Slim Down, Pin Up - Getting Your Mind Right

There are two schools of thought when it comes to weight loss. Get Thin, or Get Healthy. To my mind, the former tends to be a product of society. As the mother of a 13 year old girl, I see this in action every day. Just this morning, I was asked what "shape" she was..athletic, curvy, petite, etc., so she could figure out what clothes she was "supposed" to wear. I told her to wear the clothes that made her feel happy.

Sometimes she compares herself to her friends, and sometimes she compares herself to Taylor Swift or Selena Gomez. My response is always the same. You are beautiful because you are unique. Your shape is exactly as you were meant to be. Magazines and movie stars are great for inspiring fashion ideas and sparking your creativity, but they are not, and should not, be the final word on how to be yourself.

This is not to say I don't encourage healthy eating or athletics, but I don't want to her to think of them as a means to shape herself into the mold that society approves of. I want her to feel strong, empowered and good about herself.

Being a mother has helped me to develop a healthier mindset about my own weight. I can't tell my girls one thing and practice another..and all joking aside, while fitting into my bridesmaid dress is an excellent motivator for getting my butt out the door and running, my real motivator is that I suffer from an anxiety disorder that can be significantly reduced by a more active lifestyle. I want to feel great, to have more energy, to be around longer for my kids...not to look like a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model. Because that's not who I am.

Sure, I have off days, but in the grand scheme of things, I simply want to be the best me possible. For myself and for my loved ones. My wish for you all is that you can love just how wonderful and unique you are right now and enjoy the journey without worrying about the end result.

Hugs and Smooches,
D

Slim Down, Pin Up!

At the suggestion of some of my lovely readers (Thank you, Jennifer Dolph, for the adorable page name ;)  I have created a page on facebook to develop a warm and supportive group of like minded folks in the pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.

Gil Elvgren

The page is called Slim Down, Pin Up! and I would be delighted if you would like to join us!  We will be sharing our knowledge with each other, offering up delicious, healthy recipes, exercise and work out suggestions in addition to some positive reinforcement ;-)

Lest you should all worry about the direction of this blog..I will be continuing with my regular vintage/craft/style themed posts here as well, with an update or two along the way about my healthy lifestyle journey (and my quest to fit into my bridesmaid's dress ;)

Thanks for joining me on my latest adventure!

Hugs and Smooches,
D

"Wogging"

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Well, friends...In the interest of jumping right in to this plan I have concocted to fit into my bridesmaids dress, I decided to go for a run (or a walk/jog hybrid that I like to call "wogging") with my eldest daughter yesterday.

Now, in my family, there are a few runners.  Real, honest-to-gosh RUNNERS.  Some of whom have offered to run with me in an effort to help motivate.

First, there's my Mom.  My Mom, who's ability to imitate the Energizer bunny (she keeps going..and going..and going) strikes fear into the hearts of my children when she asks if they want to "join her for a jog".  The woman runs 5 miles a day, all year long.  Neither rain, wind nor snow will keep her from her morning jog.  My eldest has joked that she can't even keep up with her on her bike (except she's not joking).

Clearly not an option.

Next is my hubby.  His legs are a million miles long (OK..he's 6'2"..so not a million.  But when you're 4'11", it sure seems like it.)  He ran track in high school and his endurance is impressive.  Add to that the fact that he thinks it's helpful to run behind me and push my back with his hand shouting "keeeep going!  Just  to that sign!!  It's not much further!!".  Last time I ran with him, I got such bad vertigo he had to carry me home..not one of my proudest moments.

VETO.

Finally, there's my oldest daughter.  She's 13, and while she's 5" taller than me and an athlete, I figured I could ground her if she runs too fast..(I kid!..sort of..)  As it turns out, she was a great running partner.  She was encouraging, but not demanding, and she taught me some neat tricks (like, if you're having a hard time catching your breath, you can raise your arms above your head to expand your lungs and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.  It works!!)  I got a little dizzy towards the end of our run, but I'm feeling encouraged.

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This evening..we tackle yoga ;-)

Hugs and Smooches,
D

..It's "go time"..

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Well, friends, it looks like it's time to put up or shut up.

A few months ago, I ordered my bridesmaid's dress for my adorable cousin's wedding.  I had put it off a bit because I had just started eating gluten free due to my allergies and I had been losing weight.

It arrived today..and it won't zip over my bust (honestly, I've always been a bit larger in the ribcage area..but I have noticed that it's not entirely ribs of late..it would appear that my weight leveled off and adjusted to my new diet).  GAH!

The dress cannot be returned or exchanged, and (as my fellow sewists can attest to) it's nearly impossible to size a dress up.  There's about an inch gap where the zipper should meet between my shoulder blades.  This basically leaves me with one choice..lose weight.

I have 10 weeks until the wedding (and really, 8 is more realistic, since I'm going to need to be able to fit into the dress comfortably at least a few weeks prior to the wedding, just in case I have to come up with a plan B).  It's do-able..I figure a 10lb loss would be enough (15 would be even better), so that means about 2lbs a week, which is reasonable.  I don't really have too much trouble with the diet front..I can manage just fine with more veggies and cut out my sugar intake..it's the exercise that kills me.  And it's going to be crucial.

There is a silver lining, though.  My doctor has suggested for years that more exercise will help with my anxiety and migraines.  Maybe this will end up being the best thing EVER.

I've hung the dress on the back of my door as a reminder...I'll keep you all posted on my progress ;)  Wish me luck!

Hugs and Smooches,
D

(PS.  As a humorous side note, my youngest daughter just leaned around my laptop and said "Whatcha doin' Mom?  Writing on your blob?"  Ohhh, how appropriate, lol.)

Pin up Plan Challenges

Size 2/4 me with assorted adorable cousins and BFF's  (It probably bears mentioning that the year was 1996 and I was 21..)

2012 - Size 8/10 me.

This post began it's life as a whine-fest about how disappointed I was to not be in a smaller dress size for my trip to Disney.  (Not that this should come as a surprise.  I don't like to be uncomfortable.  I DO like food.  Kind of wrecks havoc on any diet and exercise plan ;)

Then, as I worked my way through "I just want to feel better", "I miss my dancer's body" and "I need to find the motivation to change" something started to dawn on me.  I don't really mean most of these things.  They're just the things you say.

I pride myself on being pretty comfortable in my skin and the truth is, I like the way I look now better than I ever have.  I'm not afraid to take risks, I've settled into a style that's all my own and I have a certain quirky "me-ness" that I wouldn't give up for any amount of weight loss.

That's not to say I want to stagnate.  I'd like to have more energy, and just like I change my hairstyle/color to suit my personality, I'd like my outsides to fit the aesthetic I have of myself in my mind.  Slightly healthier, just as curvy, (an inch or two taller would be nice...but I suppose we can't have it all ;)

So instead of subjecting you all to a blog post riddled with "I wish" and "I hope", I will tell you I have downloaded several healthy cookbooks to my Kindle, along with some neat yoga, running and dance books (and maybe a self improvement book..or a hundred.  I can't help it, they're my guilty pleasure!) and that I plan to continue down this road of building a better Danielle while loving the Danielle I've got :-)

Hugs and Smooches,
D