Friday, August 17, 2012

Self Image in Today's Society

Okay, so I know I usually use this blog to update you guys on my weight loss efforts, but today is going to be something completely different. I am just so fired up about this subject I just have to post on it. I was watching this video on Yahoo! about this woman who decided that she was going to go an entire year without looking in a mirror. She struggled with an eating disorder when she was younger, and is at a really healthy weight. I think she looks absolutely beautiful. However, as usual, there are the jerks out there that just HAVE to post mean and hurtful comments about her appearance. I'm currently in the midst of an "argument" with this Yahoo! user by the name of WG5:

Me: People who post mean comments: shut up. Yes you have a right to free speech, but that doesn't mean you should use it to tear other people down just to make you feel better about yourselves. People like you are the reason why so many young women and men are struggling with eating disorders. Why are you so concerned about what other people look like? If she's happy and she's healthy, then that's great. I think she is beautiful. And you all have no right to tell her otherwise.

WG5: I & everyone else have rights to our opinions & whiners like you #$%$ about our opinion, because it isn't to your liking.
I say, "GO F YOURSELF BETCH!"
Criticism will make you stronger, unlike coddling which makes you a sniveling sissy!

Me: There's a difference between criticism and being cruel. Criticism offers HELPFUL suggestions for improvement. How is saying "If I looked like her, I'd avoid mirrors, too. She's ugly." HELPFUL? Guess what? IT'S NOT! And how does being supportive and telling someone they're beautiful make them a "sniveling sissy?" If anything, THAT makes them stronger. THAT gives them confidence in themselves. And I'm not going to stoop to your level by telling you to go "f yourself" because I don't say things like that. All I can say is I wish you the best and that someone shows you a bit of kindness and support. Maybe then you'll see how helpful that is.

WG5: Talking through your hass, as usual.
Possibly one day you will mature & understand the difference between criticism & hate. Till then, live in your little happy world of flowers & smiles, where everyone is nice to all people. LOL

Me: I love how you're calling me immature simply because I'm giving someone a compliment. If anything, THAT makes me mature. I don't cower behind a computer, "criticizing" people by saying things I wouldn't have the guts to say face to face. And until YOU mature, you can live in your own little crappy world where everyone is hateful to others and giving compliments and support is frowned upon.

Me: And I would also like to point out that I'm not the one who said "GO F YOURSELF BETCH!" That's not really helping you in the whole "maturity" case.

While I do agree that everyone does have a right to their opinion, there is a difference between expressing your opinion and being downright hateful. Just reading some of the comments on this video nearly made me cry. Unfortunately, we live in a world where image is everything. Everyone, especially women, are held up to this "perfect" standard, and if you don't fit that standard, you're not what society considers "beautiful." 

According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health:

  • It is estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder – seven million women and one million men
  • One in 200 American women suffers from anorexia
  • Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia
  • Nearly half of all Americans personally know someone with an eating disorder (Note: One in five Americans suffers from mental illnesses.)
  • An estimated 10 – 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males
  • Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness
  • A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders reported that 5 – 10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30 – 40% ever fully recover
  • The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females 15 – 24 years old
  • 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems
  • Anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness among adolescents
  • 95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25
  • 50% of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as overweight
  • 80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight [by starvation or purging]
I realize that I do struggle with my weight, and I realize that obesity in America is at an all time high. However, telling people that they are ugly, fat, or any other derogatory terms is NOT helpful in any way, shape, or form. If anything, it forces them to think, "Well, why bother then?" I know there are times when people try to use that as a motivator, but guess what dears? That only sets them up for failure. Those comments are hurtful, and they never go away. Did you guys know that it takes TEN positive compliments to get rid of ONE negative comment? THAT'S how much of an effect negativity has. If you're trying to motivate someone into losing weight, how about instead of telling them "YOU'RE SO FAT! YOU NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT!", invite them to take a walk with you. Invite them to join you at the gym to be your work out buddy. Invite them to try yummy, healthy foods with you. And when they do start to lose weight, compliment them. Tell them they look healthier. Happier. And let them know that weight loss is not all about looks. 

Another way you can set people up for failure is by comparing them to others. Constantly asking them, "Do you want to look like [insert name of overweight person that you know here]?" doesn't help. It also doesn't help by asking them if they want to look like one of those stick thin models in magazines. That's giving them an unrealistic goal. No matter what, they will not look like that model. Do you know why? Because NO ONE looks like that model. Even that model doesn't look like that in real life. It's called "airbrushing."

If you're losing weight simply because you want to "look better" or "improve your appearance," it's not going to work. Lose weight to be healthier, live longer, and just have a better lifestyle. Another way you can set yourself up for failure? Losing weight for other people. It's sweet to want to lose weight for your husband, wife, children, parents, or friends. But I guarantee you those people will love you unconditionally. You have to want to lose weight for YOU, and no one else. Because it's YOUR body, and no one else's. And you have to love yourself enough to want to do what you need to do to be happy and healthy. Whether that be losing weight, or even gaining it. 

Don't let society dictate what's beautiful. If society had its way, every woman in the world would be a size zero, have fake boobs, fake hair, fake noses, and wear about an inch of makeup at ALL times. Every man would have perfect coiffed hair, six packs, and walk around without shirts on at all times. Believe it or not, everyone is built differently, and everyone is beautiful in their own way. Ultimately, if you're happy and healthy, that's all that matters. Never forget: you ARE beautiful. No matter what anyone says. You are beautiful.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Wow...

Holy cow. It really has been quite a while since I've posted on here. You know what I love the most? The fact that some of you who have been reading my blog have actually came up and asked me why I haven't posted lately. That really just makes me feel fantastic and it tells me that people actually care. And I love you guys and thank you for all of your support. This is a post that is telling you that I have really started taking the bull by the horns. Starting with my laziness.

Last Tuesday, I took my very first Zumba class. It was hard, and within the first few minutes I was sweating bullets, which goes to show how out of shape I truly am. The next day, I was so incredibly sore. But you know what? It was a good sore. The kind of soreness that you get after you've worked muscles and parts of your body that you haven't worked in a long while. The old me would've just given up after that first day with how sore I was. But lately, I've just gotten so sick of being scared. Scared that I wouldn't be able to do what I've set out to do. Scared of what other people might think of me. So scared, I'd give up without even really trying. Last week, I made the decision that that attitude of mine needed to go. Along with another attitude.

For so long, I've been trying to lose weight for all the wrong reasons: trying to make myself look good, trying to please everyone, and trying to get people off my back for my appearance. Finally, I realized that I'm trying to lose weight for everyone except for one person. Me. I think I've just been valuing other people's opinions of me rather than my own. Now, I'm not saying that other people's opinions don't matter, because they do. What I'm saying is that finally, after years and years of self doubt, I've finally learned to love myself. I've finally learned to care about myself and make myself as healthy as I deserve to be.

I think the one thing that finally made me realize that I need to do something about my weight is something my mom said to me. She told me that, with my weight, I have a risk of diabetes. And if I develop diabetes, I cannot have children. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely adore children, and cannot wait to be a mother. Out of all the dreams that I have for my life, being a mom takes precedence. To have the ability to have children taken away from me would absolutely destroy me. And I will NOT let that ability be taken away from me.

So from now on, this will not only be a weight loss journal, but it will be a journal depicting every minor success along the way of my weight loss journey. Whether it's weight related or not. I'm ready to start, and I WILL be successful.

Love,
Skylar "DoctorHoo" Beth

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Meh

Hey guys. I know it's been forever since I last posted. But life has been pretty hectic lately. What with final exams, summer classes, planning stuff for Alpha Psi Omega (which i have been elected President of :D), and working on my old high school's musical, I've barely had any time to breathe. But now that things have somewhat dialed down, I am going to start posting again. I love you guys and thank you for all of your support.

Love,

Skylar "DoctorHoo" Beth

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Food & Exercise Journal - Days Twenty-one, Twenty-two, & Twenty-three

Ack! I know, I'm a bad bad girl for not posting the past couple of days. But with rehearsal and papers and projects and classes and school winding down, I've been lucky to sleep when and where I can. So here are my journals!

Food Journal

Breakfast
Nada

Lunch
Apple
Banana 
1 bowl of Rice Chex
1 Glass Water

Dinner
1 cup spaghetti
1 breadstick
1 glass water

Breakfast
Nada

Lunch
Banana
Apple
Spinach Leaves

Dinner
1 slice pepperoni pizza

Breakfast
Nada

Lunch
Sierra Turkey Sandwhich
Chips
Large Diet Pepsi

Dinner
1 Monster Mozza Sticks from IHOP

Exercise

3 days x 1 mi/day = 3 miles

Daily Water Count

(over 3 day period) 15 bottles x 20 fl.oz./bottle = 300 fl.oz.

Sleep Journal

12:00 AM - 8:00 AM = 8 Hours

2:00 AM - 9:30 AM = 7.5 Hours

2:00 AM - 8:00 AM = 7 Hours   

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Food & Exercise Journal - Days Nineteen & Twenty: 346 Days Left

Food Journal


Breakfast
Nada


Lunch
Totino's Pizza Rolls - 1 serving
55 Goldfish
Skinny Cow Ice Cream


Dinner
Pasta, no sauce
1 glass of water


Breakfast
Nada


Lunch
2 slices of pepperoni pizza 
1 banana
1 glass water


Dinner
2 slices of pepperoni pizza
1 banana
1 glass diet coke


Exercise Journal


1 mile walk


1 mile walk


Daily Water Count


b/w two days, 10 bottles x 20 fl.oz./bottle = 200 fl.oz./bottle


Sleep Journal


12:00 AM - 8:00 AM = 8 hours
2:00 AM - 8:00 AM = 6 hours

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

On an Unrelated Note...

So, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with my weight loss, but I'm actually considering doing these kind of posts along with my journals. I have recently fallen in love with this awesome band called Fun. One of their most popular songs is called "We Are Young." After hearing that song, I was intrigued. So I decided to listen to some more of their music on Spotify. I am now in love with this group. Their lyrics are fantastic, and their vocal stylings are phenomenal. So I'm just going to post some lyrics to this song that personally has a lot of meaning for me. It's called Carry On.

Carry On
Carry on
Well I woke up to the sound of silence
The cars were cutting like knives in a fist fight
And I found you with a bottle of wine
Your head in the curtains
And heart like the Fourth of July

You swore and said
We are not
We are not shining stars
This I know
Cause I never said we were

Though I've never been through hell like that
I've closed enough windows 
To know you can never look back

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound
Or your feet upon the ground
Carry on 

Carry on, carry on

So I met up with some friends
At the edge of the night
At a bar off 75
And we talked and tolked
About how our parents will die
All our neighbours and wives

But I like to think
I can cheat it all
To make up for the times I've been cheated on
And it's nice to know
When I was left for dead
I was found and now I don't roam these streets
I am not the ghost you want of me

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone
Carry on 
May your past be the sound
Or your feet upon the ground
Carry on

Woah
My head is on fire
But my legs are fine
Cause after all they are mine
Lay your clothes down on the floor
Close the door
Hold the phone
Show me how
No one's ever gonna stop us now

Cause we are
We are like shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we're miles away
So we'll come
We will find our way home

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground
Carry on

Carry on, carry on

This next song is also absolutely phenomenal. It's called Why Am I The One?

Why Am I The One
I got enough on my mind
What when she pulls me by the hand
She hasn't much to hold onto

She's keeping count on her hand
One, Two, Three days
That I been sleeping on my side

I finished kissing my death
So now I head back up the steps
Thinking about where I've been
I mean the sun was never like this
I wanna feel with the season
I guess it makes sense
Cause my life becomes as vapid as a night out in Los Angeles
And I just want to stay in bed

And hold you like I used to 
You know that I am home
So darling if you love me
Would you let me know...?

Or go on, go on, go on
If you were thinking that the worst is yet to come
Why am I the one always backing up my stuff

For once, for once, for once
I get the feeling that I'm right where I belong
Why am I the one always packing up my stuff

She got enough on her mind
That she feel no sorry
I let my fate fill the air
So now she's rolling down the window
Never been one to hold on
But I need a last breath
So I ask if she remembers when
She used to come and visit me 
We were fools to think that nothing could go wrong

Go on, go on, go on
If you were thinking that the worst is yet to come
Why am I the one always packing up my stuff

For once, for once, for once
I get the feeling that I'm right where I belong
Why am I the one always packing all my stuff
I think I kinda like it but I might have had too much

I'll move back down
To this western town
When they find me out
Make no mistake about it

I'll move back down to this western town
When they find me out make no mistake about it

I'll move back down to this western town...
(Go on, go on, go on, if you were thinking that the worst is yet to come)
Why am I the one always packing up my stuff

Go on, go on, go on, if you were thinking that the worst is yet to come
Why am I the one always packing up my stuff

For once, for once, for once, I get the feeling that I'm right where I belong
Why am I the one always packing up my stuff

I think I kinda like it but I might have had too much
I'll move back down...

And here is the song that I currently have stuck in my head...it's called Some Nights

Some Nights
Some nights I stay up cashing in my bad luck
Some nights I call it a draw
Some nights I wish that my lips could build a castle
Some nights I wish they'd just fall off

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don't know anymore

This is it, boys, this is war 
What are we waiting for?
Why don't we break the rules already?
I was never one to believe the hype - save that for the black and white
I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked
But here they come again to jack my style

And that's alright
I found a martyr in my bed tonight
She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am
Oh who am I? Oh, who am I?

Some nights I wish that this all would end
Cause I could use some friends for a change
And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again
Some nights I always win

But I still wake up
I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I still don't know what I stand for
What do I stand for? 
What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don't know

So this is it? I sold my soul for this?
Washed my hands of that for this?
I miss my mom and dad for this?

No. 
When I see stars that's all they are
When I hear songs, they sound like this one
So come on
Oh come on
Oh come on


That is it guys, that is all
Five minutes in and I'm bored again
Ten years of this, I'm not sure if anybody understands
This is not one for the folks back home;
I'm sorry to leave, mom
I had to go
Who the f*** wants to die alone
All dried up in the desert sun?


My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she called "love"
But when I look into my nephew's eyes...
Man, you wouldn't believe the most amazing things that can come from
Some terrible nights

The other nights, you wouldn't believe the dream
I just had about you and me
I called you up, but we'd both agree
It's for the best you didn't listen
It's for the best we get our distance...

Monday, April 9, 2012

Food & Exercise Journal - Day Eighteen: 348 Days Left

Oh my goodness. I am SO SO sorry about my hiatus from this for the past week. Last week was preverbal hell for me. Due to stress, I had a major upsurge in anxiety attacks, causing me to lose a lot of sleep. (For those of you who don't know, I do suffer from General Anxiety Disorder.) So, needless to say, I was not the most chipper person in the world last week. So, I've decided to start with a clean slate and just take all of those days off. So, here I am starting afresh. Here's my journals from yesterday:

Food Journal


Breakfast
Chocolate Milk
1 Tablespoon Creamy Peanut Butter


Lunch
Chilled Shrimp Cocktail
Chicken Breast Strips w/ Honey Mustard Sauce
House Salad w/ Ranch Dressing on the Side
2 Cheddar Bay Biscuts


Dinner
Nada


Snack
Large Chocolate Mix w/ Oreos


Exercise Journal


Nada


Daily Water Count


5 bottles x 20 fl.oz./bottle = 100 fl.oz.


Sleep Journal


11:30 PM - 7:15 AM = 7 hours 45 minutes


All right, my lovelies. That's it for today. I will post my journals for today tomorrow. I've got a busy busy busy night ahead of me, that's for sure.


On an unrelated topic, all of you OC students who are reading my blog (and I know you all exist considering a majority of you have talked to me personally about this) should sign up for OC's Got Talent! It will take place on Monday, April 23. Here's the link to sign up!




Okay and that's all there is! Talk to you all later! Love you!

Love,
Skylar "DoctorHooo" Beth