Do it out of love.

My first year at Agnes, I made what most of my friends now refer to as my “body post.” It consisted of several pictures of me in various states of being clothed. I was never naked, and I have pretty  modest underwear generally, but either way it was rather exposing.

The point of this post was not pornographic, but it was to be inspiring.  I was proclaiming that I was no longer ashamed of my body. That instead of being hurt, embarrassed, or hateful towards my body, I was going to love it.

I do not want to post it all here, because it’s a bit lengthy, and that’s besides the fact that the pictures are me, less than clothed, but if you are my friend on facebook, you are free to view it here.

I have been wanting to revisit this post for a while, and decided to do it both within the context of my knee injury and within the context of a few conversations I’ve had recently.

First of all, I still feel this way about my body, and with the exception of a few bad days every once in a while (everyone has them), I have felt this way about my body ever since that post. It is something that I need to keep in mind, however, as I deal with my knee injury. My knee hurts for a reason, and I need to be good to it because it has given me 22 years of good service, and it got hurt trying to do what I wanted it to do, and I need to be better to my knee, and less angry about my injury. After all, it could have been a lot worse.

Unfortunately, not my hand.

Secondly, I think about this post as I think about all the people who have come up to me and told me that I have inspired them, some of them telling me about eating disorders that they have had in the past. I am awed and inspired myself when people tell me their stories and I never cease to be proud of people who take that first leap into being more healthful.

I have never believed in universal, all-encompassing advice, but I think I have found something that I would say to everyone who approaches me about making a lifestyle change: do it out of love. Don’t do it because you hate your body or you aren’t happy with the way you look. Don’t do it because you think you’d be better if you weighed 15 pounds less. Do it because you love your body and you want the best for it. Do it because your body will be happier with a better diet. Do it because you want what’s best for this entity that’s been carrying you for your life.

If you can’t do that, then not only will you not be happy in your weight loss, you won’t be successful. Though I give lots of credit to the paleo lifestyle for my weight loss, I think the biggest thing that has made the difference is that I am doing this because I truly, deeply, love and appreciate all my body does for me, and I want us to have a better relationship. I don’t think negative thoughts about being overweight, or obese (with, of course, some periodic exceptions). I don’t look down on my body for being overweight — after all, I made it that way. I don’t hate myself for getting to this point. All of that negativity will only hold me back. We are moving forward, together, as a team to be a happier individual.

If you can’t love your body, then you shouldn’t be attempting to lose weight. Like a partnership with another human being, any changes you make should come from love, appreciation, and respect. Working with your body is no different.

I am going to go ice my knee, because it deserves it.

Gina