Weighing In

The headline caught me. “Ice dancer Belbin has put on weight, and she couldn’t be happier.” (Thanks Yahoo! Sports.)

For those of you who follow the Olympics, Tanith Belbin and her ice dancing partner, Ben Agosto, won silver in Turin 2006. Without a doubt, Tanith was gorgeous. She literally looked like a Barbie doll.

So, obviously, curiosity got the best of me when I read the article’s headline. Expecting to see an Olympic-athlete-turned-obese-woman, I was slightly disappointed to learn that she gained ten pounds.

Ten pounds. And this makes news.

Ten pounds is nothing. I can pack that on in one indulgent weekend of chocolates, champagne, and take out.

Still, I had to read the story.

The article’s author, Maggie Hendricks, wrote:
“With Linichuk's [her new coach] help, Belbin changed her eating and training habits. She grew stronger, allowing curves and muscles to be a part of her body. Agosto said that their lifts have improved, as Belbin can hold herself up more easily. If you've ever held a sleeping child, you know that Agosto's job became much easier as Belbin's strength improved.”

As a result, the pair is in gold medal contention this week. Imagine that—an Olympic gold medal is in your grasp thanks to a few extra pounds.

So, if weight makes us stronger and healthier who cares if we gain ten or even twenty pounds as we age? No one can (or should) expect us to look the way we did in high school. Unfortunately, women with natural curves aren’t appreciated in the heavily covered media world of celebrities. For some reason, silicone and surgically enhanced beauty is what both men and women are taught to expect. It’s not fair.

While I’m not against plastic surgery, I wish the media would offer a more balanced view of reality. Model-like skinny makes up a very small percentage of the population. With the average size of women estimated at a 14 dress size, clearly, the size 0 actresses featured on nearly every TV show and movie do not reflect reality. But Hollywood wouldn’t have it otherwise. After all, movies are an escape and a size 4 ‘fatty’ doesn’t translate well on the silver screen. (For those of you who don’t know me, I’m being 100% sarcastic.)

While the Hollywood situation isn’t about to change, I hope that the Tanith Belbin story of overcoming the fear of weight gain will change the way some girls and women see themselves. Beauty, after all, lies within and isn’t measureable by inches around your waist.

Good luck, Tanith and Ben. Make the U.S. proud!

Resource:
Yahoo! Sports

TanithandBen.com

Haunted by the Ghost of My Fat Self

Exhilaration.
That’s what I feel when I flip through clothing racks and realize I have to look for size 4s and 6s now instead of 12s and 14s.

I buy smaller clothes. I wear smaller clothes. So, why do I still think I look fat?

“Fat” is a highly subjective term. I remember “hating” waif-looking girls who complained they were “huge.” All of us have different thresholds for what weight feels healthy or not. While I’ve dropped about 50 pounds over the past few years, I still feel and see “fat.”

Perhaps it’s because I had expectations of what my body would look like as a size four. Then again, I’ve had two kids. Pregnancy does some weird things to one’s body, some of which will never change no matter how much I diet and exercise.

What’s ironic is that I didn’t feel or see “fat” until I made it a point to get into shape.

Despite this, I feel better, have more energy, and I’m happier than I’ve ever been. So, what does this internal, psychological warfare boil down to?

Expectations and reality.

I won’t do anything stupid or drastic because of my skewed perceptions. I vow to continue pursuing a healthy lifestyle while realizing my limitations and knowing that it’s better to eat and exercise in moderation than forbidding certain foods and overdoing workouts.

For now, I keep telling my “fat” ghost she doesn’t scare me anymore. But do I really believe that? Maybe she’s haunting me because I’m afraid she’ll return.