You Were Made for More Than Just Counting Calories

“Losing weight is not your life’s work and counting calories is not the call of your soul.” – Lisa Turner ‘Losing Weight: What’s the Point?‘

I see you, girl. I see you staring and clawing at the fat on your body and wishing you were different. Wishing you were HER. Wishing he would notice you. Just wishing with all your heart that you could feel beautiful for once. That maybe if you took up less space you’d be less invisible and more loved.

I have been there and am still often there and so I am not going to sit here and tell you not to lose weight. I am not going to tell you not to strive for health and feeling better. What I want to quietly remind you of is that while it can be good to focus on health, losing weight is not your life’s work. Gaining a supermodel physique is not your one purpose in life and tracking your food and working out is not the calling of your soul.

I will not sit here and tell you that our bodies don’t matter because they do. They are the shell and place our souls rest as we wander around this world. But there are so many things that matter MORE. Like sleep and laughter and experiencing the waves on your feet and the sun on your skin, whether you have a “beach body” or not. The beach will just have to take whatever body you give it. Ten years from now the things you remember will not be the bad hair day you had yesterday or how your tummy hang over your jeans, it will be the conversations with family around the dinner table, dancing crazy silly with your friends at the wedding, playing tag with your kids, adventures with your boyfriend, and the way you somehow feel beautiful walking barefoot in the grass in a skirt with your hair down and the sun shining.

Losing weight may be a priority in your life right now and that is okay. Learning to love yourself just as you are may be your priority and that is a brave and beautiful thing to pursue. Wherever you may be on your journey, as you become healthy and grow in loving yourself, don’t forget that at the end of the day, there are far more important things in this world than how many calories you ate today.