I am not beautiful like you...

New Year, new leaf, new outlook.  SO MUCH EASIER IN THEORY!  Reinventing yourself is not an easy thing.  I don’t care who you are.  I suppose I could hate those people who are naturally blessed with good metabolism and genes, but is that really going to solve the problem at hand?  No.  So, you take the vessel God gave you and you do the best you can with it.  And you learn, sadly, you learn that some people really do judge that vessel based on what it looks like. 

I have never been thin, nor do I want to be.  “Stocky” probably the word most used to describe me.  I am ok with that.  I mean even when I tried my hardest and lost a tremendous amount of weight, I was not “thin.”  I didn’t have a choice; my job depended on me exercising everyday…which in turn makes it a lot easier to make it a habit. 

The thing that interests me in the whole “diet and exercise” phenomena is that not every THING, works for every BODY.  Never is it more pronounced that we are all vastly different as it does in this realm.  I mean look at the millions, and I mean millions of DVD’s, diet plans, books, programs, organizations, etc.   It’s a multi-billion dollar industry.  Kudos to whatever program you have found that works for you.  But the only thing that really works is what you decide you want to live with for the rest of your life.  If Weight Watchers teaches you how to count calories and pay attention to what goes in your mouth, I think that is fantastic, if that is what YOU need.  If Jenny Craig works for you because it’s pre-portioned, pre-prepared foods, so that you don’t have to come up with that yourself, that too is fantastic.  If you exercise 5 days a week, but eat whatever you want, and still maintain…that is fantastic.  Different strokes for different folks.  The point is, it is impossible for you to look at the person next to you and think that just because they are doing something, that it will work for you.  It takes a lot of effort to not look at your neighbor and compare yourself, because we do it as humans so much in the rest of our day to day lives, with EVERYTHING!  It is almost impossible not to do this and it is worse where diet and exercise is concerned. 

So first and foremost, making a major lifestyle change requires completely ceasing to look outside of your own box.  Really.  The grass is always greener phenomenon does not work when trying to be healthy.  I know what works for me.  I know that I have to exercise every single day and I have to eat twice as much.  I have to graze.  I do know that a woman's weight fluctuates so much on a day to day basis that it is impossible to step on the scale every day and see any results.  I don't step on one anyway as it is, and I sure as hell am not going to start.  It takes 30 days to make a habit.  Few days go as slow as the first 30 days of altering your diet and exercise.  I am not interested in a number.  I am interested in feeling better, having more energy, sleeping better, and personally kicking complete ass in the next Adult Kickball tournament.  

Mine started yesterday and I am currently walking like I have a stick firmly placed in a very uncomfortable place.   This is only going to get worse.  I am prepared for battle.  I am ready for the challenge.  I am prepared to once again tackle this mountain and it is a mountain…one that makes my shins, butt, hammies, calves, etc. hurt like bloody hell.  

Anyway…wish me luck.  This chic is on a mission.  They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder...well, as I see it, I am not beautiful like you…I am beautiful like me.