Day 22: It Was A Lot Easier To Get Out Of Shape Than It Is To Get In Shape!

You would think, all things being equal, that getting into shape would be just as easy as it was to get out of shape. But that's not how it works. It's a lot tougher getting that shape back. I joke to my friends that I'm in shape now; after all, round is a shape. Unfortunately, it's the not shape I want.  

It's strange to look at pictures of myself from 30 years ago. I looked great, and yet I remember spending way too much time hating myself for being overweight. I'll break it down for you: I was 5'9", 155 lbs. and wore a size '13.' Does that sound strange? Well, it should. 

If I knew anything about fashion I would have known that I was trying to stuff my hourglass body into a Junior Size 13. Why I thought I was a size 13 completely baffles me; I wasn't a junior size 13 even when I was a junior in high school. But here I was in my 20's, it was the mid-1970's and my friends and I thought it was very cool to shop at 'The Limited' and trendy little fashion boutiques. Trouble was, these stores carried only sizes up to 13. So instead of going to another store that carried a woman's size 14, I tortured myself by trying to fit into a junior size 13.

I read an article online today, All About Fit -- Why don't clothes ever fit? by Cynthia Nellis that brought everything into focus. Ms. Nellis says that the reason nothing fits is because there is no standardization in women's sizes. A size 4 could be a size 8 or a size 2, depending on the manufacturer. The article is filled with little-known facts about women's sizes. A real eye-opener.

Anyway, why am I going on and on about how I looked 30 years ago? Because it is only now that I realize that I looked great back then. I beat myself up constantly over my weight and I'm still beating myself up. And that is why I have made this personal challenge for myself -- I don't want to beat myself up anymore. 

I know that even when I lose this weight and get into shape that I will not look like that smoking hot 20 something that I used to be. But I can look like an older and wiser smoking hot 50 something. 

And you know what they say... To become older and wiser, you first have to be young and stupid!

Peace/Love,

Betsy