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Saturday, May 24, 2014

Change the World

We had a wonderful week at Disney World...
and with healthy options along the way, it made it easier to stick to healthy eating!
Every restaurant offers fresh veggies, salads, lean protein options to fit all dietary needs.  It was nice to not have to worry so much about what we were going to eat while dining out.  Of course there were unhealthy options all around, but if you make up your mind that those things only bring you two steps back, you are more likely to make positive choices while enjoying your vacation!


The Move It Mommas were very special guests at Trader Joes yesterday!  

They made a healthy recipe for us to sample and gave us a personal tour through the store!  Yum!
My whole heart wants to change the world.  I want these women to feel empowered and inspired by one another.  I want them to know that this journey doesn't have to traveled alone.  It's tough and I never make them feel like it's easy but it is always worth it.  
I relate to each of these women in some way and that is so empowering.  To feel that somehow we are changing one another is a very powerful feeling.  I love each of them :) 


As I was listening to the radio driving my son to school, I was intrigued by the conversation they were having on women losing weight and losing friends?
YES.
It was a poll done that concluded women lose 1 friend for every 7lbs they lose?
Yes.
It had me thinking...
Did I lose friends along the way?
Sort of.
Of course the people that mean the most to me always supported me, but were things different?  
YES.

In my unhealthiest days, I loved eating out.  
There was nothing quite like pizza and beer or a cheeseburger and french fries.  
I loved local Mexican restaurants because of the chips...who needed "real" food when you had endless chips, salsa and queso?  Right?!

Dining out is like a social event sometimes.  You meet friends for Happy Hour or celebrate a birthday, promotion or graduation.  You giggle, talk and enjoy time with family and friends.  Nothing better than that!
These days the eating out happens WAY less and the options are limited.  Of course we can go eat Mexican or Italian food but we are often tempted by the bread or chips, so why go through that when you can eat sensibly at home without temptations?  I'm often torn between making the positive choice or making the choice that goes with the flow of the group you are celebrating with.  It's tough.

So while I didn't "lose friends", our social life did shift.
When with a group and we're going out to dinner I'm often asked, "Well, where CAN you eat?"
It's offensive but I know they mean well trying to accommodate my lifestyle but I've done this long enough and I'll find something anywhere.  It may be small and not so filling but it'll work to please the group.  

At family gatherings, I was always hanging by the food.  I felt comfortable shoveling food around family so it was the perfect atmosphere for an over eater.  I'd socialize and laugh with my cousins while mindlessly pounding back the calories.  
These days, I remove myself from the "munchies" tables.  I go outside or move away from the kitchen which sometimes isolates me from the group.  It's frustrating but ALWAYS WORTH IT.

I have to accept that others do not depend on food the way that I once did.  I had a relationship with food.  Sad way to put it but it's the truth.  And if I'm not careful, I will slip back into old habits and allow it to once again control me.  Of course I still enjoy myself and love the time spent with them but it is different.  
But at the same time, I am not the same person.  Yes I'm still the fun Marissa they've always known but I am not centered and focused on my next meal.  
It consumed me and I choose to be in control of my life, not the food.

If I'm being honest, as I always am here, I feel like my weight loss and lifestyle change has also brought on a little resentment with some.  Sadly I don't feel like people treat me the same, almost as if they liked me better as the "chubby girl"??  
And that part I'm still dealing with because I don't understand it fully. 
I get the feeling sometimes that they are waiting for the old me to come back.  
They felt better knowing I was vulnerable and lacked confidence? 
But maybe that's human nature?

I don't take it personally and I know these people do love and care for me BUT it is different...
way different.  
But I do know that if we are going to Change The World together, we must learn to always raise one another up.  Encourage and never discourage.  
We should be understanding of the want and need to be healthy.  Always.  
We should ALWAYS want what is best for the people that we love most.


I LOVE this quote from former Biggest Loser contestant, jlynnjacobs on Instagram,
MANY times others tried to light that fire within me because they wanted what was best for me.  
I truly began to change my life when I found that fire within myself!
It is only when we're ready, when we believe in ourselves 
and find our strength within that we begin to see and feel change!!  

2 comments:

jillconyers said...

You are changing the world! One wonderful lady at a time!

Elle said...

Love this positive post!

Disney World is a favorite of ours too. Got married there many years ago! And of course TJs. I think your group is a wonderul and fun idea.