book review - Unbearable Lightness by Portia De Rossi

After seeing Portia promote her book Unbearable Lightness on both Oprah and Ellen, I knew I needed to read this book.  I was not disappointed.

Portia wrote with such honesty that you feel like you are her close friend and she's telling you her story while you're sitting on her couch and drinking a cup of tea.

Portia's story really also made me reflect on my relationship with food and nutrition.

I love food; trying a new restaurant is one of my favourite things to do, yet I'm constantly trying to become a healthier person, and I'm always conscious about what I'm putting into my body.  Sometimes though, you just have to eat whatever and not beat yourself up about it.  As long as the majority of my diet consists of healthy and nutritious foods, I really shouldn't feel guilty about having ice cream, a cookie, or cookie dough ice cream (although I probably shouldn't eat all three).

The other key part that Portia says works for her is living an active lifestyle; find something that you enjoy doing and embrace it wholeheartedly.  For me, when I'm active food doesn't consume my thoughts, it's when I'm sluggish and tired that I crave the terrible-for-you foods.  When I'm active, I'll grab a banana or apple for a snack, or eat some veggies and a small amount of cheese before a Jazzercise class.

The main thing that I loved about Unbearable Lightness is that at the end, Portia just reminds you that we really just have to accept your body for what it is.  Seriously, if somebody as gorgeous as Portia hates the way she looks, I've got to stop hating on myself so much.  I'm okay with the fact that I'm curvy.  I've got a butt that could rival J-Lo's (I have yet to decide if this is good or bad) and thighs that rub together when I walk.  I have days when I hate the way I look, but there are also days where I love that I have a womanly body.  Random lady in Tim Hortons called me fat, but then my co-workers made me feel beautiful again.  I look great in dresses, but not so hot in pants - but I'm still going to wear the pants anyway.

I've made a promise to myself that I'm going to get healthy, and in doing so, if I lose a few pounds that's great, but it's not the most important thing.  To me, being happy and healthy are the only things worth fighting for.  I've got the happy, and now I'm working on the healthy.

PS:  I apologize as this started out as an unsuspecting book review and ended up as a brain dump on how I feel about my body...