Size One-Half?
Michelle on May 19 2007 at 2:55 pm | Filed under: The Personal
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I consider my going to the pool to catch some rays to be an act of altruism. I figure that I give the girls with body image issues some comfort, in that they can look at me and say to themselves, “Oh thank goodness there is someone fatter than me out here!” and then relax.
Possibly, this is not true. Yesterday, I was out there attempting to both read a book and watch Sage swim when heard a girl say, “I heard there is a size one-half now. I’ll never be able to fit into a size one-half! Like, I don’t understand how this whole size thing works. I see girls who wear a size two, and I’m like a size four, and they’re bigger than me! It gives me a complex!”
I’ll say. First of all, I wanted to inform her about the new 00 size, just to freak her out. Also, I felt a little miffed that she was loudly discussing body weight when it is obvious that I make two of her. Then I finally turned my head to see who she was talking to.
The girl with the weight issues was a stereotypical bleached blonde boob-job skinny chick in a black bikini. The other girl was not wearing a bathing suit at all. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and you could see her stomach bulging out. She had thick thighs. She wasn’t merely average, but overweight. I figured she wasn’t wearing a bathing suit because she was self-conscious. Of course I thought the girl who had been doing the talking was pretty self-centered and cruel.
Bored, I continued to listen to their conversation. Turns out skinny blonde is trying to get a job as a first year teacher at my son’s school. Yikes.
I felt better about my own body issues when I logged into my computer last night and saw this really cool poster that demonstrates that a full 31 percent of people in the US are fatter than me. Seeing that we lead the world in terms of obesity was not too cool though, even though it was not surprising.
I have been taking steps to remove the fat from my body. I have put on twenty pounds over the past year, and I was not exactly thin beforehand. I realized that I had to do something the night that I caught myself taking a bag of Chex Mix to bed with me like it was some sort of teddy bear and that I had done the same thing for several days in a row. I figure that I have had some issues with sleeping alone this year.
At any rate, I joined the gym that is next door and which has a pool with lap lanes. I have been entering what I eat on www.fitday.com, and it is interesting to see that even when I ditch the Chex Mix and eat fruit and vegetables instead, that I still do not meet the US RDA for most nutrients. I am trying to look at this whole thing as a lifestyle change as opposed to merely fitting in my “thin” jeans again. I feel so much better when I exercise that I have been inspired to cut the benzos in half again. At this rate, I should be benzo-free by the end of the summer.
Smile.
The issues of weight and how we see ourselves or the people around us are so complex. As someone with that problem when I was young (and the residuals now) I can tell you that the way we think is not really logical. We don’t look at people bigger than us and actually see that. Or at least, I didn’t. I was too obsessed with my own body weight to notice anyone else in front of me as “fat” or “thin”.
Anyhow… I’m right there with you. Because as fate would have it, I no longer have a thyroid and damn if that doesn’t pack the weight on you. That happened right about the time I decided eating was FUN. Heh. It’s hard work to drop these pounds, but I’m determined to do it.
So… blessings on the journey. We can do this, right?
And your line about being altruistic cracked me up!
Exercise is the key; I need to vary mine since running is hard on the body at times. I always feel so much better and more energetic when I’ve been active. (now if I could just get rid of the Hef)
And I love that poster!
Thank you for linking to my site.
-Grey
What a hoot, going to the beach your good deed for the day! Ha! At least you went, most of us stay away, which is a shame for our children. I’m trying to remember where you live, but I don’t recall a beach around there, you mean a lake, or did you take a drive to the coast?
I also have a fitday profile that I made public, but I don’t keep it up enough. It is helpful in the beginning to see what you eat and what you have to do though.
Like Margaret said, exercise is key. A nice walk now and again does wonders for the soul.
Heavens, that girl is wearing two bandaids and a postage stamp! I never was one for the “Twiggy look”. I think Rubenesque women are much more attractive, as long as they are healthy and feel good about themselves. I think that’s more important than worrying about what other twits think about you. Anorexia in people such as Kate Moss is just plain ugly.
It’s sad how this young woman who you overheard, and way too many like her, aspire to be as painfully thin as the Chanel model you have in the pic (hideous suit!)
I’m glad the benzo’s are lessening and that you’re taking a balanced approach to your health
Much peace, JP
Oh man, we’re third.
But I am a scrawny male nerd, so I will keep my mouth shut on matters of this kind.
Oh my goodness me! It’s a crazy messed up world where women and weight are concerned.