Comments on: On Struggling

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 19 May 2016 04:36:08 +0000

Omg. So not alone. Having kids is hard on our bodies. And then after we have them, we dont sleep well and are all out of whack with schedules. The fact that you acknowledge you want to make a change is fantastic. You can do it. Your story is a motivation. I need to get off the someday boat and just get up and start doing burpees or something. With 3 kids who are up at 5:0o everyday, I pretend like I have an excuse. But the truth is, I don’t. I just choose not to put in the effort to work out. I’m feeling the push to make a change. Thank you for sharing.

By: Sister

Sister — Thu, 19 May 2016 03:32:58 +0000

Sister,
You are a bad ass. I am so proud of you for writing this. I wish I had the boldness, the empowerment, and the strength to do the same thing. You know my struggles, but I hide them out of fear. Your ability to be so forth coming and open will set you free. Being honest and having no filter are such magnetic qualities to me, because people see the REAL you. Not a mask- I keep tearing up as I write this, because you just blow me away. People are blessed by you, I sure know I am.
Love, Me

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Fri, 06 May 2016 21:56:51 +0000

Hi Beth, I love your honesty and vulnerability . I am right where you are….stuck between the knowing and actual doing. Count me in on this journey.

By: Gloria

Gloria — Thu, 05 May 2016 22:41:01 +0000

Beth,

I have so many things to say, but so many wonderful things have already been said. And they are all true…your beauty and honesty and transparency is very refreshing in the world of “image” in which we live. You know me and so you know I struggle as well. You know I sent you my weight ages ago with all kinds of goals. Well, guess what? Since then, I have lost 30 lbs. You may think I’m bragging until I tell you that before I lost the 30 lbs, I gained 20! SO, in all all these months, I only have a net loss of 10! And really the only reason I am having any measure of success at the moment is bc of being in the hospital for 3 days with uncontrolled super (like heart attack/stroke any moment) high blood pressure! I HAD to make some changes or die and leave my kids with no parent!

We all stumble in many ways and we get back up and keep going….and that is what matters! And you do that! You are amazing! You have a husband and 2 small kids and a career to keep up with! Don’t be so hard on yourself, girl! I love you and I am oh so proud of you! I’m so glad Michael married you and made you a part of our family! Keep up what you are doing….especially the blessed transparency and raw honesty of your blog! It helps us all to remember we are just human and not alone on this journey! Keep up the awesomeness!

By: Yolanda

Yolanda — Thu, 05 May 2016 04:49:31 +0000

It’s so hard to stay on track with weight loss. We’re all human but what matters is that you’re so honest about what’s going on. And it’s your honesty that makes me want to reach out and give you a hug. You’re a very neat person, Beth. Maybe that won’t cure you of the blues, but I just want to tell you how much I admire you.

By: Momma

Momma — Thu, 05 May 2016 00:23:50 +0000

My Bethy,
As your Mom, it makes me feel so proud that you’re willing to put yourself out there and be vulnerable. Also, seeing all of the comments lets me know there are people far and wide that want to support you right where you’re at and where you want to be.
I once was told by a wonderful lady named Karn Anderson, a fitness instructor at Lakeshore that “Every choice matters”. I think about that statement from time to time, but need to meditate on it more. The fact that we have options and the freedom to choose, foods, behavior, what we buy, how we make a living, etc is an immeasurable blessing.
Let me know how I can best help and encourage you.
Love,
Mom

By: Hannah Elizabeth

Hannah Elizabeth — Wed, 04 May 2016 21:08:12 +0000

Oh Beth. There is so much I have to say on this, and it hurts my heart to hear that you’re going through this. Firstly, I understand where you are coming from when you talk about wanting to look how you did back however many years ago. I have been doing a lot of work on myself lately, mind and emotional work, about the way I relate to food. It’s absolutely astonishing and galling when I finally realized I’d been walking around with blinders on for years, believing ridiculous claims from society that we all must look the same in order to be healthy. The truth is that each of us was created as a unique and special human being and that means we all look different: big, thin, tall, short, blond, brunette, brown eyes, green eyes, etc. Our culture has assigned a moral rightness to being thin, and insists that you cannot be healthy without it. In fact the opposite is true. Anyone can be healthy, and when I say that I don’t mean it in the way the media uses the word, but rather things like not worrying over and stressing over food, eating when you’re hungry and sometimes when you’re not (because that happens in life), exercising good sleeping hygiene, moving your body in ways that make you happy but not judging yourself when your body is telling you that you need some rest…and above all, being kind and forgiving and loving to yourself. One of my favorite women who has been a help on my journey is Libby Crow, and her amazing free resources. I highly reccomend watching her videos (http://libbycrow.com/bodylovevideos/). Doing the worksheets also really helped me!!).

No matter who you are or what you look like, you are ALWAYS worthy of life, love, happiness, good food, wonderful people, amazing trips, beautiful moments and time spent well. We are not our bodies, we have bodies. We have bodies that are our vehicles to get through life…our venue for experiencing all the amazingness that is life. We are souls, beautiful, wonderful, souls, absorbing and giving love out into the world.

I know I can get kind of preachy about this, and I hope it doesn’t come across like that. Truth is, it hurts me so much what you are going through and I see you being trapped by beliefs that I was bound by for years. I want to help you get out just like I got out. I can’t force anything on anyone, and I wouldn’t want to. At the very least, I want you to know that it doesn’t matter to me one jot how your body looks, what size you are or what the name of you blog is, you will always be lovely and beautiful. You are making a difference in the world just by being you, and that is what matters! XOXO ?

P.S. This sounds pretty arrogant, but I’d love it if you’d read this post -> https://theunconventionalkitchen.wordpress.com/2016/04/21/you-are-enough/

P.P.S. If you ever want me to ramble more on the subject, I love talking about body image stuff. ?

By: Meg

Meg — Wed, 04 May 2016 20:27:58 +0000

Hi Beth! Thank you so much for your post, your honesty has made me feel not quite so alone. I have been struggling with my weight since I was in middle school, and at this moment I am waiting to take my 20 yr old daughter out for her birthday. And instead of being excited to share this day with her, all I can think about is the fact that I have nothing to wear.
Which makes me think of all the moments in my life that I have let my weight steal from me. I’m working on accepting myself where I am, and short of that, at least living in the moment.
I wish the same for you, regardless of a number on a scale.
Thank you again for sharing.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 04 May 2016 20:23:34 +0000

You are so brave Beth! I will join you in your journey! Nobody is perfect, but we can support each other to achieve our personal goals and be there when the day doesn’t go exactly as planned. You are making great accomplishments with you career, who else is a rock star doing live segments and going for more? Keep it going!

By: Abbie

Abbie — Wed, 04 May 2016 20:07:50 +0000

Beth! I haven’t said anything because I didn’t want to stick my oar in; this your journey, and I was afraid I’d come across as preachy if I said anything. But I just have to say something when I see you suffering, as I have been where you are. Literally.

As a teenager, I thought there was something wrong with me, because I just kept gaining weight. Ultimately, my parents and I went on an extreme diet and lost a bunch of weight, but I was even more discouraged than ever at the end of it. It messed with my hormones and wreaked havoc on my body, and my period stopped. Thankfully, I went in to see my naturopath, and she suggested a more balanced diet/exercise program as a more gradual way to lose weight. I see now that she was meeting us where we were at mentally, because eventually, I came to the realization that even that program was too restrictive and unhealthy for me.

Not quite a year ago, I stumbled across a girl named Maddy Moon, and she was a former fitness model, who had achieved the “perfect body” in my mind. She debunked many of my beliefs about my body, and through her I found many more resources that have transformed my life. One of them was Isabel Foxen Duke, who is the queen of helping women stop fighting food, as she has been on both sides of the equation (restricting and binging). I found her video series very helpful: http://videos.stopfightingfood.com/

This is just my story, and ultimately it’s your choice the route you want to take, and I will cheer you on no matter what. I just had to share my piece, because I would not be able to rest knowing I had stayed silent while watching you suffer.

Oh, this is a really good post about your struggle: http://summerinnanen.com/remove-guilt?mc_cid=96fd58ce17&mc_eid=ed1f4440c0

Both of the ladies I linked to can have a mouth, but their message is very valuable if it doesn’t bother you. (The things I linked to are almost completely clean, though.)

I love you! ❤