Women everywhere are constantly thinking negative thoughts about their appearance, often times about their weight in particular.
After learning about Fat Talk Free Week on Caitlin’s blog, I was instantly interested and ready to participate.
As an American woman, I will openly admit that I engage in “fat talk,” and often wish certain parts of my body were slimmer. It’s so hard not to feel this way when every where you look beautiful, stick-thin supermodels are on the front pages of magazines in skimpy bikinis and lingerie. Curvier women with boo-tays like mine are hard to come by, making it easy to look at my legs and thighs and simply sigh.
This week, however, I am committing to participate in Fat Talk Free Week and love the parts of my body that I often find unlovable.
My friends and Ryan know I struggle with embracing my pear-shaped body. Whenever I start to feel negativity toward my body image, I try to remind myself that my health is the most important thing, not how thin my thighs are.
Thankfully I am engaged to a man who “likes a girl with meat on her bones,” and has seriously expressed sadness at the thought of me ever losing weight and losing my butt. God bless him. Though it’s nice to hear Ryan say he likes my body the way (and weight) it currently is, I know that my personal acceptance and love of my body is what will truly bring me happiness.
In honor of Fat Talk Free Week, this week (and for weeks and weeks to come) I will LOVE my legs. I’ve hated on my poor stems for too long and they deserve a lil’ love! Here are several things I love about my legs:
- My legs get me through my daily workouts.
- My legs have carried me across the finish line in numerous running races, including a half marathon.
- My legs give me the ability to walk or run with my dog every morning.
- My leg hair is thankfully light blonde and doesn’t grow quickly (too much info? 😉 ).
- My legs allow me to jump off our family’s boat and swim in the ocean.
Question: What part of your body do you often find unlovable and what do you LOVE about it?
Examiner
You can learn more about Fat Talk Free Week and read some pretty interesting statistics about body image in my latest Examiner article: click here.
Dinner
Tonight’s dinner was super-duper simple. Just the way I like it!
This morning Ryan cut up some chicken breasts and let them marinate in a mixture primarily consisting of soy sauce, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce (which should totally be a spelling bee word).
While he headed out back to grill up the chicken, I tossed some chopped root veggies in a mix of olive oil, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Pre-Roasted Root Veggies
I roasted the carrot and sweet potato in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then flipped the veggies and roasted them for an additional seven minutes.
Roasted Cinnamon-Nutmeg Carrot and Sweet Potato
I filled my plate with Ryan’s grilled chicken and my roasted veggies.
My Plate
What a yummy dinn-ah! The roasting of the vegetables really brought out their natural sweetness and Ryan’s chicken was perfectly moist and slightly burnt (just the way I like it 🙂 ).
Now we’re off to read more of The Lost Symbol… only 30 pages left! I’m excited to finish but don’t want it to end… it’s so darn good!
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Yum, your dinner looks great!
You are so inspiring girl!! You have worked so hard to accept your body and that is such a beautiful thing. I am working on accepting mine and reading post like that make me believe I can do it.
SO much easier said than done, huh? i think it’s a constant effort for everyone. it’s hard not to get caught up in our appearance, but it really is our health and self-acceptance that’s most important.
I love how happy you are. You are always smiling in photos and you can make a simple meal sound so delicious.
In high school I always hated my big feet. But one day someone pointed out that my feet had to big(long) to support my height. And she was jealous of my feet since it meant I was a good 6″ taller than her. I always remembered that. No matter what you don’t like someone else will happily take.
I’m so proud of you Julie! Every day I read your blog I am more inspired! There are plenty of things on my body I can say I’m less than ecstatic about but I try not to focus on them; I try to look at myself as a whole person instead of parts (love handles, thighs, arms)…it helps me! Love you JB – keep being your AMAZING self!!
thanks, mer. i love your comments – they’re such a ray of sunshine, just like you!
You have such a gorgeous, fit body I can’t believe you would ever see anything wrong with it! Just goes to show how we all see ourselves so differently than we are sometimes! Over time I find it is my flaws that make me beautiful, and the only way to feel happy in my skin is just to love myself. Easier said than done, but true!
Dinner looks great!
I wish my arms were more toned but they allow me to give hugs to my friends and family. I think we all see ourselves in a harsher light than others do and we need to let go of that.
i love this and am sending a big hug your way. 😉
Your dinner looks great. This may sound weird since I don’t really know you (besides what I read from your blog), but I look at you and think-wow I wish I looked like her! I am also participating in Fat Talk Free Week, but I think you should know that you are beautiful and have a GREAT body. You work hard for it and look amazing. Trust me-you should not be thinking like that because you are wonderful the way you are.
Thank you so much, Lauren… you are such a sweetheart and I’m happy to hear you’re participating in Fat Talk Free Week too! I think we all can obviously love ourselves a little bit more. We’re always our own worst critics. Thank you again for spreading some love in here. :o)