“Thin is a wrapper. No one eats the wrapper. We admire it, but then we throw it away. We’re not wrappers, and shame on society for making it about the wrapper rather than the person.” 
 
 
Kyra said this to me in an email  the other day, and I gotta tell ya, it stuck with me. And how appropriate is it that today is also National Love Your Body Day*? Sometimes things come together for a reason I believe.
 
In full disclosure, I have been in a bad body funk for over a week and I can’t seem to shake it. I know, right?! Me! I’m usually all about the “love your body – it’s amazing  no matter what size it is!!” but lately I have been struggling with my own body image and my apparent inability to lose weight.
 
 When people see my wrapper, they see an overweight woman with hair that has a mind of it’s own. What they don’t see is (and what I need to remember about myself):
 
  • I get up 4-5 days a week an hour early and work out
  • I work 40 hours a week so that my family can have affordable health insurance
  • I cook dinner every night for my family even though it would be so much easier to get take out
  • I drive my kids to activities nearly every day even though it means sometimes putting in a 12 hour day
  • I have a great relationship with my husband
  • I have friends who I can count on to be there with a kind word or a hug whenever I need it (and I love returning the favor)
  • I am so much more than my wrapper

I think the first step to seeing past our own wrapper, is to focus on what we do right. Also it helps if we take care of ourselves – too much sugar can make me crazy and I know this, yet I feel the need to test the theory regularly (learn the lesson already!).  I’ve also decided to stay away from the scale for awhile and focus on the things I can control: how much water I drink, the kinds of food that I eat, the amount of exercise I’m willing to do. The number on the scale has nothing to do with anything but the wrapper, and I need to take the focus off my wrapper for awhile. I need to stop obsessing about the size of my thighs and start thinking about increasing the size of my character.

It’s what we do that matters, not what we weigh. (Note to self: tattoo this on your forehead so that every time you look in the mirror, you’ll see it. Of course you’ll have to have it tattooed backwards, but whatever. Just do it.)

I encourage you to go the Love Your Body website and click around. There is some empowering information there that we can all use.

*thanks to Vicki for the tip off about this- I didn’t even know it was a thing!