Staying True to Your Body

Surprise surprise, I need to vent again. Props to you if you stick around...

So here's the thing. Being a part of this health/wellness community, I come under the influence of various philosophies. Each sounds intriguing in its own way, inclining me to conduct further research as to how to go about implementing it into my own life. There's no trouble with that part. I love this community because it constantly exposes me to new foods, products, lifestyles, etc. that I simply would not have come across without it. However, what grows troublesome is falling victim to how each philosophy is SUPPOSEd to work, according to the source it's coming from.

This is when it becomes critical to listen to your own body. Here's my own personal example. After months of experimenting with different intake and dietary styles, I've come to learn that my body really just LOVES its healthy fats. Crave 'em all the time, way more than carbs. I'm aware that my body still needs carbs, duhhhhhh, and I incorporate them as needed. However, since I'm an intuitive eater, I eat in tune with my body and what it wants. Thus, my diet is heavier on fats than carbs or protein.

Great, so now I've established what my body is asking for. This is important, and I encourage you to (safely) play around with your intake and see what works for YOU. My next step was to investigate the newest science surrounding diets high in fat, seeing what I can do to improve my lifestyle in this regard. I was met with plenty of articles and professionals sharing that a diet high in fat is a great thing, that it's been praised for weight loss aid and satiety purposes. Not that my goals are weight loss related, but I took this to mean that these diets probably reduce inflammation and bloating in the process, which are struggles I face often. However, further research revealed that these diets work in this way (weight-loss) because they keep you fuller for a longer time, in turn leading you to eat less.

Soaking this in, I instantly realized this wasn't my case at all. I eat tons of fats, but I also eat a lot and I eat often. Initially, I felt bad about myself I shouldn't be eating so many fats if they weren't doing what the health/wellness community said they should be doing-keeping me full for hours on end and causing me to eat less. My body, personally, needs A LOT to stay full, and one slice of avocado toast in the morning just won't do it for me until the afternoon.

I had to collect myself and rationalize my irrational thoughts; a practice that I've grown to depend on heavily for my mental sanity. Here's how the process went, in a nutshell...

I told myself these things, OUT LOUD, so that they truly resonated with me.

- "I'm a growing young woman who NEEDS to fuel her body as needed”

- “I’ve restricted myself for TOO DAMN LONG from the foods my body loves, and I refuse to do so ever again”

- “What works for those people doesn’t HAVE to work for me. I’m not WRONG or A BAD PERSON because my body reacts differently”

- “If my body loves fats but they don’t keep me full for as long as I’m told they’re supposed to, who gives?!”

- “Worrying over something as irrelevant as how well I fit the mold of the average person is a WASTE OF ENERGY”

And so on.

You see, my struggle here was accepting that my body is DIFFERENT than what I see projected out in the world. At first, I felt wrong, I felt bad, I felt as if I had failed because I didn’t align with what I took to be the “right” way of going about and utilizing a specific fad. However, after rationalizing my irrational thoughts, I was able to realize how pointless the whole thing was. If I am eating what makes me happy, eases my mind, satisfies my body, lifts my soul, puts a smile on my face, fuels my body, and brings me peace, WHY IN THE WORLD SHOULD I CHANGE THAT?

Every day is a work in progress, as none of us are ever finished growing and getting stronger. Each day I make the choice to honor my body and stay true to it. Some days require soft reminders in passing, others require aggressive self-talk and rationalizing. Whatever it takes, DO THAT. Honor your body, because if you don’t…who will?