Don't Wait for the Weight

Good Morning!

I know this blog discusses mainly fashion but I would be remiss to ignore that the mindset of the person wearing the clothes are just as important. Put it like this,a beautiful gown doesn't look as good if the person wearing it doesn't believe that she looks stunning in it-there's just something missing. I acknowledge that though there are many confident plus side ladies out there there are just as many who aren't comfortable with their size and are waiting to lose weight in order to live life...here's a sample of the things that have been shared....

• "I know I'm pretty but I don't dress up and flirt because I'm waiting to lose weight to do that."
• "I don't dance when I go out with my friends but I'm sure when I lose weight I will."
• "I havn't taken a picture in 2 years because I hate the way I look so when I finally lose 40 lbs I'll proudly smile..."
• "I love to window shop because I get to make a mental list of all the clothes I'm going to get once I lose weight."
• " I refuse to go to my class reunion until I lose weight."

I was lucky enough to get author Monica Jones to guest blog and give her take on this issue, let's proceed shall we?

Don't Wait for the Weight

This morning I almost got discouraged when my weight had increased by 5 pounds from yesterday's reading, but then I had to catch myself and remember how the scale can be a true set up. Several factors contribute to the reasons why our weight on the scale may fluctuate from day to day and sometimes throughout the day. From my research I have found that our true weight is the weight that we see first thing in the morning when we wake up after we have used the bathroom. We also must keep in mind that different scales are calibrated differently thus giving us a different reading. Don't pay so much attention to the number. Pay attention to the gain and loss and try to stick with one scale. No matter what actual weight any scale may say, if you lose 5 pounds, you lose 5 pounds, just as 5 pounds of feathers weighs the same as 5 pounds of bricks.

I came to the conclusion that my weight had increased so rapidly due to two factors. One was that I had not used the bathroom yet as I always do when I wake up in the morning. The other factor was that the day before, I had consumed far less water and far more sodium than I usually do, thus I was suffering from water retention. This is another reason why we should not rely solely on the scale as a measure of our progress, because often times the change that we see is a water weight loss or gain, not fat. I like to measure my progress by keeping track of my inches, gauging how my clothes feel, and measuring my body fat percentage. This helps me because I carry weight much differently than most. When asked to guess my weight, many guess an average of 140. When I reveal to people that I am hovering around 180 they usually don't believe me. When I was hovering around 140 I began to look too skinny and I had lost all of my womanly curves, thus I have come to the conclusion that 150 is the ideal weight for me. I believe that I tend to weigh more because of the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. I have a lot of muscle, primarily in my legs.

I have made the conscious decision to enjoy and love my body as it is in the present. I will continue to work out, eat right, and strive to increase my quality of health and level of fitness, but I will not wait until I reach a certain goal to do everything that I want to do. I hear people saying that they want to wait until they shed the pounds to take pictures, put on a swim suit or perform in a show....I used to be the same way. While using things such as this for motivation to become healthier is great, I no longer believe in putting my life on hold. Take it from me, I speak from experience.

When I was 150, I felt fat. When I was 140, I felt too skinny, missing my womanly curves and feeling like I was shaped like a little boy. Now I look back at pictures and see how beautiful I was at every moment of my life, even when I was 214....the key is believing it. When you believe that you are beautiful you exude a confidence that is magnetic.

With all of that said, I will not wait to do a professional photo shoot, I will not wait to wear a two piece swim suit, and I will not wait to do everything I aspire to do. I will not wait for the weight!

Monica Marie Jones is an author whose published works include The Ups and Downs of Being Round, Taste My Soul and FLOSS. She is also a contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Girls Soul, New Directions for Youth Development and several publications and youth development training materials for the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. For more information visit her website at http://www.monicamariejones.com/ or email her at monicamjones@hotmail.com

Thanks Monica!

My Take: Live your life the way you want to NOW and not when the weight comes off- you're focusing on the future but what about the present?? Admittedly I still have my moments where I allow the thought of my weight to dictate my actions , but I remind myself that life is best enjoyed lived instead of standing on the sidelines.

From a fashion standpoint there are LOADS of clothing lines and stores with us full-figured women in mind- so why wait to lose the weight?? Look & feel your absolute best now :)

~Hoping that you make your best effort to start Luvin' your Curves today!