the muffin top
March 24, 2008 at 9:11 PM WARNING: severely stretch-marked, saggy, chubby, slightly hairy belly picture follows:
since delivering lil harmony seven months ago i've lived on chocolate, pudding cups, chocolate milk, french bread, more chocolate, gummi bears, CHEESE, and several other forms of dairy product. in that time my pant size has decreased from a 14 to an 8/9 and i've lost more than my pregnancy weight. i'm amazed and surprised at how quickly the weight came off. the weight did re-shift however and the muffin top remains happily in place, leading people to ask when my due date is.
i hear it often, women complaining about their bulging muffin top. but could someone please explain to me why we refer to our bulbous belly as the very best part of the muffin? the sugary, baked goodness of a muffin top cannot be rivaled. i can't help but wonder if by trying to get rid of the beloved muffin top, are we really consigning ourselves to a lifetime of stale muffin bottoms?
my goal for 2008 is to eliminate waste. i'm still committed to that resolution and am finding peace daily as i reduce the unnecessary. at times i still find myself worrying about weight, about size, about opinions; i am an american woman after all. but what is it all for? when i look at another person i don't size them up wondering how much they weigh, what size they are, where that zit came from, how large their mammaries are at this moment. so why do we do it to ourselves?
i believe firmly in health, in the body's ability to heal itself. and while i'm not exactly practicing what i preach with nutrition, i also believe in spirituality, in the ability that joy has to transform a person. i believe in the power of prayer as well, as i know that one of the main reasons i've lost my weight is because i gave God an ultimatum (not the wisest idea, i know!) i told my Heavenly Father that i wasn't going to have any more children until i lost my weight, i asked for his help in overcoming the pounds. and despite my worst efforts nutritionally, i've lost every ounce from this pregnancy. i still have 25 pounds to go to be at my *healthy* weight.
what am i saying by all of this? i'm not completely sure, but a few thoughts jump out at me:
first, let's be a little more gentle with ourselves. God made us exactly the way we are for a reason, try to find beauty in what he gave to us. why do we allow society to label true beauty?
second, let's trust God once in awhile (i would suggest always, but baby steps are still steps).
third, let's enjoy our lives a little more. if that means making cream sauce with noodles and enjoying a family meal, then so be it! if that means grabbing your kids and a kite and running through the park, then consider yourself healthy enough to do it. treadmills, bran, and nike have never brought me joy.
i was just given a link to this AMAZING article. please enjoy.
Reader Comments (21)
You are amazing.
Ahhh Miss Jenica! I lurve this post.
You go girl! That's exactly what I was trying to say when I posted last week about my hips. You said it perfectly.
dearest wonderful wonderful,
i love your belly.
yes, we will move to spring city with you.
yesterday on npr's "this i believe" series I heard an amazing essay that I remembered as I read this post...
see it here:
http://thisibelieve.org/dsp_ShowEssay.php?uid=32855&city=Moab&state=UT&yval=0&start=0
Amen, sister! And amen to breast feeding and its ability to shed our pounds!
Great great post.
I concur completely. Well said.
FEARLESS! And beautiful... that's what this is.
you are fierce and my new hero.
I agree with you. I am still trying to be at peace with what childbearing did to my body. I try to see it as the proof that I have done something powerful - my two girls are worth it.
I needed this. Thanks for bringing a smile to my face. BTW, I love your hair.
Loving you all over! xx
Yeah Jenica! I've never made it this far in pregnancy before and am completely stunned at how much it's changing things. I hope that I can have as good of an attitude as you do when I'm finished. You're an inspiration!
I am still coming to terms with my post baby body. You are so brave and fierce, work it!
i love you, beautiful
head to toe.
heart to heart.
xo
you are totally my hero, love love love you!! xo
This is great, thanks for showing us your lovely belly, mine looks just the same.
Hey, did you steal my belly!? You're so gorgeous!
What a gorgeous, brave, daring and honest post. I am truly so moved and inspired by these photos and words. As a person who has struggled with weight all her life, I am struck by your courage and wisdom to ask why. Why this struggle? Why this harshness on ourselves? I think back to that Dove video you posted....Is this why we are so unforgiving of ourselves? Of what we look like?
You're so very right. I don't "size" people up when I see them. I think all of my friends are beautiful. I've never once thought "she needs to lose weight" about one of my loved ones. Why do I assume people will automatically think that way of me?
I love your offering of "let's be a little more gentle with ourselves." Surely that is the first step to healing.
Mine was reading your words here. Thank you so much for this, for your beauty, for being just who you are.
xoxoxo
i am truly inspired to become a better person because of you!
dude.
DUDE.
freakin' amazing.
inspirational.
if only we could all be brave enough to post our mama bellies on the internets. seriously. then maybe we wouldn't beat ourselves and each other up so much.
you are the real deal. thanks for being brave for us all.