My Misconceptions About Losing Weight And Being Healthier

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015 / ktbuchs87

When I first decided to get healthier and lose weight, I had a lot of misconceptions about what would happen. I learned through trial and error about what it really means to change your lifestyle. While some lessons took longer to learn than others, all the things I went through helped me get where I am today. I want to share those misconceptions with you so you can learn from my mistakes and maybe not feel so alone on your own journey.

Misconception #1- Losing weight will instantly make me happier

For so long my weight had made me unhappy. I felt uncomfortable in clothes, shy around people, and self-conscious about my appearance. I thought that if I could just lose the weight, I would finally be happy. I was wrong. Yes, losing weight made me feel better and I could wear clothes that I hadn’t been able to before, but my life didn’t instantly become better. That was because I never worked on the mental part of losing weight. I still saw a bigger girl in the mirror and I still felt like I didn’t look the way I should. Just losing weight won’t make your life better or you happier. You have to work through the reasons behind your weight gain and the mental side of losing weight.

Misconception #2- Exercising a lot and eating a little is the only way to lose weight.

You will lose weight if you eat less food and move more, that’s science even if it’s more complex than that. But I went about this the wrong way at the beginning. I was in the mindset that I had to be working out all the time, multiple times a day. I had to eat the bare minimum or else all that hard work would go to waste. This is a horrible way to be healthier because not only is it not a sustainable way of life, you could be hurting your health more than helping it. Exercise isn’t meant to a punishment to your body. It is meant to make it stronger, better, and more capable. It isn’t torture and you shouldn’t hate it. If you do, then maybe you need to find a different form of working out. Food isn’t the enemy. We need it to nourish our bodies and fuel our day. It should taste good and give us pleasure while making us feel amazing. Eating isn’t a necessary evil, it’s a chance to make your health even better. It took me a LONG time to realize these things but once I did, things really turned around.

Misconception #3- My body has to look the same every day to be considered healthy

This was, and sometimes still is, a hard one to get past. My understanding was that those athletes and models that I saw in magazines and online always looked that good. They just walked around with their rippling muscles, taut stomachs, shapely legs, and hair perfectly styled. It seems silly to think about that now, but back then I thought that was true. Your body changes daily. It won’t look the same every single time you look in the mirror. That’s ok and normal. It doesn’t mean you aren’t healthy or that you’re a slob, it means that you’re human. Some days I still struggle with this, but I remind myself that my body is capable of so many things whether I have a six pack or not.

Misconception #4- My cravings for “bad” food will magically disappear

No. Just because you’re eating better doesn’t mean that you won’t crave a big piece of chocolate cake or a huge slice of pizza every now and then. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. Cake and pizza taste good and cravings are a part of life. What has changed for me is that before I just blindly give into my craving I stop and ask myself why. Why do I want that piece of cake? Most often there is something else going on that is making me want that cake. I’ve also learned to satisfy cravings with healthier things.

Losing weight is so much more than just losing weight. Being healthier can come in many different forms and each person has their own unique experience. Even though I had all these misconceptions and issues to work through, my decision to be better was one of the best things I’ve done for myself. I have learned about who I am and what I can accomplish and I have gained a passion for sharing that with others.

So know that if you are just starting this journey, it might be hard and certain things you do might not work, but you’re worth it and you will learn how to make your health better!

Ode To My Body

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Thank you for allowing me to run as many miles as you have. They have made me realize I can endure anything both on the trail and in life.

Thank you for allowing me to try new poses in yoga. They have made me realize I am flexible, both on the mat and in my day to day routine.

Thank you for allowing me to lift heavy weights. They have made me realize I am strong, both under the bar and under pressure.

Thank you for allowing me to walk everywhere. They have made me realize I can use my own to feet to go anywhere, both in my neighborhood and with my goals.

I’m sorry for all the harsh things I have said to you over the years. You were doing the best you could in each situation and I couldn’t see that at the time.

I’m sorry for comparing you to other bodies out there. You aren’t meant to be like any other bodies and to compare made you feel unworthy of all the unique talents you have.

I’m sorry for punishing you when you did nothing wrong. It was my insecurities and skewed views that thought I should fix things that weren’t even wrong.

I’m sorry for the years of hating you and wishing you would change just to fit what I thought was perfect. I missed so much of what was good by focusing only on the bad.

I can’t say that I will always be good to you. There will probably be some times that I struggle to be kind but know that I’m working on it. I’m trying to change my stubborn ways because you deserve that.

I promise to praise you for all that you can do, encourage you to work towards what you are trying to do, and not criticize you for what you can’t do.

You’ve carried me through a lot of tough times and I promise that I will reward you for all the hard work you’ve accomplished.

Thank you.

A Culture Of Shame

May 4, 2015May 4, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Body-shaming

Fat-shaming

Food-shaming

Kid-shaming

Shame-Shaming

We are living in a culture of all kinds of shame. If there is something out there, I bet there is some form of shame attached to it. I don’t want to start your Monday off on a downer, but I feel like this is something I want to address.

Social media is a great and terrible thing.

I love being able to share my life and thoughts with you through my blog, Instagram, and Facebook. It’s an amazing way to be able to connect with people I never would have been able to before. It let’s me help you with your healthy journey by sharing my own health experiences. I can also share the funny and goofy and adorable things that go on in my life, mostly involving Olaf my cat. It’s great.

But there is a dark side to social media. The thought that is always in the back of my mind before I post something. Is this good enough? Is this relevant? Is this offensive? Is this going to open me up to criticism? I see all this shaming going on and it affects what I decide to put up or not. Because of my past struggles with self-esteem and body image issues, I’m always slightly nervous when I put a piece of me out there. The minute I hit publish or send that image or thought or post is no longer mine, it’s the world. It’s terrifying.

I wish we could live in a culture of unwavering support instead of one of shame. So many amazing and strong people are constantly bashed for the way they look or the things we do. Someone posts a before and after picture of their weight loss transform and the comments start flowing in of how they’ve lost too much weight or they looked better before or they still have a long way to go to have the perfect body. Someone tweets the dessert they enjoyed on their birthday and suddenly they’re bombarded with comments from the health nazis.

I posted this video from Blogilates creator, Cassey. If you haven’t seen it, please watch it because I believe it really shows what it’s like to put yourself out there and try to help others but be brought crashing down by all the shaming and negativity out there.

I can’t fix this problem with one post. I can draw awareness to it though, and maybe cause you to think about what you are saying to people. Is the comment you’re about to post one of support or judgement? Are you encouraging the people around you who are doing their best and accomplishing amazing things? Or are you contributing to this culture of shame?

One positive comment can do a lot to help drown out the noise of negative comments. Today offer support instead of shame and help change the way we share with the world.

Advice… With A Grain Of Salt

March 9, 2015March 9, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Like many people, I spend a good amount of time on the internet. One of my favorite sites is Pinterest. I like scrolling through all the recipes, memes, workouts, and numerous other things that people pin. The other day I ran across this written on a pin under the Health and Fitness section: “Honey and cinnamon cleanse every morning, on an empty stomach, half an hour before breakfast, and again at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup water. If taken regularly it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also drinking of this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body, even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.”

Yeah, right.

Just not true

Most people who read that would probably disregard this “helpful” hint and move on to other things. But there are others out there who are looking for any way to lose weight and might cling to this bit of advice as a magic bullet. Everyday I see one thing or another out there in internet land that is just plain wrong, but sounds just good enough to maybe work. There are lists of negative calorie foods (these do NOT exist people!), exercises that will burn 500 calories (maybe if a person is a certain weight/height/body type), and numerous cleanses that promise everything from weight loss to higher test scores (did you know that your body does a fairly good job of cleansing itself every day?).

All good foods, but they do NOT have negative calories

I’m not going to sit here and debunk every single crazy bit of advice that is out there because that would take way too long and you would get bored. I just want to caution you to take any health advice you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Even things that I write aren’t meant to be taken as the hard and fast truth. I am not an expert, I just relate my experiences with you in hopes to help you find your own way. I want you to be careful because I know what it’s like to be desperate when it comes to my weight and body.

I like eating way too much to drink these things for my meals

I was once the impressionable consumer who saw numerous commercials promising that I could lose weight quickly with just one pill! It was like a miracle. All I had to do was take a pill and all my weight problems would be solved. I would finally be happy and look amazing. I bought into the lie. Thankfully my mom found my hidden stash of weight loss pills, essentially just caffeine in pill form, before I seriously hurt myself.

I think I’ll do this instead of that other workout…

Don’t let your desperation cloud your good judgement. I knew deep down that one pill a day wasn’t going to make me lose weight, but I wanted to believe it badly enough to try it. I know better now and I always do my research with any health advice I read or hear. Ultimately you have to do what is best for you and your body. If you’re confused or something sounds too good to be true, dig deeper. Talk with medical and health professionals and make sure that you are helping instead of hurting yourself.

The internet can be a great thing, I mean where else can you spend all day looking at cat photos? But make sure that it isn’t your one and only source for health information. Take any advice you get from the internet with a grain of salt. And a funny meme.

Try not to laugh at this

Have a great Monday everyone!

Your Body Isn’t A Mannequin

February 9, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I have spent a lot of my life not liking the way I look. Many of my younger years were full of low self-esteem and poor body image. Like many girls, and boys for that matter, I felt that I didn’t measure up to the standard of beauty.

As I’ve gotten older I have gotten better but I still have my days/weeks where I feel like I don’t look like I want. My stomach is too flabby, my thighs have seemingly gotten bigger overnight, and my arms aren’t as strong as last week. What I see in the mirror doesn’t match up to the image in my head. I’ve had one of those weeks this past week and I’ve learned something.

My body does change from day to day and week to week.

My body is not going to stay exactly the same every minute of every day.

My body isn’t meant to be like a robot or mannequin and never change.

And this is ok.

There are so many factors that go into how our bodies look from day to day. What we eat or drink, what workout we have done, what the weather is like, what clothes we wear. With so many variables there is no way that we can keep our bodies exactly the same.

For someone who has struggled with body image issues, this can be a tough lesson to deal with. I sometimes get into the horrible habit of looking at pictures of models/athletes and longing to have their perfect bodies. What I often forget is that the image I look at is just picture of one point in time. That is how they looked at that minute, it isn’t how they look every single day. I shouldn’t compare myself to those moments in time, especially since they have been styled and edited to look perfect at those particular moments in time.

Don’t get frustrated if it seems like your body isn’t consistent with what you think it should look like.

Are you eating real and whole foods that give you energy and nourish you?

Are you moving your body in some way each day?

Are you working to improve other areas of your life not just your body?

Then you should be proud of your body for allowing you to do all those things.

I’ll leave you with this thought. A few months back I was at my parents house for some family event I was in the kitchen with my mom, dad, and husband. Somehow we got onto the topic of body image and I said that girls sometimes just have “bad-body days”, days where we just aren’t happy with what we see. My mom nodded in agreement, but my dad and Adam kind of just looked at me confused. I asked my dad, “Don’t you ever have a day where you look in the mirror and you don’t like your body?” He answered with, “Sure, but I don’t let it control my day. I just move on and work to improve it.” I asked Adam the same thing and he agreed with my dad.

I had never realized it could be as simple as that. Yes, there is a big difference between men and women when it comes to body image but I think we can all benefit from adopting my dad’s mindset.

Don’t let your body control your day. Work to improve it and move on.