Healthy At Any Size

Hello Southernistas and Happy Thursday! Also Happy February to y’all! I know I haven’t posted in a while but I spent the rest of January very sick and overloaded with work. Working while sick is not fun but I was under a two week deadline and had to get it done so with plenty of cold medicine, soup, ginger lemon & honey tea and as much rest as I could get I pressed on an met the deadline. Thankfully by the end of January I started feeling better and I am feeling great now!

So while I was home sick I kept seeing this one weight loss commercial from one of the big weight loss companies and of course they were showing the before and after with the person saying one day I’m going and you can fill in the sentence from there. As I watched this commercial all I kept screaming NO NOT ONE DAY TODAY! First let me say you do what is best for you! This is not an anti diet rant but it is a don’t put your life on hold rant! I spent so much of my life saying that same thing one day I’m going to wear that swimsuit, that dress, be happy, etc. You know what? After years of hating my body and myself I finally realized I don’t have to put my life on hold until I reach a certain size and since then I’ve indulged my love of fashion, traveled, and just enjoy life.

It is so important that you don’t put your life on hold but live your life as you work towards your weight loss goals (or not). I have learned that I am not a before I am Regina and I don’t have to wait for one day to wear or do anything because I am fat. In the words of Aunti Mame “life is a buffett and most poor suckers are starving!”

Enjoy the buffett! You are allowed to be happy and to live your life at any size!

Until next time Southernistas!

Hello Southernistas! The one thing I never ever talk about on my blog is weight loss or exercising or anything remotely like it but as I was wondering what to talk about I just couldn’t get away from this subject so I want to talk to y’all today about being healthy at any size. Now before you move on just hear me out first. I’ve spent most of my life on one diet or another I mean literally since I was 13 years old I’ve been dieting. I’ve lost weight and gained (more) weight. I decided in my 40s that I was getting off the diet hamster wheel and just make peace with my weight and live in my body and live my life and that is what I’ve been doing for the last 7 years.

Let me say right now before I continue that I am not getting weight loss surgery or starting a new diet in fact I’ve started a healthy lifestyle. Also I am not here to judge or put down weight loss or weight loss surgery. You have to do what is best for you! I had to make changes due to high blood pressure and I now use a CPAP machine so I knew I needed to make some changes but it took me a long time because all I heard was loose weight i.e. go on a diet.

Once I realized that getting healthy does not mean going on a diet but making life changes then I was able to realize that healthy does not equal dieting. So I’ve stopped eating fast food every day but I try to limit my fast food stops to once a week, I walk 2 miles or more 3–4 times a week, I eat at home more and bring my lunch to work but again to get to this point I had to stop looking at exercise and healthy eating as “dieting” which was a major obstacle for me. As a plus size woman diet culture it constantly pushed in my face and I constantly get unsolicited weight loss ads and suggestions on my social media sites when I block. It wasn’t easy but it helps when I go walking and I see bodies of all shapes and sizes being active, I see plus size influencers who work out not for weight loss but to take care of their bodies and I have an amazing doctor who really talks to me and not at me and treats ME the person.

Luckily there are loads of resources (listed below) out there to help you get started towards a healthy lifestyle regardless of what the scale says. Plus more and more brands are creating plus size workout wear we can be just as cute and stylish as we move our bodies. If you’re looking at being healthy as dieting just know that you are not alone in this thinking. Once we get off that diet wheel we don’t want to fine ourselves back on the weight loss/weight gain merry go round but I just want to encourage you to get moving weather it’s dancing, walking, bike riding, skating or whatever it may be just enjoy moving your body.

Until next Southernistas! The fashion will be back in the next blog…PROMISE!

If you’re wanting to start a health journey check out these websites:

Health At Every Size Community

National Eating Disorder Website

Association for Size Diversity and Health