Getting comfortable with who you are

There is something that I have heard a lot as I've started this journey into nutrition and fitness - be happy who you are and remove the negative thoughts that are associated with how your body looks.

So let me make a few biased statements that I have either encountered or I have personally felt over a life time.  I have said these myself to others or in my head during times of strenuous activities: "I'm tired of being the fat, slow, old guy in the room,"  "this is the heaviest I've ever been," or my personal favorite "I don't want to be the last one finishing....again".  You see this are all the negative thoughts that are a constant battle with me, which is partially to blame on society and partially to blame on my own lamenting of a lack of will or better yet dedication to the plan.


What you deem as being healthy and what I deem as healthy may be completely different; however, each of us are constantly bombarded by the "image" of fitness.  I've put forth two images that sum up a lot of what is good and also some of what is bad with the perception of "healthy".  First, the image of the guys over a period of time shows what I would consider an unhealthy weight and progresses to a better or more fit weight.  I feel that I am between picture 3 and 2 from the left.  Ideally, I would love to be around 2 full out...this will happen, but I may still be around the same weight.

On the flip side of the coin, women have a worse time of it and even as I write this I should count my blessings that I don't have that much stress in my life.  I've put up another image of what most people would not consider the ideal image.  The image on the right are some of the female Olympic athletes, which should be considered like the pinnacle of fitness.  Looking at the image these women don't fit the mold of the ideal image, but these women train for their sport and respective physique.



Well, I am about 2 months in the the plan of eating a paleo/primal diet (which could still be better) and I am the heaviest I have ever been.  I woke up this morning and weighed in at 216 pounds, which is crazy to think that I physically feel great (except after those ass-kicking WOD's).  Psychologically, I am upset with the fact that I feel fat...one three letter word...but it is a powerful little word.

I know I have lost weight and then slowly started to gain it back, which seems to be in the form of muscle.  I am hoping that the change in diet will continue to work in dropping the pounds of fat and the CrossFit workouts will tone and increase the muscle mass on my body.  It is going to take me some getting used to that being heavier isn't always a bad thing.

Focus on doing. Focus on building. Focus on being the best version of YOU that you can be. Give your body a chance to grow and perform. Your body is smart. It will adjust to homeostasis if you let it. And you just might realize that the best version if you is yet to come.