When I started this blog 5 years ago, I categorized myself as a weight loss blogger because it seemed like a good idea. I was trying to lose weight! But the motivation was to find health. I think the category of weight loss blogging itself is really misleading because it leads with the goal of losing weight, not with the goal of getting healthy. This isn't to say that other weight loss bloggers aren't focused on health – most are. But when people find me and see “weight loss,” they want to know results. The truth is: I can't give you the numbers you want. I did an interview recently and part 1 of it just went up (ignore that I'm identified as a weight loss blogger – this is an amazing facility and they truly promote health over weight). Here's an excerpt:
“When you blog about your weight, it can create an overwhelming sense of pressure to perform. When the scale doesn’t move how you want it to, reporting it over and over can feel devastating. My measure of success was too dependent upon a number. The feeling just got overwhelming and I was tired of trying to justify my actions and results of the scale.”
Over the years I've gotten emails from really nice people who find my “weight loss blog” and ask for answers. I seem to be getting a lot more of them recently. I get questions like:
- “How can I lose weight?”
- “How did you lose weight?”
- “What foods do you eat? When do you eat? How much do you eat?”
- “How much do you exercise? What exercises do you do? How many times per week? How many minutes?”
Here's the thing: If there were an award for a great weight (non)loss blogger, I might qualify for that list. Sure, I lost 113 pounds in 2 years, but since then have bobbled up and down and up and around. There's only so long you can talk about your weight before it becomes a complete obsession. Every emotion gets tied to it. And it really makes you dislike yourself. I got tired of it.
Some might look at my past 3 years of plateau as 3 years of struggling. I call it 3 years of growth. I'm not weighing myself every morning and letting that number dictate my mood. I'm exercising because I value my mobility and like the feeling of being strong. I have been binge free for over 2.5 years because I have worked hard to recognize the triggers that put me into that head space. I've searched for answers with regards to my overall health and have been gluten free over 8 months now after learning about having Hashimoto's. I just recently learned that despite my surgeons assertion, my ankle post-surgery wasn't hurting because of my excess weight, it's because of poor body mechanics of how I was walking. New physical therapy and I'm having more moments of zero pain. I'm even on my 3rd week of workouts without my ankle brace! I'm not where I want to be with it yet, but it's amazing how much progress has been made in a matter of weeks with the proper knowledge of how to fix it.
Love this from @CurvyYoga (and Oprah!)
The past few months I've come to an important realization:
If I found out I could never lose another pound, I would still do what I'm doing for my health.
So maybe it's time to shed the “weight loss blogger” categorization. Those looking for fitness bloggers are often looking for hard bodies. But if you're looking for just a gal who works out, is controlling binge eating disorder, has Hashimoto's, and loves fashion and coffee – you're in the right place! Progress comes in interesting ways!