Diet, exercise, and Body Image: My Story, Part I {A VLOG}
Hey guys! First, a quick surf update: Luke kicked off his first heat of Open division at Nationals today with a first place finish! We are super excited as he goes into quarter-finals tomorrow. Thanks again for all of the support–and as always, you can keep up on Instagram and Facebook for more timely updates. 😉
And now….I’m sharing one more archived post! Here’s the scoop…
Though I know that most of my readers keep coming back for the family-related topics that I write about, you probably know that over time I have also touched quite a bit on the subject of health/fitness, and body image. (and that is also my professional background.) About a year and a half ago, I promised an e-book to share more of my journey (and victory!) in this area. So I started one. And then I kept putting it off. And now…though I have a lot of writing projects I really want to do related to family topics and so on, I decided that I must fulfill my promise of completing the e-book first! (I have a conscious and a promise is a promise!)
So this is my summer to do it!
(and the other projects will follow, for sure!)
The writing for my e-book is mostly complete, but I will be editing it with a small team and formatting it into a readable e-book when I am back in Hawaii–beginning next week! Since I’ve never done this before, I am not sure what to expect, but I know I’m close….
The post I share today includes a little video (a “VLOG”) where I share a bit of my journey. Bear with me, I was nervous and hiding from family noise in my bedroom!
Here we go—
I’m excited…really–passionate, about this topic. It’s not comfortable for me to talk about my personal struggles, even if they are past-tense. It’s a little embarrassing I guess. But it is real. This struggle that I share about was a big part of my life for many years. And the difference in my life since I overcame the struggle has been huge. Now I feel an obligation to share my story.
I do hope that hearing a little bit of my story gives you an idea of why I am truly passionate about this topic. Your comments and feedback will help determine the direction I go with future writing, so thank you in advance for being a part of this! You have always made me feel so loved and accepted–that is the only reason I have the guts to share this one!
Now…here’s the promised QUIZ for you to take:
Answer each of these questions (on paper, or in your head.) A YES to any of them really says that you would benefit from what I have to share with you!
1. When I wake up, food, diet, or something related to that is the first thing on my mind.
2. I often count calories (or carbs, or points, etc.) in the foods that I eat.
3. I have feelings of guilt related to enjoying food.
4. How I feel about my body affects my moods.
5. When I go to bed at night, I often review what i have eaten during the day.
6. I feel like I HAVE TO workout to maintain my weight.
7. I feel guilty when I do not exercise for a few days.
8. I have anxiety about not having the ability to exercise (travel, a busy week, etc.)
9. I avoid social settings because of my diet, or how I might be tempted to eat.
10. If I could remove all of my issues with food, dieting, and exercise, I would be living a happier life.
If you answered yes to any of the questions, I think you’ll find my e-book helpful! (early sign-ups to get it should be coming soon!)
Please consider sharing this through social media so others can see it too! Thank you so much, and,
Aloha!
Monica
Aloha Monica!!
I am so glad I found you today. I absolutely love your 7 Attitudes that will sabotage your marriage and 7 to replace them!
This past year has been a struggle for me personally; having been diagnosed with cancer; gone through surgery, chemo and radiation; however, can now say cancer-free! I struggle with diet and exercise because mentally and physically it was a tough year and still is with after affects.
Is your ebook
The Mental Struggle With Diet and Exercise still available?? How can I get it??
Most grateful,
Stephanie
Thank you so much Stephanie! I’m so glad to meet you! 🙂 I’m sorry for what you’ve gone through, and really hope my posts and e-book will be helpful.
My ebook should be ready in the next month or so! Keep up here at the blog and you won’t miss the announcement! (subscribing would be good to, if you haven’t, as I will definitely let subscribers know first!)
Aloha and thanks.
First congrats to Luke! Wow, super exciting time in CA for you.
Next, I answered a few too many “yeses” to your quiz. I can’t wait to see/hear more.
I LOVED this, Monica! I can’t wait to read how you were able to change your mindset and how that affected how you live healthy. I had my first RD appointment yesterday and finally have some hope I can eat healthy and exercise in moderation and actually live healthy for life without crazy diets and crazy workouts. Looking forward to the e-book to help encourage me on this journey!
Oh wow Paige…Good for you. I do hope you find the ebook to be a great compliment to what you’re already doing. So happy for you!
Very real to life and accurate, especially with pregnancy anxieties, and the constant mental turmoil that seems insurmountable. Your quiz is right on! Always encouraging to hear someone share their own weaknesses.
Thank you! Yes, it’s such a real thing–the mental stuff is huge. You are not alone! 🙂 Thank you for commenting! aloha
God, I answered yes to ALL these questions! Please keep writing about this. I’m 35 and have had two babies, and I’ve struggled my whole life with all this, and then some! If I could be free from the guilt and constant weighing, measuring, dieting, etc, that would be the most phenomenal thing. Thank you for sharing!! Keep it up! xo
Hi Monica,
Fantastic post—not sure how I missed this, but looks like it was published earlier this year, right around the time I gave birth to my first son. Sad to say, but I answered “yes” to every one of your questions and have perpetually struggled with weight and body image my entire life. Looking forward to hearing more about your shift in mindset and possibly how to correct unhealthy behaviors or establish healthy patterns for an individual who has historically held onto unhealthy behaviors with food. Obsession with food, dreams or nightmares always related to food…it’s exhausting. Yet, you would never know it if you met me.
Thank you for opening a dialogue about that here. Always hope and pray to be lifted of this burden at some point in my life.
Tanya
Sandy, I feel the same way! I know people are only trying to be encouraging for the work you’ve already completed. But, sometimes a little encouragement to stay the course is appreciated!
I would love to read more from you on this topic! I was always very active and athletic until pregnancy, when I gained over 60 lbs. After baby, I struggled with baby blues and finding motivation to lose the weight and clean up my diet, a viscous cycle! I am finally back to prepregnancy size thanks to a new passion of weight training and (mostly) clean eating. I love hearing how other moms make it work! And you make it look so easy!
Where do we pre-buy the ebook? I can’t wait to read more.
I just deleted a nice long paragraph because I couldn’t word it right, about how others see our journey to health and how we see our journey.
Anyway, I like your new bedding.
YOU are so funny, and I am sure I would have loved your nice long paragraph, but either way…thank you for liking my bedding,.
Aloha, and I’ll make sure to get that book done asap. 🙂 aloha
Okay, here is my second attempt at that paragraph.
In the last almost 4 years I have lost around 50 pounds. Don’t get me wrong, I am super proud of this accomplishment, however I still have around 50 more pounds to lose to be at a healthy weight. Over the last 6 months due to some various issues I have been on a plateau, not actively losing more, thou thankfully not really gaining back any of that previous weight. Earlier this week I was in a conversation with someone who asked if I was still losing, and when I said I was on a plateau her reply was “Well, you have already come so far”. And it was done.
I have found that while on this journey, everyone else seems to only see how far I have come, while I mostly see how far I still have to go. And yes, I am super proud of how far I have come. But I know that in order to live a healthy life and be a good example to my friends and family of what it means to take care of the one body God has given me, I need to get off this plateau and continue my journey. And I need someone else to see the journey ahead with me, not just the journey behind.
There, that is the long paragraph I deleted earlier. Now you have challenged me to go write something in my blog.
Yes, I have struggled with my body image from a very young age. Long story, but I will say I had some people in my life who were quite unkind to me when I was a chubby young girl. As a teen and into my adult life I became thin – until I had babies. Pregnancies were very hard because of “getting fat,” as I was told. Now in my forties, I am thin again, but even though I am thin I still see myself as overweight.
I have tried to overcome the guilt associated with body image for so long. Fear of how others see me, approval, and past wounds are at the heart of it. Lately I feel like I’m starting to turn a corner with this, so your topic is very timely.
Yes, please speak out on this, Monica. I think you will find you are touching many hearts in the process.
Blessings to you and yours!
Thank you for your thoughts and sharing your experience, Monica! Yes, I am very interested in hearing more of what you have to say on the topic. I’d love an e-book!
In my experience MANY women ( and men,too, I suspect) suffer ( and I do sincerely mean suffer) from feeling that in some or many ways they are not “enough”. I certainly fall into this category. I usually have these inadequate feelings surrounding the fact that we live in a very modest home compared to our neighbors and feelings about my weight.
Don’t get me wrong, I know I am blessed and lucky:loving husband and family, precious friends,fulfilling career, many opportunities and experiences…
But some how my self worth is oddly tied to the fact that I have been a chunky kid,teen and adult. From the outside people probably don’t realize that it weighs on my mind so greatly-no pun intended. I am active, exercise, travel,etc. But, I have a good deal of weight to lose and if I could “re-claim” the time and mental energy spent on scheming and plotting and regretting, I’d be free for more positive endeavors.
So, yes, any enlightenment in the areas of getting to a healthy weight and a healthy state of mind regarding my fitness level-maybe not in that order, would be welcome and anticipated!
Sorry for the lengthy comment- this topic struck a nerve.
I am so thankful for your comment!! So glad to think this topic really might be a blessing to others…and i love that you connected this topic with other areas of life because YES–they are all very much related. I hear your heart, and I truly hope that what I share might offer you a new perspective and a hope for thinking, and living differently in the future! 🙂 Really, thank you.
Thank you for sharing your heart with us, Monica! This was so great to hear. The whole body image during pregnancy (and after!) is something that really speaks to me. I definitely benefit from your thoughts on this topic and look forward to reading/listening on more about it.
xoxo
Great video! Just what I needed after losing 10lbs in the past 12 days only to eat birthday cake, ice cream, chips, and hamburgers today and bawling silently in the bathroom because of the guilt. I gained over 100lbs in the past 5 years and have struggled on a daily basis. I know how to lose the weight but doing it has been a challenge! I responded yes to almost every question. I too would love to hear more, especially on how you change your way of thinking.
oh bless your little heart! Thank you Katie for the honest comment. It makes all of my nervousness about sharing my story SO WORTH it to hear from people like you. 🙂 Sending you love, grace, and so much confidence that it can all change. I’ll be following up soon, so hang in there. And in the meantime–Just get back on course, and forget about the weekend eating. It won’t matter in the big picture!!! aloha-
Although body image is not necessarily a huge struggle for me, I would love to hear how you as a busy mom fit exercise into your schedule (and what you do for exercise). As a part-time physician and mommy to four kids it is hard for me to find time to exercise. Exercising is so good for me mentally, spiritually, and physically… Just so hard to fit yet another thing in 🙂
Hi Monica!
Thanks so much for this post – I’m really looking forward to reading more. As you know, this has been a big struggle in my life and I am so thankful for the open way that you talk about it and ‘shine light into darkness’. I had 6 yes’s on the quiz. I can’t wait to see future posts around this (and read your e-book!) It’s such a huge issue for so many women and the more dialogue and sharing there is around, the better chance there is of fighting it!
Love in Christ
Elaine
Great post Mon.
I had only no answers to the quiz but I have always had body issues. Just from the other side of the spectrum. Always too thin, no matter what I eat. I know most people say “I wish I had that problem” but I have had decades of insecurities about it. Especially during the tender high school years. Constant comments about anorexia or even bulimia (when people could see how much I can eat).
I would love to have curves (a rear end of any size or shape would be great!) but know that it is not in my genetic make up. I still get comments about 2-3 times a week from random acquaintances or strangers but fortunately society is a bit less judgemental or at least foward towards me now that I am in my 40’s so the comments aren’t as constant as in years past.
Thank you for being so brave and posting this. I debated leaving a comment because I have the opposite of most people’s body issues. I decided to be brave too.
Hi Monica! I’ve been reading for a while now but have never posted. I have four boys myself (and one lone girl), so a lot of what you write resonates over here. .. Homeschooling, running, cooking, pursuing Christ, raising men of courage and calculated risk takers, etc. ..and Daddy-o’s a family doc here in the snowy Northeast. Love the glimpse of life- trying not to covet your banana trees- and yes, please write more about this topic. You have me on the edge of my seat. Winnie
You are a natural in front of the camera. Nicely done.
Another terrific Vlog!! You are really on a roll here. I can totally see you as a terrific personal trainer! you’ve got the knowledge, motivation, enthusiasm and people skills, which are qualities I love about my own trainer. I’m sure they will carry over into your e-book. My feedback for the quiz in a word is “yes”! And I would definitely be interested in viewing/reading more about what you have to say on this topic!! Thanks!!!
Thank you for being faithful and talking about this issue. It was encouraging to hear that I’m not alone. I would definitely be interested in hearing and learning more. Great video! You look beautiful 🙂