January/February weight management challenge

[Crankin]

I'm conflicted. The plus sized model is a very attractive woman, but... the rolls of fat don't look healthy or athletic to me. Not sure if the modeling lifestyle at any size is compatible with being athletic. I remember when I was in high school, a couple of my friends took a modeling course and I went to the runway show. It was really creepy.
As someone who is smaller, take this as my opinion. I do think, though, that clothing manufacturers should take the plus size market seriously and should have the same choices as "regular" sizes. And they should remember that short people buy clothes, too, no matter what their weight is.

[Blueberry]

And they should remember that short people buy clothes, too, no matter what their weight is.

+1. They make larger sizes longer - which just makes them look worse on me. Bleh. At 5'4", I'm not even *that* short.

Focusing on the fitness and gradually cleaning up the diet. Ate like crud over the holidays and didn't gain weight - clothes are looser. Now to work on actually losing weight!

[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.

[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!!

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[emily_in_nc]

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.

You are also most likely genetically blessed. I am about your size (weight and height-wise) and yet starting at around age 45, I started getting more tummy fat, more hip fat (love handles), and yes, back fat. At 50, these things have only gotten worse, especially since I've also put on a few lbs. lately. I also wear a C cup bra so have more fat there as well. I run, I bike, I walk, I do yoga, I don't even own a car, I have strong legs and a reasonably strong upper body for my size, and yet I have a higher % of body fat than is ideal and than I feel comfortable with. I would have to get down to about 95 lbs. or less (or have liposuction) to have a flat stomach again. I have rolls of fat on my belly when I sit down, and I hate it.

I also have lots of fat people in my family on both my mother and father's side back two generations. I eat a much healthier diet than any of them ever did, and am much more physically fit and active; and those facts are all that is standing between me and obesity. I am quite sure that if I lived the lifestyles most of my relatives did, I would be obese.