My "Let's Get Real" Diet

“Who says you’re not perfect”

 -Selena Gomez (don’t laugh. I’m serious.)

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”
- Salvador Dalí (I mean, let’s be honest.)

“This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfection.”
- Saint Augustine (and be OKAY with that.)

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

-Dr. Seuss (can’t forget this one.)

What can you take away from these quotes?

How do you think they correlate to the title of this post?

What is the message the author is trying to convey?

I feel like a high school English teacher.

Let’s get real, ladies. We are never going to look a Barbie doll. We aren’t going to have that unnaturally skinny waist and be perfectly toned with great bone structure and not-too-over-the-top curves.

Is this what you want to look like?!
Image source

Because we are not airbrushed, full of silicone, botox-injected, digitally retouched - and we certainly don’t have our own staff of personal trainers, dieticians, and personal chefs preparing expensive-trendy-health food for us at every meal. You cannot trust any image shown on the internet or on tv or in magazines to be real. Photoshop has done a great job at making women feel crappier and crappier about themselves as the years go by. It’s no wonder virtually EVERY woman in America has self-image issues.

I’ve spent my fair share of time recently watching shows like TLC’s What Not To Wear and Say ‘Yes’ To the Dress. It breaks my heart that basically every single woman breaks down in tears because there is some part of her body that simply repulses her or makes her self-conscious and hinders her ability to feel beautiful. I can’t help but blame the media and EVERYONE in Hollywood and trends in society. Thanks a lot, guys. You’ve (collectively) made yourselves feel better by being increasingly fake while putting everyone else’s self confidence in the gutter.

Why do we always compare ourselves to those standards? We’re all guilty of doing it. It’s so unrealistic. The “rich and famous” don’t live a life anywhere near what the rest of us do. The only reason we are unsatisfied with how we look is because we see them and think, “if I could look like that, I would be happier”. How can you be so sure? What difference would it really make if your shoulders weren’t so broad or your tummy wasn’t as jiggly or your toes weren’t so goofy looking or you do or you don’t have freckles or straight hair or curly hair or pale skin or small breasts or big breasts or CELULITE or maybe you SWEAT A LOT or have BIG FEET or CROOKED TEETH and on and on and on the list goes! The only reason we notice these things about ourselves is simply because we have another body to compare ourselves against. If we all looked the same, I’d bet nobody would care.

Let’s get real - nobody is perfect. That saying gets real old in some contexts. But in this one, it couldn’t be more true. There are some decent “Hollywood-ites”, as I will call them, who are actually REAL and humble and will admit their faults or weaknesses or imperfections and have chosen not to alter themselves in unnatural ways. Everybody has something they don’t like about themselves. And what is “perfect” when it comes to body image? Everyone likes different things. I have had to come to terms with my curvy body that’s here to stay after almost a decade from my previous runner’s body of 6 years (man, time flies!). I know that I could make a whole list of things I’d like to improve about my body, but only compared to what MY body used to be. I know where I’ve been and what is realistic for my body type. My butt isn’t going anywhere, and neither are my thighs. There’s no point for me to waste time and energy to attempt to trim down those areas just to be frustrated with my attempts. I got curves for a reason! And I don’t really care if my spandex workout capris make my butt look big. I don’t care if my face is a mess because I have on no makeup (that one took me awhile to get over).  If you are at the gym to gawk at people, then you are there for the wrong reasons. No one is going to remember that girl who was all sweaty and gross looking because we all look that way at the gym. When I am at the gym, I am focused on my workout and pushing myself to do my best. We all wish we could run as fast as others or run for longer or lift more or whatever, but I have my own agenda in my mind at the gym. If I am looking at other people instead of focusing on my goals, it’s simply to check out other people’s workouts and see if I could adapt that to mine. Or I am admiring someone’s endurance and thinking, “Good for her. She’s working hard”. I am always cheering on other women at the gym in my head, because, let’s get real – working out SUCKS! I can replay my track coach yelling at me to run “all the way through” and visualize past running events, but some don’t have a way to self-motivate. So I cheer for them. And I am cheering for you.

Pinterest is full of workout ideas and suddenly ALL these girls posting their silly skinny photos with a link to their blogs complete with meal plans and workout routines. No offense to them, but that is all garbage to the rest of us. I’m gonna workout when I feel like it, doing the workouts that I like, and eat what I want, when I want. And no, I’m not going to look like you in that photo because that’s not me.

LET’S GET REAL!!

I love food too much to completely cut out ENTIRE food groups. That’s just nonsense. Then you are technically malnourished because you have an unbalanced diet and are missing important nutrients that your body needs. I like to find healthy trends that incorporate mostly healthy options. And sometimes I come home with a box of donuts.

But then again, I hate food because I know it is a LARGE factor in the change in my body over the last several years (example: the box of donuts, haha).

I hate working out. It’s so much work, time, and energy…and sweat. And it means I have to get off the couch. Or out of bed – morning workouts are near impossible for me. Just ask my husband.

But I ABSOLUTELY love that post-workout feel. I NEVER regret going to the gym. It just makes me feel healthier.

In conclusion, I encourage all you ladies to BE REAL. BE HAPPY. BE YOU. This will take some time if you are just beginning this road of mentally coaching yourself to have a more positive self-image. And I’m talking years. And so what? You will end up being happier for it in the long run. Start by taking baby steps out of your comfort zone and repeating to yourself “I don’t care what people think about the way I look. I'm happy with me.” Just practice that. Who wants to spend their life wishing to be someone they’re not?

What is YOUR “Let’s Get Real” Diet?

I will proudly wear clothes that feature my curves. And I will enjoy those donuts. And sweat like a pig at the gym. And not care what anyone thinks about my body.

And yes, my tummy spills over the waist on my pants sometimes.

Just being real.