This blog is going to hit on a few different health & fitness topics I’ve come upon during my personal weight loss journey.
Lately I’ve felt like everything I am working isn’t making a difference. I’ve been working out and eating under my calorie goal but I don’t physically see a difference.
Saturdays are my weigh-in/measure day. Last Saturday hadn’t been very good nor the week before. Two weeks ago I had gained weight (about a pound, I know… it’s not much but it was still tough to see). Last week I lost the weight I had gained the previous week. I felt crappy all week. I have a pinched nerve and sore back and didn’t really work out but kept under my calories. I got on the scale this morning and lost another pound. I felt such relief. I also took my measurements. Most were the same or went down but for some reason I gained in my boobs, not complaining there. 😉
This morning helped me renew my faith that what I am doing is working; it is just working very slowly. I think it is hard for me because the site I use to track calories has a forum. Many people post their success stories on there and I see people who are losing 20 pounds quickly. Well, I need to remember I don’t have a lot to lose. I am just slightly overweight and the people who are losing quickly are considered obese. I cannot compare myself to them or anyone else. Everyone’s weight loss journey is different.
I am noticing clothes are fitting better and I am looking better in them. Time. It takes time. I was feeling quite down this week but seeing the scale and measurements today really helped me see that I am losing and making changes for the best.
On a less personal note I have a couple of things that I have noticed while trying to lose weight. One is about eating out, the other about overweight women’s obsession with Marilyn Monroe.
First, eating out… I know eating out isn’t the best thing but sometimes it has to be done and we need to learn how to eat out and stay in shape. It still amazes me when I look up calorie content for some places. Last weekend the boyfriend and I were going to go out for breakfast before the Cardinals/Eagles game. I thought, “oh, black bear dinner sounds good”. Once on their website I realized it was not a place I can eat at anymore. Most meals were almost my entire days worth of calories! They had three “light” options. And for breakfast light apparently means egg whites. *sigh*
Another thing I’ve noticed about eating out is the sodium count. I don’t need to really watch this for health reasons but it is interesting. On days when I eat homemade or whole foods my sodium is WAY under the recommended 2,300 mg. On days when I eat out? I get at least 3,000+mg. Wow.
I cannot believe that chains cannot possible find ways to make healthy, tasty options with lower sodium. I have actually started getting kids meals at places again. It’s smaller portions and thus fewer calories. Plus at McDonald’s I get apple slices. LOL
And lastly, the boyfriend and I like to eat at non-chain or local places. It gets hard to know what the calorie counts are. I just have to guess. I wish more places would publish this information.
The topic of clothing size/vanity sizing is quite interesting. On the forum it led to people bringing up Marilyn Monroe. This is always a fascinating topic. I have known women who make themselves feel better about their weight by saying, “Marilyn was a size 10/12/14″ well, what they seem to ignore is the fact that sizes were labeled differently back then. You can look at any picture of Marilyn and tell she is not the same size as today’s 10/12/14.
Sizes have gotten bigger. If you are a current size 12, tack on 2-3 sizes to get what you would be when there was standardized sizing (think pre-1980s). When you go to buy vintage do you fit into the same size as you wear in current clothing? I would guess the answer is no. In today’s sizing Marilyn would be a 4/6/8.
Don’t believe me? Marilyn had a 22″ waist. How big is yours? Mine is 31” (at the narrowest) and I wear a size 12. Here is a couple of articles for you to read more about her measurements and sizes:
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/04/marilyn-monroe-was-not-even-close-to-a-size-12-16/
http://jezebel.com/5299793/for-the-last-time-what-size-was-marilyn-monroe
So, in closing, why do plus-size women look to Marilyn as their plus size icon? Even when she was at her heaviest she still was not that big. She was my height and at her heaviest 140 pounds. 5’5 can look good at 140. I know. I’ve been 140 and looked great. Her measurements were kicking! I would love to have them. LOL
