Signs You’ve Reached Your Happy Weight
When I saw the title of this article I said, “Happy weight? What the heck is that?” I don’t think I’ve ever been happy with my weight. I’m one of those people that always weighs more than the charts say. Even when I worked out four hours a day in my 20’s and had 11% body fat, I weighed 130 pounds. I learned long ago that my name and skinny would never be in the same sentence.
Psychologist Glenn Mackintosh says that our bodies are at their healthiest when we find the right balance of eating and working out. Too little of one or too much of one can cause an unbalance. He also says that magazines and the diet industry has caused many of us to be at war with our bodies. I totally agree with that. Many of us have unrealistic expectations when it comes to our shape. My “happy weight” is when I don’t know what my weight is! LOL!
Today marks a year since the pandemic began and I will totally admit that I’ve gained weight in the last year. Emotional eating is an problem for me. When the pandemic started, I used many pints of Ben & Jerry’s to deal with stress. Then this past fall I had two neck surgeries, so I haven’t really been active. Hell, I’m happy I can now walk without falling down!
If you’re wondering how to get to the weight where your body feels it’s best, and to feel your best as a whole, Mackintosh has some ways to achieve that. He gives four signs to look for to make sure you’re feeling and looking your complete.
- Don’t get hung up on numbers– Mackintosh says, “Focusing on your weight creates more problems than it cures.” That means forgetting the scale and working on getting your body to function at its best. I agree with this! My weight can stay the same but my body can be shaped different. I try to focus more on fitting into my clothes.
- Work out because it makes you feel better – Don’t force yourself into a spin class so you can shed a few pounds. Workout because it makes you feel good and it’s good for you.
- Eat for energy – It’s not about the calories or the carbs, it’s finding the balance between not eating so much you feel bloated or sluggish and not eating so little you feel tired or deprived. This is definitely an issue for me. I tend to eat way more than I need to. I also eat when I’m anxious.
- Stay tuned in– When you’re at your “happy weight,” you understand ways to eat and move your body to help you feel calm and clear-headed. This helps you deal with stresses that come your way.
Reading these tips are easy. Putting them into motion is a lot harder for some of us. I say if YOU are happy with how you look, that’s all that matters! You do YOU!
