It was a summer of love, fun, family, and adventure.
It was the first summer my Mum had been able to come and stay in my home (a year living in my own home – I’ll tell you more about that another time).
It was my first summer of Auntiehood – my gorgeous nephew arrived in June and he’s my favourite!
I took my Mum on work trips with me – New York City, Boston and Atlanta – we walked, talked and ate delicious food.
It was a summer of enjoying quality family time, talks over dinner, eating out at restaurants – a time was had.
Needless to say, my uniform felt a little tighter with each passing week, and my summer fun was showing up in ways that would’ve left me feeling down and depressed a year ago.
It’s true, I had those frustrating moments of feeling like I was stuffing myself in to my uniform, but I’d read an article just as summer was starting, that had set the tone for how I was going to approach this season differently.
His name is Yoni Freedhoff, MD, and he wrote about the concept of the ‘Best Weight’, defining it as:
Whatever weight you reach when you’re living the healthiest life that you actually enjoy
He went on to explain:
Your best when facing a challenging time in life will be different from your best when everything is hunky-dory, just as your best on your birthday, or on a vacation, or at a holiday meal will require indulgence. The Truth is there will come a point where you can’t happily eat less and you can’t happily exercise more – and your weight, living with that life, is your best weight.
My summer wasn’t about eating everything in sight or breaking up with my workout routine, nor was it about starving myself to shrink my body.
This summer, I made the decision to enjoy the time with Mum here; to cook meals we like, in my own kitchen; to dine out, eat desserts and indulge in sweets and chocolates for fun. I ate the 1390 calorie slice of Dulche de Leche cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory in Boston and the sweet bread they gave us for starters. The calories were yelling, but I wasn’t there for the calories, I was there for the sheer joy of it.
I wasn’t worried about ruining my weight-loss journey either, I was confident enough to know that when summer was over, I’d get back to my normal routine.
Since March this year, I’d been steadily losing weight. I’d made the progress by intentionally making small changes in my habits and behaviours. Before Mum had arrived, I’d hit the one stone mark, 14 lbs released, which I was pleased with as I wasn’t following a ‘diet’ or making drastic changes.
I expected to get upset by any weight gain, but the idea of my best weight, gave me an embrace of peace.
When I weighed myself after Mum left and I saw that I’d gained a few pounds back, I didn’t break down in tears, instead I smiled with a heart of gratitude – I’d had an awesome summer, I wouldn’t have wanted to eat any less, or exercised any more than I did. I enjoyed the freedom and saw it written all over the scale – that was my best summer weight.
This Summer I gained weight … and I liked it, because this summer wasn’t about weight, it was about the memories that were made and the life that was lived with the people I love the most.
Cheers to more ‘best weight’ summers to come!
Do you struggle with weight gain over the summer months? If you do, then know that it’s normal – the sun’s out, we’re out, holiday-mode is in full effect – it’s not a reflection of our worth, but a reflection of how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy another full and vibrant season. Let’s not lose anymore time or life experiences to the fear of gaining weight, but understand that life works in seasons and while there’s a time to indulge, there’ll be a time to get back to routine.
Our best weight will change with each life season and I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to embark on the journey to learn how to flow with it, rather than resist it.
Until next week,
Love and Hugs,
Anny