Overweight Actors on TV

Lindsey and I took several classes together at BCC where we discussed diversity... she sent me this link to an article in Marie Clarie that has me all riled up now.

Go read it HERE, then come back and read my reaction.

Like racism.... this is fatism. I hate it. Every word of her article made me cringe. And honestly, I stopped reading 1/2 way thru it because it pissed me off so much.

She said anorexia was okay because some people are naturally thin... but seriously, some people are naturally bigger too.

And... I think that EVERYONE, regardless of size, color, ethnicity... deserve starring roles in TV. We need more diversity in the media to show the beautiful differences that make up human kind.

Would you be disgusted with two larger people making out in front of you? Maybe if they had their rolls hanging out or were dirty or were doing something disgusting. But Mike & Molly are well dressed, groomed and I'm sure smell fantastic. Screw Marie Claire and their writers.

I won't ever be reading their magazine again if that's their view on people who aren't what society deems as acceptable or beautiful.

Ok... So, deep breath Betsy.  Breathe in slowly and read the rest of the article... it could get better, right?

WRONG.

In the article the writer says, "I think obesity is something that most people have a ton of control over. It's something they can change, if only they put their minds to it."

Yes, because for my entire life, I never dieted, exercised or tired a million different ways to lose weight.  I guess my mind was never really set enough on losing the weight.  I guess I just didn't try hard enough. *eye rolling* I think that for some people who don't struggle with weight, they don't understand how hard it really is being fat.  It's a struggle every day.  And it's not a matter of "putting my mind to it" that will allow me to lose weight.  For me, it took a surgery to physically force my body to lose weight.  Diet and exercise were no longer a viable option for me.  I tried and there were too many other physical ailments in my way.  I think that if the author were to live in my life for a week when I was 100lbs heavier, she might change her mind about it being such an easily controllable issue.

And then she goes on to give some advice on how to lose weight and exercise.  One of my doctors tried to give me that speech once before I had my surgery.  I laughed at him and said, "Do you not think I haven't already tried that?  Been down that road before, several times? Do you really think I'd be asking you to cut me open and rearrange my insides if diet and exercise worked for me?"  SERIOUSLY.  Get a CLUE.  Diet and exercise don't vigorously work for severely overweight people.

Now, I know you might say well it worked for the people on "The Biggest Loser".  You're right.  It did work.  But they lived at the fat camp for several weeks, had trainers and devoted all their time to weight loss.  What average person has that time?  I know I don't.

The author of this article is a big bully.  Who, I'm sure has self esteem and body image issues of her own.  I feel sorry for her really.  She is the one who is probably hurting inside more than any fat person on TV or that I know.

She apologizes at the end in an update for hurting peoples feelings.  But, as my friend Lindsay said, "too little, too late."

I think that shows like "Mike and Molly," "Huge," and "Drop Dead Diva" are important parts of our culture and they show diversity in size.  These shows show that people who are overweight lead lives that are just as normal as everyone else.  They don't say that being overweight is good, healthy or what everyone should strive for... they show us that diversity can be beautiful.

I think back to my Body Image & Art class I took at UWT where I was introduced to a book called, "Fat? So?" (they've got a website too!) where I was able to learn about accepting myself and my body at any size.  The tag line is "For fat people who don't apologize for their size".  It's definitely a book worth looking at, for people big and small.

*BIG SIGH*  Ok... I think I've gotten it all out of my system now.  I'm almost 100lbs lighter, but still... I will always feel like a "fat girl".  I will always be sensitive to issues like these... and I hope that maybe, I can help people see that being overweight isn't a choice.  No one wants to be fat.  But sometimes... it's just the hand we were dealt in life.

It gets better.

If you feel like it... leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of the article, my reaction, or what you think about overweight actors on TV.

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Weight Loss Recap

Today's weight: 227bs
Total weight loss: 98bs
Weight loss since surgery: 87lbs

Boobs

Yes, you read that right.  Boobs.  I've always had big boobs, but they've never been one of those things that really stood out on my body.  Mainly because there was so much of everything else, they were hidden.

Lately, I've been wearing tighter fitting shirts.  Ones that well, show off my boobs.  And seriously, I think they are looking damn good!!  Yay for boobs!

Just to add a comparison, my friend Erica found this old pic of me from last summer.  4th of July I think.  Gross, huh? lol  My boobs look SO MUCH BETTER now!! 

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Weight Loss Recap

Today's weight: 231bs
Total weight loss: 94bs
Weight loss since surgery: 83lbs

More inches melting off!

I had Dave help me take my measurements this past week.... I'm up to 45.5 inches lost!

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO MAKE IT LARGER

A huge loss in my waist, hips and legs this time! SOOOOO happy about that!  That middle section is where I'm carrying all my weight right now and excess skin too.  

I'm almost to.....  I almost can't say it.... I'm almost to 100lbs lost!! So close! I can't wait to get there! Today, I'm at 91lbs lost.  :) Yay for 91lbs! 

15 October 2010

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Weight Loss Recap

Today's weight: 234bs
Total weight loss: 91bs
Weight loss since surgery: 80lbs

Tips!

A friend of mine emailed and told me she wanted to start losing weight and asked for any tips I had.  At first I thought I might not be able to help because my eating habits are so different from the norm... but I realized that my lifestyle now can be adapted to anyone who is wanting to lose weight.  My family eats like I do and we're all doing good! 

With that said.... here are my tips.  (This isn't' a complete list of everything I do, but it's a good start!)

1) Stop drinking soda and juices that are full of sugar. This will really help with the calorie and sugar intake... both of which will make it hard to lose weight.

2) Cut out caffeine. A cup of coffee or a Diet drink won't kill you... but only once in a while.

3) No more fried foods. I know.... you love your fryer, but these fat filled foods are a killer. If you want to make fries, bake them. I know... they aren't as good... but they're so much better for you.

4) Choose healthier versions of the foods you already love. Learn to read labels. This is really important to me. There are a lot of foods that you can get in "low fat" versions or low calorie versions. Choose that. For example, when buying cheese I always get the low fat kind. When buying pasta for spaghetti, I get the whole wheat or the kind with added protein. Choose sugar free too. They often have very little taste difference and are easy to incorporate into your normal cooking. Non fat milk is another example as well as getting the leanest beef you can find or just using ground turkey instead. Turkey is so much leaner than fat and tastes the same with seasonings on it... sometimes better than beef.

5) Protein, protein, protein. Make sure you eat lean protein everyday. Starting your day with a protein will really help your metabolism for the rest of the day. A scrambled egg or greek yogurt are great options in the AM. Also, choose the leanest cuts of meat you can get. Bake it or pan cook it with cooking spray. But make sure you get protein everyday.

6) Fat in foods is not your friend. Avoid it as much as you can. Yes... some fat is good for you... and you really do need some everyday.... but try to avoid high fat foods. This doesn't' mean you still can't have the foods you enjoy... you just have to prepare them a little bit differently. For example, if something calls for pan frying, then use a non-fat cooking spray to coat the pan first. Also, read the labels of things and choose the ones with the least fat content . This will really help.

7) Exercise. Now for me... exercise doesn't mean getting on the bike 5 times a week. This just means being more active in general. For example, a couple days ago we walked to Emily's school and played on the playground for an hour then walked home. It was a great workout. If you want to get on the treadmill or bike everyday, that's good too. But I think that there are other ways to get exercise in. 30 minutes 3-5 times a week is what's suggested.

8) Invest in some healthy cooking books. This has been a huge help for me and Dave. We look looking thru cook books and finding new recipes. Last night Dave made stuffed cabbage and it was really yummy!!! Cook books FOR THE WIN! haha

Take Me Out to the Ballgame! Part 2

Saturday night was my first Mariners game since my surgery.  It was also my last Mariners game before we move to Germany.  It was a night full of mixed emotions... excited, happy, sad, proud, accomplished.

See, I've been going to Mariners games my entire life.  My love for baseball all started when I was little and my big brother, Robert, would take me into the street in front of our house and play catch with me.  He'd quiz me on the Mariners line ups and he'd teach me everything he knew about baseball.  Baseball was the one thing that brought me and Robert together.  Still today, it's the one thing we always have in common.

The last time I was at Safeco Field for a game, I couldn't fit comfortably in the seats.  I was cramped, the people next to me were cramped.  I sweat.  And I was just uncomfortable.  I had gone into the M's Team Shop looking for a new hoodie, but left empty handed when nothing fit me.  I was just too big for any of the cute stuff.

Dave and I arrive at The Safe and we go straight to the Team Shop.  I was down 80+ pounds and I wanted a new hoodie to commemorate my final game and my weight loss.  Walking into that store, knowing I didn't have to buy the biggest size they had, knowing I could try on anything I wanted and it would fit... well, I've never experienced a feeling quite like that before at Safeco.

I picked out this, and it's only an XL.  Not an XXL or XXXL like I used to wear.  Regular ole XL!!

We get to our seats and to my surprise, when I sat down, there was room on either side of me!  I fit!! And what was even more amazing, I could cross my legs!  What? YES!! Cross my legs!!

(On a side note:  Crossing my legs is my new favorite thing.  When I was fatter, there was no way my big ole legs could be crossed.  So now that I can do, I do it all the time!!  There is just something about crossing my legs that makes me feel more like a woman, more feminine.)

So, I got a new jacket and I fit in the seats.  A M A Z I N G feelings both of those things were.

The night ended with me in tears.  Safeco, the Kingdome and the Seattle Mariners have been a  part of my summer my whole life.  As I stood at the top of the stairs, looking down onto the glory that is the Mariners... I cried.  All the memories, joy, laughter that was had in this amazing place will be cherished in my heart forever.   I even got engaged there (on the center field scoreboard!!!).  I'm getting choked up now just thinking about how much I'm going to miss Seattle baseball.

Good news though... I'm still losing weight and victories like these are being had all the time!  Weight loss is amazing and I'm so happy with my progress!

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Weight Loss Recap

Today's weight: 241bs
Total weight loss: 84bs
Weight loss since surgery: 73bs