First off, THANK YOU for all of your amazing, supportive comments on yesterday’s announcement! I know that right now, in this moment, MoveMore is a great fit for me and for my family. Who knows what the future holds. I’m thrilled to see what God has in store for us! (Btw – I’m taking orders for TANKS & TEES so if you’re interested, email me at lindsayslist@gmail.com and I can send you pricing info and your color options!)
So I posted this picture a while ago on Instagram, the morning Travis and I started our 24 Day Advocare Challenge.
The caption read: “The Iconic Before-shot.”
You know – all the “before” shots for diet pills and workout programs all look the same. Sad-faced, hunched over people who desperately need a change. I laugh at those ads. This was me poking fun at them.
People were not happy about that.
I got the “I’d kill for a body like that” remark. The “Why don’t you like the way you look?!?” And my personal favorite…”There’s no way you can support a nursing baby on this challenge.”
Some of the comments were from people just trying to encourage me…to tell me that I had a nice body. I’m thankful for those! We should raise one another up!! I love that mentality. Some of the other comments….were just mean….and I’m not even going to address them here today. I could have kept that picture to myself but I like to share my life and what we’re doing and if I’m going to be changing the way I live for an extended period of time, I want to be able to share it.
As I thought more and more about the picture, what bothered me the most was the overall assumption being made about me:
“If you’re doing a challenge or a cleanse you must not love your body.”
Nope.
Not even close.
I LOVE my body. The current one I have right now. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I’ve never been more content with my curves and my muscles and my shape than I am right now. I weigh 147 pounds (down 3 pounds since the challenge started….and I’m happy about that…is that wrong to say out loud?!? No.). In my darkest years, I remember thinking I was fat at 119 pounds. I hated my body.
Here’s what I want to say:
It’s ok to go on a cleanse or a “diet”. It’s ok to change your eating so that you’re not diving into a bowl of ice cream every.single.night. No matter your size.
It’s ok for a “skinny” person to want to lose weight. It’s all relative. Your fat might be my skinny or vice versa. Even though losing weight isn’t the big draw for me, I’m happy to be a little lighter right now. It’s ok to say that. It doesn’t mean I hate my body to want to lose an amount of weight that would make it healthier. It means that I’m taking the steps to FEEL BETTER.
It’s ok to eat clean all the time. I don’t personally do this but who am I to judge what makes someone else feel best.
It’s ok to do what works for you. And it’s also ok to not know what that perfect fit is right away. We have our whole lives to try different stuff out. Cleanse. Cut sugar. Go vegan. Go Paleo. Find what works.
———–
To say that you should love your body.
That you should feel good in it.
That’s today’s message.
I’m doing this 24 day Challenge because I want to feel better. There’s a very big difference between wanting to feel better and wanting to feel better ABOUT oneself. I’ve got that last one down!
QUESTION: What are you thoughts on this?? Are you in love with your body?
splendid…lindsay
I think it’s brave to put a photo of yourself out there regardless of what you look like. I understand from having been uncomfortable in my skin for so many years that when YOU don’t feel YOUR best it’s a big deal. Your best is a different best than somebody else’s best (I will never look as good as your “before” photo there!). But letting somebody else’s measuring stick for THEIR body get to YOU is a personal issue. I’m bummed that you got all those comments. Yeah, my first thought was, “lindz, I’m never going to look that good,” but then I thought about all the times I was in your position — just feeling not quite right in my skin or with the way my body was functioning, and others judging me for being better than their best already.
Anyway. Hope that made sense.
I also want to say that every time I’ve done a cleanse, it’s because I felt LIKE CRAP and was desperate to feel better. I did the advocare cleanse once because my gut was totally jacked and I didn’t know what else to do. After the 24 days or whatever, my system was back to being regular.
I also think that marketing companies use the word “cleanse” liberally to get more people to buy their product. I don’t think that some of the “cleanses” are as bad as what people imagine. I hear the word “cleanse” and I think of that juice fasting thing that I stupidly did once.
Anyway. I support you! Do what you want.
As you know, I’ve had some struggles…I look back at some old posts where I said I looked good [I think the direct quote was “Dang, girl! Lookin’ gooooood” ;))] but I looked kind of scary thin. I didn’t even realize it. I still don’t have an accurate picture of my body, and I have days where I feel like I am fit and happy, and day where my jeans are too tight and my shirt is rolling up and I’m just wondering how that can happen when I move every day and eat (fairly) well. But you know, it’s this weird thing where all of a sudden it doesn’t have the pressing importance anymore…like, “OK, Sarah, you may have gained 10-15 pounds (or more, maybe!) since you moved to Alabama and started school (again) but I also am back in a place where–when I’m not stressed about schoolwork—I can actually enjoy life, and not worry about if the gym is closed or whether there will be something I “can” eat at a restaurant. So, do I love my body? Most of the time. DO I sometimes feel fat and say I’m giving up dessert for awhile? Sure. Do I still have moments where I mentally cannot get over eating super greasy pizza, but I do it anyway? Yep. In the end, I love to move. I love vegetables and ‘clean food,’ but I love to be free of the need to be ‘perfect’ all the time…although I DO wish I could find my favorite jeans in a bigger size. ;)
Hmmm, I think I’m in love with YOU! ;) And I know your perspective. I think you can get to a point where you may look great to others, but you just feel a bit uneasy in your skin, not quite yourself. And I don’t think there’s ANYthing wrong with that. And no one has a right to tell you how you SHOULD feel about your body! At 119 lbs, yes, maybe you needed someone to speak the truth to you in love (I know I did at 100 lbs!). But when you’re healthy, and you just want to FEEL better, physically and mentally…sheesh. This whole woman vs. woman thing is just ridiculous!
I hope you knew that my comment was an uplifting one!!
THANK YOU for writing this.
I’m really glad you addressed the fact that it is okay to say we’re happy if we’ve lost weight. I guess that the only thing I’d maybe give a side eye to is that for some people, going on a diet or a cleanse IS concerning – I’m talking specifically about people with pasts of disordered eating.
yes!!! love this!! totally agree with you and yes there is a difference!! we think it’s great that you are doing it, as well all want to feel better. we know we do, that is why we are trying new things until we find that sweet spot where we feel our absolute best. you’re amazing – just saying!
I’m proud of what my body can do, but I’m NOT currently in love with my body. I love this post and your message, and I hope I can get to that place too! :)
LOVE you! :) I definitely need to spend more time LOVING my body and being grateful for what it does for me day in and day out…Like most women, I can be really hard on myself, but having amazing friends and bloggers like you are always a nice reminder to be kind and grateful for this beautiful body that I have and have worked hard for and that allows me to do some pretty spectacular things! XOXO
it really does! And you have a particularly BEAUTIFUL one too! :)
I don’t know why people feel that weight is the #1 indicator of health in a person. The most important thing a person can do is to understand their own body and what works for them. Then they can take the steps they need to be at their best. This does not require a scale to accomplish.
amen!!!
I totally agree with you. I feel like in the healthy living community, there has always been this sort of backlash against wanting to lose weight. It’s okay to say that you want to be healthier but for some reason, it’s taboo to say that you want to do it just because you feel better about how you look at a certain weight. (I’m using the royal you, not you as in Lindsay.)
I love that you addressed this. A huge thing I’ve learned with blogging and reading blogs is that everyone has to do what’s best for them, and who the heck am I to judge?! I totally respect you and admire you for how you view yourself and how open and honest you are with your struggles. None of us are perfect! Hugs!
Very well said :) I remember being not even 1oo pounds in high school I’m 5’1″. If I ate a salad I was harassed because I was already skinny. I also played 3 sports year round. And I just really love salad.
I have the same opinion, but from a totally different perspective (wait, did that make sense?). I’m very overweight and am actively working to lose weight (no shame in saying that out loud) and I’m STILL judged for it. The side-effect of all the body-love movement (Which I’m all for – I don’t hate my body, I just want it to be healthy) is that now I’m viewed as “fat-shaming” myself. Um, what? Nobody wins in this quest for health, and that makes me so sad!
Bottom line: we all need to mind our Ps and Qs, and understand that people (skinny, tall, short, fat, whatever) are just trying to live their version of a happy and healthy life. Period.
I love looking at this from the other side, Emily. Isn’t it crazy – the critics, the judges.
Agreed! Eating clean and trying new eating styles like vegan/paleo/etc. is great and I think any efforts to be healthier are a GOOD thing. The problem comes when we start looking to those diets/foods/cleanses as a way to “salvation” from poor-self esteem, poor body-image, self-loathing, and the like. (Been there, done that, trust me.) Clean eating can be a great diet, but it makes a horrible religion, you know?
totally! I’ve lived with those types of IDOLS in my life – so glad to have overcome them.
AMEN. I love my body therefore I have a green juice here and there and I try to eat clean as much as I can. I love it so I treat the best I can!
I am so happy you wrote this!!
Well said girl!
thanks, Krysten!
This is awesome. I love it and 100% agree. You can be happy with what you have AND want to be better. isn’t that what it’s all about? Thanks for posting your “before” picture (which I agree – is amazing!) – and writing this post.
couldn’t have said it any better!! I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to explain I eat veggies because it makes me feel great!
You go girl! I love your openness and honesty on your blog. I don’t like that people try to find any and every way to knit pick on someone else’s lifestyle. I think that’s why I am so hesitant to get open and honest on my blog (let alone write very often about my daily life…I’ll get judged!). People need to stop being so critical and just let us live our lives how we see fit. Whether that is a cleanse, a certain diet, the type of foods you eat (I am so f-ing fed up with posts about the top unhealthy “health” foods…just let people eat the dang soy protein isolate!)….anyway. I digress.
You just keep doing what you are doing – as long as it makes YOU happy! Life is too short to do it any other way.
hey, i’m all about wanting to feel better. keep us posted!
Your photo had me laughing. The humor was understood, but I was shy in posting.
Right now I’m in the 3rd trimester. I cleaned out my diet last week, life surprised me on Friday, I chose to stress eat, felt beyond sick, and returned to (mostly) better food yesterday.
Life is a journey that only we know. Compassion and responsibility go a long ways in taking care of our own body (and nurturing our humor?).
I definitely agree that we each need to do what we feel is best for OUR body!! I cut red meat out for a few months & my family thought I was a CRAZY person! But I know that it helped reset my body and now I eat red meat occasionally and feel fine.
You just do you!! :)
AMEN.
that last line..that’s key. the difference between wanting to feel better and how you feel about yourself.
Everyone needs to do what is feeling right to them for who they are in their body! Good for you!
As I journey to my first 24 day challenge I LOVE THIS MESSAGE – I am in love with my body and the fact it birthed two children and I amalready working out – BUT I want to feel better and a bit more like me – I know I’ll be coming back to re read this post often *SIDE NOTE*you do look awesome!