Body Image and other Random Thoughts

[Veronica]

I don't know Trek - based on my own family - I'm pretty much an anomaly. My oldest sister was state champion in hurdles in high school. She's now at least 100 pounds overweight is my guess. She's 5'8" and weighs 280.

My next sister didn't get cursed with the bulging thighs and she's in pretty good shape. She rides horses. She was NOT at all athletic as a kid.

My three brothers were not into sports as kids, but were boy scouts. One is deceased, one has quite a big belly and the other is doing okay, but his jobs are a bit stressful and cause some blood pressure problems. He's got a little bit of a belly.

My third sister has never been athletic and I would guess weighs 200 - 220 at 5'2".

I'm the youngest and I've always been pretty athletic. Even when I was heavy, I was at the gym a couple of times a week.

My mother is overweight, has been all my life. My father was a smoker and his jobs kept him active so was never overweight.

I was neither encouraged nor discouraged from being active as a kid/teen.

Don't know what it all means. Probably nothing. I wish I could encourage my sisters to have a healthier lifestyle. But I know, change must come from within.

V.

[newfsmith]

I'm about to turn 59 this spring. At 5 feet even (and shrinking) I would still like to get down to 118 from my present 130, but I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that that is not in the cards for me. Annie has met my mother who is 88. She can testify just how much like her I am. The biggest difference is that she has never liked any activity other than shopping. I will have osteoporosis, hopefully as mild as hers. I will get a belly, hopefully a little less than hers. I will get arthritis, I've already had to go up a 1/2 size in my surgical gloves; but hope I will have the courage to do the hip replacement/knee replacement at the right time to maximize keeping an active lifestyle as long as possible. As an adult I have gotten down to the sub-110 that all the charts suggest as a healthy weight for me only during 3 serious depressive episodes. During the latter 2, my DH kept telling me "my body might be considered sexier when I was skinny, but I wasn't. I love when you can laugh, play, cook for us and eat with us. That makes you alive and someone I love." Thanks to modern chemistry, I came out the last episode able to believe him. It took me 83% of my life to get there and I look forward to that percentage shrinking faster than my height. It doesn't matter how long it takes to get to accept yourself, just that you do it (and ride your bike with joy as you do).