I realized it's OK to be Pooh-sized

[DisneyResearcher]

It's taken me forever to realize it's OK to be 'pooh-sized'. Living in North Texas and working in an 'upperclass' mall filled with fashionable clothing stores,etc makes me feel uncomfortable because of my size. I am 5'4 and around 145 lbs(I lost 5 lbs this week!YAAAAAAAAAAAY!)and not in the best of physical conditions due to hip,knee and ankle problems. I cannot (though I would dearly love to)do any heavy aerobics,as I have learned in the past that it causes too much stress on my hip,knee and ankle. I am,however,drinking enough water to float the Titannic and drinking Slimfast for two meals a day,doing yoga twice a week and following along with an old Richard Simmons low-impact aerobics tape my mom found the other day.Instead of pigging out on chips,etc I have turned to my FAVORITE comfort food which is popcorn. I learned from my DMIL who does WW that airpopped popcorn with a spritz of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is only like 1 point on the WW,so I know it's extremely low fat.Yummy!It's been hard to get down to the weight I am now when I know I started out at around 180 last year. DH is very supportive and so is my family,for once. Or rather..my family tolerates it while HIS family is behind me all the way.
I've always battled my weight,ever since I was a kid. I grew up as a skinny little thing and when I hit puberty my weight soared to the point where my own parents were calling me 'Shamu'(like the killer whale at Sea World) and slapping food from my hands. I started smoking in 11th grade as a way to combat this and while it made me cough a lot,it did help keep the weight off.After I quit when I was 19(at DH's request..we were dating then),I relied on having no money to keep the weight down.Breakfast was usually some leftovers,lunch a bag of microwave popcorn and a can of ginger ale from the student bookstore a nd I would skip dinner altogether. After we got married,my weight soared again and I was at my heaviest during our WDW honeymoon in 99...I weighed close to 200 lbs then. Since then it's fluctuated between 200 and 180 and only recently with extreme willpower and the help of DH have I been able to get down to where I am now. I've always struggled with the image that the thinner I was,the more attractive I was.It's hard not to do that,when the media throws images of these blonde haired,bubbleboobed,size 4 gals at us and tells us that's what we are all supposed to look like.
It's ok to be pooh-sized and tough to stay on a diet but I will perservere and I WILL get down to 120-125 eventually.I know it'll take time but I will get there eventually.

Disney_Researcher

 

[Liz]

Hi there! Great to have you here on the WISH board! I've struggled with my weight my whole life too. Tough, isn't it? And people can be cruel. I'm sorry you had to endure some of that.

It sounds like you have a great attitude about things and I applaude you!!! I want to lose weight to be healthier (on meds for high blood pressure) but I don't have any false dreams of being a size 6 either.

We have a great support group going here and its growing each day! Good luck in all your efforts! We're here for you!

 

[DisneyResearcher]

Yeah life can be sucky when people are mean because you are heavy,Liz.I've been there so I understand. I have other medical reasons for wanting to lose weight too. In 2000,my mom was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I'm not even sure what it really is other than a bone/joint disease that she descibes as 'the worst arthritis times ten!". I've heard it's hereditary and that the heavier you are the worse it gets. I've also heard that heavier women are more prone to breast cancer.Don't know if it's true but with the odds stacked against me(Mom,her sister,my grandmother and my great grandmother all had it),I don't want to risk it.

DisneyResearcher