Monday, June 13, 2011

Pretty one more time!

First of all, many thanks to those who have written supportive comments. It is touching that complete strangers reach out with words of kindness and encouragement. The world is full of wonderful people, and it renewed my faith in humanity to virtually meet some of you. All of your blogs give me a glimpse into your weight loss journey and struggles. I see your triumphs too and that makes me want to succeed . So thanks for sharing, and I hope I can give something back that might help you.

 I wanted to mention a commercial I saw the other day for Jenny Craig with Carrie Fisher in it. Often I just have the TV playing in the background, not paying any attention to what's on. However, I stopped for a minute when I heard Carrie say 'thanks for letting me be pretty one more time'. I even took a moment to jot that down. It struck a chord with me.  She's lost thirty pounds and feels pretty again as she once did many years ago.

Another aha moment for me. Part of the process of gaining weight, is that with every pound you gain, I think you lose a little bit of your self. It's can be gradual, like the weight gain, and before you know it the inner you is changing. I think you lose a little self confidence & self worth with every pound you gain, and I also think you lose some physical stamina and physical attractiveness. Attractiveness is subjective of course, but many people who are overweight don't feel pretty or attractive. I don't.

Some of these feelings I attributed to getting older. I have little laugh lines and crows feet, hair that's not so soft and silky anymore, etc., etc. . Part of it I attribute to people who only look a few years younger than me, calling me Ma'am!  But a large part of the reason is because I need to lose weight. I don't feel good about myself.  I don't like the way I look in photos, or the glimpses of myself that I see while passing by a store mirror or window. When I would get dressed up for a family gathering or party I swear I looked  pretty darn good when I left. But then someone had to share their photos on Facebook, and my first thought was 'where is the old me, and who is that woman?'

I'm not saying that you can't be pretty if you are overweight.  I know that true beauty comes from within. Let's face it though, looking better, feeling better and being healthy are the real benefits of being at a normal weight.It's want I want to achieve. 

So, I want to feel pretty again one more time just like Carrie. I want to have a spring in my step and a glow on my face (even with the midlife wrinkles!) More importantly, I want to gain back some of the inner self that I have lost over the years. Self confidence, self worth, self esteem,  Maybe in the past I felt prettier because I took more time for myself, took better care of myself and sometimes put myself before everyone else. Marriage and children, work and family, all got put ahead of me over the years. Now's my time to look pretty!

One last thought, when my boys where little, I read a story of a woman who had a little saying that she said to her children as she hugged them goodbye each morning. I copied that idea and whenever they left for the morning bus, or even later as they were driving out the driveway, I would say the following "work hard, place nice, be kind, go to your destiny, fear nothing". I said that everyday, wrote that in their yearbooks, on birthday and graduation cards, and still say it when I see them. I think I will make that my sign off for this blog. It really is a  nice saying with wonderful meaning.

Goodbye for now! Work hard, play nice, be kind. Go to your destiny! Fear nothing!

Thought for the day:

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. It comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we have learned something from yesterday"  John Wayne

What's exciting me today:

*The heatwave is gone, the air is cool and clean and a breeze is blowing. Windows are open, AC off!
* Got new contact lenses and seeing better than ever!
*My pepper plant has little peppers on it, and seeing lots of growth in my garden.
*lost a little over a pound!!! (would have been more, but there was that paella incident!)
*Master Chef is on tonight (my husband says maybe losing weight wouldn't be so hard if I stopped watching cooking shows so much! LOL! He may have a point!)


 

6 comments:

  1. Here's to feeling pretty! I love cooking shows! I think they are making me a better cook - that's never a bad thing!

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  2. You know, I LOVED your blog! I feel exactly the same way. When I had gained my 30 lbs I would look in the mirror and wonder who in the heck that person was? As shallow as it sounds, it was hard to get too excited about doing much because I simply wasn't happy:( That thing that I am struggling with now is that I have lost a good portion of the weight, I feel like my old self, I kind of look like my old self, but I am getting older...I won't ever look like I used to. That kind of bums me out a little. I am just being honest here! I love the quote to your children. Mine are all grown and it would have been great to have used that. We always did the I'll love you forever, like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be!
    I don't cook at all but I LOVE watching the cooking shows!
    I have not had a cookie, candy, donut, ice cream, etc. since March 7th. I have not cheated one single time. I feel like I have accomplished a miracle! The weight is coming off more slowly, but I think I am eating too many chips:)
    Thanks for your blog. I would love to be blog buddies. Are you on facebook?

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  3. I am on facebook. Kay M Rasmussen. My profile pic is of my daughter and me. This is a journey better shared!

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  4. Hi Pattie,

    I loved everything you said today. Even though I have lost so much weight - I still look down at myself and see something wrong. My friend Mayra says it is body something er another. I could remember what the heck it was if I didn't have Middle-Heimers LOL!!
    My point is that once we got fluffy - its hard to stop seeing ourselves that way no matter what we do.

    All I can say is We are beautiful just the way we are.............

    Have a great day :-)

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  5. What a wonderful writer you are Patti! And, yes, I think we can all relate to everything you said in this post. When I weighed 180 pounds, I was completely unrecognizable to myself. I have made it to 133 over a long period of time, and I finally feel at home in my body again! Do I feel pretty? Nope, but I am hoping that will come in time. I still have 18 pounds to lose and no real clue if I can do it, so I take it a moment, a step, a meal at a time. After all, I can only eat one meal at a time anyhow, lol. I am still having problems commenting on Blogger as Helen, so trying Anonymous.

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  6. Ladies, your comments have given me a real lift today. I don't know you personally, but I love the photos I see of you all. You all look beautiful just the way you are!I can feel your inner beauty by the way you write. Helen, I had problems today too commenting, and couldn't figure out how to comment without posting as anonymous. I did some surfing around, and it seems there are alot of posts recently about this problem. Maybe it's a google glitch!
    So onward we go. YOu big losers are paving they way for us. Thanks for your postings and support.

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