The Miss Elaine-ous Life

random acts of life, family and photos

I’ve Done VERY Little to Support the Sugar Industry These Last Three Months and Zumba is My New Best Friend

by

When I was a little girl I was pretty chunky.

I always had to have the biggest soccer shorts and sometimes even those didn’t fit me. But I still wore them. Ugh. I was the ‘biggest’ girl in dance class (not the tallest, but widest) and I was teased a lot. One time while riding my bike in the school parking lot, past the kids waiting for their parents to pick them up, one said, “Oh look! There goes the bus!” (meaning me).

I remember my third grade school photo vividly. The one where I had approximately 2.5 chins and a tropical print button-down shirt (don’t ask, it was the ’80’s) that was workin’ overtime, if you know what I mean. Oh and the long, side pony-tails and the too-small-for-my-face glasses did nothing to make me look more svelte.

I remember being at the pool during the summers seeing the girls with long, thin legs and wishing that I could be like that. Just for one day. Or maybe a week. And I recall yelling at my mother one time, blaming her for always feeding me fattening foods, while I cried my eyes out at the dining room table.

When I was in middle school I was determined to NOT look so chubby and so in the 7th grade I started NOT eating. I would eat one meal a day. NOT a good idea. But I lost weight! I’m not sure how my Mother let me get away with this but I did it and I thought I looked good! (I did but I didn’t, you know?) I was in NO way anorexic but I was certainly not healthy. Then I got hungry and finally started eating again and by that time I’d lost the ‘baby weight’ and gone through puberty so my body was just different anyway.

All this to say I’ve NEVER been completely happy with my body. Of course I look back now on my high school days and cannot EVEN believe I thought I was fat or whatever else.

Now I’m 35, my body has carried and given birth to three babies and I’ve found an eating and exercising lifestyle that works for me (see LONG title of post).

I’ll never be the ‘thinnest’ lady around. It’s just not in the genes. I still look at some of the Moms at the pool and know I won’t have a body just like that. Ever. But now I know that’s okay. And I know I can be at a healthy weight and look good for ME (and for my man and even my kids!).

As of this morning I’d lost the 20 pounds I set out to lose,which puts me at the weight I was the day I found out I was pregnant with Baby K. But I’m not ready to stop. I would like to lose about 8 to 10 more pounds and I believe I can.

These days my “biggest” problem is that many of my clothes don’t even fit. As in they are TOO big.

Aw bummer, I guess it’s about time to go shopping…


*I could show the ones from the back but I still have some ‘back fat’ to get rid of. Next time, k? 😉

elaine

Comments

  1. ELAINE!!!!

    YOU GO, GIRLIE! YOU LOOK AMAZING and you should be SO proud of yourself! I’m so glad you’re having such success with Zumba. I know lots of people who are in love with it. Obviously it does your body good.

  5. WOWOWWOWOWOW!!!! I’m so impressed, Elaine! You look amazing. That before and after is so telling.

    I’m with you on being the chubby kid. As a little, I was tiny, but when I hit around 3-5 I started putting on weight. I blame it on my parents divorce and the fact that we lived with my grandma who declared me too thin. Then came the biscuits and gravy and sausage for the next 10 or so years. You get the picture. Right now, I’m about the same size I was when I met Brian. Maybe a little smaller. Funny that I thought I was fat back then. I’ve had 2 babies, so maybe my idea of fat has changed. I still have about 8-10 pounds left to lose as well, Sister! We can do this.

    p.s. Why don’t you stop by the Sisterhood sometime, hooker. For reals, yo! We’d love to celebrate your victories with you!

  6. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was hoping hoping hoping you would post before & afters when I read your awesome news on twitter this morning! You RAWK GIRL! I love it! I bet Daddy can’t keep his hands off you. Keep on going for the last 10. You can do it!!!!!

  7. Good for you! You look GREAT! You should be very proud of yourself.

    I’ve struggled my entire life feeling comfortable in my own skin too, and I was a size 2 in high school. I was very pear shaped though- ZERO boobs and little saddlebags on my thighs even when I barely had a hint of body fat elsewhere. My “friends” used to make fun of me behind my back calling me fat a**. I literally weighed 105 lbs then. Aren’t teenage girls wonderful? 😛 That’s been burned into my brain for years…If I was considered fat by my peers at 105 lbs then what hope did I have of ever being “pretty”? ugh. Bad memories.

    So, having three babies in quick succession myself hasn’t been easy on my self esteem either. I’m more pear shaped than EVER now, and still holding on to the last 10 lbs from my last pregnancy even though my “baby” is nearly two now. I’ve finally decided I want to be healthy as lifestyle now though, rather than striving to be super skinny. I still regress here and there and fall back into old thinking patterns, but I’ve come a long way in the last year or so. I’ve also rediscovered running. Best stress relief ever for me! I’d love to be able to run a 5K in NYC by this time next year (my husband runs every year for charity) and I don’t care if I lose a single pound in the process. I’d just like the gratification of knowing I accomplished something I never saw myself attempting before 🙂

    All that rambling to tell you I can relate to how difficult it is to reclaim your body after pregnancy- especially when you have lingering “issues” from the past that rear their ugly head from time to time. Keep going if you feel like you want to! You can do anything you set your mind to!

  13. You FREAKING ROCK!!!!!!!
    I took a before picture of me as well, but I still have about 10-14 pounds to go before I take the after pic.

    I am so proud of you, Laney! You look fabulous! Way to go!!!! 🙂

  16. Oh my gosh, you are amazing! Seriously, I’ve been having trouble getting motivated lately but you motivate me! I’m so proud of you! And, please tell me more about Zumba…

  18. You look INCREDIBLE, Elaine!! And you did that in just 3 months?! WOW!! I know how hard it is, I lost 25lb two years ago and keeping it off is a constant struggle (I’m currently about 6lb over my goal weight and trying to lose it). You are so inspiring to us all!! Congratulations, you look gorgeous and fit and healthy!! xx

    Hannah

  21. Squeeee!!!!!! I am so happy for you and even more than that Elaine, I am so PROUD of you- for taking control and losing the weight and enjoying the exercise and FOR POSTING HALF NAKD PICS OF YOUR HAWT SELF. So so so effing proud.

  24. You look amazing!! Congratulations, that is an awesome accomplishment! I really need to step it up and lose my extra weight… you have inspired me!

  26. Woot! Woot! You look fantastic! I love that you are not only getting healthy physically, but also mentally. Feeling good about how you look compared to no one but your old self is the only way you will ever be satisfied. Keep it up lady!

    Oh, and I love Zumba. I laugh at myself the whole time and don’t even feel like I’m working out.

  27. LOOK AT YOU! That is one awesome after picture, Elaine! You should be SO very proud. 20 pounds is NOT easy! Congrats to you. I struggle and have struggled with my weight loss battle since high school. It’s awful, and seems never-ending, but when you start seeing results, it’s a great feeling. 🙂

  32. You look amazing! GO you! And thanks for sharing your story – I have several similar memories and it’s definitely not easy to write about them. Must be the season – I’m down almost 25 and can thank Zumba for part of that too. It’s the first exercise I’ve truly loved. Keep up the awesome work!

  33. You look awesome Elaine!! I am so proud of you! And I can relate. I was always the chunky kid and couldn’t lose weight no matter wha..and then having a kid somehow kickstarted my metabolism. I lost nearly 40# that first year…only to slowly start gaining it back after breastfeeding ended. I’ve lost a lot of it again this past year, but that’s mostly been due to stress so I need to find a better way!!! I’m closer to my goal weight and feel better about my body than ever before. And, shopping is fun now! ;o)

  39. ELAINE! That is such an accomplishment and so insipring to see the before and after! You can easily lose 10 more lbs. Once you start a healthy eating and exercising lifestyle the weight melts off – trust me! I keep seeing results every year. I am now down the the weight I was at around age 20 and I believed that just wasn’t possible. And I still eat 🙂

    Congratulations! I am unbelievably proud of you!

  40. ELAINE!!!!!!!! Are you stinkin’ kidding me? You look amazing! AMAZING!

    Oh my goodness, I’m so happy for you. I’m glad you found something that works for YOU! You did it!

    And if you want to lose 8 to 10 more pounds, I have no doubt in my mind that you will. YOU ROCK!

  41. you are looking great!!! I’m so proud of you. I am also way impressed that you posted these pictures. I’m not that brave. maybe one day. maybe that would help me take off this last 10 lbs? hummm…