Lost 100

CHERYL BURKE & AMERICA'S OXYMORONIC OBSESSION WITH PERFECT BODIES/FLAWLESS FIGURES...

I must say, I am getting more and more frustrated with this obsession American's have with body image. I've been researching a bit lately and keep finding over and over again cruel comments made about people with perfectly healthy/thin bodies.

And to be perfectly honest I even hear it from perfectly nice people I know. Case & point: I overheard someone a couple weeks ago talking about one of their favorite shows, Dancing With the Stars, she discussed people's skill level, partners, etc. and then she said something that intrigued me, she said that Cheryl Burke (the curvy 2-time professional champ) had gotten really heavy. Heavy is the word she used. Now, I don't regularly watch the show, so of course I tuned in to see how a woman who a few months ago had a body fat percentage (in my estimation) of less than 10% could now be heavy. What did I find?

Cheryl Burke was wearing a very skimpy dress, sporting flat abs and a great bod! Now, was her back as chiseled as it was 3 seasons ago (when she had perhaps the most perfect back ever)? No. Was it still a very attractive and thin back? Yes. Come on people. Come on...what were you thinking?! Heavy? Really? Ah, no. Here's a video clip from her recent appearance on the Ellen show...you be the judge.

You see, it's not just fashion mags, and has-been models (ie. Janice Dickinson) who tell women they aren't good enough. It's not just the men's magazines and the 19 year olds with eating disorders. It's our everyday people, our sisters, our moms, our friends. Why? It simply doesn't makes sense...why do we hold women to standards that can be described as nothing less than sexist, demeaning and eating-disorder-promoting???

Choose your words carefully. Little girls are listening and when they hear us call someone like Cheryl Burke heavy it only serves to tell them something is innately wrong with Cheryl and by extension the 99.5% of women whose bodies are far less as perfect as Cheryl's!

WHAT'S YOUR 'REAL AGE'?

Wouldn't it be great if you could find out your 'Biological Age' like they did last night on The Biggest Loser Couples?

If you recall, the two 26 year old's Amy C. (purple team) & Michelle (pink team) were 47 and 41 respectively. 'Little' Tom (grey team), 23, had the body of a 49 year old--yikes! Vicky (brown team), 37, had the body of a 48 year old and wondered what age her precious 4 year old was. Finally Jerry (yellow team) the 51 year old was told his cardiovascular strength was weaker than a 95 year olds and his overall 'biological age' was 76. If I have one gripe it would be I wish they had listed the biological age for all of the contestants (that and their height!--216 pounds on a woman could be morbidly obese, obese or simply overweight...). Okay and my third complaint--what size are these folks?

Anyway, this post is about YOUR Real Age. If all that Biological Age stuff sounded familiar, it should. From the same people who brought you, 'You: The Owners Manual' and 'You on a Diet' (Doctors Oz & Roizen), is the Real Age Challenge.

The Real Age Challenge is a survey you take on-line that takes into account the good and not-so-good things you do for your body. It's a complicated little scheme...and when you're finished you know what age your body is!

For instance, I'm 34 (well, I'm 2 weeks shy of 34...), but my real age is 30.8 (the same age as my little sis! woo-hoo!)! I have taken 3.2 years off age through the good things I do (eating a healthy diet, exercising, flossing, wearing my seat belt, going to the doctor, etc.). And what's great is the website gave me a tailored plan to take even more years off (theoretically I CAN be 29 forever!).

Go...go now...do not delay--inquiring minds want to know, I want to know...What's YOUR Real Age?

MUFFIN TOPS BELONG ON MUFFINS

Somewhere along the way the innoculous term "muffin top" stop referring to the yummy, lush top of a muffin.  Now the term "muffin top" is used to refer to any *fat* that protrudes from the top of our pants, bikini, etc.  We use it humorously with our girlfriends, and cattily towards other women.  But WHY?  While I personally desire to be healthy, to be in a healthy weight range, to be in a healthy BMI range and to actually wear a bikini again, I'm never going to be a stick, never going to be as thin as ____ (insert favorite waif here). 

Furthermore, it is demeaning, beneath us and only serves to project poor body image to a whole host of younger girls to use a term like "muffin top" to describe Britney Spears.  I'll tell you what, in perfect shape, on my best day, I will NEVER, EVER look as good as Britney Spears did at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards--she had definition in her abs less than a year after giving birth, 99% of women will never have a stomach that looked as good as hers (just as a side note, I'm *not* a fan of Britney Spears, I do have empathy for her, I can't imagine having the personal and psychological issues she has and having people take advantage of me and having my worst moments broadcast and made fun of for the world to see).

There are ways to avoid the "muffin top" image.  First, avoid the biggest fashion pit-fall people make when trying to avoid muffin tops--"MOM JEANS"--horrid.  This makes everyone EVERYONE look bigger and older and worse!  Lower rise pants can look good on your figure, you just need to avoid wearing them too small (this is essentially what creates the muffin top).  At a size 14 I have a great pair of jeans DKNY that I look fabulous in and don't have a muffin top.  Also, be aware of your shirt choices. Shirts can be fitted, but should be paired with the right bottoms; if you're wearing a tight pair of pants, perhaps a super tight shirt may not look best. Check out "What Not to Wear" on TLC on Friday nights, you'll pick up a bunch of fashion ideas for all body types!

Until then, ladies: keep the muffin tops on the muffins!

LIFE DOESN'T START 12 LBS FROM NOW, EXCEPT WHEN IT DOES...

Jessica Weiner, an acclaimed author, self-esteem expert, and fabulous plus-size woman wrote a GREAT book entitled, "Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds From Now".  The message of the book is outstanding and wonderful and I hope women all over embrace it...here's my only issue:  One day I was at the Grand Canyon and my idea of fun was riding a donkey down into the canyon.  PROBLEM--I weighed 12 lbs too much!  Major bummer.  I wasn't discriminated against because I was "fat"--the thing is the donkeys can only hold so much weight.  So, I started thinking, there may be times when embracing our bodies and being totally comfortable with our muffin tops, chub-rub, and the like could hold us back from fully enjoying life...