3.31.2011

struggle




have to be honest with you guys—I have been struggling BIG TIME with something small, that has turned into something LARGE, since I’ve been sober—and that something is FOOD. Sugar in particular.

I know I posted this long post around the first of January about revamping my life and cutting out sugar—I even did the Master Cleanse for 14 days! And that was a good start. I dropped a few Christmas pounds, and felt a lot better. But the battle of the bulge (that extra 10 pounds that WILL not go away) is on and it seemingly has gotten so much worse just this year.

Don’t get me wrong, I know by no means that I am fat. I’m not. I’m a comfortable size 8 at the moment. But I have always been between sizes 4-6 all of my 20’s. and now, at the ripe age of 29, I just can’t seem to get back down to my ideal weight and size.

And I have to be honest—it’s killing me! It’s something that is pervading most all of my thoughts. It’s something I am constantly obsessing about.

I have ALWAYS been a relatively thin but healthy girl. Probably because I have always been active. ALWAYS. I ran my first marathon at age 18 and even in the past few months, I've run 5-6 miles daily AND I get in about 3-4 hour long yoga sessions a week. And most of the time I do eat really healthy and good. But I binge. I’ll eat healthy for 4-5 days and then eat junk food for the next 3. and then I wonder why my pants don’t fit. Hmmmm…….

It’s not just that my pants don’t fit, (although they don’t)  I’m having a hard time being kind to myself while my pants aren’t fitting. I’m basically basing my whole self worth on if my pants fit or not. And that is absurd. It’s insane. I’m telling myself horribly ugly things because of these extra 10 pounds.

I hate that I’m such an addict. I have this all or nothing mentality that is absolutely driving me crazy right now. Either I’m 100% healthy or I’m 100% unhealthy. No in-between. And since I cut out alcohol and tobacco, I’ve turned to food without even realizing it.

Now, don’t get me wrong---I LOVE food. I love to eat. I have always been a good eater. I remember people constantly remarking, “my, that girl can eat”. And it’s true—I can. And I love to eat. But lately it’s not just that I love to eat that’s getting me in trouble, it’s that I’m eating when I’m not hungry. I’m eating my emotions. I’m eating my feelings. and I’m completely addicted to sugar. It also doesn’t help that I know that my metabolism has slowed down due to my age.

I don’t know what to do. I feel like no matter how healthy I eat or how many miles I run that my pants are never going to fit again.

And that’s a lie, because eventually, they always do.

I know the answer to this is to stay consistent.

I’m talking to my friend about doing a food log and calling her at the end of everyday with what I’ve eaten—good ole accountability never hurt this gal;)

I need to practice affirmations and meditate more. My self worth is NOT based on how much I weigh. It’s based on who I am on the inside. And if I get my inside okay, my outside will be okay. I’m convinced of this.

I just thought I should be honest and let you know about this struggle. It’s frustrating. It’s difficult. It’s Life. And it’s not nearly the worst thing to be struggling with. Thank goodness this is my only problem today, right?!

I’m going to try and love myself exactly as I am. Because today may be all I have.

But boy oh boy—I can’t wait until those damn pants fit again.

One thing that may get me back on track with fitness and health is the weekend worship with Desiree Rumbaugh!! I am SO excited about getting to work with her this weekend. She is an international outstanding yoga instructor and we are HONORED that she is going to be in Jackson, MS this weekend!

So, if you don't have anything going on, hop over and join us! I'm hoping to have a lot of "ah ha" moments and get my head straight so I can get to work on resolving these body/mind issues that are going on.

If anyone has any encouragement or can relate, I'd love to hear about it!

Happy Weekend, Friends!

I hope that whatever you are struggling with, that you will know you are not alone.  Being human is hard. 
But even in great difficulty lies beauty. I'm just straining to see it;)
I hope that I always remember, no matter what I weigh.......that I AM good enough. and so are you!





7 comments:

  1. Oh the love & hate of food...it's such a relationship, you know? I'm sure you will figure out how to balance the sugar. I really appreciate your honesty, it's refreshing. I struggle with finding balance & I know I'm my worst critic, whether it be with food, fitness, relationship w/ God, kids, husband. I have a tendency to think if I'm not doing these things perfect I'm no good. The other day while I was walking with my broke down stroller (already frustrated about that) pandora kept crashing on my phone mid song...the first thing that came to mind was "screw you Satan, you are not going to win!". It's like he kept trying to put things in my path to make me give up & I called him out on it. When you feel like giving in to temptation tell the tempter where to go...!

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  2. Cecily, Thank you so much for that! You are SO right--there is ALWAYS something that the tempter is trying to tempt me with! and I must NOT give in. it's so hard finding a balance with anything for me. It's good to know I am not alone!

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  3. I love your honesty. And, I thought you looked beautiful and perfect last time I saw you!

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  4. Thank you, Laura! That really made me smile a big smile;)

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  5. such an honest post, sug! so proud of you! you are beautiful and I understand everything you said. and, i love how Cecily called satan out! ha! just saw your text too!

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  6. Oh Jen! I know exactly how you feel. For the past few years I have been a good 4-6 but this past year I went up to an 8 and now I have ballooned into something I am not proud of. I have gained a good 20 lbs since getting married and time has become such an issue. I am trying to eat better, but exercise time is hard to find. I too am an emotional eater and I eat when I am bored...sitting behind my desk (not a good idea). I feel your pain girl and it is so funny because I have always admired your physique. I have been doing a lot of self-loathing lately too and you are so right! It is time for that nonsense to STOP! I am currently working on what makes me happy and I know that eventually the outside will match the inside. Thanks for such a great post. It is so good to see that I am not alone in the "struggle." Have a great weekend!

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  7. WOW! I can't tell you how awesome the response to this blog has been! Thank you ladies for reaching out and sharing with me and identifying with me! It's so nice to know I am not alone! I've come up with a solution and will be doing a post on it sometime this weekend! so, stay tuned!
    Erin--you are such a ray of sunshine! Thank you for what you said. It really really helped me!
    I hope everyeone has a WONDERFUL weekend!

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