January/February weight management challenge

[jyyanks]

HI- I just saw this thread and would love to join. I know I'm late but I need some sort of challenge to keep me motivated.

At first I was hesitant to join because most people don't understand why I need to lose weight. I always tell them that at my height (I can't afford to gain 5 pounds because I go up 2 sizes). However, seeing that there are several ladies in my weight/height category, I'm inspired.

Anyway, I was 110 on Jan 1 and would love to get back to 105 so I can fit into my jeans. If it's not too late, please add me to your list.

If anything can motivate me. I'm sure this board can!!
Thanks!

[SadieKate]

Veronica - what do you think of this person?

[SadieKate]

That's three-time U.S. Olympic Hockey Team medal winner Angela Ruggiero, a confident 5 foot 9 inch, 185 pounds. She could wax your a$$ in all its sizes. Chill out about the body image stuff, okay?

Do what you need to do to be fit and healthy, and let others be. If they have a few rolls, it may be healthiest for them.

http://www.womensrunning.com/articles/54

[Blueberry]

SK - Interesting article - thank you!

[maillotpois]

Wow. She is amazing. I wish I could remember the magazine that did the swimsuit or underwear shots of the different athletes - all totally different sports and some of those women didn't look rail thin or even traditionally "fit". But they were all strong.

My body fat ranges in the mid to high 20% range, according to triple site caliper testing, but I am riding better than I suspect I would have in my almost anorexic grad school years.

[SadieKate]

Serena Williams frequently has some rolls and manages to be pretty darn fit.

[jyyanks]

Hey - just wanted to comment on the article.

I too am conflicted. I absolutely believe that runway models are too skinny and that a majority of women can't identify with them. I think it's important to let women know that they should feel confident even if they are not a size 0 but that doesn't mean that they it's ok to not take care of yourself. The model they showed is beautiful but in my opinion, she didn't look strong or healthy. Neither model looked healthy, toned or strong (not that I should talk as I'm not toned either)

I agree with the reader who said :

'I don’t think the fashion world should support obesity, just as I don’t think it should support anorexia.'

I don't know, I have to noodle on this one as I feel like I'm being wishy/washy.

[salsabike]

That's three-time U.S. Olympic Hockey Team medal winner Angela Ruggiero, a confident 5 foot 9 inch, 185 pounds. She could wax your a$$ in all its sizes. Chill out about the body image stuff, okay?

Do what you need to do to be fit and healthy, and let others be. If they have a few rolls, it may be healthiest for them.

http://www.womensrunning.com/articles/54

Nice post.

[Crankin]

I am sure she could wax my azz. I never judge people's athletic ability by how they "look," after being dropped on the bike by all kinds of people. And i am the slowest runner in the world.
But, I still don't think rolls of fat are healthy or attractive. This may be society's way of influencing my thinking, but I am proud of the fact that I have a flat stomach and no back fat at age 58, after having kids, etc. I'm not anorexic, and I love to cook and eat. While I don't look like Veronica (because I am not quite as disciplined ), I try to strive for a healthy, fit and strong look. I love my cycling thighs and calves. I don't feel "better" than others, but I am proud of how my athletic endeavors have influenced my life, in terms of what I eat and how I spend my time. I was a skinny, uncoordinated kid and in my mind I still am. The stuff I do has made me a better person in terms of my ability to take risks and feel "strong." And body image plays a good part in this.

[GLC1968]

Wow. She is amazing. I wish I could remember the magazine that did the swimsuit or underwear shots of the different athletes - all totally different sports and some of those women didn't look rail thin or even traditionally "fit". But they were all strong.

My body fat ranges in the mid to high 20% range, according to triple site caliper testing, but I am riding better than I suspect I would have in my almost anorexic grad school years.

The original photos are kind of hard to find, but here is a blog post where they included all the images. I believe the original spread was to celebrate the diversity of olympic caliber bodies... (and it made me think that I probably should have considered weight lifting since Tara Nott and I have an awful lot in common).

http://ninamatsumoto.wordpress.com/2...e-for-artists/

As someone who has struggled with body image her whole life, I can relate to the need to see more than just one type of image in the media. But I will say that looking at the body of a super model is not much different than looking at the image of an olympic athlete from a young girl's perspective. Both could be classified as 'unattainable'. I was more influenced by the bodies of the women in my life than I was by the media. Though, I will say that the 1980 olympics made me fall in love with watching sports. Mary Lou Retton kind of changed my life, as corny as that sounds. She made me realize that I should appreciate my body more for what it could do and less for what it looked like. I started wearing shorts and short skirts a lot more after seeing her because I felt like my big, muscular legs looked better when you could see the muscles than they did when covered with pants. Thank heaven for leaving the 70's behind. Flat straight hair and flat straight bodies were not attainable for this teen - bring on the 80's!!

[jobob]

A great take-away message from the article SK posted:

"Barring any medical conditions such as thyroid imbalances or medication side effects, by exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet based on whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, it’s normal to fluctuate within a 10-pound weight range. But to determine how healthy you are, keep track of your energy levels, how well you are performing athletically, and periodically check your standard health markers with your physician. That way, the numbers on the scale won’t matter as much."

Now, I take issue with the 10-lb weight fluctuation mentioned in the article; I personally consider a 2-lb weight fluctuation to be completly normal. But apart from quibbling with the actual number, this makes great sense to me.

It saddens me when people fret over a 0.5 to 1 lb weight gain. I think the body goes thru readjustments, and sometimes body weight will bounce around a bit, it's perfectly normal, imho. Probably has as much to to with your last trip to the bathroom as anything.

[SadieKate]

Mary Lou Retton kind of changed my life, as corny as that sounds. She made me realize that I should appreciate my body more for what it could do and less for what it looked like.

Right on! We've come a long way, baby!

Twiggy was not good a role model.

[salsabike]

The original photos are kind of hard to find, but here is a blog post where they included all the images. I believe the original spread was to celebrate the diversity of olympic caliber bodies... (and it made me think that I probably should have considered weight lifting since Tara Nott and I have an awful lot in common).

http://ninamatsumoto.wordpress.com/2...e-for-artists/

Those photos are wonderful! Together, they really make a thing of beauty, don't they? Thanks for posting that link.

[GLC1968]

Here is a good post by Krista Scott-Dixon about embracing your body for what it is... (including those same olympic athletes photos):

http://www.stumptuous.com/why-dont-y...-fitness-model

[SadieKate]

Great article! My 2 takeaways:


Low bodyfat. By and large, fitness models are photographed only when they are in “contest shape”, which means that they have dieted down to a low bodyfat for a short period of time. In the “offseason”, most carry a higher bodyfat level because extremely low bodyfat levels are physiologically unmanageable. Many fitness shows hosted by models are filmed only a few weeks out of the year for this reason. And by the way, dieting down to 10-12% bodyfat is much, much less exciting than you would think. You do not feel sexy and attractive. You feel hungry. All you can think about is how crappy you feel, how hard it is to concentrate on anything, and how you would kill your own momma for a bag of Cheetos.

Frankly, I’m sick of other people telling me what I should look like.

Thanks, GLC!