I am the 1%.

"What you're doing wrong is relying on your SCALE for validation of your hard work.

Keep it all seperate. YOU can only control what goes into your body and the exercise you give it. YOUR BODY will decide what it wants to do with it.

Excercise has a place in your life OUTSIDE the bounds of what it may or may not do to that arbitrary number on the scale. And I do MEAN arbitrary because it shifts dozens of times a day based on consumption, elimination and hell, even how you happen to stand on that one time. You are accomplishing something AMAZING with your running - look at that first day vs. what you can do now. Don't let some stupid mechanical item fuck with your brain.

Food has a place in your life OUTSIDE the bounds of what it may or may not do to that arbitrary number on the scale. And I do MEAN arbitrary because it shifts dozens of times a day based on consumption, elimination and hell, even how you happen to stand on that one time. You're making healthy changes - even just in your awareness of what goes in to the things you feed yourself.

You are bigger than one "weigh in". PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't get caught up in it to the point of it defeating you. I'd rather see you put your scale away where you can't find it and just live in the moment of making choices that work for you if it means you're not going to feel defeated."

 

I wrote that.  And what's even better?  I BELIEVE that.  Really and truly.  A year ago, yeah, not so much.  But it's totally part of my DNA now.

 

It was written to a friend who was wondering what she was doing wrong because she hadn't lost any weight her first week or so in to a new running program/eating system.  It actually hurts my heart to see someone so sad, frustrated, upset over the scale not moving.  I'm so proud of her for the progress and confidence she gained over the past week with her running.  I'm so proud of her for the hard work it took to get her brain on board when her body didn't do what she wanted it to.  I'm so proud of our mutual friends for stepping up and encouraging her to just stick with it, to stay the course and it would turn around her her.

 

And it makes me sad that the same line of reasoning isn't applied to food.

 

There's a lot of "Oh, cut this.  Never eat that.  Be strict.  Track everything."  But very little, "Stay the course.  Your body is learning a new skill and needs time to adjust.  Just keep doing what you're doing."

 

Because food as the enemy is so pervasive.  Because your weight as the enemy is so pervasive.

 

Don't I know it.  I've been slowly killing myself for 25 years under the occupation of those enemies.

 

I'm glad my time for revolution finally came.  Occupy your health!  Occupy your sanity!  Occupy your body!  Fight the perceived power of food and the scale!  You deserve MORE.

 

I may be the 1% now, but I have hope that someday I will be the 99%!