angelswatercolor wrote: »

I love being in this group because I feel there's no other like it, it's supportive and the way it's a group with each day being an individual post is way more easier to log your days rather than it being a whole ongoing thread. I love reading everyone's posts on how their day went, how we all live different lives and yet have similar goals to each other. I think I'm back to being committed to staying here for a while until I no longer need to. (i promised myself, that i leave here a 3rd time i will no longer come back since it'll be apparent i cant keep up and i dont want it to be a cycle of leaving and coming back every few months. either i want to be here or i dont. for now, i want to be here.)

And best of all, it's not a contest group, or a weigh-in group, or a "lose this much by __" group. It's an accountability group, which encourages healthier habits way better than seeing who can lose the most weight by the next year.

And a couple messages I wanna make here is, 1. Gratitude is the key to quality of life. It helps prevent becoming bitter, helps you see that even during a time of personal struggle there's still something that you at least have (food, shelter, love, etc) that you can at least say "thank goodness i still have this and that as it can be much worse" (i might be going through some sh**t but i'm grateful for my mom doing her best to keep us comfortable, i'm grateful for the house we live in especially after the hell we went through to move here, i'm grateful we have food to keep us fed even if it isn't the most ideal, instagram-health-guru-worthy stuff ever. i'm grateful that despite what my depression tries to tell me, my life is 10x better now than it has been in the last 8 years and it'll only get better from here on as long as i put in the effort for it) , and helps keep your head above water.

and 2. There's no need to compare yourself to others. Seriously. Just don't bother. We're all so different, no one knows our full story and therefore other people's judgment on you doesn't matter as much (unless u be acting like a damn fool & a jerk). And in the healthy lifestyle world, there is no one-size-fits-all method of diet & exercise and no one can force that upon you, some people like Keto, others don't need it. Some people love running and doing push ups, others just like a little basic strength training. Some people can do it all week long, others need a break to recover. Some people have mental health issues that can get in the way, or even physical issues and some days you just simply can't do anything besides try to be kind to yourself and get some rest. Home life can get in the way, finances can get in the way. It's not always an excuse unless you simply give up and let the roadblocks get you down.

You can be whatever you want to be but nobody can be a unicorn. Work hard for what you love, work for your health, work for the people you love, work for a good long life. This shouldn't be about looking like that hot fit person on a magazine or Instagram page, who gets paid to tell you you're too fat to be worthy and therefore should pay them for their workout videos and meal plans cuz they make money off of our insecurities. Instead, it's about learning healthy habits, learning how we can further our limits, how we can break out of our comfort zones and discover something new about ourselves. We all want to be fit & healthy, lose weight or gain muscle or join a marathon or stop a binge eating cycle. But it's never a race or contest. You keep doing you, and never feel discouraged from your efforts no matter how big or small. No more guilt, and no more hiding from your problems & excuses. You are STRONG, WORTHY, CAPABLE.

RangerRickL wrote: »

While rising and twisting, a back muscle was impinged