If you give a mom a bigger size 👖

I recently bought a new pair of jeans and they were a little too tight. I went back-and-forth on whether I should get the bigger size, knowing that the current ones might stretch out or my weight might fluctuate a little bit. I asked an online intuitive, eating community. Their thoughts and one of my favorite responses was "Your body as it is right now deserves the jeans that fit and you feel good in."

So, I ordered the bigger size.

I suddenly realized that my response after that action differed greatly from what it used to and I wanted to explore that.

Let's discuss pre-IE.

If I had to buy I bigger size, I would have felt disappointed that I had gained some weight. Thid would have caused me to shame myself for my eating choices lately. This would have triggered me to start thinking about how I can change my diet which would have also led me to brainstorm workout programs to get me "back on track". Then I, most likely, would have been a drill seargant to myself over the next few weeks to maybe drop a couple pounds or maybe not. If not, I would have continued to shame myself and squeeze into the smaller jeans anyway. If I had lost some weight, I will notice that it was harder to do than in the past and sweat that I would continue to "behave" myself to stay in shape all the while continuing to feel trapped in a cycle of restriction and binging all over a stupid pair of jeans.

Whew, I'm exhausted just talking about it.

Fast forward post-IE.

I put on pants that are too tight after buying them. I take them off and feel and order the bigger pair. I feel instant relief knowing that they will be more comfortable and I don't have a boot camp regimen in my future to will myself into them. I get the jeans, put them on, and acknowledge how comfortable they are. I wear them to a family gathering feeling confident and comfortable while I enjoy a variety of foods.

Notice what's missing in the second scenario.

Shame.

And what's missing in the first? Compassion.

After lots of work, reflection, and learning, I've realized that, what I thought was "respecting my body" which nutritious food and exercise like in scenario one, was actually doing more harm to my mental health and relationship with food and exercise.

Showing your body that its okay for it to change in different seasons of your life with compassion is one of the best ways you can show your body respect. ❤️

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