top| jacket| shoes| leggings| water bottle
Can you believe 2016 has come and gone and now we are in the new year? This past year has been a rollercoaster when it came to my fitness goals. Looking back to 2015 and my post on 10 Habits to Ditch this New Year, I realized I let a couple of those bad habits linger through the year. This year I have so much to be thankful for, I had the opportunity to pursue my passion of blogging into a business while juggling my life as a mom and wife. But with all things said and done, I put my fitness goals on the back burner and I realized by doing so I put a huge part of me aside. I lost all of my muscles I had worked so hard for, and suddenly I became SKINNY. The type of skinny that is a result of not eating regularly, the type of skinny that is the result of not sleeping enough, and the stress of always being “too busy”. This is the skinny truth about weight loss.
Though some people might wish to be this skinny, I didn’t. I had reverted back to my high school freshman weight, during the awkward stage of puberty when you haven’t quite filled out yet. In my case, I was 25 lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight. I lost any fat I had in my boobs and butt, and being Asian I naturally looked younger than I was. I became very self-conscious when I was at the gym, and I had no make up on and tight-fitting clothes. I didn’t have layers to hide my bony arms, or make up to hide the circle under my eyes. I could see myself as I was, skinny, and unhappy with my body. What made it worse was people didn’t understand the why’s. Why I was skinny, why I was unhappy. So here’s the skinny truth about weight loss.
Here’s the skinny truth about weight loss, skinny does not always mean happy for everyone. I worked so hard, ten years exact, to finally be at a fitness level where I was proud of my hard work, and in less than two years after being a mom, I lost it. Before I use to have to watch what I ate to avoid gaining weight, and now I can eat anything I want and still lose weight. I never thought I would have to consciously make myself eat, during my healthiest I would eat every three hours and still be hungry. Now some days I can just function on caffeine and cookies. Your body changes so much when you have a child, and in more ways than one. Sometimes the stress and anxiety of being a mom will make you lose your appetite, because all you can think about is everything you need to do outside of taking care of yourself. It isn’t easy to put yourself first, let alone your health. Everyday is a struggle for me to eat healthier meals, to eat more, to go to the gym and not worry what everyone else thinks. It is a struggle whatever journey you are on, whether you are trying to lose or gain weight. And sometimes if you are like me, it may take you longer to find the balance, the methods, the formula to get where you want to go. And you know what that’s ok, because it is part of life. We are constantly changing, growing, finding out who we are in the process. Ten years ago I might have thought I had it all figured out, but God has a way of showing you there is more to life than what you can dream off.
SHOP THIS LOOK:
So no matter where I am on my fitness journey, or what struggles I might have to overcome, I know I am not the only one who might be going through the same thing and the truth about weight loss. I hope by sharing my journey I can help someone who is going through the same thing. I wanted to share my dearest friend’s new inspirational book Laughing my Struggles Off and her journey to becoming healthier and happier. This book tackles real life issues that we struggle with today. For example surviving social media. This is one thing I struggle with, and why I hope I can be real with you, yet stay positive through my blog, because lets face it, it isn’t always real on social media. It is so easy to get caught up in the comparison game when it comes to social media, but sometimes we just need to put the phone down and laugh our struggles off. This year I am limiting my social media feed by only following positive accounts.
Another thing, is surrounding yourself with the best. Time to cut the dead weight whether it’s friends or family who aren’t being supportive with your goals, or people who are sucking you dry, aka leeches, and surround yourself with people who are positive and push you to do better. This year I am asking for more help with managing my time and my business so I can have more time to focus on my fitness goals. This year I have a workout partner to help encourage me and hold me accountable at the gym.
So for more fitness inspiration and a book that will get you laughing through your day, make sure to order your copy today. Sally shares her story of overcoming adversity, how she struggled balancing being a mother of two, working full-time, and focusing on herself on her weight loss journey. 10% of the proceeds give back to a scholarship fund for people who have faced adversity and overcome it. You can also share your journey and join the Laughing My Struggles Off movement by tagging #LMSO.
For more follow along:
So here’s the skinny truth about weight loss, no matter where we are on our journey, no matter what struggles we face, we all have doubts, insecurities, and have faced failure in some way. What matters is what we do after. Do we get up, do we try again, do we keep going? I don’t have all the answers, I don’t have the formula to success, but what I do have is my story. I hope I can offer you inspiration, tips, and resources to help you keep going on this journey of life we all are on. I hope together by sharing my journey, we can laugh our struggles off along the way. Thanks for following along, you have all inspired me to never give up, to stay positive, and to continue to be the best me I can be. That’s the skinny truth.
I love this approach to acceptance and understanding no matter what body type you have. Everyone has their own insecurities and struggles.
Thank you so much for reading!?
I love this post because it’s so true! We all have different perspectives on what we want in our body type and while some people struggle to lose weight, some struggle to put and keep it on. It sounds like you’ve got things figured out though for what will work best so I can’t wait to follow along!
xo, Amanda
http://www.aglamlifestyle.com
You are too cute! Loved this post and your workout outfit.
xoxo, CiCi
http://www.worldwidestylista.com
Thank you!?
I LOVE this- just because you’re skinny doesn’t make you happy OR healthy. Great post and I love your smile gorgeous! Hugs, Kait
http://www.baskinginburgundy.com
Thanks Kait!?
WHat an amazing post, very inspirational!! Love your positivism! And btw you look amazing! XOXO, Carolyna
carolynabauer.com
I love this Dawn!!! Yes to skinny doesn’t equal fit!!! You look gorgeous by the way!!!
Angela
http://www.prettyinherpearls.com
Thanks Angela! You’re the sweetest!?
Thank you for getting so personal! So inspirational. I’m going to send this to a few of my friends to read! xo
XO Strawberry Chic
Thank you so much!?
Thanks Amanda!?
Thank you for talking about both sides and putting yourself out there.
Thanks Diedra!?
Ooooh, this is going on my wish list (if it even makes it that far; I may just buy it). I’m pregnant with my 3rd baby, and things are SO different body-wise this time. I could really use some laughter right about now. Perfect timing!
Hey Jessica you can download the e-book for free until Friday!
Loved reading this! You are so right that skinny doesn’t always mean happy and so much comes with learning to love your body exactly how it is!
Thanks Anna!?
I love this post! So much truth and I really want to check out this book now. xo ~ Megan
Thanks Megan! You can actually download it for free on amazon until Friday.
Love this, I have some fitness goals and it is hard to keep up with them especially being a mom and wife. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Stephanie!?
This is such a good reminder that everyone has different insecurities & body image issues! Thanks for sharing.
xo!
Shelby
http://www.glitterandgingham.com
Thanks Shelby!
What a great read! Very well written! I’m going to check out this book!
I am getting ready for my wedding so weight loss is always on my mind haha.