31 days to whole ~ day four ~ what I wore ~ making peace with your body type…

ByMary Lenaburg

The weather has changed in the last 48 hours and we are full on in Fall y’all. The air is crisp and a breeze is ruffling the leaves on the trees. We have also been experiencing some major rain fall these last few days making todays wardrobe choice a little more challenging than usual. 



I am wearing tights. Alert the media!! This 48 year old menopausal woman is wearing tights!! That tells you how chilly it actually is. I also stepped waaaaaayyyyy outside my fashion comfort zone and am wearing a pair of booties with a dress. 


It’s cray cray around here. Seriously!! 


I layered things as well. I have on a jean jacket from Nordi’s, my empire waist cotton dress from Land’s End, tights from Lane Bryant and booties form DSW. The earrings and scarf are from Charming Charlies. Nothing is new. It’s all from last year. 




Let’s talk body image for a moment. As I have been making my way through this 31 Days to Whole adventure, I have spent a lot of time in meditation and prayer about where I am and how I feel about my body and all it’s wonder. I, like many of you, have struggled for years to make peace with my body shape which has led me to really dive into learning about what looks best on my body. 


Nobody like to feel like a frump. Nobody. We all have our feminine moments where we want to feel beautiful. I am 5’10” and weigh 268 pounds. That sounds more like a middle linebacker for a football team than a lithe sexy woman. 



I have never been a delicate creature. God did not make me that way. We have talked about this before. He made me strong and on the larger side of life so that I could full fill one of the jobs He sent me here to do. To love and care for my girl Courtney. 


That doesn’t mean I haven’t abused my body or treated it with less respect than it deserves. I am working on that. That’s what the 31 Days to Whole is helping me resetablish. A healthy perspective on what I put into my body to fuel it. 


But here’s the thing, even when I have reached my goals, even when the weight that needs to come off does, I will still be an oval shaped girl. Just less fluffy and full. 


So how about we stop talking numbers and start talking love of self and shape and personality. How about we just look in that mirror and say “Thank you God for giving me this day to be your hands and feet.” 


Let’s do it shall we? Let’s be at peace with where we are right now in this moment. Let’s stop allowing the devil to whisper in our ear urging us to compare and feel less than. 


YOU ARE ENOUGH!! Right now, right where you are. Today in this moment God loves ALL of you. 


You are His beloved and He is yours! Now let’s all start acting on that truth shall we? 


Now go and love…do your best…it’s ALL God is asking of us. 


11 Comments

  1. I got ya beat; I'm 6'1 1/2"! Not that it's a competition. But being a very, very tall woman, I do find that it is inherently harder to feel "feminine" when I'm by far, the largest woman in the room, and taller than most of the men.

  2. This is one of my favourite Barbara Brown Taylor quotes: "There comes a time when it is vitally important for your spiritual health to drop your clothes, look in the mirror, and say, ‘Here I am. This is the body-like-no-other that my life has shaped. I live here. This is my soul’s address."

  3. And you are ROCKING those tights! My MIL, fifty-eight, once told me that it's fine to wear tights but DO NOT EVER WEAR GREY TIGHTS. She says them things are old lady tights and never look attractive one anyone. Oh man, she cracks me up sometimes!
    She also told me once that "A good skirt or dress can hide a thousand sins." Well..I'm five foot 4 and a half and, like you, I'm built for business. Even when I'm quite slim, I'm never "lithe". I have big hands, wide hips, biggish thighs. I have hauled 3 children to term in my body and I was strong enough to carry my daughter to 34 weeks when our waters broke at 27.
    I have learnt that my father's shoulders have been given to me to carry strong loads.
    Just like you, I find it a struggle sometimes to just find something cute to wear. i'm not 30 yet -I don't want to look frumpy!!!! at any age.

    but yeah, honestly, you look really adorable in that outfit!! And you look like the Whole 30 is treating you well 🙂

  7. As someone else who isn't stick thing, you are an inspiration for me to dress more fashionably. You always rock your outfits. I've definitely been there with body issues so thanks for being such a great witness to the rest of us!

  8. My body has changed so much in the last 20 years that I don't really know what my shape is anymore! Hard to be at peace with the unknown, but I guess God is calling me to (a) love myself where I am yet (b) not be satisfied to stay in an unhealthy state, either. God bless, Mary! Cheering you on from the West Coast!

  9. When I was younger, I thought that being a bigger person than some of my slim friends was helpful in that I was stronger than they. I needed my strength to be a nurse and a mom. I am 10 pounds more now than I was when I married almost 40 years ago. I had 4 children and I am 63 years old. I have run a full Marathon race of 26.2 miles. I have to watch my food intake carefully and I have to exercise 5-6 times per week. I like myself now and I am not much different than I was when I was 23 years old, but I am healthier. I am with Heather Renshaw who posted today in that she cannot be sastified with letting herself get away from a healthy state. I plan to be alive alot longer and I want to feel good everyday. I actually do feel better than I did at 23 years old.

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