Embrace your Awesome

One of the things that aggravates the stew out of me is people, particularly the ladies, being unhappy about their weight or the way they look or their wrinkles. I have been up and down with my weight my whole life and have finally settled into loving myself. As I am. If I look back over pictures of myself over the years I was skinny, super skinny, really overweight, slightly overweight or pleasantly plump. One thing is constant in my weight struggles and my photos-there is one way I look when I am doing some exercise throughout the week, maybe some walking or running or whatever I can manage.  It's kinda like my balance weight. If I am heavier or skinnier I have to do something dramatic to reach that size. Like have a baby, or starve myself to death. At my thinnest, I felt terrible most of the time. I was depriving myself and it can almost become an addiction. The bottom line is that God made some of us small and some of us big and some of us pear shaped and some of us round and some thin. Same with men. 

 

My youngest daughter is very thin. The kids at school tell her she is anorexic and too thin. First of all, that isn't even something to joke about because one of my daughters has walked that path and it is not a choice. Anorexia and Bulimia are diseases and not something to be joked about.  My youngest daughter is just naturally thin. So what society is telling us is you are a fatty or you are too thin. Nobody walks up to you and says you are just perfect. Well I know some people who do and I certainly try to but most people don't.   We have to stop body shaming each other. Maybe someone gained weight because they were stressed. Maybe someone lost weight because they are so stressed they can't eat. And we have the gaul to tell them how good they look?  You look so great on the outside while you are crumbling on the inside?!  Stop. Just stop. God made us each to be a certain size barring any crazy effort either way. So let's all spend some time building each other up rather than tearing each other down. And let's learn to love ourselves. There are people who love fluffy girls and people who like thin boys and people who like tall girls or short boys or green eyes or brown hair or the list goes on. There is a lid for every pot. So let's quit picking ourselves apart and start building ourselves up to be the great creations that we are. Some people can eat a whole pie and not gain a pound and I can eat a bite and gain 5. It's just the way I am made.  And I naturally have a double chin no matter how thin I am. So I have decided that leaving a double chin out of a picture is like leaving a child out of a family photo. So embrace it and flaunt your flaws!  Be flawsome!

Think about that today and build someone up tomorrow by telling them they are beautiful. I guarantee you will be the one who smiles first. 

Make today the best day of your life!

Jennifer

I'm Not Valerie

I was going through the checkout and noticed the front page of a magazine. It showed Valerie Bettinelli now and a year or so ago. She was a spokesperson for Jenni Craig and did commercials for them for a few years. Yes, she looked great in the bikini picture. But I am suggesting she looks great now. 

That picture of now is not the most flattering picture that was ever taken. But I have been thin and fat and in both conditions I have had photos taken that were flattering and ones that weren't. 

I am certainly glad that I am not Valerie. I have gained some weight back this past year and I am so glad that my picture isn't plastered in the checkout reading "Jennifer Gained 50 Pounds".  The truth is that last year when I was so thin I felt horrible. I liked the way I looked but I was feeling poorly because I didn't have enough nutrients and fat to sustain that thin weight. When I started eating normally again, I felt so much better. And I gained weight. Just like Valerie. 

I saw Valerie on a daytime television show a couple of days ago and she addressed her weight gain with the host. She talked about how much better she felt and how her age played a role in her size at this juncture in her life. Me too. She said that she felt like her new role would be to be a spokesperson or a voice to women who are middle aged and happy with their bodies. Me too. 

Everyone, no matter what the age or body size can find clothing that is flattering and looks good on them. Some styles just don't work for tall people. Some styles don't work for short people. Some styles don't work for overweight or thin people. 

I am Valerie. I am the person who is happy with who she is today. Making healthy eating choices and exercising regularly. If I am heavier with that lifestyle then I can embrace it and be happy with myself. Truth is, no one really looks stellar in a bathing suit. Not normal people anyway. Sure, there are some attractive people who look good in a swimsuit but the majority of regular people look better with clothes on. Flattering clothes. My opinion, doesn't have to be yours. 

Let's embrace the body we have. Love ourselves for who God made us to be. Let us make healthy choices and move more. Let us embrace healthy. Healthy is the new thin. I have made the mistake of thinking "Oh if I could wear size 6 jeans I would be happy". Truth is I am just as happy now as I was wearing size 6 jeans. Happiness is not attached to numbers. It is from within. An attitude of people who focus on God and not man's standards. 

Have a fabulous day!  Please consider me to speak at your next event and thanks so much or reading my blog!

Jennifer