I’m Body Positive But It Was Time For A Change

If you read this post, you know that I have RETURNED to Weight Watchers (again). I don’t say that like it’s a bad thing, but it was definitely time. Every now and then we need a little fine-tuning…i.e., a reality check. At least I do. You won’t believe this, but on January 8, 2018 it was exactly 10 YEARS since I joined WW and stepped foot into my first meeting! I still can’t believe I was a young tenda preparing for a healthy lifestyle program. I never struggled with weight prior to that. After taking a medication that caused me to gain weight, I was no longer happy with what I saw in the mirror, so I did something about it. I was extremely successful on the program. I lost 55 lbs in 7 months.

I’ve always loved WW because it’s NOT a diet. Over the course of a decade (since I became a member) they have made improvements to the program, thus changing it when needed. It’s truly a lifestyle change that encourages you to want to eat better. I’ve shared before how WW inspired me to want to cook (for real, for real). I wanted to enjoy the foods that I love without having to give them up, so I found ways to enjoy them by decreasing the point value. My WW family knows exactly what I’m talking about! And by the way, I’m loving the new #WWFreestyle program so far!

*ENTERS* THE BODY POSITIVE MOVEMENT

The Body Positive is a movement that encourages people to adopt more forgiving and affirming attitudes towards their bodies, with the goal of improving overall health and well-being.

Sounds great, right? Well, over the course of time this movement started to get a bad rep due to lack of inclusion from the ones who helped make it mainstream, specifically black women. I don’t even want to go down that road to share some of the things said, but you can read them here; however, I’ll say this: just because a woman is confident in her skin does not make her inferior. And just because a woman does not desire to be the world’s standard of beauty does not mean she is not healthy or does not desire to be. And she most certainly doesn’t deserve to be fat-shamed.

Gabourey Sidibe, Author of This Is Just My Face, Try Not To Stare

I want to see more representation of realistic, positive images of women who look like me and women oozing confidence at every size. That means on television, in magazines, on the blogs, in music videos, wherever. I know…another topic for another day. I will ALWAYS be here for body positivity in its truest form, because we should all strive to love ourselves through our words AND actions.

People always ask me, ‘You have so much confidence. Where did that come from?’ It came from me. One day I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl … It doesn’t have anything to do with how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see. Your body is your temple, it’s your home, and you must decorate it.

― Gabourey Sidibe

On the flip side of that, it was time for me to make a change. Does that mean I can’t be a woman that honors her curves and want to improve her overall health? Of course not! I want to live my best life while looking and feeling my best. By today’s standards, I will always be considered plus-size, full-figured, curvy — or whatever you want to call it. Even at my “thinnest”, I was still considered “plus-size” and I’m just fine with that. I even ran four full marathons as a plus-size girl, and I didn’t let that stop me!

I strive to encourage women who look like me that they can achieve their impossibles. I also want women to know that they can reach their goals, and even get to the place that when they look in the mirror they are happy with the person they see. A size on a tag or a number on the scale can’t stop you from being great. There are so many phenomenal women who are body positive who have helped pave the way for women like me. They are on the runways at New York Fashion Week, on the cover of Sports-Illustrated, in fitness magazines, on our jobs, and in our communities. It’s also OKAY to put your health first, take care of YOU, and make the changes necessary to make sure you feel good on the inside and out.

Let’s continue to encourage ourselves to be more forgiving, positive affirming, and loving to ourselves.