This meme has been so all over the place I couldn't figure out who to credit it to... if you know, please share!
I've lost 13% of my body weight in the past four months. I've been wanting to look after my health better for a while, and I decided to stop putting it off. The weight-loss was a consequence of a healthier lifestyle, not the goal. Yesterday Tiger forgot something important, so I brought it to school for him and on the way bumped into Ms Smiles (who sadly isn't his teacher this year). "You've lost so much weight" she commented, "are you OK? Is it stress?"
This makes me happier than a number on a scale
Even though I sat down to write about this conversation I am struggling to find words to express how happy her comment made me. She didn't give a casual "looking good" or congratulate me on the "achievement". She knows how hard things have been, and she wanted to check I was fine. There is nothing inherently better about being thinner, and skinny does not equal happy.
Lovely man + puppy is, however, a reliable formula for happiness
The lightest I have ever weighed as an adult was the unhappiest year of my life. I was too stressed to feel hungry. I survived on coffee and lived almost entirely online. My life away from the computer was unbearably painful, and eating meant shopping and cooking and disconnecting my dial-up. When the man and I first moved in together we both put on huge amounts of weight. We had both been unhappy for a long time, and together created a happy domesticated existence that involved a lot of nights in with cheesy pasta-bakes and Stargate SG1. It wasn't great for our health, but man did that weight gain signify a change for the better in my overall quality of life! So although this time, losing weight has been a positive thing, I was so happy to hear someone make a comment that did not assume thinner = better.
Here is a random video of Hayate as a puppy trying to get his reflection to play with him. I was going to try and make it sound profound, but really, it's just another puppy video.
Hey Soph, I'm glad to hear that you are both in a good place mentally and physically :) I understand all of your sentiments, although when I had my rough patch, I put on massive amounts of weight. It is hard to be emotionally well and physically well when you're not used to doing both simultaneously.
I've certainly had times when I've eaten my feelings, too! But you are so right, the link between physical and mental health is surprisingly strong. When am I going to see more Chowder videos?!
Thin doesn't equal happiness, but being healthy sure makes the pursuit of happiness a little easier.Congrats on the healthier lifestyle change and thank you for sharing the hilarious video.
Because of all the spam lately, comments on old posts will now be moderated. This means it may be some time before your comment appears. You can always email me directly, check the contact page for details.
Posts
Hey Soph,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you are both in a good place mentally and physically :)
I understand all of your sentiments, although when I had my rough patch, I put on massive amounts of weight. It is hard to be emotionally well and physically well when you're not used to doing both simultaneously.
The puppy video also made my day, so thank you!
I've certainly had times when I've eaten my feelings, too! But you are so right, the link between physical and mental health is surprisingly strong.
DeleteWhen am I going to see more Chowder videos?!
Thin doesn't equal happiness, but being healthy sure makes the pursuit of happiness a little easier.Congrats on the healthier lifestyle change and thank you for sharing the hilarious video.
ReplyDeleteCheers :)
Delete