Two Sisters. Four Months. One Common Goal. Two Different Approaches.

One bound by Zep. One bound by sheer willpower.

(I feel like) I’ve written extensively about body, body image, weight, exercise, diet, etc. etc. etc. Over the last decade, I’ve been through a lot of phases. This latest phase, though — postpartum — has thrown me for a loop.

HEADS UP: This letter is about two women who are actively and unapologetically trying to lose weight, so if that sort of stuff triggers you, you may want to opt out.

ALSO: It’s imperative that you remember “it’s all relative” — “it” being height, weight, size, person, etc. Weight and size look wildly different on everyone. Someone’s “small” is someone’s “big,” someone’s “thick” is someone’s “thin",” and so on and so forth.

Seven(ish) months ago, when I was 8.5 months pregnant, I wrote this letter reflecting on how cruel I’d been to my body all these years and the new perspective being in a pregnant body had given me.

Two months ago, I shared some thoughts on how I was approaching my postpartum body and size with confidence but not complacency. And I have done exactly that. I’ve carried on for the last 6.5 months not feeling great about myself but trusting that I’d know when I was ready to “get back at it,” as they say.

And that day came about three weeks ago. As I’ve experienced countless times in my life in a million different shades, I reached my “breaking point.” It’s rare for me to get dressed at all nowadays, but the few times I was going the extra mile to put on “real” clothes, I wasn’t having a good time. I dreaded it and wanted to avoid it at all costs if I could. My tell for when it’s time to get my ass into gear is when I genuinely consider wearing sweatpants to a nice restaurant, which I had found myself doing as of late.

So I decided it was time to stop fucking around and employ every lesson and skill I’ve accumulated over the years re: exercise, diet, etc.

About a week after I pressed START, my sister called to tell me she had decided to get on a GLP-1 (i.e. injectable weight loss drug).