True Story: I have recently been thinking about the battle of the bulge.
Who am I kidding? It is constantly on my mind. I am so sick of thinking about my weight. I know you ladies out there think about yours too all the time, right?
Well, now that I’ve really decided to do something about it, ironically, I don’t have to think about it all the time. I have adopted some new ways of doing things and that is all there is to it. I don’t have to think, “oh I shouldn’t eat that because I was bad yesterday”. With my new diet, I just know what I am eating. So far so good. I’ll keep you posted.
I have come to understand that exercise is great, but if you want your body to be smaller, you have to change the way you eat. For years, I was like well, I’ll just work out. That didn’t work out. Pun intended.
Where the problems started:
Eating #1. Did I really have to write that?
I love food. I love a good meal, but I am not addicted to food. I do not emotionally eat. You will not see me with a pint of ice cream at the end of a bad/good day. Unfortunately, I enjoy the liquids more for emotional consoling.
My generation and older are taught to eat 3 squares a day and to be President of the “clean plate club”. Now we know that is not the best way to eat, but I still find myself telling my son to finish his supper. It is usually the good for him stuff he doesn’t want though.
I think y’all know by now I am not a blamer. I take full responsibility for most of my faults. I put my big girl panties on and deal with stuff.
True Side Story: I was telling a group of people the other day how I fall down a lot, and one of my friends said, “yeah, but you get up like a big girl”.
So what I am saying here is that I am not blaming society, Twiggy, or teenage bullying on my weight/body image problem, but I do think those things play a role in it.
Exhibit A at the top of the page: a picture of me in a bikini at age 15. I’m the one in the middle.
Which one of us wouldn’t want that figure? Well, the young lady in that picture thought she was FAT FAT FAT.
Not initially, but after I was told repeatedly that I was fat, I decided it was so.
Sure, girls are going to tease me, especially the flat-chested ones. Even family members had issues with my figure, telling me my butt was big, etc. It does stick out. Had I thought to take care of it, it might be worth a million bucks like JLo’s today. Naaaa, her’s is a priceless work of art.
I understand parents being concerned with a voluptuous figure on a young girl. But I did not flaunt it. The truth is, in high school we wore boys jeans and button down shirts. Rugby shirts were in style. Remember those? I wouldn’t have been allowed to wear skimpy stuff if I wanted to. But I have cleavage in a turtle neck, so sometimes there is really nothing I can do about it.
My dance instructor told me I was thick. I’ve never cared for that word. Boys teased, as they do. Point I’m getting at here is that it is inevitable in this society that at some point, a girl will stand in front of a mirror hating her body.
I’m not going to preach that you shouldn’t do it. You all know that. And I am not going to try to have that girl in the picture’s figure either. Let’s face it, 15 is a whole nother ball game. No, I just wanted to share more lady problems with you, and tell you I am going to wear a bikini for the 1st time in many, many moons this summer. Just making myself accountable again.
What happened in the 20 years since that photo you ask?
Nothing extraordinary. A pound or two a year is 20 plus pounds. You do the math.
In the spirit of Awards Show Season let’s look at some of the silly things celebrities say about how they stay in shape:
1) I once read in a magazine about a starlit who said she lost all her weight because “she broke up with cheese”.
Really? That’s it? You just stopped eating cheese? Are you sure you don’t have a personal trainer too?
2) “I’ll consider plastic surgery when the time comes”.
Translation: I have been getting botox for 10 years. A face lift is right around the corner.
3) “I keep the weight off by snacking all day long”.
On what? Lettuce?
For once, will one of those wee, tiny, baby celebs say the truth when asked how they keep their figures.
My PR advice for an answer:
Well, it starts with genetics. Let’s face it, I hit the jack pot there. And remember, I am only 24. Then I work out 14 times a week with my trainer, run 5 miles, and go to yoga after that. When I eat it is high quality, organic very expensive delivered meals, and any time I see anything sticking out or dimpling in, I get to the nearest med spa and fix that sh*t.
True Story: Would that not be refreshing???
True Story 
Its 80% how you eat and 20% how you work out. I get comments sometimes like “Oh you don’t need to work out, you look great!” Hello?? I look the way I look BECAUSE I work out. And at 41 things are no longer handed to me (not that they ever were). Girls’ weight issues start early – and what is sad is that they normally (as you say) start around puberty when your body changes. As if you don’t have enough going on then but you also have to deal with people’s (and family’s) comments. I don’t think people realize what lasting impressions they can make on a teenage girl. As a girl who has seen many numbers on the scales, I’ve come to the realization that feeling healthy and strong is the best motivator. It is not about willpower but rather creating healthy habits that over time turn into cravings. I want to be a good example to my child. I don’t always succeed, but I keep trying. Thank you for the story – I recognize and can relate to much of what you say.