NO! This is not a picture of me….I have been on a journey to get back to goal weight since January. Back to Weight Watchers, walking or moving more and I have been STUCK! Well, the scale seems to move VERY slowly but those “jiggle thighs” don’t seem to be going anywhere.
I am looking forward to the Leadership Cruise in September so I am on a mission. I am fighting playing the comparison game. I am fighting the gremlins who want me to be more concerned about what others will think of me than me loving me for me. I’m sure I am not alone. Swimsuit season is upon us or at least it will be VERY soon and it makes me CRINGE! What about you?
I read a blog post on Women Living Well about learning to accept things. It made me stop and realize I need to look at my “jiggle thighs” in a different way..
For as long as I can remember, I have had “bumps” on the top of my thighs. Yes, they have gotten smaller with the loss of 105 pounds but they are still there! I walk, maybe not as much as I could (or should) but you would figure loosing 105 pounds would have helped to get rid of them, right? Most of the time my clothes conceal them but I still know they are there. Of course you can really notice them as my waist continues to shrink and nothing is in proportion. Maybe this isn’t your problem area, maybe it is the “jiggle arms” or the muffin top or the roll our bra creates – no matter what we all seem to judge ourselves when we look in the mirror..
How about this thought….My jiggle thighs (or your problem area) are evidence of God’s goodness in my life! Sounds crazy, right? Mind you I never notice this or any other problem area on other people, just on myself. Most people don’t mention it – okay maybe an occasional child who is curious but why wouldn’t they be – I’m curious to know why God has blessed me with these wonderful thighs.
Jen Wilken said “The expectation of physical perfection hits modern females early and often. In middle school, girls cut themselves to deal with the pressures of conforming to the ideal. In middle age, women do, too—but allow the surgeon to hold the knife.” WOW! She then goes on to say “We carve the record of our self-loathing into the very flesh of our bodies—a self-marring, a literal carving of an idol. Increasingly, physical perfection is the legacy of womanhood in our culture, handed down with meticulous care from mother to daughter, with more faithful instruction in word and deed than we can trouble to devote to cultivating kindness, peacemaking, and acceptance that characterize unfading, inner beauty.”
Yes, I considered surgery. We even met with a doctor to see what would be involved. By the time we left, they had described a procedure which would cut me almost in half. They would take out the cellulite and the excess skin from the weight loss. The healing time would be several months. Then he said “there is no guarantee the bumps won’t come back”. WAIT! You mean even after all of this, and sticking to my WW program there is still the possibility they may return. I will admit, I was willing to take the chance. Then after much thought, prayer and discussion with hubby – I decided against it.
So, every day I work on squashing the inner gremlins who want to torture me with lies about the need to have a perfect body or to be an ideal weight. It doesn’t mean don’t be healthy. It means strive for a goal reachable for you. I am learning to accept me for me – jiggle thighs and all – knowing I am beautifully made by God. Most days this is a tough pill for me to swallow. I am not less than because it has taken me a “LONG” time to reach my goal weight. I am not less than because my body is not a perfect size 10.
Today, I am living in the hope, security and the arms of a Higher Power who loves me unconditionally. Give yourself a break today and know as long as you are trying your best – it is all God is asking of you.
For tips on healthy weight loss check out – Weight Watchers.
Have ThirtyOne-derful day.
Hope Wissel 
❤️This !