Why Compare?

� Apparently it doesn't matter how big or small we are, how tall or short, how blonde or brunette, we will always compare ourselves to others.� I do it all the time and when I sit back and think about how insane it is, it totally annoys me.� Even watching "The Biggest Loser" weigh ins, I compare.



"She weighs 198?� How is that possible?� She looks bigger than me!"



In those moments, I forget that we all carry it differently.� No one believed that I weighed 315 pounds when I did (tho looking�at the pictures I have to wonder how anyone could not have believed it, but we are always harder on ourselves), because either they just could not believe someone they knew weighed that much or because I carried it so it didn't look like a 315.� Again, cannot imagine it being the latter.



We also use comparison to keep ourselves in check, or at least I did.� You know the drill; you pass someone on the street who is obviously a larger size and you think "At least I am not that big."� I did that all the time, trying to reassure myself I was okay in at least some perspective.� I think for me, it was a way of fooling myself, a way of denying the bigger (pardon the pun) problem that was my own health.�



Comparing our bodies can also be detrimental to the young.� TV and magazines fill young minds with images of what they are supposed to look like but no one thinks to explain airbrushing to them.� I heard a parent recently tell her ten year old the morning before a gymnastics event that "No, you cannot have a Peppermint Patty.� Tomorrow you can have anything you want but not today."� Is it just me, or is that not a healthy mentality to put on a young girl?� Ironically, my son saw the girl rebel and swipe one of the mini patties when mom wasn't looking.� So denying her, which in my opinion would neither make�nor break a tournament for this child, but it did in some odd way tell her to steal the coveted candy.�



So where am I going?� I'm not always exactly sure when these thoughts fill my head and I try to rationalize them.� But isn't it really all about health and teaching our kids and ourselves how to look at food in a healthy way?� From a young age when I was a child, kids�were rewarded for good behavior with special treats, so they learned if they were good, they deserve candy.� So these kids can grow into adults who continue to reward themselves for tough days or doing well, with food.� Food should fuel our bodies, not reward them.� Should we on occasion have those special treats we love?� Of course.� It is only when the unhealthy treats become our norm that we really get into trouble.�



And it isn't about comparing ourselves to others.� At 209 pounds, I am healthier than I have probably ever been in my life.� Satisfied with the number?� No, but is anyone truly satisfied with their numbers on the scale?� Is there really anyone out there who doesn't look at someone else and think "If only I could weigh what she does."?� Yet these exercises are fruitless.� Yes, a scale can help keep someone at an ideal weight in check, but we can also become a slave to it.�� My weight can fluctuate on a daily basis, but I am learning not to send myself into a tizzy about it.



I'm learning not to compare and not to get hung up on numbers.� I'm trying to teach myself to care about how I feel and not what someone else looks like.� If I lose more, great.� If not, I feel great despite the fact.



Now if you aren't feeling great where your health is concerned, that is when it is time to take some action.� If you are feeling void of energy, sick all the time, whatever, then it is time to evaluate what you can start to change to improve how you feel.� But stop looking at everyone else.� Our bodies are all made differently and chances are that no matter what you do, you are not going to have the body of "that girl."� Find your happiness within yourself, try to fix what doesn't make you happy, but accept where you are in your journey.� Today is all we are certain of, so lets not waste it wishing we are living someone else's life.



I hope this made some semblance of sense!