by Lauren of Ginger is the New Pink
Hello beautiful people!
I'm so honored that Maria asked me to write a post for her "Good health is gorgeous" campaign. She is such an inspiration to me, and I can't say enough good things about her. I'm lucky enough to have spent time with her in person, and she glows from the inside out!
I wasn't sure what topic to talk about. I have suffered from poor self esteem, distorted eating and I'm a constant worrier. I also have Crohn's disease, which flares when my stressing gets out of control. But my biggest lightbulb moment came to me recently, 11 months after giving birth to my beautiful daughter...
As I mentioned, distorted eating has been an issue for me in the past. I have starved, binged, over exercised, all just to fit what society tells us is beautiful. I grew up being able to eat just about anything without putting on a pound. I was an active cheerleader and pretty tiny. When puberty hit, I found I could no longer stuff my face with donuts and other garbage. I didn't even know I was starting to put on weight until a school mate had pointed out my new tummy and family members had started calling me "chipmunk cheeks". So I went on a fat free diet and got back down to my normal weight. But my "cheeks" didn't go away...
Always self conscious of my chubbier face, I hated having pictures taken, even though I was as skinny as someone could be. I had a baby face! Fast forward 5 years, I was diagnosed with Crohn's and told I would have to take prednisone, the drug that is known to cause "moonface".. I left the doctors office and ripped up the prescription. A few weeks later, I was hospitalized, receiving blood transfusions, all because I didn't want to look fat.
Having been on and off of prednisone for years now, I have come to accept the side effects. Before becoming pregnant, I had gained about 15 pounds. I thought I would have time to lose it, but fortunate for me, I was pregnant immediately. I felt so amazing while pregnant, my Crohn's was under control and I was eating like I've never ate before. I felt so free to be able to indulge in vegan sweets and gluten! I gained a ton of weight, and I was really worried about losing it. My self confidence was non existent, I barely have any pictures of myself pregnant. I truly regret that..
The day I had my daughter I started thinking about losing the weight, I went back to my high raw diet, I did the p90x workout program and I am breastfeeding, which helped a lot. At 11 months post pregnancy, I have lost all of the weight. But with this came a lot of compliments and I feel like I am always talking about my weight. My lightbulb moment came when I saw an episode of Oprah's Lifeclass where she talked about her ego after she did a show on herself losing weight. I thought about how uncomfortable it made me feel when people commented on my weight loss. I guess I should be proud, but I don't really feel like this is such a great accomplishment. I would much rather someone tell me I was smart or that I helped them in some way. Then I thought about my daughter and how I wouldn't want her to think that being thin was the most important thing in the world. I no longer wanted people to talk about weight in my or her presence. I want her to grow up confident for who she is on the inside. So I made a promise to her that I would show her how to glow from the inside out by being a good person and seeing the good in others. I hope that she grows up with a different mind frame then I did. I would never want her to think anything less of herself. I want her to show her shining light on the inside out.
I'm so happy that I had this moment. I feel like my outlook on life has changed and I'm not worried about what size I am. I want people to see the real me, the person I'm striving to become, one day at a time.
Thank you again, Maria for letting me share my story.
Lauren is my beautiful friend and a raw vegan, new mommy living with Crohn's Disease. Check out her blog!
14 comments:
Thank you for letting me share! Xoxo
Thanks for having Lauren do this guest post for you. I think a lot of us can relate to the desire to look a certain way. I know I have. Thank goodness for my little ones. They remind me everyday that there is more to life than what you look like, especially when health is involved.
Thank you for being so open and honest, Lauren!
Shannon, thanks for reading! If you'd like to contribute, just let me know! Looking for strong, health-driven women to share their personal stories to inspire others.
Wow! Awesome post. Thanks for sharing this.
Lauren thank you so much for sharing your story. I appreciate your honesty and vulnerability. I think some women feel like pregnancy is the only time they can truly eat as they please, unfortunately. I can also relate to having gut issues and it really messes with your appetite and sense of fullness, all that stuff. I had a very twisted view of eating after getting diagnoses with celiac, because my body absorbed food oddly. Anyhow, glad you realized that your daughter's perception of body image is important, more important than overfocusing on being thin.
ps: I have a round face too and the only thing I hope is a silver lining is it will help us look younger and at some point that will be important.
what a wonderful post, Lauren. it really touched me - thank you. when you wrote "I would much rather someone tell me I was smart or that I helped them in some way. Then I thought about my daughter and how I wouldn't want her to think that being thin was the most important thing in the world." it hit home. we, as women, oftentimes put too much emphasis and energy into weight - and i've finally come to realize that after all these years it's really not worth it in the "end all-be all". it's what's in our souls, it's our inner light - that's what truly shines. thanks again for sharing, my friend!
Thank you so much for sharing your personal story, Lauren.
As an RSD/CRPS patient, I am taking several meds that, coupled with spending the past two years in a wheelchair, have caused me to gain a significant amount of weight since my injury.
I had a spinal cord stimulator implanted two weeks ago and have just now started the weight loss journey. I fully realize that I'll never get back to where I was, and I'm okay with that. What I DO want is to be healthy. Because like you said, Good Health IS Gorgeous.
SO thrilled everyone loves Lauren's post, but I knew you would :-)
The next one I post will be written by two vegan women who are partners and LGBTQ advocates.
This was a great post from Lauren.
Thanks for the love all! Xoxo
I love this post Lauren - great advice for us all to impart on our children. I don't want my kids to grow up with these sorts of issues either or to have hang ups about food. And hey, if it helps, I naturally have a moonface. It's just how I'm made and fluctuates with weight. But like Bitt said, it helps in making us appear younger. :) Anyway, ramble ramble -- really enjoyed this post. And many thanks to Maria for having you guest post.
This post put tears in my eyes, Lauren. There is something so beautiful and powerful about a mother committed to evolving her view of self and others in effort to instill positive self-esteem in her daughter. Hopefully Baby A will always see herself through loving eyes!
You both glow in my eyes!
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