Fat & Happy... Best of both worlds?



 I have had a struggle off and on with weight for the past 30+ years. In June of last year, 2010 I made a conscious decision to be happy fat!  That is something I had never in my life considered doing. But I was tired of the struggle and figured it would lower my stress to just be happy fat!  So what was the result? No stress? Happy with my weight? Enjoying life to the fullest? None of the above!  What happened is that I gained 10 more pounds and now weighed my ALL TIME HIGH of 244 pounds.   That's 99 pounds more than I weighed on my wedding day 39 years ago! At least it wasn't an even hundred! Wow!  This strategy definitely was NOT working for me!
37 years ago I weighed 179 pounds full term with my first baby. Four years later I stopped weighing myself at 199 pounds with my second baby. There was no way I was going to go over 200 pounds!  When she delivered 3 weeks late, I know I tipped those scales at plus-200 pounds whether I got on them or not!  



Rebekah, my second born
daughter a 5 months.



3 weeks after my first baby Deborah was born  I was
almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight! For those
who noticed, yes, it was the 70's and my skirt
was very short!!



32 years later and many times in between,  I would think about those days and the 199 pounds---just to be at that weight again would be wonderful. I have the pictures to prove that I lost all that baby weight and cannot blame the big weight gain     through the years on my daughters!





College years

But this story starts many years before as a body conscious child hearing adults who were never quite satisfied with their weight and how they looked. Even though my pudginess of adolescence turned to a teenage slimmer body as I grew another 4" in height. Along with the height came feet to match the height---"Gunboats" according to the taunting boys at school! Let's say it was a very awkward time for me with body image.

Fast forward to High School. Jackie Kennedy and Twiggy were very much 'role models' and regarded as fashion icons. Skinny was replacing the curvy image of Marilyn Monroe. Photo's from college show me very fit looking!  These are now my motivation pictures to regain that fit look! College kept me so busy with studying and classes that I had very little snack time. There were regular meals at the cafeteria plus no refrigerator handy! After graduation and several years of teaching I married the love of my life! While preparing for the wedding, teaching, and sewing most of the dresses for the wedding including mine, I lost 15 pounds without even trying. I walked down the aisle at a very slim 145 pounds, the least I have ever weighed in my adult life.

How little I realized that on my
40th birthday I looked so good!
But I still felt overweight
especialy below the waist! 

The post baby years should have helped me to get it together! I wanted to enter my 40's having achieved the goal of my ideal weight.  If motivation could do it, a high school reunion should qualify shouldn't it?  Well how about achieving that goal at 50?  Didn't work either??? Then surely entering my 60th decade would bring success???   To be continued.......................




Note the thighs are NOT touching!!

 



In shorts in Jamaica at 40!









Thanks for visiting with this
"Babyboomergrandma".  Until next time, may God richly bless YOU.