If You Can’t Tone it….Tan it. How to Practice Self Acceptance and Self Love.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of watching my daughter, Olivia, be presented as a member of the 2025 Viennese Winter Ball Cotillion, a fundraiser for the Wheeling Symphony, at the Patron Party.
It was a magical night.
And even more like a fairytale, this weekend she will dance in the ball. This is a moment that I have waited to see almost the entire 17 years of her life. My goal was to be back down 10 pounds, to my lowest body weight, in time to wear my beautiful gown to the ball this weekend.
Well, guess what? Despite consistent exercise, healthy eating habits (for the most part - I do love my wine) and my daily 70 ounces of water intake, that didn’t happen.
One year ago, I was down 10 pounds and measuring every bite of food and every ounce of wine that I ate or drank. Over the course of about 6 months, I had lost a total of 22 pounds on Weight Watchers and was at the lowest body weight that I had been since I was married 23 years ago.
I looked amazing. But inside, I was miserable.
I missed my curves, because inevitably when you lose weight the good things are the first to go!
But yet, everyone was telling me how great I looked, so I soldiered on - measuring, weighing and calculating every bite.
While I had success following Weight Watchers, and I still do enjoy meal prepping, Weight Watcher Recipes and eating healthy, I became obsessed with everything I ate - and more importantly - the number on the scale.
If I am being totally honest, I still am.
Over the past few years, I have been transparent about my weightloss journey here on my blog. But anyone who knows me well, knows that I struggle deeply with body image issues, particularly with weight, and that I have all my life.
The truth is, we all have a battle that we are fighting silently, and this is mine.
As an Italian-American woman, my body type is naturally curvy, and although I have come to accept and appreciate that, it also has been the source of much self criticism in a world obsessed with losing weight.
Fast forward to today.
While some may see this post as narcissistic, I see it as a declaration of self acceptance. Rather than focusing on the number on the scale, I am going to focus on my lovely daughter who will undoubtedly look like a princess.
I am going to soak in every single moment - and every single curve - that will be part of this magical weekend.
So today, my new mantra will be, “If You Can’t Tone it, Tan it.” And I’m gonna rock my spray tan and spanx right into one of the biggest weekends of our life!
Cheers to self acceptance and self love. Have a fantastic weekend, Fabulous Friends over 40,
With sparkle and joy,
Stacey
