After your interest yesterday on my Facebook page, I decided to share all about that elusive term - “happy weight”. Happy weight. It sure sounds nice, doesn’t it? But…what in the world does it even mean?!?!? Many of us would love to define our weight simply as happy, but don’t even know what that place physically looks or feels like. I can relate.

It took me years of my weight playing the yo-yo game before even remotely understanding where my body functions best. But, with time, I did eventually find my “happy weight”. I  discovered that place about 9 months after the birth of Makenzie and have found it again now.

I knew I had achieved it and it felt amazing. But how? How did I know when I reached that place? How did I know the steps to take to get there?

What IS Your Happy Weight?
In my opinion, three factors play into the definition of a person’s happy weight:

• a weight your body naturally inclines to when living a balanced lifestyle
• a weight that you can maintain relatively easily once reached
• a weight where your body functions optimally and has energy

Four Ways to Achieve Your Happy Weight 
1. Overcome Eating Issues. I truly believe you cannot manage to reach a comfortable place for your body if you constantly battle food. I spent years in a vicious binge and restrict cycle. As I discussed yesterday, I could limit myself to 1200 calories a day for days on end without ever achieving a healthy, fit body. Yet, my emotional struggles with food kept me from ever truly achieving a healthy size for myself. I did not reach my happy weight until after my personal journey to overcome binge eating.

2. Learn through trial and error what foods fuel your body best. For years, I consumed myself with food rules and could rattle off what foods someone “should” or “shouldn’t” consume when trying to lose weight. I could tell you the number of grams of protein, carbs, or fat for an “optimal” meal. I could spew off data on a variety of eating plans. Yet somehow I still had no clue how my body worked best.

It turns out eating low-carb, which I believed to be the Holy Grail of dieting, actually caused my body to revolt and hold onto weight. Through trial and error - and relieving myself of all the “cans”, “cannots”, “should eats”, and “mustn’t eats” – I finally began honoring my body and it showed its appreciation by feeling better and better. And also losing stubborn weight without a sense of deprivation.

3. Discover workouts that keep you energized. Similar to finding a method of eating that suits you, we also must search out ways to stay active that fulfill us. Not every person will love running. Not every person wants to shake it in Zumba. Choose a way to move your body that you will enjoy so you can reap the health rewards of activity without wanting to shoot yourself in the foot. It will keep you motivated to continue and your level of fitness will naturally continue to improve.

4. Don’t kill yourself. Be able to experience life and the fun things that come with it. Healthy living does not have to be difficult. There really are no top-secret files on how to make it work. Simply consume quality foods, stay reasonably active, and enjoy life. When I found a balance of 80% wholesome, nutritious foods and 20% not-as-nutritionally-sound foods, I could easily keep up with healthy choices. I didn’t have to turn down things I enjoyed and could really live life. Taking the stress off myself improved my happiness and my desire to pursue a healthy lifestyle.

The Number One Way to Stay There 
Lose the number! Many of us have a weight in our mind we believe will make us happy. It may be a weight we compare to others or one of our previous sizes. This is not a true happy weight. You can fight your body to reach the number on the scale you think you should be and I can guarantee you that you won’t really be happier. Don’t view your happy weight as a particular number. View it as a feeling. A really, really good feeling.

If you are having to workout hours a day or want to eat your arm off 24/7 to maintain the weight you are at, it likely isn’t your body’s happy weight. Your body craves balance. It is a smart machine and will fight being in an unhealthy place. If you don’t feel strong, healthy, energized, fit, and able to LIVE then you need to adjust what you think is your happy weight. Our bodies know what is best. We don’t need a scale to tell us that. Focus on how you feel and remember - strong, energetic, and healthy looks good on everyone.

• How would YOU define “happy weight”?
• What is your go-to food for great energy?

Before getting into tonight’s post, I need to let #68 - Julie @ Savvy Eats know she won the Physique 57 DVD giveaway! Email me with your shipping address details so I can get your info to Natasha and your workout headed your way. Congrats!

Last week while at the beach, I opened up about my initial body image struggles at hanging out in a bikini for the week. Through expressing those thoughts, I wizened up and felt immediately better. Thank you for your support, because I think having this blog has helped me approach post-vacation with a much healthier mindset.

I enjoyed my vacation. A lot. I did my very best to remain as balanced as possible and I believe I succeeded. I kept up regular activity. I chose healthier meal options for breakfasts, snacks, and most lunches. I didn’t take a “to heck with it, let me gorge myself” mentality like I would have done in the past. I pride myself on those accomplishments. Yes, accomplishments – because I believe we should all pride ourselves on every healthy decision we make for our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls as an accomplishment.

Typically I would return from vacation feeling down on myself. Telling myself that I should have tried harder. Or that I shouldn’t have had that extra margarita. Or that I could have managed some additional workouts this weekend after getting home. No matter how many healthy decisions I accomplished, if I didn’t do “perfectly” it wasn’t enough. In the past, I may have taken a downward spiral upon feeling somewhat bloated from my trip and think I have negated any and all previous progress. Today, however, I feel good. Great, even.

I enjoyed my vacation. End of story. I enjoyed my vacation. I expect that my dietary choices over the course of the trip did add up to slightly more than my body needed. But, who cares? It can come right back off with a week or two of my regular habits. I’m still healthy. I’m still able to work hard at the gym. And now I’m also able to have many fond memories and zero guilt from my time with family at the beach.

Healthy living endures. Healthy living doesn’t halt because of a week with my fair share of frozen yogurt. Healthy living doesn’t negate itself because I decided to live my life by experiencing a quality vacation, including dining out and chilling by the beach. My lifestyle, the fitness goals I hope to achieve, and my “happy place” where I feel best all occur over time.

As the good ole cliché saying goes - “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”. The fitness and health I have will last because I stay forged on a path of balanced living. A path that can stroll along the beach while eating some key lime pie and have the steady pace to watch a gorgeous sunrise along the way…while still ending up in the same destination – only happier and more fulfilled.

• What is one of your favorite cliché sayings because it’s just so true?
• How have you seen small, healthy decisions add up over time?