Meg’s Story {Skipping the January Diet}

Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack. We give it orders which make no sense. ~Henry Miller

The quote above woke me up. It could mean a lot of different things, but when I read it, I instantly applied it to my obsession over my weight and dieting. To me, Henry Miller was saying that we get these ideas in our heads about what we think we should be/do/look like, which often goes against the intrinsic knowledge your body holds about what we should eat, when we should exercise and what we should look like. We starve ourselves and exercise until we are ready to drop, when our bodies wish only for us to eat food that nourishes us. If we would just quiet down and listen, our bodies tell us what they need.

My journey to not dieting started about a year ago…New Year’s Eve to be exact. I had been meticulously counting calories and cataloging every minute of exercise I’d done for over a year and still wasn’t losing the weight I thought I should be. I was super frustrated and feeling hopeless. So, what did I do? I vowed to give up the dieting. I resolved that I would eat what my body craved and look how my body decided to look. I was never obese, but most women in my family were, and that scared the shit out of me. My grandmother and her sisters jokingly referred to themselves as “The Lard Sisters.” I kid you not. So, with influences like that, it was hard not to be scared of becoming one of them. But, you know what? They were happy, healthy, albeit overweight, women. Happier than most of the women I’ve worked with and am friends with. These women were (and still are) an inspiration to me.

So, last New Year’s Eve, I gave up the dieting for good. You know what happened? I felt free! I felt happy! I felt like I could finally appreciate and value my body for what it is: mine…uniquely mine. I didn’t feel like I had to keep up with friends and family in their calorie quests. I didn’t feel like I had to exercise for hours on end and avoid food like the plague. I feel so appreciative of my grandma and my great-aunties for the knowledge they’ve unwittingly passed along. Their happiness reminds me to not worry about a few calories and to enjoy every single possible moment I’m breathing. I eat what my body craves. I exercise when my body gets restless, and I love my body…stretch marks and all. Our lives are short, so get out there and have fun and love and smile and be happy.

Your pant size is NOT who you are as a person.

–Meg

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Are you skipping a January diet? Share your story.