Almost two years, and almost 15 pounds separate the two photo below. It’s funny how numbers on a scale won’t change, but your physical composition does. The opposite is also true… a 15 lb difference seems like a lot, but there aren’t huge differences in between these photos, except for the health of the person in them. Weight fluctuations and body image normally go hand in hand, but I don’t necessarily think they should.
Weight Fluctuations and Body Image
Over the years, my weight has changed A LOT, as has my personal relationship with food.
Nutritionally, one was eating a ridiculous amount lower than I should’ve been to try to maintain a “skinnier” figure… while also obsessing over everything I ate, every pound I gained, and every any bloat fluctuation I had. My relationship with food was TERRIBLE. I wrote this blog post on how to have confidence around this same time, and could barely follow my own advice.
I was sitting at about 150lbs post surgery, and I was so stuck on the fact that if I could just lose more weight… get smaller… wear a smaller size… that it would be it. My body image would be SO much better. But, I couldn’t lift, like at all. My performance in the gym was awful. I was in the beginning my first year of Crossfit and I could barely get through a workout because my body didn’t have enough to energy input to fuel it. Not to mention, I still wasn’t happy or confident with how my body looked, and it made me hate food.
It’s funny how quickly things change when you surround yourself with people who have the knowledge to know better.
Now, I sit 15 lbs heavier than I did in that picture. I am way more confident and in a much better place with my health than I was before… and I can move and perform so much better. Not only has that weight change allowed me to change the skewed view that I had of what a “healthy” body should be.
Well, that, and getting certified as a nutrition coach.
There is not a “one size fits all” when it comes to health. A number on a scale does not necessarily get to dictate what makes a person healthy or not health.
Do I think there is a time and place to focus on weight fluctuations? Yes, 100%.
Do I feel that weight fluctuations and body image are too often made to be seen in a negative light, especially if the weight is changed for the heavier? Absolutely.
There are so many ways that food and nutrition can change a person’s health. This does not always mean that skinnier or smaller is better. It may come to be that the scale harder changes, but your body composition changes dramatically!
If we can help you with any of your health and fitness goals, let us know!
-Joanna
