Fat and Happy?

Last Wednesday I received an email from a friend with two photos attached of a former NBA player’s ex-wife, comparing her weight 20 years ago to now. I guess her weight gain was supposed to be a joke because there was a “funny” caption underneath the photos about what may have happened to her settlement.  I replied, “She could go to the gym since she doesn’t have to work,¹ but she looks fine.”

A few minutes later my friend replied, “Maybe she doesn’t want to go to the gym she might be quite comfortable just the way she is. There are a lot of people out there who are just fine with themselves but magazines, other people, TV, make them feel bad about their size.”

Fair enough.

I don’t doubt she’s happy or even comfortable; I just assume she would prefer to be a smaller size. I know being fat is not always about overeating, there are other factors (e.g. medical, emotional or psychological) that contribute to weight gain. Who knows what her reasons are yet we still judge or comment.

The issue of weight, especially for a woman, is a touchy subject and is not about the weight but the desire to feel wanted, accepted and loved. It seems socially acceptable to make fun of fat people because no one cares about their feelings.  “Fat people know that the first impression that others have of them may be negative. This leads to low self-esteem and shame.”

Not fair.

Losing weight is hard work, it’s not easy! Some people are choosing happiness over body size and have embraced the Fat Acceptance Movement, whose goal is to “change societal attitudes toward individuals who are fat.” I first read about fat acceptance on Kim’s blog over @ FatHappyGirl and I was moved by what she wrote below:

I think an important part of fat acceptance is really understanding what fat acceptance is. It’s personal, it’s not the same way for everyone. It isn’t just about being fat, it’s wanting to be treated equally and fairly. It’s about not wanting to be judged on being fat. It’s about being treated kindly because we are another human being. It means being free of assumptions and half truths. It means being judged less and loved more.

I’m trying to lose several pounds this year with the help of friends/family, my Wii Fit, cutting back² on junk food, making healthier food choices, portion control and regular exercise. Not everyone trying to lose weight wants to be a size 3 either, but a size comfortable.

I am not happy my clothes don’t fit anymore. I am not comfortable with my bulge, but I am a happy person. There are days when I dream of Frisbee sized cookies and days when my eyes are on the prize.  Can you be fat and healthy? Well there’s a bewildering array of conflicting opinions on the subject, but most of the studies I read said no. A few of them said yes. Can you be fat but happy? Absolutely!

So, what did I mean by my comment?  I’ve never heard anyone say they’re overweight because they want to be.  Either they don’t have the time to exercise or the money to buy nutritious foods. If someone is well off financially, to me that represents opportunity and freedom. Why wouldn’t someone use these tools to their physical advantage.

Later I apologize to my friend if I offended her with my comment, that’s never my intention, same goes with this post.  A person’s size would not prevent me from befriending or treating them with respect.  I do think it’s unfair that a person’s “worth”, especially a woman, is measured in pounds, that’s a heavy burden to bear almost more than the weight itself.

1. I’ll explain [↩]
2. not eliminating [↩]

Finger Clicking Good’gaud That Hurts!

A little over a week ago I started feeling a nagging pain in my right index finger, especially around the joint area.  The pain went away and then a few days later it returned.  I thought it was kind of weird for only one of my fingers to be hurting, but okay.

Then I thought, maybe the pain had something to do with the graph below.  I’m not an EntreCard drop master, yet, but do you think the repetitive clicking and scrolling has anything to do with it? ¹

Of course, I can’t tell anyone why my finger really hurts.  The real reason would seem so silly or too embarrassing that it’s just not worthy of the truth.  Surely, I can come up with something a lot more colorful that will leave a crowd of listeners on the edge of their seats.

Here’s my “that’s my story and I’m sticking to it” reason for the soreness: I hit my finger on a tree branch while parachuting out of a plane. Much better.  I’m a brave daredevil not a repetitive mouse clicker.  A sore finger from dropping?  I don’t think so.

Meanwhile, my finger continues to receive lots of TLC, massages and stretching. If that doesn’t work then I still have one more digit that is capable of clicking until I have to use my left hand.

What’s your most unbelievable injury story?  I know it’s funny, so spill it. Did you fess up or did you paint a colorful picture?

1. Can you say class action? [↩]

Butt-to-Gutt Ratio Gone Wild

From Blog Photos

Yep, I’m back in the gym. Why? Because my butt-to-gutt ratio is in fierce competition for body dominance, whoever expands the biggest is the winner. I’m gaining weight fast and it’s not even egg nog season yet.

I inhale and my butt pulls at my clothing, I exhale and my gutt snatches it back. These two body parts are fighting over coverage like my clothing is a blanket on a cold winter night.

This is so not comfortable and the gym is the only thing that might keep me on track, so I’ll go.

I went to the gym during my lunch hour, I wasn’t “feeling it” but I never feel good about going until after I’m done with my workout. I turned on the t.v., stuck my earbuds to my MP3 player in my ear and plopped my magazine¹  over the display panel on the elliptical machine.

I did a five minute warm up and I thought my first day back in the gym was going to be more difficult, this was nothing. I cranked up the resistance another notch and surprisingly I moved with ease. I checked myself out in the mirror and I can’t help it, I had to look in the trunk.

Mr. Whipple said, “Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin”, he didn’t say nothing about my butt, so I reached around for a quick grab, just to assess the merchandise.  It’s about six rolls of Charmin back there and I only need four, this machine should help. My calves look decent, but my thighs look like a human storage container for cottage cheese.  I’ll work on that later, after I settle this dispute.

From Blog Photos

While I worked out, I also kept a watchful eye on my hair because, at a certain length, it does not do humidity and sweat. My hair goes into a gangsta lean like it’s too cool to be seen with the other side of my hair-do and just separates itself down the middle.   I don’t like hair spray but I had to use it, at least until I can get a hair cut.

I’m about 10 minutes into my workout and I’m not winded at all, a little unusual for a first day workout.  I even started encouraging myself with exercise affirmations “you better work girl” and “you’re in better shape than you thought“. I was moving so fast, I wanted to draw a stick figure on the wall behind me to pretend I was being chased. Yeah, try to catch me. Muahahahahaha.

Even though it was an easy workout, something else was wrong. I know I pushed that resistance button at least 3 times and I’m still standing.  I lift my magazine off the elliptical display and it said: To begin your workout, please press start.

****!

What was I doing for the last 10 minutes!  That’s why I didn’t feel tired, I wasn’t doing a vigorous workout, I was walking.  My legs aren’t strong, I’m stupid.

I pressed the start button and began my real workout.  Okay yeah, this feels different.  Fifteen minutes in and I’m singing another tune “you better get off this machine girl“,  “you’re not in as good of shape as you thought“.

I’m starting to perspire too, a few strands of hair fell into my face and I heard the door open and shut.  There goes my hair spray.  Actually it was a partner from the office, but my hair spray did quit on me and my hair now resembles a mop.  Great.

I put in an additional 10 minutes since I messed up my workout to make it an even 30.  I stopped the machine to get off and I can’t feel my legs.  I’m not sure if my feet are on the floor or not, but I’m moving.  I look like a drunk but without the benefit of alcohol on my breath or in my blood stream.  I still have on my headphones though, so to cover up my stagger, I pretend to dance out of the workout room.  I can walk, just not straight yet.

After waiting for my legs to stop trembling, I hit the showers and do more damage to my hair from the steam.  It’s wet: the scalp, the hair, like I just washed it.  No, I can’t blow dry at work, I have to call in a team of professionals for my hair, it’s not that simple or cooperative.

So I went back to work looking like I just ran a full marathon. I said if people stare at my hair too long, I plan to casually mention that I just came from working out, that should explain the damage, at least for today, tomorrow’s another day.

1. read this, great article [↩]

Do You Suffer From Affluenza?

Af-flu-en-za n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth.

Below is a brief and somewhat comical soap opera-ish video on this disease.

{vidavee id=”8178″ w=”320″ }

In a poll released last week (there’s a poll and study for everything, which I find to be a waste of money, but then we’d have no numbers) it showed that because of debt “23 percent of people had severe depression, 51 percent had muscle tension and 27 percent had ulcers or digestive tract problems”. Debt not only affects people financially, but also physically.

I will admit, it’s not easy delaying pleasure when it comes to spending money and buying stuff. I love nice things, I want nice things, I feel I deserve nice things, but I’m not willing to go into debt (any more) to get them. Not wanting to continue making payments on stuff for the rest of my life keeps my Affluenza bug under control. How do you go about keeping your life simple or have you been bitten? Has debt caused you any health (loss of sleep) problems? If so, what do you plan to do about it?

I’m Not Overweight, Just Fat

According to this chart (click to view), I’m well within my weight range for my height and age [36 years old, 5 feet 10 inches and 168 pounds]. My ideal weight is 167 lbs and my maximum weight is 174 lbs. When I tell people I need to drop a few pounds, I get the screw face, looked up and down and dismissed! I’m not obsessed with being thin, I think my weight is okay, I just want my clothes back. For me, a 15-20lb weight gain wipes out 75% of my wardrobe!

So I have some lifestyle changes to make because frankly, I’m tired of crap not fitting anymore, buying new clothes doesn’t address the problem! I want to be able to bend over without my pouch getting in the way. I’m tired of looking for creative ways to tie my sneakers. I want to wear a belt and tuck my shirts in again!

On my side bar, I will be tracking my weight loss until June 30th. I plan to lose at least 15lbs of fat, this might help me with being able to get into my pants again and buttoning them up. Right now, my goal is to exercise at least 4 times a week, make better food choices and drink more water. If you want to express something that worked for you, please share it with me. Thanks.