I have no desire to try new 'things' like belly dancing or rock climbing, I thought I would when I was fat and that was what was holding me back, but now I know that I have social issues to work on.
my thrill this week is talking to people that are 'horse / cow' farm people about lifestyle portraits. so many people in my industry go for the ULTRA rich BMW'ers with Mansions thinking that they will get the big 30x40 gallery wall portrait. I think that those are so few and far inbetween, that it is a waste of time to market towards them.
I am staying true to my 'niche' of the toddlers, 6 weeks to 4 years. HOWEVER, I am scimming off that market and picking up the parents of that rural lifestyle. I think that it is an untapped market, they value their lifestyle as much as the BMW'ers enough to immortalize it.
what led me down this path is that my own 'lifestyle' has been completely reshaped this year. when I go to the restaurant, I am still self conscience about ordering from the kids menu or the al a carte menu, I am getting better, and more comfortable with my lifestyle. and my lifestyle choice is just as valid as the lady next door that drives through McD's and tosses 1500 calorie bags of food disguised as a happy meal back to each chubby child on the way to soccer practice.
it is insane how much food 'normal people' consume because they THINK that they need that much. I have even converted my daughter over to a saucer rather than a PLATE (did you know that american plates are much larger than european ones? (I have my dh's norwegian plates and my plates from the same vendor, and there is a 1/2 inch difference in diameter.)
lean meats and leafy green vegetables, only
three small meals a day, no snacking
the first couple of months I was STARVING from head hunger. I would never have imagined for a million years that a body can live off of so very little but we really do eat an obscene amount of food. I consume 1/2 cup (4 oz) of food 3 times a day and am more active now than ever before. granted the 'surgery' should have helped me not 'be hungry' but I really did think that I was 'starving' from my head thinking that it really needed all that food that I totally denied that I was eating each day.
saturday my 28 week prego daughter and I went to a steakhouse, split a filet mignon dinner, one dinner, two plates. we each ate what we wanted, I had 3 oz of steak, 1/2 oz of loaded baked potato, 1/2 a dinner salad, and 1/2 oz of sauteed mushrooms, she ate the same, but added in 6 oz of the potato and 1/2 cup of corn, we still had a doggie bag to take home to the mutt of hers.
I am much much much more aware of just how much bigger our plates are here in the US, how much bigger the portions are, and it really is insane. there was enough food on that plate to feed three adults, or two adults and two children. a year ago, I would have ate it all.
so with new found respect for my lifestyle, I find value in other's lifestyle and want them to see it in a wonderful new light!
comfort zone? actually believing in myself enough to try this new concept, and convincing them to let me try. YIKES!
