NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION DIETS

 

Happy New Year! Brace yourself for the onslaught of diet companies advertising how to lose weight and New Year’s Resolutions promising to do so.

 

Nutrisystems, Weight Watchers (WW), Slimfast, Atkins, Jenny Craig, Noom, Medifast and others will air commercials with personal testimonies.  Marie Osmond will show her before and after pictures. (She is gorgeous at all sizes!)

 

There will be sales and coupons for protein drinks and packaged weight loss products. Ever reminding us that we are overweight and need to shed pounds.  In 2024, the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) reported that over 40% of US adults are now obese. Men and women are the same percentage.  So those food management companies have lots of potential customers! I am one of them.

Many New Year’s Resolutions include weight loss and getting healthy. In my teens through my early 30’s, I too vowed to stick to a diet starting January 1^st.  With my enthusiasm renewed, I followed the rules and the scale went down.

 

More often, I lost weight only to eventually gain it back and more! For me, it was a losing battle. I do feel like I have battled fat most of my life. Battled losing and maintaining. Yo-Yo. Finding clothes for what ever size I was that season was a chore.

 

On a lighter note, my husband claims the only food plan he can follow is the “Hoho and Mountain Dew” diet. He says he can stick with it but, unfortunately doesn’t lose weight. Lol

 

I don’t follow commercial or structured diets like counting calories anymore. I gave up in my 30’s realizing that they didn’t help me.  That being said, I know my health is at risk. My body and daily life are affected by my extra pounds: Knee and foot pain. (Had my hip replaced). Exhaustion. Pre-diabetes. Sleep apnea. High Cholesterol (which has come down to normal range since eating less fatty food).

I want to be healthier without Jenny Craig as my diet buddy! Lol

I support Body Positivity. Instead of judging by body or accepting others’ dislike for my rolls, folds, cellulite and curves, I stopped wishing them away.

I decided to celebrate myself instead of rigid dieting. I try to dress beautifully. I only wear or buy clothing that flatter my figure and makes me feel attractive. I am very low maintenance. My short hair cut is easy to tousle after a shower with a bit of styling gel. Mascara and lip gloss. A matching outfit and I am ready for life.

 

I haven’t totally figured out the diet thing but, I do watch what I eat. I stopped eating beef. Limiting carbohydrates helps me plus smaller portions. Writing my food down really helps when I remember to do it! I exercise as I am able. Walking hurts too much but, swimming & water aerobic classes are a blessing. I hired a fitness instructor to guide my work out with weights 3-4x’s a week.  I love being strong!  Strong is sexy to me.

I am down 10 lbs in 1 ½ years and that includes gaining muscle! Slow but, the right direction and I feel good about myself. I am obese and I feel attractive.

I need to lose weight to be healthy but ...

No More New Year’s Resolution Diets For Me!  Sorry Jenny.

My resolution is to buy a new slimming swim dress (bathing suit). :)

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? What diets have you tried?  Are you having health problems? Do you Yo-yo? I’d like to know.   

 

Cathy

Obesity and the Well Dressed Woman

I have been classified as having Obesity 2. According to medical charts, I am not just super chubby but really, really super chubby. :)  I was surprised by that label although I am 5' 2" and 200+ lbs.

When I see myself in photos, my arms do look larger than I envision. My hips are wider.  Maybe I am just used to my body having been overweight most of my life.

I am very aware that clothing can slenderize or emphasize. I am very clothes conscious. So I am used to my body but, don't want to appear bigger. I love clothes. I am an artist and enjoy color, textures, style. I like making outfits and shopping. Shopping fabric stores was a passion in my youth and I sewed my outfits. I had more fabric than snowflakes in my yard!

There are styles which compliment a figure. Be it slim and fit or curvy: Well endowed or barely there: Wide thighs or pencil legs. Being well dressed includes wearing clean clothing that fits your figure and compliments your body type. Flatters your shape. 

Being well dressed does not mean expensive clothing. I wear Walmart. According to my friends, I am "pulled together" and complimentarily clothed most of the time. (Even my best friend says that and she wouldn't lie to me!) 

You can be obese and be well dressed.

Feeling well dressed can lead to self-confidence which often leads to body positivity, peace and contentment. So keep reading. lol

Clothing does not need to be expensive but, the quality of the fabric, how it drapes on you and proportion do matter.

Color and where you wear it matters. Size of fabric patterns/prints matter. Which way stripes go matters. Type of sleeves matter. 

Knowing your shape is where to start. There is a Fruit Shape Chart that's helpful: Pear shape (me), Apple, Strawberry, Banana and Hour Glass.  There is a post on this topic.

Each shape has different suggestions for complimentary styling and clothing which is a topic for a different post. :)

Being a pear with some bust, I look for ruched items to compliment my thinner waist, V-necks to elongate my upper body and smooth hips to minimize their width.

I recently wore the silver gown pictured in the blog beginning as the Mother-of-the-Groom.  I felt fabulous even though it was a size 28.  I needed to have the bodice altered but the dress fit my hips.  I felt confident walking out in front of 100 people.

Do you feel well dressed? Do you think it matters?  How do you do it?  Let me know.

Fat Shaming

If you are plus size like me, then you may have experienced feeling ashamed of your figure. The American and some other cultures idealize thin bodies.  The thinner the better. You are told that you look "Amazing" even if you are too thin.

I have been "chubby", a polite word for fat, since elementary school. I was thin for a split second in my late twenties. Then I got pregnant and gained 60 pounds. My baby is now 36 years old.  lol!

The shame. I have been called "porky", "cow", "thunder thighs" and told I have a "pretty face" and that "I look good from the waist up"! (I have a pear shape).

Run of the mill sayings for fat ladies.

After I gained 60 pregnancy pounds at 30 years old, I threw in the towel. I chose to not care what people said. Truly. 

An ounce of Body Positivity dripped into my heart. I knew how many times I had dieted since I was 12. Tried to lose weight. Hide my large hips and bum. (I didn't really exercise. Not my thing).

So, I bought clothes I loved. Walking sneakers and yoga pants. Bought a bathing suit and cute cover up. Got fitted for a proper bra to hoist the babies up. Went to the "family friendly" not the bikini beaches. I signed up for water aerobic classes. I figured if someone disliked my cellulite and body, well, that was their problem.

Positivity towards my figure improved. I started yoga. I didn't want to lose weight. I just started to live my life as a plus size, curvy woman.

I was a golden pear.

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