Saturday, June 27, 2009

Well, it's a good thing not many people read this because three posts in one day is a little excessive. I just have these thoughts in my head and want to get them out while I still remember. Anyway, this one is not so much a progress report as my musings on the topic of Body Image. After reading the archives from www.ronisweigh.com, www.dietgirl.com, and www.pastaqueen.com, I've realized that my body issues aren't as bad as they could be. Both Shauna and Roni describe avoiding shorts and tank tops because they felt everyone would stare and they just weren't comfortable with their bodies. I'm not like that. There was a time in high school where I didn't wear shorts but that's mainly because the classrooms were so over air conditioned. I've always been willing to throw on a swimsuit and jump in the pool. Now the only thing that stops me is remembering that I need to shave my legs! My recent photos from Disneyland attest to this, I'm wearing shorts and a tank top even though I weigh 208 pounds. But, hey, I want to be comfortable and this is SoCal in the Summertime. I was completely comfortable until I got soaked and was dripping water from my behind :)

So, I am overall pretty darn happy with my body. It's the body that God gave me and it works fairly well. I think I could be perfectly happy at this weight if only my knees didn't hurt when I run and I could fit in all roller coaster seats (I have very wide hips, thank genetics!). So, I think this is a good place to start. I'm lucky to live in the US where clothing comes in all sizes and I don't really have to compromise my style because I'm larger, my financial budget dictates that.

I'm still working to lose the weight because I want to run and not hurt my knees and I want to take my nephews to Six Flags and ride on Batman (I didn't fit in October). I don't want to be a stick figure, I never could be unless I underwent some serious saddle bag surgery. I just want to be athletic and healthy, I want people to think of me when they are putting together a running team. So, that's where I'm at with the whole body image issues. I guess I'm pretty lucky that I have always been around supportive family and friends. I am truly blessed.