The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

We can’t count the number of times we’ve heard from readers since The Fat Girl’s Guide to Living launched this summer. You’ve answered the call when we’ve asked for scoop on products and manufacturers or presented mini challenges. You’ve offered blunt but respectful honesty (our favorite kind!) when we’ve missed the mark. And dozens of you have thanked us for offering the straight dope on activities and products for women just like us. A few of you even wrote to say you’ve stepped outside your comfort zones based on something that inspired you here – like getting out and dancing, signing up for a triathlon, and stepping in front of a camera lens again. It doesn’t get better than that, girls.

So on behalf of Tee, Michelle, and me: THANK YOU to our awesome readers for your generosity, your candor, your willingness to be brave on your own behalf, and your feisty, delicious spirits.

I’m a big believer in saying thank you, not just to the people who make my life better or easier in myriad ways, but also in the form of a gratitude journal. No matter how rotten a day I’m having, if I pause to appreciate five things in my life right at that moment, I always feel a bit lighter. You don’t have to keep a written journal or ponder the big, obvious things like your health or loved ones to get a boost from giving thanks. Pausing to appreciate tiny, lovely moments like hearing birds singing when you left for work this morning or the extra sprinkles on your peppermint mocha lifts us out of the stress of the present and sends us someplace sweeter, even if only briefly.

So, as you’re rushing around cooking or traveling or shopping or avoiding family or doing whatever you need to do before the long weekend, tell us: what are you thankful for?