It was the last day of May when I took the pictures this post. It all started as a challenge from the C&A brand to share my clothing style with the women in my community and to give a voice to women with shapes in Romania, but also as a promise I had made to make a beneficial change in my life.
That post had a much bigger impact than I expected. In addition to the fact that it went viral and was distributed by several thousand people, it also provoked a lot of reactions, of all kinds. From people who accused me of promoting obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle (to whom I'm glad I showed how wrong they were), to people who simply wanted to feel normal and no longer receive labels.
#MyBodyJourney is my journey. It is the process by which I shook off all the labels that have been put on me over time. It's about accepting and making others accept diversity as normal. At first I didn't expect #MyBodyJourney to have such a big impact on other people. At first it was just about me, but I am very happy to discover every day that my story has inspired and motivated so many people.
#MyBodyJourney means accepting that you have to make a change to be better. That's why I think that such a process does not start when you start to change your diet or when you start sports, but when these thoughts begin to appear in your mind. In my case, I think #MyBodyJourney started in January 2015 when I had a back crisis, even though I didn't make any changes immediately. Then came the first thoughts that I would be better off if I lost a little weight, if I ate healthier, if I exercised a little. So maybe many of you have already started your own journey, even if you are not yet aware of it. It all starts with a thought, which when you are ready will lead you to the next step. In my case, the next step was to give up sugary foods, fried foods and sour juices. Then I started walking more and eating more salads. They were small steps to the unknown, but they seemed to lead me to progress. I told you how I started in the article How to start losing weight which I invite you to read and share if you think it may be helpful to you or others.
The next step was to assume that this is who I am and that this is what I want to do, and that I want to document this whole process online. It never occurred to me at the time that #MyBodyJourney will be the first story of this kind documented online and will have such a big impact on those around you. But I'm even happier. And I recognize that it is also a source of inspiration and motivation in difficult times. Because yes, you motivate me and encourage me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that.
The next step was to get into sports. I met my coach who knew how to integrate sports into my life and how to adapt training to my condition so that it would be an activity that I would support in the long run. And guess what? From the person who couldn't do 10 abs without feeling his heart pounding or who couldn't walk 5 minutes on the treadmill, now I run for miles without stopping, and hiking is one of my favorite activities. Thank you, Iulian Dinu for teaching me to love movement!
#MyBodyJourney is not about losing weight and about fitting into some classic beauty standards. #MyBodyJourney is about acceptance and self-love. For me, exercising and eating healthy is a proof of self-love. #MyBodyJourney is not the classic story to brag about losing a lot of weight in record time. Losing weight was never the ultimate goal, it was just the result of all the efforts and changes I made. I always enjoyed my progress, I just worked hard for him, but I never put pressure on myself. I never set a deadline because I chose to focus on the process and all the things I learned about myself and how to take care of my health. We live only quickly before we forget to be present at what is happening to us. I chose to pay attention to every muscle ache from a muscle fever I felt, every culinary craving I didn't have to satisfy, every insult or encouragement I received and even how the attitude of the people around me towards me changes as I lose weight.
#MyBodyJourney helped me learn that saying about a man that he is fat is not an insult and it helped me change my relationship with food.
I want to emphasize once again that I did not follow a specific diet and that I do not even believe in miracle diets. I believe in change and I think it is good to be informed, to document ourselves a lot, to ask for the help of specialists and to choose what suits us best. I think it's good to be moderate and not try to be more Catholic than the Pope. I think it's good to learn to be more tolerant of ourselves and to be aware that when we make a mistake we don't sponge all the effort so far. One of the biggest mistakes I made before was giving up after I made a mistake. Now I go ahead and don't let a single wrong step become a harmful habit again.
Does it matter how many pounds I lost in two years? Am I in a hurry somewhere? Is there a stake? At stake is my physical and emotional health.
What advice do I have for those who want to start their own #BodyJourney? To be patient, to be determined, to ask for help and not to give up when it is difficult (that is, most of the time).
And because I wanted to mark the fact that two years have passed in which I have made considerable progress in my own journey, I decided together with the talented photographers from –The Bucharest's to remake the pictures from the beginning fixed in the same places where I posed shy two years ago. It was exciting for both parties and we hope you like the result!
* all rights to the texts and pictures on this site belong exclusively to me according to law 8/1996 on Copyright and related rights. Using them without my consent means theft.
7 comments
Very loud, Rozi! I'm proud of you! Bravo! ❤️
<3 <3 <3 Bravooo Ioana! <3
Ioana, I haven't been following you for a long time, but with this article you have earned me a lot of respect! I didn't know about this wonderful progress, for which I say "take off your hat!"
I, in turn, have been struggling with extra pounds since I was a teenager. I don't remember ever being 100% happy with how I look. I had periods in which I started sports and healthy eating but the miracle did not last more than 2, maximum 3 months. Yes, I had a period around 17 when I lost weight dramatically and everyone noticed this, but it happened in a very short time and my skin lost its elasticity, so I only wore long pants and blouses with sleeves 3 / 4. Plus the abdomen doesn't look the way I wanted it to.
I always had weight fluctuations. Now, again I have a few extra pounds but I noticed that whatever I do, they lose weight harder than before. So sometimes I put my foot down and buy a bag of chips or a chocolate that I make ready.
I really want to adopt some healthy habits that will become part of my life. I want to wear whatever I want, not to be embarrassed to be posed from certain angles and not to feel embarrassed to go to the beach.
What a beautiful progress, congratulations Ioana! You are totally changed, as if you have grown up, you are more stylish, finer, not just weaker;)). In the pictures from 2 years ago, you look more like a child. Now more sensual: D.
It's hard for me and I'm struggling to lose about 5 kg, so I imagine how hard it is to want to lose more. I suffer from sweets and I hardly refrain
Such stories motivate others and that is why it must be told, which I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. It is not easy for anyone to expose themselves in this way, you have extraordinary courage and will.
Ioana, I like your courage. I also get a dose of optimism every time I read posts like this. Those who struggle with weight know what they are talking about.
Congratulations!
Congratulations!!! You showed perseverance, ambition and courage. Good luck in the future !