I discovered my body late in life. I think I was thirty-three. I remember sitting at work one day while living abroad and realizing that I had not had fresh fruit or vegetables in at least a month. It was startling. And what was more shocking was that my body actually told me this—I was not reading an article or visiting the doctor. I was sitting at work and my body said, “Please feed me some fruits and vegetables.” That night, I went out to the store, made a lunch for the next day that was chock full of fruits and vegetables, and drank it down at my desk.
About the same time, I was doing a fair bit of yoga. I noticed while inverted in shoulder stand that my stomach (directly in front of my face) had a little extra “fold” floating downward. It felt very “extra.” It made me conscious of my body in a way I’d never before experienced. Before it was all about clothes—what size I got at the Gap or Banana Republic, two staples through the years. In Europe, the sizes were all different and it was easy to buy new clothes with the caveat that “a ten was so not a ten in the U.S.,” so those U.S. barometers soon got thrown out the window (and out of the closet).
M dad, a skinny man who can polish off a plate of fettuccine Alfredo with no belt loop at risk, is also a doctor. He used to deliver this simple message amongst his daughters and Tab-drinking wife: if you consume more calories than you expend, you will gain weight.
When you look at it that way, it makes perfect sense. It seems so simple. Who needs all these weird, crazy diets when we all know that no matter what anyone says, it’s a grammar school-level math equation? But it isn’t easy. I mean, who can really know what they are using versus what they are consuming? It all gets convoluted by where we are at the time, what we want to order, what our hormones are screaming, what we think we should order, what we are served where we are, what seems like the right portion, or what doesn’t, but tastes so damn good.
There was a time in my life where my team at work all committed to doing a juice fast together for a week.
Psst: Your Size Isn’t Printed on a Label
By: Francis McKenzie (View Profile)
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I totally agree with this article and it totally makes sense. I thought I was the only one who thought this way. I especially hate those segments in the media during holiday season of what to avoid and what foods you should replace in order to sustain a minimal caloric intake. I mean, it's Christmas! Aren't you entitled to enjoy the holiday food? Not for nothing, but one day of enjoyment does not make you a pig. It took me many years to allow myself to do this as well. I always watched everything I ate and even on holidays, etc, would eat only healthy alternatives, if anything at all. Now in my 30s I've finally come to terms with my body and realized, I'm not happy when I eat the things I don't like to stay thin. Now I eat what I like (which usually includes some sort of red meat) and work out a lot more.
This really caught my eye! Add to the mix of things already mentioned to cause weight gain - waking up one day to the depressing fact that you have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I had always been fairly small in size, when all at the same time I'm hit with the need for a hystorectomy, and shortly afterward this diagnosis that hit me really hard. Now diet, medications, and a limited ability to exercise. It's been very difficult to go from a small dress size to the next, to the next. I also have become aware of stores that label sizes in a different manner than some. I haven't given up on getting into some of my smaller sizes, therefore, any extra closet space is being taken up with clothes I just can't part with. I am determined to get back into them someday, but by then, they will be out of style! You can't win for losing, so to speak!
You had me at "pssst"! I know my "size" but depending on where I shop, that size can go up or down. Add that onto regular body fluctuations and shopping can turn into a depressing nightmare. It's been a long struggle learning to accept my body exactly the way it is - no matter what size my tag says. I have to admit, though...it's awfully tempting to completely stop shopping at the stores where my size is bigger!
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