This excuse is usually used one of two ways. One being, "Eh, my belly roll doesn't bother me enough to quit my weekly visit to Chipotle." Ok, that I understand. However, some people act as if they have a strange disease that forces french fries and Snickers bars past their lips every day. Why? Because they just love food sooo much. Now that is something I just do not comprehend. C'mon now.
One thing that keeps me from having the body I want is the fact that I can't close my eyes and picture myself any other way than what I am now (well, except for chubbier...because I have been). I'm the funny girl with a pretty face who has not-so-terrible bikini bod. I've never been the "hot girl," so it's hard for me to imagine that there could come a time when I didn't feel the need to cover my tummy with a couch pillow every time I sit down. (Girls, you know what I'm talking about).It's the same with friends, too--they get used to everyone's "role" in the group. If the funny girl turns into the hot girl, what happens then? It's just weird--change is a hard thing to adapt to. I've lost a bit of weight since high school and college and have kept it off for the most part. When I first started losing the weight, friends would say to me, "Ok, you look great, but don't lose any more!" One friend even subtly asked if I had a "problem." (I can safely say that I do love food way too much to ever have that kind of problem). And I know my friends weren't saying these things to be rude--they just weren't used to seeing their friend Ellen any way other than what they had known for so many years.
Does this make sense at all? I think this feeling has something to do with what I said in this post about wanting to be the relatable friend. So what about you: What's your excuse for not being as healthy as you should be?
Posts
I like booze too much.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy having a drink at night while I am cooking dinner. I love to have a toddy or two on the weekend.
If I were serious, really serious, about getting back into my size 26 jeans, I would cut out the booze. But I am not that serious...I just wine (ha ha) about it.
I also love food. But I love finding new ways to enjoy better, lighter food, so that will not hold me back.
SCS
But...but...I really DO love food too much! Or at least I love food more than I love being a size smaller. When I was doing gymnastics for 20 hours a week, I weighed 10 pounds less than I do now. When I ate Dunkin Donuts and Chipotle every day for a year, I weighed 10 pounds more. So, I have to admit, it's hard for me to get motivated to watch what I eat every...single...day. A lot of burritos and bacon cheese fries make their way into my diet :)
ReplyDeleteI think people who say "I love food too much" mean it -- everyone wants to be at their ideal weight, but not everyone wants to be at their ideal weight badly enough to make sacrifices for it. I definitely fall into the latter category. And obvi this is all a moot point right now since I'm about to gain 40 pounds.
I know, Kara!! But that's what I'm saying...there are people like you who recognize that it's jsut not worth it to them to give up all their favorite foods...and then there are people who act like "OMG, I just can't help it!" Maybe I'm not making sense...I've just noticed a distinct difference btwn the two types of people who use this "excuse."
ReplyDeleteYes, Shannon...too much boozin' gets me too...
I never got that part about being healthy. what about being happy? -and consequently only doing things that bring u happiness?
ReplyDeletehaha love the couch pillow comment! I do that all the time:)
ReplyDeleteMy excuse is that I don't eat right but I also don't think about food 24/7. I feel like those that are overweight and underweight think about food constantly, one about what they want and the other about what they can't have. I don't want to be either way. There has to be a happy medium...
ReplyDeleteAlso I think I disagree with the "role" idea and weight loss. Or I definitely do in your case Elle. I think when you lost weight in college, we all had plenty of friends that were not losing weight the right way. I was very proud of you but naturally wanted to make sure you were being healthy about it. (Note: I wasn't the friend that asked, ha).
Aurora, I agree. Happiness is most important...I tend to be happiest when I feel and look my best, however the downside to that is that I haven't found a way to do that without being too hard on myself at times. I'm getting better though.
ReplyDeleteWhich leads me to the last comment. Molly, I have always envied how you try to be basically healthy, but never stressed too much about it. That is probably one of the overall HEALTHIEST ways to be. I don't know why I put so much emphasis on the weight stuff...maybe NYC has ruined me, damnit! Seriously though, I like always striving to be my best in every area, but when it comes to my body, I need to learn how to do it in a non-obsessive way, and I think I'm slowly getting there.
And I think I do have a hang up on the hot friend/funny friend thing which is why I exaggerate that point sometimes. But, based on comments I got from friends, I could tell that they just didn't know how to receive the change. Some friends really don't like it. One minute, you're the friend that pigs out with them to "cure" a hangover...and the next minute...you're not. Food can bond people in pretty big ways. You are very secure in yourself, Molly, which is a great thing, but a lot of people aren't, and in turn their reactions to change, etc are different.
Phew, I wrote a novel! Sorry I got a little deep there for a minute...can someone share a joke now or something?! :)
i love this post and all the comments. ellen, i wonder if you focus on actual numbers more because you are shorter? i know that sounds so weird, but one of my best friends is right at 5' tall and if she puts on 3 pounds you would have thought the world was ending. but it is so different from me putting on 3 pounds because i am 8" taller than she is. so she focuses on the numbers because a slight change really is not such a slight change. does that make sense?
ReplyDeletei think it is almost easier for me to be SUPER health conscious and work out conscious than to find that balance between being healthy AND happy. which is not a good thing. i think i either focus way too much on watching what i eat and working out and counting calories than just taking things in moderation. i either am crazy work out fiend (although note: haven' been this way in a long while) or just don't really care. not that i feel the need to eat everything in sight, but just don't really think about it. my weight is always fluctuating 5-8 pounds and so i just don't really worry about it. now that i am getting older though, i really want to change that.
but it's difficult because it is definitely a life style. i just am not happy when i feel like i am constantly thinking about what i am eating and how i need to get to the gym. i need to find that balance and just LIVE it. am i even making sense?
oh, and here is a semi-appropriate joke for this conversation: what did the 0 say to the 8?
nice belt! (hehehe)
Haha, nice joke MA! It took me a second to get it, but I did :)And actually, I haven't weighed myself in a REALLY long time. I used to step on the scale every single day, sometimes twice a day (even after I had eaten dinner!), but in an attempt to find a healthy balance and not stress so much, I decided to only weigh myself ever once and a while. I don't stress about numbers as much as how I look and feel in my clothes--that's the best indicator for me on whether I'm gaining or losing. And yes, I'm like your friend--a 3 pound weight gain on me is terrible because it totally shows and makes a big difference. I can't carry weight as well as you tall girls can! And I totally understand what you mean about being one way or the other. It's hard for me to be somewhere in the middle. If I'm not strict with myself about eating and the gym, I tend to get to lax about it all and gain weight. I actually feel better about myself when I'm more strict, but I'm still working on how to be disciplined without making myself crazy!! (and grumpy!)
ReplyDelete