Friday, April 10, 2015

On Declaring Goal Weight and Bikini Bodies

On Wednesday night, I finally did it.

I declared my goal weight at Weight Watchers.

I've been going back and forth about when and what my goal weight would be since I started this journey 27 months ago.

To be honest, I've been overweight my entire adult life. When I started Weight Watchers, I didn't have an end number/weight in mind because I honestly didn't know if I could lose weight successfully.

It feels super weird to have finally, officially declared a goal: 139 pounds. And it feels even weirder to be only a few pounds away from my goal.

It's weird in the sense that I thought "goal weight" would look different. Not that I expected to look like Jillian Michaels (seriously, she's my female body role model), but I kinda thought all my fat rolls would disappear. And my arms would have more definition. And my thighs wouldn't have the same shape.

That sounds so ridiculous as I type it. But it's the truth. Someone once told me that when you lose weight, you still look like yourself, just smaller. So if you had a round belly when you were overweight, you'll still have a round belly when you're at a healthy weight. Logically, I know this. But in real life, it feels different.

I always thought that once I got to goal weight I'd finally be happy with my body. I'd flaunt it in booty shorts and bikinis all summer long. Because I thought my body would look perfect once I was at goal weight.

But here's the thing: it doesn't. I've still got fat rolls. And I've got loose skin that jiggles along with the fat rolls. My boobs look different. I've got some weird little "wings" on the back of my arms- albeit, they are smaller than they were before I lost 50 pounds. My thighs still have cellulite. My body is just not what you'd call a typical "bikini body."

I always believed that you had to be a certain weight or look a certain way to wear a bikini. In some way, I haven't worn one since I was a kid because I've been waiting until I reached goal weight to do so.

But guess what? I'm damn near at goal, well within a healthy weight range, and I still don't have a typical "bikini body."

So what's a girl to do? Wear a damn bikini any damn way you please. 

Source.


I'm tired of waiting for the "perfect body" to wear a bikini. Somewhere along the last 27 months, I stopped waiting for all the conditions to be right. I didn't wait to do my first marathon until I was at goal weight- I finished it weighing in at 178 pounds. I didn't wait to finally wear cute shorts until goal weight- I bought tons of colors last year. I wore bright pink shorts! That drew attention to my non-goal weight butt! I didn't wait until I'd lost the weight to compete in my first aquathlon- I jumped right in the water and swam my heart out.


Source

So, I will be wearing a bikini next month on our Disney Cruise. In fact, I bought TWO of them to wear. Last summer, I made a promise to myself that I would wear a bikini this summer. It was never really about the number on the scale; I think it was about being comfortable enough in my own skin to wear one.

There are MANY women I look up to- women who don't give a crap about wearing a bikini no matter what size or weight they are. This woman, Nadia Aboulhosn, and Tess Munster are all equally fabulous in bikinis. When I look at them, I see confidence that I aspire to have.

I'm not going to wait for the perfect body or the perfect size anymore. This summer, I'm going to wear a bikini just as I am right now. And in case you were wondering, here's a chart from Huff Post Women to help you determine if you have a bikini body:




Here is my Friday message for you- don't wait for "perfect conditions." Do whatever you're waiting for now. You won't regret it, I promise. 

And just in case you don't want to take my word for it, here's a selfie of my new bikini, completely unedited, dirty bathroom mirror and all :-)






What's something you're "waiting" for?



29 comments:

  1. You look great! Don't ever let any number or any amount of cellulite make you think otherwise. :)

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  2. It's all about being comfortable in your own skin! You are amazing for sharing this with all of us! Rock that bikini girlfriend!

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    1. Thanks, Steff! I can't wait to wear it in the Bahamas!

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  3. We always seem to be waiting for something, don't we? For some people, it's not even weight-related. I'll do it when the kids are finally all in school. We can do it when the kitchen is remodeled. Life will finally be perfect and worry-free when the kids graduate from high school. When I get this to-do list completed, I can finally live. It's all a big joke, because those conditions are NEVER perfect. The perfect body never comes, either. Even skinny women over about 25 show the effects of gravity, and most women have cellulite. Remember that bikini models have also been perfectly posed and spray tanned and then the images we all want to look like are carefully edited digitally. I agree that you should wear the bikini. You have fought hard to get to a healthy weight and the time to enjoy life is NOW.

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    1. Thank you, Lisa! I couldn't agree more- we only get one shot at life so we might as well try to enjoy every minute! I don't want to have regrets later in life about silly things- like not wearing a bikini :-)

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  4. Sarah, you're incredible and are totally rocking that bikini!

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    1. Awww, thanks! I appreciate your support and kindness :-)

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  5. Gah, I have a love hate relationship with bikinis. Every spring I think to myself "maybe this year I'll be that girl with the bangin beach bod"...and then I remember that I love Easter candy. Great message to stop waiting and just get out there and do it. You look fabulous and above all else, healthy and fit! Go girl! :)

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    1. Thank you! Easter gets me every year too- those damn Jelly Belly jelly beans!

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  6. Ow ow! That confidence looks amazing on you. ;)

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  7. Congrats Sarah! You look great. I liked the graphic.

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    1. Thank you! I LOVED that graphic when I saw it too!

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  8. You look awesome! Thanks for the "pep talk" and great graphics... truly inspiring.

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  9. Your bikini body looks smokin', especially with that giant smile! <3

    And where is that suit from? I need it!

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    1. Thank you! The top I ordered from Zappos- it's Body Glove Smoothie Solo and the bottom is from my local Wal-Mart!

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  10. You look fabulous, and I LOVE that suit!

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    1. Thank you! The top is Body Glove Smoothie Solo and the bottom is from Wal-Mart :-)

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  11. You look AMAZING Sarah!!!!! Wearing a bikini is so much more about confidence and quieting the negative voices in our head! You look strong, confident, and hot! Work it girl!

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    1. Thank you, Morgan! I look up to you so much- I always admire your self-confidence! :-)

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    2. Fake it until you make it, sister! We all have good days and bad in terms of how we view our bodies. But the more we focus on how strong they are and what they've accomplished the better! XOXO

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  12. You look FABULOUS and are simply amazing! You are wonderfully inspirational :)

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  13. when I started losing weight I never would have even imagined putting down the weight I've been at for the last 5 years. I think it's so interesting what that scale number means in our heads.

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    1. I hear you! The number really can be crazy! I hope one day to be able to just feel healthy and strong and not care so much about what I actually weigh.

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  14. You look so beautiful, youthful and radiant !!!

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