Love Your Body

As a female and former self proclaimed fat girl, I've struggled most of my life with loving my body.  Starting as early as middle school I remember being frustrated with my body and my looks.  It never helped that as a competitive swimmer I got to see myself in a bathing suit every single day.  Towards the end of high school, I slowed my swimming schedule (after ten years I'd finally burned out) and the pounds slowly crept on.  I hit my heaviest weight my freshman year of college when I weighed close to 220lbs and when I started Weight Watchers that summer, I weighed 207lbs.  Over the next several years I discovered food blogs,exercise, healthy/natural foods which seemed to only increase my obsession to find the perfect body.

BUT what defines the perfect body?  The more weight I lost the happier I became yet I still wanted to lose more.  I'd spent so many years dieting how could I stop.  I went from weighing a size 16 unable to find cute clothing to being smaller than a size 0 again struggling to find clothing that fit.  I've had days where I've justified how much I ate based on how hard I worked out.  I've started to tear up in frustration during a group exercise class because I messed up the steps and I wouldn't burn as many calories.  With the support of my family and close friends, I've slowly started to change my mentality.  I've started to love myself again.  I've even asked my former "fat" self for forgiveness for all the harsh words and hatred I forced upon her.  And today I discovered this poster via The Now Foundation:

Shannon Wu
Orange Village, OH

I almost started to cry when I saw this poster and looked through the other contest winners.  I immediately started sending the ecard version to all my friends and family.  And now I'm sharing the message with you.

LOVE YOURSELF and LOVE YOUR BODY!

We are all uniquely beautiful and special.  

There is NO perfect body: Hollywood be damned.  

I've shared my story with you in hopes of helping you realize that if you struggle with self image or body hatred, you are not alone.  I know that I often look upon other food bloggers with slight twinges of jealously or envy.  I will feel guilty for not lifting enough or running far enough or drinking coffee with splenda instead of green tea.  But no one is perfect: I'm NOT perfect.  And the only person who knows what's best for me is me.  And same goes for you!  So love your body and your body will love you back.  Sure you will have your good days and bad days BUT always remember that your body is with you through the good and bad.  And if you wouldn't say it to your best friend then don't say it to yourself.  

Here are some of the other posters (from this year and past years): 

Sarah Neuser
Eagan, MN

Marie Bushbaum
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Beryl Roda, Grand Prize Winner
Silver Spring, Md.

Check out the website to send ecards or participate in the Love Your Body Foundation.

You Are Beautiful!