From Flab to Fab

Between our Spring Break vacation in Disney World, and loads of stress the past month, I have been a little off my game lately.  I actually stuck to my paleo diet the majority of the time in Disney (whenever I could, and I worked hard at planning), but things still get out of whack sometimes when you're on vacation.  And I wasn't doing my normal workouts.  So, that week I probably gained 2 pounds.  Not terrible for a vacation, but I'm hard on myself.

Since we've been back, things have been a little crazy.  Health issues, work stress, and general chaos of being a parent of young children have taken a toll.  And I've found myself standing in front of the pantry, numbing my general displeasure with life events with almond butter far too often.  I talk about almond butter a lot.  It's a vice of mine.  There's not a whole lot of exciting snacks I can have these days, and well, almonds ground into a paste is simply awesome.  So, instead of losing the 2 pounds from vacation, I pretty much kept them and added another couple.  And while 4 pounds seems ridiculous to fret about, it's enough to make me uncomfortable.  Just kinda blah.  Things don't fit quite like they did, and I tend to gain all my weight in my mid-section.  I'll never have large arms - it's just not gonna happen.  And when my belly gets squishy, I get frustrated.  And I was just feeling icky about myself today.  So, I decided to get some perspective.  I did my workout, which I've been consistent with since we got back, and am improving on every day.  I'm stronger than I've ever been in many ways.  There are exercises I could never do before, and I can now.  Pretty cool.  And I'm proud of my body - it has been a home for my babies and a vessel to take care of them.  I can walk, run, and shoot baskets with Luke in the backyard.  I am blessed.

So, I decided to take some pictures of what a real body looks like from different angles.  Sometimes all you need to feel better is some good lighting and a little makeup.  You don't have to have a thigh gap or a six pack to be beautiful.  So many of the images we see and compare ourselves to all the time are simply not real.  Between photo shop and filters, we're just never going to measure up.  So, here's my flab, in all it's glory.  And some more flattering pics, to prove to myself that a little tummy flab is not the end of the world.  My weight, my flab, my imperfections do not define me.  My strength, my attitude, and my actions do.  And I'm going to continue to work on those for the rest of my life.  Stay hopeful, friends!!

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