Month: December 2024

Posted in Emotional Well-Being, Encouragement/Motivation

2025 The Pilgrimage Continues

Posted on by HeatherLynn

It is the final day of the year marking the end of one of the many legs of the journey to happier, healthier lifestyle.   To say it has been fraught with mishaps and complications would be dead-on accurate.   This journey, like life itself, will never be problem free and I accept that.  The unexpected will happen, the diversions, the temptations, the doubts and misgivings.   All that matters is that I have emerged at this end better than what I plunged in at!  

I am looking forward to continuing this journey.  Can I still call it a journey or is it something more epic now?  Should I call it more a like a personal pilgrimage?  Whatever I refer to this as, it is certainly a new way of life.     

What does the next twelve months have in store for me?  I honestly cannot tell you.   I can share with you my hopes, my goals, my intentions, and then life is going to step in and let me know what really is going to happen.   I accept that, this is why I do not make New Year’s Resolutions.   I understand there are just too many variables in my life that can throw me off track.  

This is what I’ll do :

  1. Recognize my weaknesses –   when I travel/visit relatives/ social gatherings   I have a lot of trouble staying on point with my eating habits.    I also found that I like to bake, but cannot resist the temptation of testing my results so I need to refrain from that activity.    
  1. Keep my Focus –   remind myself daily the reasoning behind my journey and the way I feel now verses the way I felt before starting.   
  1. Use the Apps – there are apps to help with Fasting, Tracking Exercise, Logging Food, and nearly anything you can think of.  USE THEM RELIGIOUSLY 
  1. Exercise at minimum 15-20 minutes a day.   This means a brisk walk if nothing else.   You should be trying to do more a few times a week, but the daily 15 is better than nothing at all.    
  1. Adhere to your schedule –  I drifted from my fasting schedule a few times and I’ve paid the price with a stubborn plateau.   Stick to your schedule.  
  1. Don’t let other people’s bad habits take you off course. –   If you live with someone who isn’t 100% supportive,  that is on them.   Stick to your guns and if they wish to eat and practice habits that do not coincide with your journey, do not enable them by getting them their “fixes” { junk food; processed food; candy; etc }  
  1. Look in the mirror every morning and give yourself a smile and say “Good Morning! Let’s do this! “  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

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Posted in Emotional Well-Being

Reflection Perceptions

Posted on by HeatherLynn

When I was a teen, I was not in the popular clique.  I was one of those girls who wanted to be a part of their world, and I wanted to be like them, instead I was this socially awkward girl who had always just “known” she was different.   I was the fourth square in the famed Sesame Street four-square skit “one of these things is not like the other”.    And they were all well aware of it.   They had a lot of different names for me, but the ones that really carried with me were those that pertained to my size, “Elephant, Hippo, etc.”.     It is not a shocking thing to say that I developed a certain perception of the image I saw in the mirror each morning.   Hearing myself called by those names often enough, I began to believe I truly was disproportionately oversized.   

As an adult, I look at photos taken of me in that era.   I look amazing.  I don’t look like a side show attraction, I looked healthy, slim with some cushioned curves.  Overweight is not the term I would use looking at the girl in those photos.     My social environment was certainly the cause of my body dysmorphia at the time.     

Wait…what?  Did I say “Body Dysmorphia”?   Had I suffered from a disorder and sudden became cured as I grew older?  The simple answer is “sort of”.   Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a true disease that many suffer from.  People who suffer from this are preoccupied with something about their physical appearance they perceive as a flaw, even when that ‘flaw’ is not observable to others.   

Signs of body dysmorphic disorder include: 

  • Repetitive behaviors, such as compulsive grooming or constantly checking the mirror. 
  • Seeking frequent reassurance from other people about appearance. 
  • Constant stream of anxiety stemming from thoughts about size and appearance.  

I didn’t have any of the repetitve behaviors, I certainly didn’t want reassurance from others about my appearance because I feared they would confirm my fears, and I didn’t have anxiety about it.    What I did have was a horrible misconception of what I truly looked like.   I cannot tell you there was a magic cure because I fear I may still suffer somewhat from it. 

Let me explain.  My teen years are long behind me.   I’ve worked my way through my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s with both weight loss and gain as I navigated the churning waters of my self-worth and learned to love myself.   Life threw a lot of curve balls my way and somehow, I survived and hit my 50’s.    I found myself here, being classified as “obese” on the doctor’s charts.   The word “obese” is like being called names by those popular girls.  Hurtful and damaging to the self-esteem.    My mirror showed a woman who was not worthy to speak to.  I’d forget though, when I was out in public.  I would talk to people and walk with confidence and laugh as if I was actually one of them.  And then I would see my reflection in a window, and I would remember.  

Let’s fast forward to this past year.   I put myself on a health journey and my body has most definitely changed.   I can physically feel the difference, I can see the difference in the mirror and I absolutely know that I am not a freak.    Does this mean I am cured of the body dysmorphia?   I wish it did.     My self-confidence is better than it has been in decades, but something else is going on now and I need to learn how to navigate it.    I don’t understand what size I am. 

That sounds funny, right?   I was a size 24w-26w for a very long time.  Purchasing clothes was easy knowing what size to search for, knowing I couldn’t sit in a restaurant booth because I wouldn’t be able to breathe, understanding that I couldn’t ride on a lot of amusement rides or that stadium seats would be uncomfortable.  When you are big, you accept things and you learn to navigate in the world with this acceptance.   

I lost weight, but I’ve forgotten how to navigate in a world where I am not “obese”.  When I purchase clothes, I make a lot of mistakes and end up with things that are too big.   I hesitate when I am offered a booth at a restaurant, and when I glance at my reflection in a window, I am constantly surprised by what I see.  That isn’t me.   I don’t know that woman like I knew who I was before.    I immediately look for a flaw to focus on, because the flaw is like a warm blanket, comforting to me in this world where I must re-learn how to navigate.   

There are a lot of things people just never talk about when it comes to weight loss and I think its important that we do talk about it.  It might feel insignificant, especially after years of the struggle just to find clothes large enough to fit, yet this is still a thing you must deal with.   I know I cannot be the only one who struggles with this.    

Another goal for my next leg of the journey – adjust my view in the mirror so my perception and view are a closer match!  

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Posted in Emotional Well-Being, Encouragement/Motivation

Setting Goals

Posted on by HeatherLynn

December –   Its the final month of the year.   A time we can look back and reflect on the prior months and see our success stories and our stumbles.     Did you achieve every goal you set for yourself last January?   Most likely, you did not.   This doesn’t mean you are a failure, it simply shows that life has a way of interrupting plans.       

Now is the time to grab a notebook and jot down some new goals.    We do not refer to them as resolutions since resolutions almost always end up as failed attempts.   Instead we shall refer to them as goals to work towards as we step into the next twelve months of our busy lives.  

  1. Drink Water every day  –  that’s a simple goal and one you can track.   I am not a huge fan of plain water unless its from my own well and has ice in it.   I like the flavored, no-calorie seltzers like Waterloo and Bubly.    They replaced soda in my refrigerator and not only are they healthier, they are easier on the wallet.   
  1. Move every day –   be creative with this.  Your lifestyle will dictate how you want to make this happen.   If you are urban, go for a tour in the city under the guise of a photography walk.  Take pictures and explore.  Go to a museum,  the park, play frisbee, or simply turn on YouTube to DannyGo and do some simple exercises meant for children but are actually really fun.    If you are rural, we all know that you will be out there mowing, raking, building, fixing, walking…  just keep doing it!    
  1. Eat Healthy –  ( healthier )  groceries are expensive and we all now the healthier it is, the more it seems to cost.   However, your body will benefit from the fresh fruits and vegetables.  Skip the processed meals, and avoid all those chemicals and preservatives!       Limit your fast food to twice a month,  eat out as special occasion and not as a regular ritual.   Cooking and preparing your meals at home helps control your portions and also opens you up to a world of dishes you would never find in a restaurant. 
  1. Learn a new skill or hobby.    This is a very important goal.   You are never too old to learn new things and taking up a new hobby fuels your motivation.   This can be anything from raising animals to painting, cake decorating, or even ballroom dancing.    Whatever it is, have fun with it, you deserve it!  

You don’t have to wait until January first to begin your new journey.   You can start today.  Every day you have is precious and you should not waste a single one.   The date on the calendar is merely a guideline for reference, the power to change is all in your hands and ready when you are.  

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