I’m 25 years old, in my second year of a two year graduate program, and for the first time in my life, I have stretch marks. I know…how tragic. But really, the morning of my 24th birthday I woke up and noticed two purple-ish lines on the inside of my right thigh. I hurriedly examined my left to discover three more. After waking up my mother with my “emergency” I learned that this is what a mystical entity called “stretch marks” appears as. What. the. heck.
My entire life, I have eaten nothing but chips, cookies, and carbs. I’ve been a picky eater since I was a child and to put it kindly, I was strong willed. My parents, exhausted from fighting with me over my dietary preferences, backed off. Trust me y’all, I know me, I know how I was, I don’t blame them one bit. For the rest of my life up until that fateful day, heretofore known as “strechmarkaggedon,” I ate CRAP EVERY DAY and did not gain any weight. Picture me blissfully skipping along a path towards weight gain, unaware that someday my metabolism would slow down and someday I might weigh more than 105 pounds. *gasp*
Looking back, there were indicators that perhaps I was not choosing the correct fuel for my body…like maybe people my age aren’t supposed to have chronic fatigue… aren’t supposed to be out of breath after jogging (using the term loosely) to the stop sign at the end of the block… aren’t supposed to have debilitating emotional issues. I don’t know, maybe those things should have clued me in but somehow I still didn’t get the memo.
Now I know better. If I am being totally honest, I’ve known better for some time. However, my vanity about my weight and the tragic loss (RIP) of my formerly strech-mark-less body (stretch marks are actually not the end of the world I’ve learned…and are pretty normal) was the true game changer for me. I know, this is kind of ridiculous. But, I am human and I am lucky that this has changed my perspective.
So now you know, or at least have an idea, about where I am starting from. And don’t worry, I’ve made a little progress. 17 year old me would have literally vomited at the idea of eating grilled asparagus or sweet potatoes or *shudder* carrots. Now I know how I can try to make veggies work for my taste buds so I can work better for my body…or at least I have some kind of general idea of where to start. Maybe. We’ll find out anyway.
So, glad you’re here and I hope we can learn together how to make empowering choices for our health. If you can get past my stretch marks. (Kidding.)
With Love, from Nature 