good or bad?

First day counting Points, complete! It actually went really really well, much better than I expected. I always revert back to Points (the Weight Watchers program) for some reason, and it's easier for me than counting calories. I have no idea why! Essentially it's the same thing, but maybe it's the smaller numbers? I generally don't like numbers, which is possibly the reason :) And I know it works; it's so comforting to me, like an old blanket. Ah, Weight Watchers, we've met before!

I also had my first fantastic run of the year, clocking in at 6 miles! It felt FANTASTIC! Completely renewed my faith for the marathon :) Never judge your running status on the first run of the season. You will ALWAYS be slower, exhausted, and out of shape. Like a bear after a long winter. But today was SO MUCH EASIER! Not easy (because running will never come easy for me), but easiER, definitely.

I started thinking last night about reading blogs, after reading KK's fantastic comment "It is great to want to healthy. Just remember, healthy for your body is different than healthy for anyone else!!". Reading blogs, at first, gave me a very distorted image of how/what I should be eating, what it looks like to be healthy, how much you should be exercising, etc. I'd read what someone ate one day and think "Holy crap, THAT'S why I'm not losing weight, clearly I need to eat like them!" or "They exercise so much and look so great, that's what I need to do". I loved reading about people's positive take on eating a healthful diet intuitively and not having to watch what they eat (in the counting sense) and I longed for that. Well, I still do.

And that's where I went over the edge. I wanted to give that up, but I wasn't near ready. I was comparing myself to others, and it wasn't good for me at all. I've come to terms with the fact that I will likely never be able to just eat mindfully or intuitively. At first it was hard for me to even write that, but honestly, it's true. Do I wish I could just eat what I want, in moderation, and maintain a healthy weight? Of course! I will always hope I can do that, and pray for it, but I have to be ready for that NOT to happen. At least until I get a better mindset around food, and recognize what it takes for ME to be healthy. Not skinny, not the body of anyone else, healthy for ME. Not comparing myself to what others are or aren't eating, how much and what they're doing for exercise, just what it takes for ME to feel great.

I've now come to a place where I can read blogs and they're helpful, informative and fun. They don't effect me or my choices at all, because I've finally (FINALLY!) reached a place where I know what I need to do to feel healthy.

What about you? Do you think reading blogs is good or bad for your mindset?
I'm so curious!