I haven’t weighed myself much since I had my second child two and a half years ago and not at all since before the pandemic.
I know that my body normally fluctuates throughout the year. Usually in winter, being less active and craving cozy foods, my weight goes up, and in summer, when I’m moving around more and craving lighter foods, it goes down. I’ve adjusted to and accepted this pattern.
Last spring, the pattern changed. We had a pandemic. My habits changed from previous years. I knew that my body was changing because of how it felt, not good or bad, just different. Some of my clothes became a little tight, but because I am a fan of elastic waists and stretchy pants, most didn’t. I replaced the ones that were tight with the next size up and went about my day.
Then I weighed myself. Somehow seeing the different number on the scale was more jarring than feeling or seeing the changes. As much as I preach about body acceptance and that it’s normal for bodies to change, I still felt sad for a couple of days.
So I went back to the affirmations for body acceptance I’ve created for myself.
If you would like to stop putting so much energy into thoughts about what you should eat or do, download my body acceptance affirmations and check out these incredible resources:
Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole. The gist: your body knows what it needs and years of conditioning and external messages about being “good” or “bad” have obscured the messages it’s been trying to give you.
No Sweat by Michelle Segar. Change your perspective on exercise. It can just be movement that feels good in your body. (h/t to my good friend Kourtney Thomas for turning me onto this one)
Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight by Lindo Bacon. Scientific data that proves that diets don’t work and how weight doesn’t reflect health.
The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self Love by Sonya Renee Taylor. The title says it all.
I’m no expert in this stuff, just someone who’s lived through it. If you would like help moving past some of these thoughts so that you can feel good in your clothes, book a FREE 20-minute clarity call and let’s talk about it.