One girl's journey to a healthy relationship with life.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Numbers
I try to stay away from numbers. They are not generally a real positive thing and a really good way to get thrown. I try to stay away from saying exactly how much weight I have lost to date, this week, or what size I am or where I want to end up being. I do this because it should not matter to me or you. We should be doing the best we can to be the healthiest we can. This was brought home to me having a conversation with a friend the other night. She has been a great supporter of this endeavor of mine, and she is a very healthy, and balanced lady. She gets her eat on when she wants to but also does not mess around when it comes to working out and striving for some balance. Anyway she asked me if people asked me for totals or if it bothered me. Yes they do, and yes it does. It bothers me for a few reasons, 1. it's like that vouches for what I've done or validates my achievement, and 2. it makes me uncomfortable because it's a wee bit embarrassing to admit you were that overweight before. She said in her own experience recommending my blog (told you, she's awesome and a great supporter), that people often immediately asked how much weight has she lost? How much I've lost is not important, what is much more important and relevant if you ask me is what I have gained. I have gained confidence, skills, and knowledge I previously did not have. I do not bother to tell these people that. They just want the sexy facts. Big numbers, magical answers, how to eat cake and not gain weight and other silliness. They do not want to examine their behavior, have sometimes crushingly honest moments with themselves and most importantly take a risk and change. I stay away from numbers because they do not matter. They serve a purpose to guide me to give me a reference but what size I end up, weight, or total pounds lost is of no interest to me. Numbers let you down because they belittle what you have actually done and achieved they are given a credit they do not deserve. The numbers did nothing and are a tiny shred of proof of something you actually did. I thank beazel for bringing this up and helping me articulate a point I have meant to discuss many times over, and more then anything I thank and appreciate her for the empathy to see it from my side.
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If one really wants to break the diet mentality and make it about living healthy and not feeding an addiction, all you have said is so true about not focusing on numbers. Since my daughter and I both have weight issues and have started cooking and living more healthy and cleanly than before, my son tends to complain. He doesn't have a weight problem. I realized that I'm inching away from this all being about weight loss and more about health as I've been more focused on incorporating the vegetables he likes (which are few) into every dish I make. It sounds like a small thing but I was like hey, he needs all the good vitamins too. Then I tell him he has to eat the ones he has told me he likes and not just his "meat and potatoes". It's not just for my daughter and I because we need to lose weight, it's all of us so we can be healthy.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way of looking at it within your family. It's easier for me I think because it's just me I have to worry about. I think cooking and adapting as a family has to be tough. What a good way for you to try to find a balance and compromise.
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