November 28, 2011

Healthy

Let's talk about health for a second, shall we?  
When I decided it was finally time to lose that dreaded baby weight I knew I had to do it in a healthy way.  It was going to be gradual and that was OK because I was a new mom, I needed my energy and my focus to be on my brand new baby girl.  I decided to do something I had never done before, count calories.  This was a new method for me and as you all know it worked, for me.  I was able to shed 47 pounds the healthy way, through diet and exercise.
I'd be lying if I didn't say I turned to Pinterest for weight loss tips, new exercise tricks and low calorie recipes, after all Pinterest is the holy grail for all things, well for everything.
I came across motivational quotes like this.
And amazing abs and butts like these
Amazing right?  Everyone has to have a goal and I may have just found mine.
I even saw some AH-mazing befores and afters.


And where there were inspiring pictures there were alarming pictures as well.  Quotes like, "I want that gap {between my thighs}" and pictures of a girl who went from chubby to {in my opinion} anorexic {you know the one} being repinned to people's "motivation" and "thinspiration" boards and it makes my heart sad.
Is this the world we live in?  Where girls long for a gap in between their thighs and idolize girls with protruding bones and gaunt faces?  Perhaps it's because I have a daughter that this is weighing so heavy on my mind lately.  I don't want my girl reading these quotes and seeing these pictures and think "I want that".  
I want her to look at her mommy, someone like Katie or Lindsey, heck even The Biggest Loser for inspiration.  People who used hard work and dedication to get healthy. 
I know there are lots of frowns over the idea of "thinspiration" boards too. I have one and mine is full of inspiring pictures like this.
And truths like this.
I am motivated by real girls.  Not stick thin girls.  Not girls that don't eat.  Real girls who have real bodies and put forth real effort.  That's what {th}inspires me.
So girls, please, stop idolizing girls with unhealthy weight loss habits and for the love of God stop repinning them.
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24 comments:

  1. Great post!! I agree, the one that makes me cringe over and over is that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" quote. Yikes

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  2. OMG you are sooooo reading my mind -- i am a pintrest freak & the *thinspirations* kill me. i remember when a size 5 was deemed *skinny* & now everyone strives for a size 0? and they need to look like skeletons! if they ever saw these models in real life they might be appalled because they are all painfully thin to photograph the way they do!
    and i cannot agree more with Miss Chelsea -- seriously kate moss as a role model? puhleaseeee!
    i love this post & hope you don't mind if i link to you?
    ♥cyn♥
    misadventures of a chunky goddess

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  3. Awesome post Shannon!!! I have the same fear with my girls that their vision of "skinny" will be warped and that they will feel the need to conform to society! Let's hope they all just have healthy lives right! Xo

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  4. So true! And you definitely did it the right way and should be so proud!!!

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  5. Ill admit, I pinned that girl you're talking about. Maybe I have a skewed view myself. Well, I know I do. But I do appreciate the "real" pictures you put up. I love the transformation Kelly Osbornes legs went through! And I've always wondered what Jillian Michaels looked like before she lost all of her weight. Thanks for this post. You're right, we should be looking to real, healthy solutions for thinspiration.

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  6. I too look at the fitness boards on pinterest for great quotes and hate when i see those girls who post pics of girls who lost 50 pounds in 2 months! That's not real (unless you didn't eat and ran 20 miles a day.) There are so many women who inspire me as well who lost the healthy way!

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  7. i totally agree with this post 110%! my favorite quote off pinterest is that it wasn't put on in a day, its not going to come off in a day... and its so true!

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  8. I have never looked on pinterest for anything besides crafts and party ideas...but maybe I will have to check it out! Right now though, I am my own inspiration. As of this morning I am 55 lbs down and I was SOAKED in sweat after my spin class this morning. It really is the best start to my day. I honestly cant live without good workouts. I was a bit unhealthy about weight loss in HS, but in my adult life- its the right way all the way :) And, it is SUCh a slow and long process!

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  9. I am not on Pinterest but have seen the freaky thin girls that "thinspire" people and have to say, it's disappointing. I keep thinking humans are evolving but people still smoke, they still have no idea how to take care of themselves and if they no, they're too fricken lazt to do anything about it. Some people are naturally slim, but all moms gain weight when pregnant and no matter who you are, it takes work to get the pounds off and keep them off. I like that you have healthy, strong ideals (vs just thin and emaciated like so many people admire). Hope more people get the message!!

    The Chunky Goddess sent me!
    Karen
    www.nakedmommydiaries.com

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  10. amen. huzzah. I agree to all of the above and you know that. Thank you for linking to me, I'm flattered. You've done good for yourself, momma.

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  11. Preach.

    And let's be honest. If I look like either, I expect you to tell me to put down the cheeseburger or to pick one up. I know that I want to be within my healthy weight range for my height and I know that's not going to be at the low end.

    I don't need to be a Michelin man or a bobblehead.

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  12. Great post doll! Seriously, we all have our own issues (hell, I have so many of my own!) but this is CLEARLY a problem. I know just TOO many women who watch what they eat down to every little nibble - the point of extreme, and workout to the point of being unhealthy. I was late to the party the other night but eventually saw what y'all were talking about. And I wanted to cry. And cry and cry and CRY. When I was 15 I lost my 26 year old aunt (who lived with us) to anorexia and bulimia. After struggling with both eating disorders and being in and out of the hospital because of it for over 10 years her body eventually gave out and her heart stopped working. So many people don't understand that you can die from this. :( I hope your post inspires people to be healthy!!! Thanks so much for posting this! xoxo

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  13. WONDERFUL POST, Shannon! I love the quote from Gwenyth Paltrow. She's right. It isn't genes (totally use that excuse), or anything else she says! It's getting our asses to the gym and watching what we put in our mouth!

    Thanks for the encouragement and motivation today!

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  14. SO TRUE. SO true. I go to the gym 5 days a week and work my ass off. And when people tell me that I'm thin and that they hate my good genes for it, I want to tell them, "Fine, then. Come with me to the gym. Follow me around for a week. And do that with 3 kids in tow. Then tell me if I'm blessed with good genes or just a good attitude."

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  15. Shannon, I just recently found your blog and I love, love, love it! Especially love this post. We all need to have goals, but when those goals are unattainable or downright dangerous....we are just setting ourselves up for failure. Congratualtions on your weight loss and for doing it the right way! I have set a goal of losing 25 lbs. by March 15...vaction time. But I am starting now, not waiting until January 1. For me , starting anything on Jan 1 is setting me up for failure! lol Thanks for the inspiration!

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  16. good luck girl! I'm right there with you; I've lost the baby weight but now it is time to get healthy. So I am right there with you!

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