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Six Years Later and 17 Pounds Heavier

This is not a post about my transformation.  This is not a ‘before’ and ‘after’.  This post IS about my weight & body composition.

2010122lbsLet’s review, here I am at very different times in my life wearing the same exact bikini.  On the left, it was 2010 and the week of my wedding in Mexico.  I was 29 years old, and weighed approximately 122lbs.  I know, because that number was important to me at that time.  I had been working my butt off to get into “wedding” shape and it was the lowest I had been in a while.  On the right is a pic I snapped of myself just the other day.  I am now 35 years old, a mom of two boys ages 4 and 9 months and weigh approximately 135lbs! Did you catch that part? ONE HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE POUNDS!  Wait. What?! Seventeen pounds heavier and still fitting into the same exact bikini?  I mean, that shouldn’t be possible, right?  Well, let me tell ya, that scale so many of us have come to rely on…she’s a tricky little bitch.

My body composition is clearly different in these pictures. I felt good then and considered myself to be fit but I am definitely fitter now, have more muscle and feel even better two kids later, 6 years older and 17lbs heavier!  After years of constantly fluctuating 5-10lbs, I finally had the guts and the confidence to stop worrying about the number on the scale and instead, started focusing on my overall fitness.

Now, I’m not going to tell you to throw away the scale completely because I know most likely you won’t…and I get that.  In all honesty, I won’t be getting rid of my scale either.  I tend to weigh myself anytime I sense a change; whether my clothes are fitting differently or I wake up feeling lighter or maybe more sluggish than normal…it provides me with a sense of accountability.  But what it doesn’t do is….DEFINE ME! Or my mood!  Or my fitness level!   I don’t obsess over it!  I get on. I take it in. I get off.  Sometimes it’s up and sometimes it’s down, either way it is what it is.  For the first time in my life, I don’t have a goal weight. What I do have is a bin filled with some pre-baby summer clothes that I would love to feel comfortable in again no matter what my weight is.  And, what I’ve realized is that I don’t have to wait until I weigh ‘x’ to try them on again.  Heck, I might try them on this weekend, maybe I already fit into them, maybe not, I may never fit into them again, who knows?  But if they don’t fit me, I will not beat myself up over it.  I refuse to.  Instead, it’s an opportunity to donate some pretty cute clothes to someone in need and take myself on a SHOPPING SPREE!  😉

So, although I’m not telling you to get rid of the scale…I AM asking you to shift your focus.  Shift away from, I want to weigh “x” or lose “x” pounds and towards I want to feel ____ (fill in the blank).  Focus a little more on making better choices; eating clean, training to change your body composition by increasing your strength and endurance, building muscle tone and shape and a little (or a lot) less on watching your weight and you might just find yourself stronger, healthier and happier!

With much fitness love,

Nina M.

Like what you read? For more posts like these visit FITwithNina’s blog.

Join the discussion 3 Comments

  • zinah s abukhalil says:

    Thanks for sharing! very great point! Don’t just look at the scale look how strong your body feels as well as how things fit!

  • xph says:

    I was moved to tears after reading Nina’s post. I am 5’5′ and believed that my ideal body weight was 120lbs. This goal weight was unrealistic because I actually looked frail and at some points, unhealthy. In order to maintain this weight, I had to train more and eat less which was a recipe for disaster for anyone who had to deal with me. My spouse, friends, and family would express concern anytime I would hit MY unrealistic ideal weight. My body enjoys being somewhere in the 130lb range. I am toned, healthy, and most of all happier. I rarely get on a scale because I understand that muscle weighs more and water retention is real(PMS)! Feeling strong and fueling my body with healthy food is the goal that I aim for every day.

  • barbara grandberg says:

    thanks so much for taking the focus off of losing weight and on to being healthy and fit :]

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