Weight Gain

Yesterday I weighed myself and realized that I had gained 8 pounds.  I already knew that I had gained weight because I could tell my pants were snug. 

"What does this mean" I thought.

It means that I really need to watch what I'm eating and try to be more healthy, but then again this was the case years ago.

One of my new years resolutions is not necessarily to lose weight but to be healthy!  Restricting myself from eating too many sweets and drinking soda, stuff like that.

I have been exercising lately, nothing to really say I'm going to lose weight, but to stay healthy.

It means that I shouldn't gain anymore weight because I'm going to watch what I eat and what I do to my body.

It means that my choices reflect what I look like and how I feel.

It means that with these 8 pounds that I gained, I would have to work harder to tone down than I did 8 pounds before now.

It means, if I had kept to my last new year's resolution I wouldn't be here.

But with everything that I have to face, 8 pounds more, I am still hopeful for a healthy and happy life with who I am (and that is key to trying to be healthy, accepting yourself, and being positive).

What are some thoughts that run through your mind when you look at the scale and see that the number has gone up? 

Ladies, Just STOP!

I have been reading blogs, comments, and just hearing people talk and thinking OMG, why do we do this to one another.

I am guilty of it, and I want to say that I'm sorry if you are the victim.  I want to discuss this because I believe we can change our ways!

What am I talking about?

I'm talking about plus size women bashing skinny women and skinny women bashing plus size women.

I'm tired of hearing skinny women call plus size women fat.  It's pathetic, it's not like they don't know that they are plus size. 

I'm also tired of plus size women calling skinny women bit**s because they are too skinny or skinny in general. 

Why can't we just stop bashing on one another.  We have men bashing us, why can't we be on each other's side and stand together to move women forward, not take a step backwards.

It's sickening to see it on tv, to see it in life, and to be the person doing it.

When I say I'm guilty of it, I don't mean calling someone a skinny bi***, but I mean just saying things like, "Oh she's so skinny she doesn't have worries about her weight".  Why should I belittle your experience, your hardship to get to where you are?

Please be considerate of others no matter your size and their size.  We can try our best to understand one another and not be against each other. 

The World Needs Us

If you are feeling down and not up to doing anything I hope this post will brighten up your day!

There are times in our lives when we feel like there isn't much for us.  There isn't much to do or much to say.  No one that cares for you and no one you really care for.  You feel hopeless and icky.  You don't want to do anything or go anywhere, you don't want to see anyone, or talk to anyone.

STOP!

Simply pick a great motivational song and while you're at it, make a whole playlist of positive and energetic songs! Think positive!  Think about all the good times you've had and use those memories to inspire you to live a better day.  You and I owe it to those who aren't here anymore that would like to be.  We owe it to them to live a great life, live in the moment, and cherish it all!

Feel good, whether if that's dressing up and putting on some blush!  It might be cleaning up your home or meeting with some of your best people, FAMILY!

Family is a must see on a weekly basis for me!  My family is my everything!! Super supportive and great!! 

The world needs us!! PLUS SIZE AND ALL!!!  I really hope that this message hits you somewhere in your bones and you start moving your body to stretch and feel better!

I've had days like this and this is how I deal with my negativity.  I think that we need to be more positive, don't think about your pounds, who said that pounds was the correct way to label a person if they are normal or not?

Only you can make yourself feel better because you're too stubborn to listen to those who are trying to make you feel better.  You're annoyed with everyone including yourself and the world.  Only you can make yourself upbeat, stretch, and more positive.

No one wants to be a negative person, not even you, so stop being so negative and think positive! Positives attract!

The world needs us, us all to survive!!

My New Exercising Routine

I have come to realize over the years that I hate to exercise!!  It's sweaty, boring, and too much work.  What I do love to do is play sports but I don't have the time to get everyone together to play with me, most sports that I like to play I can't play by myself.  I have come to realize that I love dancing, especially by myself!!  It sounds so silly but it's what I do.  I do it all the time!!!!!

I have come up with a plan, once I get my room straightened out I'm going to dance some fat off my body.  I want to lose some weight so I can be in shape!  Being healthy is what I really need to focus on right now and because I am so busy I'm not really able to do so.  I have been putting a lot of other people before me, I really need to start focusing on myself and my health!!

I hope that by dancing as my exercise I can learn some new moves to be more flexible and better on the dance floor!! lol

I have tried Zumba before and I like it, but it's not for me.  Too fast and I can't keep up.  I think what I'm going to do is come up with my own dance routine and just try that out with some fast songs that I like!  That way it's structured enough so that I know that I'm actually doing something other than just moving my bum back and forth! lol

Let me know what you do for exercises!!

Empowering Plus Size Women

This past weekend I attended an empowering conference.  It was to uplift multicultural students!  In all the thoughts and ideas in my head I thought about not only the race and the disabled but also the plus size.  I thought to myself and wondered how empowering it would be if there were conferences to empower women of plus size?

This may already exist but I have never attended or heard of any.  They may have slipped my mind.

I think there would be so much to say, so many figures in society to tell us their stories and inspire us to feel good about ourselves just like everyone else does.

People may look at you thinking that you are wonderful and you might not even know it!

We too can look and feel good about ourselves.  We need empowering stories to keep us motivated.  Sometimes it's hard to stay in one viewpoint, once you get frayed it's easier to lose sight of what you want.  With these workshops it will uplift any of our doubts and keep us strong, keep us going on.

If any of you have attended conferences or workshops to uplift plus size women let me know! I would love to hear all about it!

The Warm Weather

I don't know if the warm weather is what makes me crabby and want to scream or if it's because of me being plus size that just makes it so much worse. I like the warm weather, on most days because you see the sun and it makes me want to dress up nice and all, but then again it makes me sweaty and hot and crabby so then I end up not getting dressed and just wearing simple things like a capri and a t-shirt.

For some reason, still trying to figure it out, I always get so crabby when warm weather rolls around. I think it's because I hate feeling sweaty, I don't like anyone to touch me, and I complain a lot, lol. It's funny now, but not later.

Another thing about summer is that I have to help my parents garden and sell veggies at the Farmer's Market. That is fine, but it gets really really hot and the day just never knows when to end.

I think that being plus size you have more weight on your body and when it's hot it can get really tiring. This isn't the case for all plus size men and women, but for me, I do get pretty tired and lazy pretty fast. It may be the weight, it may be that I don't like wearing shorts to show off my big thighs and I don't like wearing tank-tops to show off my flabby arms, so it makes it worse because I feel super hot and annoyed of what I'm wearing. Do you have a similar situation?

So you tell me, do you get crabby when the warm weather rolls around? And if you do, why do you think so?

"Obese People"

In one of my classes we were talking about Supersize Me. I had to reply to a classmate's post. This is what she had to say:

"One of the most memorable scenes for me was when Morgan was talking about the obesity problem in Texas and the camera panned behind the counter in a Houston McDonald’s to show two obese employees.

I admit, I had a strange fascination with the clips of fat people. Even though obesity is common, it still strikes me as abnormal. Do these people know what they look like? As a formerly large person myself, I know now that I did not have a true image of my appearance. Looking back, I am embarrassed about what I wore. And I get embarrassed for these people. Do they know that stretch pants show every dimple of cellulite?

Now, as a normal-weight person, I am determined to avoid becoming fat again. The obese people look so uncomfortable! The older I get, the more challenging it is. But I can buy clothes in a regular store, swim with my kids, and fit in the bleacher seats at a Packer game. I value these simple pleasures, and have compassion for those who are missing out.

I also found the artwork disturbing, yet fascinating."


Here is my reply:

I’m sorry but I find this post to be offending. What you said about “obese people” may be true but not everyone can help their obesity. Everyone is different. And you’re right, not everyone knows they look the way they look because it’s about what is on the inside. They feel good therefore, to themselves they look good. Just because someone is large in figure doesn’t mean they aren’t happy with themselves. I hope you don’t take this as an attack but I just don’t want anyone to be offended. And who’s to say that obese people aren’t healthy. I know several people who exercise and eat healthy and they are to the Doctors, obese. Your experience may be different from others. It seems like now that you are “normal-weight” you are looking down on these “obese people” and I’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate it.

Who is being wrong here? Seriously? How can you say that? We don't want you're sympathy. I'm so disgusted with this woman.

Later on when my professor read this, she wrote:

"I agree with Jenny that the word choice of "abnormal" and "embarrassed" is offensive. We never know what has led people to their current situation. Also, like Jenny, this isn't an attack to say don't share your opinions, but reconsider your word choice and how you frame your points.

For instance, as someone from New Orleans who lost my childhood home to Hurricane Katrina, I know I'm very sensitive to people saying people shouldn't rebuild the city or were stupid not to evacuate when the truth is that lots of people did evacuate and still suffered tons of damage not from the storm itself but from the failed levees.

I hope that makes sense--the goal here is for empathy and understanding rather than sympathy or pity for those different from us."

I'm so glad that she agrees with me!!!