Weight Loss Blogs, and Why We Read Them (Or at Least Why I Read Them)

I forgot to say anything yesterday, but thanks for the studying abroad support! Y'all rock.

When I first starting blogging, one of the types of blogs that seemed to catch my eye was weight loss blogs. The typical story for these blogs goes like this: They start a blog in hopes of tracking their weight countdown and having some emotional support. They go through their struggles, they go through incredible losses. Many times, they plateau, other times they finally reach maintenance. They open up about why they got to be that size, why it's taken so long, and eventually stat to open up themselves.
I know that I'm not the only one who fancies these blogs, they receive hundreds if not thousands of hits. Why are these blogs so popular?

For one thing, they seem to be the majority of blogs. I know many blogs that have transitioned from weight loss to healthy living, and a lot of them I've forgotten were even about weight loss in the first place. Really, the biggest reason why (scuse the pun) is because it affects so many people. If you're not overweight yourself, you know someone who is. Or a lot of people who are.

However, I think the main reason for the appeal of these blogs are the feel-good movie feelings around them. They've struggled, and as you learn more about them their story becomes something you're involved in. You want them to do better. You want them to reach their goals. It's part of the appeal in the blogging world: You don't actually know the people online, yet you feel some sort of connection to them. It helps if their writing is intriguing.

In my own case, I've never had a big problem with weight. I've mentioned it before, but for most of my life I've been average. I lost 15 lbs my senior year of high school, and then made a goal to not gain the Freshman Fifteen during my college career. Heck, that means even my blog has hints of weight related to its origin. I'll talk more about that goal tomorrow, with all of my other goals I've made. Still, food affects me. One of the weird things that has changed as I've gotten older are my tastes. Some foods I used to think were disgusting actually sound pleasant now, and that includes both healthy and unhealthy food. I now think potato salad tastes decent, but I also think broccoli isn't that bad.

I make sure to eat healthily and eat fruits and veggies. Funny thing is, my diet has VASTLY improved since I've started college, despite the unhealthy tendencies a college education may bring. Honestly, part of this makes me a little sad. I used to be able to make a meal out of junk food, now I just can't do it without feeling a haze. One summer, I would make a meal out of Ben and Jerry's. Yeah, ridiculous. Teenagers can do that, and not have to eat anything else for hours. At least that happened for me. (Don't worry, this wasn't a daily occurrence. It happened like, three times during one summer.)
I've even gotten a lot less structured. I eat when I'm hungry, and I don't if I'm not. I used to stuff myself just if things tasted good. Why waste a morsel? Not so much now.

As for my cooking skills? Well.... we'll get into that later.

Do you read weight loss blogs? Why? Or, are you a weight loss blogger yourself?

Entering the Season

Seasons can be pretty meaningful for many people. There are seasons like fall that people enjoy for the cooler weather and falling leaves Then there are other seasons like the season of giving, which can start right around Thanksgiving and end after Christmas. Basically, there are seasons for everything, and right now there is no exception.

We've officially entered what I'd like to call Fat Season.

Fat season is known to many, but most people don't call it that. They call it the Holiday Season, yet a lot of women know it's a time of food, food, and more food.

I'm not saying it's a bad season. Once this season kicks into high gear, it includes time spent with family, fun free time, and happy memories. On the other hand, why do you think so many people make New Year's resolutions to lose weight? Two words: Fat Season.

There's delicious food everywhere, and food is given as gifts for many people. Don't think that people are going to be making healthy food, unless you proclaim to everyone that that's all you want. The truth in that statement is you're probably going to want the junk food, and most people will end up giving it to you anyway.
Yes, I've read the articles. Thanksgiving is only one day, don't make it into a week. You don't have to have food as gifts. We try, and as anyone knows, it's hard. Still, we try. That's all we really can do, right?

I'm not going to deny that there are always roadblocks in the way of healthy eating. Fat season might be a time where it's harder, but you're almost always going to have temptations to behave badly (with your food choices). Fat season is just a little harder.

You might be wondering why my fat season starts so early. That's because that's when the celebrations begin.
Yesterday was my sister's birthday, and there have been many an opportunity to celebrate. Her birthday marks the start of my Fat Season. The week after her birthday comes my birthday, meaning more treats. A week passes, then it's Halloween! My favorite candy in fun sized packaging? Yes please.

The season goes into a bit of a lull, then picks back up just in time for a few birthdays and Thanksgiving. Next of course is Christmas, and you know the time in between that is crazy. Top it off with New Year's, and you've got yourself another Fat Season come and gone. You're welcome.

I love when this celebration season starts, but I'm not looking to celebrate with some pals known as flubber attached to my body. I think I'll challenge Fat Season. I'm not sure what the challenges will be other than not gaining weight, but I'll make them. Hopefully Fat Season won't get to y'all either.

Bring it on, Fat Season.

When does your Fat Season start?

Running Errands and Weighty Realizations

My phone has been saying an old post has been publishing all day... Ought to figure out what's going on there.

I can't believe it's already Wednesday. I'm getting all of my days mixed up. Not a good thing for the week to come.

Even though I haven't been in school this week, I've been keeping myself busy. Today was a day of running errands, cleaning, and determining what clothes are needed and for what seasons they are needed for. Because of this, I've been trying on clothes to see what fits. This has led me to realizing just how skinny I've gotten.

I have always been the one to mutter, "Damn skinny bitches" under my breath whenever I've seen some models flaunting about or something onscreen. The weird thing about that is I'm pretty thin myself. I don't think I'll ever let myself realize that, because for the longest time I was the biggest one out of the group.

I've never been overweight. I've been lucky enough to have pretty decent genes, a.k.a. the thin ones on my dad's side. (With the hips and thighs of my mom's side, but still.) I was always average. The only problem with being average is when you hang around with a bunch of dancers. Almost all of my really good friends were on the dance team, meaning they were all stick thin. Just because I wasn't overweight didn't mean I didn't feel fat in comparison.
Since then I've lost weight, and running helps me stay this size. If I quit running, my weight would probably explode. That makes things intimidating. For instance, what's my weight going to be in the future? Will people shamefully look at me and sadly say, "Oh, that Hannah. She used to be skinny, but now... How depressing."

Am I over thinking this? Probably. That's why for now I'll simply look in the mirror and exclaim, "Damn I look good!" Like they always say, it's better to live in the present than be overly stressed about things that might happen.

Other than those thoughts going through my mind, simply been thinking about school, cleaning, packing, money, summer... You know, a lot of things.

What do you tell yourself to keep from worrying about weight?