Feeling Down About Your Body

I’ve been working this year to lose weight so I can become an organ donor for my dad, but sometimes I just feel so down about myself. Despite having a positive outlook on this experience, I didn’t realize how having a weight goal and putting more thought and effort into me weight and body would effect me emotionally. I’ve noticed that when I get out of the shower and before I get dressed, I stare at my stomach a lot. I have stretch marks and it isn’t a small stomach and I have been feeling so ashamed of it lately. Sometimes I think I see results but then I get down on myself. I go between huge bursts of confidence but then I look at myself more and more and think that I’m gaining weight instead if losing it. It’s frustrating because I didn’t think about having setbacks in this part of my life. But setbacks are a part of being human. To have doubts and question what you’re doing is a normal part of human nature. Life would not be life withouts setbacks. Nobody is ever fully confident in how they look. When I tell my friends that I feel down about my body, I’m always surrounded by intense words of love and reassurance and they point out everything about me that they admire and I feel on top of the world. Sometimes you need to let go of your fears and think more in terms of how my friends do.

I put this post down for a week because of classwork and the other day, I looked at myself in a window and just thought, “damn, I look good.” It was this moment that I reminded myself that everything is going to be okay. Having confidence in yourself is a damn good thing and don’t be afraid of it. Life is a rollercoaster full of ups and downs and you need to remember that whenever you feel down, you can only go up from there.

 

My Progress So Far

Now that we are in the new year, part of my resolution was to bring myself to be the healthiest I can be so that I can be an organ donor for my dad. So far, I have been tracking my food and going for walks or using my parents’ elliptical every day and I am very proud of the work I have been putting in. I’ll admit that I haven’t been the absolute healthiest on this journey. I have indulged in some sweets almost every day and I need to exercise more self-control. I had a bad morning last week where I looked at myself in the mirror and I was so upset with the way I looked. Then I got even more upset because I was thinking so poorly of myself. It’s important that I feel confident in myself and put myself to a true and healthy routine. I have loved getting into the habit of taking a break from whatever laziness I have put myself to and taking a half an hour or so to be active. It’s a great way for me to feel productive, which I love, and I get to confidently say that I did something to improve my health and am closer to my goal of being healthy enough to be a donor.

I have been trying to phrase this journey as me trying to be healthier so I can be a donor and I avoid solely thinking about losing weight or becoming thinner. This has been helpful in shaping how I think about myself and my adjusting lifestyle. Pushing myself to be more positive has, so far, been the biggest thing making me continue. Instead of thinking, “ugh I have to go work out now…” I think about how nice it would be to go for a nice long walk in the fresh air, or I think about how nice it would be to go ham on the elliptical and then shower off all the sweat. If I go extra hard on a workout, I treat myself to some awesome skin care after just to keep up the pampering of my body. Working out in a way is pampering yourself because for me, when I’m done, it makes me feel better about myself. Even though I may regret it in the middle of it, I’ve never come down from a workout and regretted anything I did.

I can’t wait to see how I keep going throughout this month and the rest of this year. It hasn’t been long, but I really am proud of everything I’ve done. I hope this can inspire anyone else looking into a lifestyle change!

Healthy Habits For 2019

Now that we are in 2019, I want to start working in healthier habits into my daily life for my physical and mental health, and finances. Now that I have decided that these three staples are what I need to work on, I want to start going through realistic goals/activities that I can slowly implement into my lifestyle. If i say that I must do a complete 180 on my current lifestyle, I would never keep up with it. I’m not a perfect person and I will definitely slip up from time to time. But by thinking of small things that take a fraction of a second to consider doing, I am one step closer to becoming a healthier and more content person.

Some of the things listed below, I already do, but it’s good to remind myself of the healthy habits I need to continue doing especially while I have resources at college that I won’t have once I graduate.

Physical Health

• Park farther away from buildings at school, stores, etc. so I walk a little extra every day
• Go for a walk when I get too stressed (this will help with the mental category as well!)
• Think twice before I snack when I get bored
• Try to pick a healthy alternative to unhealthy food
• Cook for myself more often
• Go to the gym at school and walk/cycle while reading for class (we love multitasking here at the blog)
• Stretch in the AM and PM

Mental Health

• Meditation
• Journaling
• Keep a gratitude log (bullet journal)
• Monitor how negative I am toward others
• When overwhelmed, write out a schedule of what you need to get done and how long you think it will take you to accomplish it
• Try on a bunch of outfits and appreciate how good I look in them
• Gush over how cute your pets are

Finances

• Evaluate if I really need to buy something
• Put in extra hours for workstudy
• Go out to eat less
• Keep a spending log (bullet journal)

A New Health Journey

As I mentioned in my blog post titled “My Pledges For The New Year”, I mentioned that a major goal for me in 2019 is to start losing weight. I am doing this for myself so that I can become a kidney donor for my father. He has had a kidney disease for the last two years that has forced him to go on dialysis and put his name on the kidney transplant list. He is in great health as of right now but I want to get tested so that if there was an emergency, I would be right there to help, as kidneys aren’t always in great supply for those in need. I have been in contact with the transplant center and they said that my BMI is a bit high for me to be a good candidate and that was the push I needed to tell myself to get off my butt and do something about it. I weigh over 220lbs and am on the short side, which means that I need to work on my physical health. Not only will this be good for me, it will be good for my family My father is an amazing man who deserves the world. He has done so much for me in my life and I feel that I need to do everything in my power to be there for him. I can’t imagine a world where he isn’t in it and that love is my best motivation.

My high school graduation. Me and my dad (pre-kidney issues)

This is something exciting but also scary. I have never had major surgury before and if I am a match and my dad needs me, this is something that I will do. Although I have some fears, my dad is worth fighting for. This weightloss journey is going to be hard for me. I love food and am lazier than I’d like to admit and it will be an adjustment becoming a more active person but there is nothing more important than helping those you love.