weight scaleI’m tackling a subject matter over over the course of the next week that I have been avoiding for too long.

A topic that steps on toes. A topic that pulls at the root of many womens’ emotions. A topic that can offend, even when not intended. A topic that hurts. A topic that no one truly understands unless one has walked that journey before.

That topic? Women and their weight.

Is it any wonder why I get emails asking to share my weight loss journey, and I avoid addressing it, with a passion? Many people who follow my Frugal Fashionista posts always have one comment – “Well, it’s easy for you to find thrift store clothes because you are skinny.”

They have no idea. The truth of the matter is that my weight has fluctuated within forty pounds of where I am right now. During my college years and early twenties, I was in an unhealthy bondage to food. There’s no other way to put it.  I thought about it all the time, and made drastically unhealthy eating choices.

Any one who has ever struggled with their weight knows, it doesn’t matter how much weight you have lost over the years, if it’s ever been a struggle, you can close your eyes and all the emotions you dealt with during those years comes flooding back in an instant.

That’s why I am sharing my journey, and no one elses. I can’t begin to try and walk in your shoes. I have my story and you have yours, but we all have different chapters which have been written.

Society is judgmental. I know that’s harsh, but it’s a fact – especially when it comes to body image, shape and looks. As much as we know we shouldn’t judge, women are the worst. We get caught up in that comparison game that takes us down an emotional roller coaster, often leaving us parked at the bottom of the hill struggling to find a way up. Some of you may have seen pictures of me on this blog and have already formed an opinion such as, “Well, she could never know what I’ve gone through,” or “She can probably eat what ever she wants and not gain a pound.” That’s why I am finally getting around to sharing on this topic, even though I want to go kicking and screaming in the other direction because it opens us up to a topic that is hard.

Right now, I have fallen off the “maintaining the weight” wagon and am finally saying, “Enough is enough.” Even though for me, it’s been a subtle gain of a few pounds here and a few pounds there, (I know we’re not talking tons and tons of weight,) but it’s still the emotional roller coaster that is coming into play.That affects many aspects of life, and I have dealt with those repercussions years ago and am not going back.

I love food, but food can’t rule me. I hate to exercise, but I know it’s a necessity for healthy living. I love french fries, but too many, without moderation, is a recipe for an undisciplined life. I hate a sore body, but I know that it’s part of that roller coaster I need to embrace in order to get to the other side.

Tomorrow, I’ll go back in time a bit, but it’s always a pretty story. It reaches its peak with a chocolate cake and a garbage can….

Please know that where ever you are coming from, whether you have 100 pounds to lose, or just realize you need to get back to making healthier eating choices, we are in this together.
If we encourage one another along the way, we CAN do it, but it starts with knowing and understanding that no matter what our weight or our body type, we are loved and accepted no matter what!!
Sometimes the hardest thing to accept is beginning with that very fact. You are loved unconditionally and whether we gain or lose weight has nothing to do with that.
Starting Monday, I am taking back the physical aspect of my life because I want to be healthy for my children and our children’s children, so I’m beginning Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. Twenty minutes a day of sheer torture, but if we do it together, I think I can manage. I can do anything for 20 minutes, can’t I? (Amazon said it shipped yesterday, so I have no more excuses.) A group of us are holding each other accountable. I will be checking in here on the blog and on my Facebook Fan Page, where I already announced it. Many of you are excited to join in and I’ll post more details about it tomorrow.

(Read through the posts about this experience under 30 Day Shred)