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My Body Doesn’t Define Me

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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10 Comments

  1. Kelly @ Finding a Skinnier Me

    Oh boy, I feel you on all of this. I have been struggling with the same thing recently, should my body define me? Personally I think we should be defined by our personalities, are we kind, considerate, do we love with everything we have? I want to be defined as a person who was graceful and empathetic in how I dealt with other people. I am a little worried about how much the younger generation is obsessing about weight and beauty. It even worries me how much my own niece is concerned with it. Shouldn’t we be raising our kids to be concerned with how good of a person they are?

    Love this post!!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I agree. Our values and personalities and what we bring to the world should be what is valued but unfortunately it’s not that way. I feel badly for younger generations too. I see these little girls, barely at puberty, worrying about their weight, wearing makeup and slutty clothes. It’s just sad. 🙁
      And I sound old… 🙁

  2. Joy @ WhatIWeighToday

    I struggle with this constantly. As women we are steeped in a culture that values women based on their beauty and beauty has been made more or less synonymous with thinness. It’s super hard to shake. I’ve been trying really hard for years. But rebelling against this belief system can backfire too. Being overweight isn’t such a great way to protest. (I’ve tried!) I think the best we can hope for is pursuing a healthy lifestyle for the way it makes us feel–not the way it makes us look. But obviously, that’s hard!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Yes! I think I did that too. I used being overweight as a protection somehow…and a protest. Some kind of feminist thing in my naivety. Like somehow I was challenging men who were judging me on my size instead of my inner worth.

  3. bethh

    I’ve often been in decent biking shape but I’ve never been thin or fast. Now that I’m adding running to the mix, I am REALLY feeling the non-thin, non-fast thing, but I’m trying to stick with it. I’ve been working on really admiring the form and stamina I witness when I see runners, particularly – I can’t get over how much harder running is than biking!

    One thing I am trying to stop tolerating is that a couple of my (otherwise completely awesome) friends will use the phrase “Skinny Bitch” when they see someone who’s super-fit. I think it’s 60% envy and 40% self-deprecating humor, but one thing that is becoming clearer and clearer to me is that: tearing down another person (even if she can’t hear you!) does nothing whatsoever to lift anyone else up. So now when they joke that they’ll have to call me Skinny Bitch if I keep up my fitness/weight loss, I tell them they can call me anything they want, I’ll know I worked my ass off both figuratively and literally to get to wherever I wind up. And if I don’t get to skinny (I don’t really aspire to it), I’ll still know I am strong!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I agree so much! When I am really active, biking or running a lot, I am not skinny. Sure I am “slender” but I’d say I’m FIT not skinny or thin. I have muscles. I just can’t get that skinny. I’d rather be fit and healthy and not skinny.

      And yes, “Skinny Bitch” is offensive, even if I’ve caught myself thinking it to myself on occasion. Overhearing someone super skinny complaining about being fat, I have thought “shut up skinny bitch, you don’t know what fat is” and I know it’s envy. I have to work really hard to keep the weight off and I am definitely jealous of people who don’t seem to have to work very hard for it…

      Did you read the Skinny Bitch books? I hated them. Not only were they written terribly, they were just offensive and pissed me off.

  4. Karen P

    Focus on yourself, what works for you and leave the rest. One person’s “fad” is another persons joy. Instead of focusing on unsustainable, focus on your current goals.

    I don’t cross-fit but I do find if I focus on “other peoples stuff” and not what works for me, I get conflicted. People tell me that a Paleo template is not sustainable and a fad. (for them). That’s okay, (for them). For me no more binge eating, lean body. The end of 40 years of yo-yo dieting. Joy!!! (win for me, and for them, they can find their own joy/plan/stuff)

    What’s your post wedding plan? Here’s to eating whole, real foods, home cooked. What you eat right now will directly impact your health and if you have kids their health and their kids health. Great positive things you can do. Focus on where you want to go.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Post wedding plan is to get back on track, already doing that actually. Gained some weight on the honeymoon, which I knew would happen, but back to tracking my calories and eating healthy. Letting the rest of it fall into place and then will re-evaluate after I lose that weight.

  5. Lisa

    You are right on point, Lisa. A person’s body does not define their personality. When someone wants to lose weight, it shouldn’t be because of media, what other people say or think, but because you need to make a change, feeling healthier or more confident or regardless the reason. We should all just stop thinking about what others might say and just make the choices that are best for us.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Sometimes it is so hard to separate the two. Weight shouldn’t equal worth.

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