Real Life. Real Weight Loss.

Real Life. Real Weight Loss.

That was the title of a jennifer TV Show episode. Recently it has had a little more meaning to me. Right now as I face my brick wall in my own battle of the bulge and trying to figure out exactly what is keeping me from scaling the wall – I’m finding that real life, real weight loss has new meaning.

Perhaps it’s because I’m overweight, out of shape, and in that phase in my life where I see things differently that I’m calling a few things into question. The other day as I was standing at the news stand in my grocery store in front of a section you normally would not see an obese woman- health & wellness. You know the section. All the muscle clad men and the perfectly portioned woman with no stretch marks to even be air brushed out. There I stood flipping through the pages, glancing at the images, and skimming the articles. Many of the images – okay ALL of the images were of women with amazing tone and definition to their bodies.

Some with porcelain skin, others you could tell that they got cardio workouts doing something outdoors. Still it was all perfection…too perfect. It made me feel worse about myself. Instead of thinking “Wow, some day that could be me gracing the pages!” I was thinking “Seriously, come on! I wonder if any of them have kids. I wonder if any of them have a real life outside of working out, counting calories, and getting those protein shakes!”

I’d love to see health and fitness magazines fill their pages with more than one body type. With moms that are slightly imperfect but find ways to fit exercise and healthy eating into a normal day. How they deal and conquer real weight loss – loosing baby fat, depression fat, or whatever it may be from. With single ladies working their way up the corporate ladder with their brain. How they deal and conquer late nights, early mornings, and 80 hour work weeks. With the empty-nester that is finding the joy of life again. How they deal with lots of time on their hands and no excuse for fancy dinners or reasons to cook.

I don’t want recipes filled with eggs and special muscle building mixtures. I want something that is quick, easy, and healthy that everyone in the house can eat. I want food for real life. I want food for a lifetime! I don’t want to learn how to fix foods just to fit my life at this moment of trying to loose weight- I want food that I can learn to fix for a lifetime and teach my kids the same.

Am I saying that these girls or magazines aren’t for real life – no. But they are really not for my life – right now anyway. I want to lose weight – yes. I want to get healthy – oh yeah! I want to have a real life while doing it though. I want to have fun and involve my kids and my husband. I want to find my jeans falling off over time and not feel like I was a slave to the treadmill or gym in order for them to inch their way off of me.

So here is to real women, real life, and some real motivating weight loss and healthy lifestyle changes!