Converts & My Butt

Posted: June 15, 2011 at 8:56 am

You know how I mentioned the unlikelihood of me making a green smoothie on vacation? Well, I lied. I lasted until yesterday and then I wanted to whip out the blender. I wanted to taste the power of green for myself and convince my family that spinach can blend into a satisfying, refreshing, and taste-bud thrilling concoction.

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At first, they seemed a little uncertain on what a spinach smoothie would taste like. Then, they said cheers and drank up!

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Verdict: I have converted two more to the green smoothie ways. Muahahaha! The world shall sport green mustaches from here on out. Or, at the very least โ€“ my family will. ๐Ÿ˜‰

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I love showing others not to judge healthy options until they try them. I know the blog world has opened my eyes to trying a wide range of foods and has converted me into a lover of many things. Although Kombucha wonโ€™t be one of them. I draw the line at fungi floating in my drinks.

Alright, now I must dive into something a little more serious. Thatโ€™s where the โ€œmy buttโ€ part of the title comes in. Yes, that qualifies as serious conversation because I more specifically mean body image, the beach, and my butt.

On any given day, I feel great about my body. I think I look fit, strong, and healthy โ€“ which is all I hope for my body to look. I have confidence in what I have accomplished. I take pride in the way I care for myself and the dedication I take to my goals. I appreciate all my body can do, like rocking a 10K race and delivering my children. I can feel super self-confident, especially when put together in a cute outfit highlighting my favorite body parts, such as my legs and arms.

Then you put me in a bikini with my butt, about which I always feel most self-conscious, out in the open and I become a little more self-aware.

It will bring some of those old inadequate feelings back to the forefront. Having my body exposed in a bikini all day long will leave me critiquing myself and getting negative in my mind. Something about the beach, a location where I have many times in the past participated in some of the worst fat-talk, will have me longing for appearances and physiques of my past and feeling unsatisfied with my present. Iโ€™m not perfect. I still struggle with body image from time to time. I still sometimes wonder, โ€œwhat if I had been tighter with my eating?โ€ or โ€œif only I looked more like I did X years agoโ€.

The key is to recognize those moments. To recognize them as the evil they consume and the lack of truth they possess. Instead of allowing those thoughts to consume me, I paid attention to them and thought about what triggered that reaction.

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Then, I replaced the negatives with positives. And told myself to suck it up and rock that bikini. My body can do pretty fabulous things. And it doesnโ€™t look half bad in the process eitherโ€ฆbecause healthy looks hot on anybody.

  • What moments/places trigger body image struggles for you?
  • PS: Stay tuned for a giveaway sometime tomorrow!

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82 Comments to “Converts & My Butt”
  1. Tina,

    Thank you for being so honest about the times when you still struggle. You’re definitely doing the right thing by ID the neg self talk and replacing it with positive ones. I haven’t struggled too much lately but I’m sure that as the winter comes and my pants get a little tighter I prob will.

    Hope you have a wonderful rest of your trip!

  2. Samantha says:

    This is such a great, honest post! I’ve been doing the same thing as you, making sure I notice when I’m talking negatively about myself. Luckily, I haven’t been doing it too often, but the thoughts creep in when I’m in a bikini as well. I’m self-conscious about my stomach. Always have been. But I try to stop and remind myself that this is what healthy and active looks like and ya know, I don’t look too shabby! And you don’t either — in fact, you look great!!

    And nice job converting your family to the green side. I’m still trying to convince my boyfriend to give it a whirl. It’s so yummy!

    • Tina says:

      Yep. It’s hard to get past these things 100%. The mind games still happen. But its the growth of being able to move past them that matters.

  3. Tina, I think we all can relate to feeling self conscious when we wear bathing suits. I know at 15 weeks pregnant I certainly don’t feel as good in a bathing suit as I did pre-pregnancy. but I can honestly say you look amazing and are quite an inspiration! ๐Ÿ™‚ rock on!

  4. Heather B says:

    First off, you look awesome in that bikini. And second, I totally understand that naked feeling but I have found that buying fuller coverage bottoms made a little bit of a difference for me. It also has an excellent side effect of keeping the wedgies away! Thanks for this post though. I always love a reminder to actively love myself and my body for all the amazing things it does for me, instead of always looking for the flaws.

  5. You look fantastic in that swim suit! And I don’t mean fantastic for having just had a baby earlier this year, I mean just plain fantastic. I think everyone feels this way in a swim suit, I mean you’re nearly naked in public!

  6. Yay for converts! I converted my mom during a beach trip last year too ๐Ÿ™‚
    As for the body image thing, I agree the beach is the hardest place to keep it together for me. I know I look great but those thoughts of “what if” or “why don’t I look like I did when I was 16?” come on strong every time. I’m getting better at ignore them though!
    You look fabulous, rock that bikini!

  7. Jess says:

    You look SO GREAT!! You go girl. Way to work it on the beach ๐Ÿ˜‰

  8. Angela says:

    Woohoo for adding a few more green monster converts to the list!! I think everyone struggles with body image at least a little bit, even the most confident. I love that you were able to turn your mindset around and focus on the positives. In my opinion, you look AMAZING, especially since you’ve just had a baby!! I hope I look as fabulous after I become a mom one day!!

  9. Amy Lauren says:

    You look awesome in your bikini and should be proud you can rock it so soon after having a baby. I have no kids but my coworkers have always complained about how they’ll never wear bikinis again and stuff like that. Really, you look great, although I can’t see your butt I’m sure it’s fine too! But the beach is a totally tempting place, seeing other people and other people seeing your body too…

    Green smoothies are the bomb :). Glad you converted some family members!

  10. No need to be self-conscious! You ROCK that suit! Really, you look SO good!!

  11. Tina you look great and I love your attitude. It is crazy how those thoughts just pour in when we’re in those sort of situations. I tend to beat myself up when I put on a swimsuit or when I’m trying on clothes.

  12. Working in a gym 10+ hours each day always makes me self conscious of my body. But at the same time it keeps me in check and motivates me to work out so I guess it is not all bad! Oh and PS you look like one hot mama in your bikini! Gorgeous!

  13. Loved this post – first because the world always needs more GM drinkers. And also because I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels a little self conscious in a bikini! You rock it!

    • Tina says:

      I’m sure you rock yours too!

      PS – I MISS YOU! I haven’t been able to keep up much. I haven’t touched my reader and I know its not pretty.

  14. Mrs. Fish says:

    Loved this post, Tina! My husband is a GM convert. He adores them!
    You’re right, healthy is sexy on everybody. ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. Bathing suits and jeans man….they do it every time! I understand that it’s hard for manufacturers to make a style that fits everyone, but I don’t think that things should be THAT far off!

  16. Ana Maria says:

    You look GORGEOUS! ๐Ÿ™‚

  17. jobo says:

    I TOTALLY hear you on the body image going downhill once the bikini comes out…BUT I do think think that the more you wear one, the more comfortable you feel. By the end of your vaca, I bet you will feel more used to it. AND you look awesome, like really really awesome. Keep it up!! (and PS, what is your recipe for green smoothies? I must buckle down and try one!).

    • Tina says:

      Thanks, Jo! I am feeling a lot better now. ๐Ÿ™‚

      And the green smoothie is just 1 – 1.5 cups milk (I generally use vanilla almond but any milk works), a couple of handfuls of spinach, and then a banana (a frozen banana blends up creamier). I will add other fruit like berries or mango or pineapple on occasion too.

  18. Lisa says:

    TINA! You look FREAKING AMAZING! Your body is unbeleiveable!!!

  19. Jamie says:

    Unfortunately, I feel self conscious on a daily basis. I am trying to feel more confident but it is so hard after so many years of hating on myself.

    • Tina says:

      I know the feeling from my past. I just took each day one day at a time working hard to replace those negative thoughts and say lots of positive mantras. Prayer was a big thing for me too.

  20. Hi Tina
    I just found your site a few weeks ago and love your site. You are an inspiration to all! I think you look amazing after just have a baby not too long ago! Congrats on your accomplishments. I think we all have negative self talk but that’s great you immediately replaced it with positive talk.
    I too love green smoothies and can’t live without them. I actually made one this morning, yum yum! ๐Ÿ™‚

  21. I wish I knew what triggered the days I don’t enjoy my body as much. It seems more like a random thing for me- not the pool or putting on shorts. It’s like things are going along fine and then one day I’m not as pleased. I have no clue why. At this point in my health journey, I know I don’t need to lose any weight…so I do my best to shake those thoughts real quick! P.S. You look great!

  22. You look amazing girlie! I know how hard it is to get it back but it’s so rewarding when you do it! To think about how amazing you look after two kids is so rewarding!

  23. My butt and thighs are body issue struggles for me since I can remember. It’s in my genes because many other women in my family have the same exact issues! ahhh, oh well at the end of the day I look good overall and I try not to focus on what I don’t like about my body!
    You’re rocking that swimsuit and look GREAT!

  24. I think being in a bikini at the beach triggers most women’s insecurities. Good for you for recognizing it. You look hot by the way!!

  25. Haley Q says:

    I feel ya on the swimsuit thing-summer is the perfect season to fall into the comparison trap. You look awesome so work it today!!

  26. I have to say that you are rocking your 2 pieces girl (BTW, I am loving your mix and match suits)! You look absolutely amazing. Summer is my self conscious season – the more skin that’s exposed, the more critical I am about the way I look. I try to buy clothes that make me feel great regardless of the size on the tag so I can go out with confidence knowing that I look great!

  27. look at you making believers out of people! Nice job recruiting!

    And you really look great girl – healthy is HOT indeed. And so is confidence and that’s what I have to remind myself. If every step I take on the beach makes me think “jiggle jiggle jiggle” it MUST show on my face so I MUST let it go and know there is nothing I can do at that instant so I need to just embrace the good time!

    • Tina says:

      Oh, I love that! Confidence is huge and thinking that there’s no way to change it at the moment all we can do is own it – so empowering!

  28. Dorry says:

    I know you aren’t in any way fishing for compliments, but I HAVE to compliment you and say that you look incredible! Toned, lean and strong. We all have that area. For me, it’s probably my stomach. I can go from a flat stomach I’d feel confident about in a swimsuit to a bloated/pudgy feeling stomach seemingly overnight. But it’s usually all in my head and I need to kick those thoughts to the curb and just enjoy wherever I am and who I’m with… ๐Ÿ™‚ I love making green smoothies for skeptics! Billy loves them now.

  29. Bathing suites are the worst. You feel naked and then you go out in public. You look great Tina! Sounds like you’re having a great time and YAY…you pulled more people into the green side!

  30. You ARE rockin that bikini! Do you not have any stretch marks? So unfair! ๐Ÿ˜‰ I realized yesterday that one thing I really dislike about my body is…my arms. Even when I was 15 and 103 lbs, I thought I was fat, but looking back in the picture, the only thing I see now as fat is my arms. Guess I’ll just need to work on those a little more…

  31. Totally understand those moments. I feel that way about my breasts. After 2 babies, breastfeeding and weight loss, the girls just aren’t perky like they used to be so I’m very self-concious about them.

    • Tina says:

      I’m sure the boobs will replace my butt once I don’t have the nursing cleavage anymore. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  32. Michelle says:

    Even though I don’t want other people to feel bad about themselves, it does make me feel a little more normal to see that other people struggle with insecurities as well. My problem area, or the area that I always feel self conscious about are my bum and thighs as well. I always feel insecure whenever I wear workout shorts out in public or if I am wearing tighter pants or shorts.
    You look AMAZING though in that picture! Hard work really does pay off!

    • Tina says:

      I know what you mean about not wanting others to feel badly, but it is nice to know we can all relate to one another. That’s why I shared! ๐Ÿ™‚

  33. I always feel the most insecure about my body in the dressing room! I hate how sizes aren’t consistent across brands/stores, and putting on something that is too small for me is always a negative experience.

  34. Michelle says:

    You look so awesome!

    My trigger area is my stomach. I have a REALLY short waist and when I gain weight – there’s where it goes. The mom gut I have isn’t helping. It has taken me A LONG time to accept that it is what it is – and ultimately, my life is significantly better because of having my kids ๐Ÿ™‚

  35. Kelley says:

    You ARE hot!! I cant believe you just had a baby. You are SO inspiring. And I agree, the reason you look so rocking is because you’re in such great shape. ๐Ÿ™‚

  36. Heather says:

    You ROCK that bikini, girl!!! Bathing suits are a trigger for me………..I’m still trying to get over it….

  37. Sarah says:

    “Healthy looks hot on anybody.” <–I love it and agreed! And Tina, you do look HOT!

  38. Raina says:

    I think you’re crazy!! You’re body looks so amazing!!
    I also have issues with my butt BUT I am learning to like it. I have never had a butt before due to my eating disorder so it’s a little bit uncomfortable for me. Still, I am determined to maintain my healthy weight and not slip back into anorexia so I am not going to keep hating on my body. Instead I am just going to learn to love it, flaws and all.

    • Tina says:

      I tell myself the same thing. Crazy. But sometimes the logical doesn’t match the emotional and thankfully I have learned to recognize it. And huge kudos to you for doing the same and staying strong! ๐Ÿ™‚

  39. You look incredible! Way to go on turning the negative thoughts into positive ones. It’s not easy by any means, but our bodies can do amazing things and we need not to forget that. ๐Ÿ™‚

  40. The beach definitely brings out my worst fat talk, too! When we were in Florida in February, I think I spent the first day worrying about my body in a bathing suit. However, after feeling that way I kind of just told the mean voice to shut up so I could enjoy my vacation! I know that the healthier I’m eating and the better I’m taking care of myself, the less that voice comes out, even if I look exactly the same to the outside world!

    And Tina, I’m sure you know this, but you look fabulous! I’m sure people on the beach are thinking, “Holy mackerel, those kids can’t be hers, look at that bod!”

  41. You look amazing in the bikini! Rock it ๐Ÿ™‚

    I have the same issues with my butt. Since I was little, people have told me how lucky I am to have it. But frankly, any comment about it just makes me more paranoid that people are staring at it. I’m still learning to accept the booty but I’m getting there!

  42. Jess says:

    LOVE this mantra – health looks hot on any body. SO SO SO TRUE. And for the record – I think you look smokin’ hot in your bikini! PS. I am still on the fence over green smoothies – can you convert me???

    • Tina says:

      Give it a whirl! It tastes just like the fruit. Just make sure not to add too much spinach the first few times so it blends in smoothly.

  43. Shayla says:

    Wow love this post Tina. Fist of all I have to say, you look absolutely awesome and smokin’ hot in that bikini….I think even better when you were a fitness model because you look even happier, healthier, and more at peace ๐Ÿ™‚ And I agree with above comment from Jess, health looks hot on any body, and that’s what you’re rockin’!

    The beach in a bikini poses body image struggles for me too. I exactly relate to your negative comments, โ€œwhat if I had been tighter with my eating?โ€ or โ€œif only I looked more like I did X years agoโ€….but I have to remind myself that I’d much rather be healthier and happier with a bit more weight on me, than be back in my skinny days of deprivation and eating disorder….even though I looked good, I wasn’t healthy on the inside and I wasn’t even happy…who wants to live that way?!

  44. Meg says:

    I can relate to hips/butt insecurities, but I try not to let it get me down because you’re right: healthy looks good on everyone! Thanks for such a positive post!

  45. Becca says:

    Good for you! Way to kick negativity to the curb! ๐Ÿ˜€
    I need to try making GMs soon… ๐Ÿ™‚

    My dad would kill me if I wore a bikini, but that’s not going to happen because I am absoluely not comfortable in them. It’s not only the back end/bottom half thing that bugs me, it’s the fact that they’re incredibly revealing and I have this thing about modesty… (I don’t wear swimsuits much to begin with, actually. Not really a swimmer/beachgoer.)
    And that’s part of why I hate shorts, too, actually (the insecurity thing)… I only have like four pairs of shorts, and I hardly ever wear them. The other part is that I have trouble finding shorts that cover more than just part of my butt. Something that has stuck with me from school and church stuff is that shorts should come to the end of your fingertips (when you’re standing straight with your hands at your sides). But even that guideline doesn’t always cover much, so I’ve decided they have to go at least halfway to my knees, if not TO my knees. Same with skirts–one of the choir teachers had a rule that skirts must go to at least your knees or you couldn’t wear them.
    And I heard something on the radio a while back about how this author illustrates this point with her daughter by sitting with their legs crossed in front of a mirror–whatever you can see, other people can see. That was kind of interesting to think about.

  46. You might be able to add one more to your green smoothie convert list because I’ve never had one, but I think I might be adding those to my diet any day now. ๐Ÿ™‚

    You have such a good perspective on body image! Every girl needs little reminders on what this post was about. Thanks for being such a good example!

  47. Jennifer Rahn says:

    You are One Hot Mama.

    I’ve been self-conscious about my stomach lately. I seem to carry my weight there, and it’s distressing. Plus, I can’t get those ab muscles to fuse back, and I hate it! I was rocking my old stomach after I had Addie; Henry – not so much.

    But I tell myself that this belly carried the two most precious people in the world to me. So I try to love it.

  48. Sara says:

    You look HOT, and you had 2 kids! That makes you HOT x a million! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  49. Firstly, you look amazing! Replacing negatives with positives is the way do it. Ofcourse healthy is hot, and you’re proving that!

    I have had very little success in converting my husband to green smoothies but I shall continue….

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