as well as a weight/size where I like my body.
Great post! You have so many things going on this month (already!) that are really resonating with me. I’m loving this boot camp. I’m loving the total aspect of it, body and mind and spirit. Great job.
I’m still working on a happy weight. After cancer treatments, I had what doctor’s call the “falling off the face of the world syndrome” which is some pretty raging depression. I gained a ton of weight. Then I got pregnant and gained some more. I’ve been working on losing that, and have shed about 40 lbs in the past 2 years. I’ve still got some weight to lose; I’m about 15 lbs over a healthy BMI for my height.
I used to look at people like Kath and Jenna, who had ditched the scale and think, oh, of course it’s so easy for you to stay away from the scale, you’re already thin and beautiful. I’d think that once I got to a “good” weight, then I’d ditch the scale too. Like it’s that easy. But it really isn’t. I’ve seen people who look amazing, people with bodies I envy freak about 2 or 5 pounds. I think weight and physical appearance are so important to women, and that we place so much worth it in. I want my worth to be defined my so much more, and I decided that for me, part of SGBC was putting away the scale for a month.
It’s hard. I’ve been working my butt off, and I want to get on the scale and see it it’s paying off. I’m not, though. What if it says something I don’t want it to? Will that change how hard I’ve been working out? What if it’s low? Will that give me license to splurge on Oreos?
I’m working on it. For me, find my happy weight is a process. I have a lot of goals though that have nothing to do with weight. If I make sure that each step I take moves me towards those goals. the weight will follow. I think once I can fully hold that idea in my grasp, I’ll understand my Happy Weight.
I have quite a ways to go for my happy weight, I think. Looking back, I feel pretty sure that the weight I was at around my wedding was a good, healthy and happy weight to be. Unfortunately, I wasn’t satisfied with it then, which I regret now. I’m really working on giving up the scale so that I can tell where my happy weight is naturally.