Roots

The other day, my kids were pulling weeds for me.  After a few minutes, I noticed they were only pulling at the leaves and leaving the roots in the ground.  I sat with them and took some time to show them why we don't just pull the leaves off and make it look "pretty".  I explained to them how, in order to keep a weed from growing back, we needed to pull the weed completely out of the ground by its roots.

The same is true for all of us who have any sort of underlying issues with food.  We have to get to the root of the problem if we are ever to truly be successful at reaching our goals.  That being said, we must understand that it's not always the amount of food, or necessarily even the type of food that is the issue.  The real issue might be the desire for control, as it has been for me.  It could be that you are looking to fill a void and so you turn to food (I've been that girl, too).  Or perhaps, if you really dig deep, you might realize that you  have convinced yourself that in order to be loved, or admired, or successful, you have to attain a certain weight or size.  And because you believe this to be true, you deprive yourself or begin diet after diet, after diet in hopes of finding that one diet that will make you... good enough.

But I'd like to share with you one of the most freeing things I've learned since my journey began.

It doesn't matter if you're a size two or a size twenty two.  No diet, no amount of working out, no amount of starvation or deprivation will ever turn you in to the person you want to be.  Because, you see- there is only one you.  There will only ever be one you.  You are created to be one of a kind and who you are is already good enough. Who you are is already beautiful.

"Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful." 

Song of Solomon 1:15

So, of course you want to be healthy.  I'm talking about digging a little deeper and examining the root of your motivation to lose weight. If your goal is health and longevity, rock on, friend!  But if your main goal is to be loved, you need to know that you are already there- regardless of your size, your shape, or your status.

So stop searching.  Stop trying to fill that void, or turn yourself into somebody you are not.  Stop comparing yourself to the people on the magazine covers.  In case you haven't heard by now, those photos are dramatically edited and altered to create an illusion of perfection (for more on this, click here).  Don't try to be like the actresses who starve themselves or work out 16 hours out of every day in hopes of attaining "perfection"... because physical perfection is an unattainable illusion- a lie the enemy has created and society has set as the ultimate standard for both men and women.  People spend billions each year trying to attain "perfection" instead of trying to attain health, and it's literally killing them inside and out.

So this year, I have an idea for all of us- for you, for me, for the girl we all think is "perfect" who is truly just miserable and would trade everything she has for a family, or for friends who love her regardless of her appearance.  Here's my idea- instead of focusing on trying to become someone you were never meant to be, learn to appreciate who you are and how you were created.  Learn to let go of the  false idea, the facade of perfection and, instead, work towards becoming the best version of you, that you can be.  

Because, dear friend, no matter your size, no mater your status- who you are is beautiful. 

Who you are, is loved.

Thanks for reading!  Have a terrific week!

The Fat Girl, Slim

****SIDENOTE*****  My hope is that you are encouraged- however, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail me directly: christileigh@rocketmail.com

Those People

I don't know how it happened.  I don't even remember exactly when the transformation took place.  But somehow, we have become "those people".

You know...

"Those people" who don't feed their kids preservatives, or sugar, or any of its derivatives.

"Those people" who eat strange foods... like veggies.

"Those people" who take their kids to the chiropractor when they get sick, instead of taking them straight to the pediatrician (not that we don't visit our pediatrician from time-to-time, but we try to opt for natural healing first.)

"Those people" who don't watch TV and who, instead, play board games with their kids.

"Those people" who play baseball and jump on the trampoline with their kids in the back yard... in our pajamas... in the rain.

Obviously, we  weren't always this way.  I was totally comfortable doing my own thing, playing on Facebook 12 hours out of the day, eating junk around the clock, and turning in to the lady from 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape'.  I was content to use "exhaustion" as my excuse for not interacting with my family.   Back then, I was "normal".  Now, I'm pretty much a quack- I'm.... one of "them".

I used to make fun of "those people".  I thought for certain their passions were misguided and that I needed none of the information they had to share.

But I was wrong.

In a day where everything is "Your way, right away", people all over the world will be flocking to the internet and diet food aisles on January 1, in hopes to quickly shed those 10-15 pounds they accumulated over the holidays.  People want the results, and they want them quickly.

I, too, was one of those people... until I met our chiropractor, Dr. Chriz Zaino and his precious wife, Whitney.  They both took the time to share with me some pretty amazing information about how our bodies are designed to work, how different foods can affect the body, and the true secrets to lasting success with health and wellness.  Not only did they share these secrets, but they made themselves available via e-mail for my 126437182 questions that followed each day for a few weeks as my husband and I sought to incorporate these changes into our everyday lives.

Yes.  They are also "those people".  But before you decide that we are all a bunch of quacks and that this blog isn't for you, consider the possibility that there might be more to the story than what we all thought before...

More than counting calories and creating a deficit.  More than simply losing weight.  It's about a lifestyle change that affects not only you, but also your entire family- if you're committed.

So join me tomorrow as I share step one of this radical transformation.

Thanks for reading!

The Fat Girl, Slim

Fat Girl, Slim

I have no idea why I'm writing this.

My first thought was that I would tell people all about my great weight loss journey once I reached my goal... but then my goals changed (that, and I'm so not to that original goal weight... not YET, anyway).

You see, BC (that's "Before Children"), I stood 5'8" (or somewhere close to that) and fluctuated between 145-155 pounds.  I always dreamed of getting back there.  I'm not sure why I ever decided that those particular numbers on my scale would make me happy, but somehow I had convinced myself that if I could ever make it happen, I should.  So, I started dieting.  Actually, I've been "dieting" my whole life, but after gaining 105 pounds from conception to delivery with my first child, dieting became almost like a game for me- a way of life.

So how many diets have I tried?  I lost count.  Seriously.  I can tell you that I successfully started every fad diet that was ever once popular.  I lost tons... and then drove through Chick-Fil-A and gained it all back.

My adult life, as I remember it, has been like one long weight-loss infomercial... on repeat.

Before I met my husband, I was in desperate need of affection, attention, approval.  My parents had divorced and both married different spouses.  There was nothing in my life that I could control- except my weight.  So when I wanted to punish myself, I would eat- almost as if to say "Okay, fattie.  You'll never be good enough now!"  And when I was sad, I would eat.  And when I was happy, I would eat.  I'm an eater- that's just what we do.

Seriously...  if I wasn't typing this right now, I'm pretty sure I'd be subconsciously consuming the sugar that we don't keep in the house, as a rule, but that somehow managed to find its way into my children's Christmas stockings... Santa?

I digress.

For nearly 33 years, I saw food as punishment and as a prize.  I had a negative view of food and as a result, my body is suffering lasting consequences.  Over the years, I've dealt with ADHD (still wrestle with this), migraines, stomach issues, food sensitivities, depression, and so much more.  I've had achy joints and fatigue with no hope for improvement.

Several years ago (this would be PC- post childbirth- on the timeline), a doctor told me I was morbidly obese.  Seriously.  "Morbidly" obese.  As in- you'll die if you don't lose weight.  Die.

Say Wha???  Die?  But I DIEt all of the time!  And those "diets" were killing me.

Hippocrates said "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food."  Hippocrates was a wise man, indeed.  I'll share more about this in posts to come.

Although I'm not at my intended "goal weight", I'm currently about 85 pounds lighter than I was when I was at my heaviest.  That being said, I guess I feel like I don't want to wait until I reach my goals to start sharing.  If my journey can encourage or inspire even one person, then I'll keep sharing because although this may not be the magic weight loss answer you were looking for, the things I will share here can potentially, radically change your life as they did, mine- from the inside out.

So here we are.  My newest blog.

Welcome.

The fat girl, slim.