Monday, February 27, 2012

Fat Archaeology - It's not always a pretty sight.

Imagine we’re in Peru.  We’ve been working on a dig for almost 9 months.  We’ve gingerly cleared away debris for what seems like centuries, and we can finally see a shape forming.  Little brushes in hand, we keep sweeping away until we see a head forming.  Then, a few more brushes in, our face contorts with a surprised, and somewhat disgusted look as we uncover a mummified man, frozen in terror as if he'd just stared down Medusa.

Discovery isn’t always easy, and as it turns out, it’s not always pretty.  But does it make it any less worth it?  Absolutely not!

A few months ago, I remember confiding in my roommate about doubting whether losing weight was worth it.  Why on earth would someone second guess losing a hefty amount of weight and all the awesome changes both physically and mentally that they’d gone through? 

Yearbook photo where I just happen
to be hiding my arms with a towel
while riding the bench in my sleeveless
basketball jersey.
Vanity.  Seeing your body take on a new, yet still somewhat disfigured shape, despite all the hard work you’ve done to improve yourself.  It caused me to pause, get a bit discouraged, and wonder if a new form of oddness was worth it.  Why put in all this effort if, after I’m done, I’m still going to have these odd, off-putting, disfigured parts of my body?  What’s worse – having them be round and full of fat so they’re at least fluffy and smooth, or seeing saggy, weird skin draping in ways that it’s just not meant to?  Why wasn’t I one of those people who were blessed to have skin that bounces back?  

Yeah, okay – cut the crap, Sarah.  I’ve had “odd” bits since I was young.  Even at 14, I had underarms with odd, giggly skin-wings.  I don’t know why my body decided to handle itself that way.  If I could have a conversation with my molecular make-up and skin cells, I would – and I would suggest it behaves itself in a more appropriate manner.  That, unfortunately, is not an option. 

So, what are my options? 

I could accept it.  I could embrace it.  I could find some awesome, awkward infomercial sucker-inner-shape-enhancer stuff.  I could make it work.  I could get plastic surgery to fix it someday.  There are many things I could do.

What am I going to do? 

Deal with it.  I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that certain parts of this process aren’t all roses, and skipping, and magical rainbow beams popping out of animal-shaped, big, fluffy clouds.  There isn’t a cute little cartoon bird sitting on my shoulder whistling Hall & Oates every day.  Some days, yes, but not every day.  I thank God for the way my life is changing, and have decided to tell myself that, A – it’s okay to have those thoughts.  And, B – knock it off, learn from it, and get on with it.  No turning back now, woman.

I’ll admit…  It is a bit of a bummer seeing those things.  It does make me think, “Man… All this work and this is the byproduct?”  I don’t always think it, but hey – I’m human.  I’ve just had to come to terms with the fact that I’m a much smaller person than I allowed my body to be, and my body dealt with it differently than some people.  I remember people telling me when I was young to take advantage of my youth and go for it while I’m young because your body won’t bounce back as easily when you’re older.  My skin didn’t seem to be overly forgiving even when I was younger, but overall, it did shrink back and take a better shape when I lost some weight way back then.  I’m 30 now, though, and finding out all too well that they were right.

So, if you’re an awesome lil’ whippersnapper and thinking about losing weight, listen to those of us who went before you!  HOP to it!  Your body will appreciate it, both for your overall health, and for the odd, giggly skin-wing reasons, too.  Haha.

Big picture?  Worth it.
And if you’re an awesome not-quite-so-young lil’ whippersnapper, you should do it too.  Who cares if I have to find a light weight ¾ sleeve cardigan that will flatter me just right and disguise something I’m not comfortable with?  Spanx?  Bring them on.  Seriously – I love them.  Who knows – maybe I’d even have my wings clipped (polite way of saying plastic surgery, a discussion for another day). 

I’m reminded of my realization about my body and my life being important enough to properly fuel it.  The same is true here.  Given the choice between where I was and where I am now, I’ll take some droopy elbows and giggly, underarm skin-wings over that any day.  They might not make me fly, but they’re certainly proof of how far I’ve come.





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19 comments:

  1. Very cool, I would have to agree with you that improved health is TOTALLY worth it, no matter how unforgiving that now "extra" skin is. I'm in my early 40s and I've given birth to a 10 pound baby, so when I managed to lose 97 pounds I was left with a really wacky looking midsection...the wrinkles and puckers in my bellybutton area form a whimsical starburst pattern that I try not to EVER let see the light of day. But, if nothing else it reminds me of where I started and that the journey is worth it. BTW, I love the picture at the end of your post- your face radiates confidence, rock on! (And thanks a million for the image of the cute little cartoon bird on your shoulder singing H&O songs- that gave me my first laugh of the day as I sat reading it over a glass of green tea!)

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    1. Haha - I'm glad you got a kick out of that! Did you watch the video linked to it? It's a goodie... Now I've got Hall & Oates on the brain again. I know what you mean about not letting certain things see the light of day... I work hard at disguising the weird skin I just can't do anything with at the moment. But like we've both said, it's so worth it. :)

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  2. This is a fantastic post! You are so right! And losing weight ASAP is 10000000000000000000% worth it. There really should be no other options. It's, like, DO IT NOW. It does get harder (I'm 3-er...something) and it DOES get harder as you get older. The longer your skin stays stretched out, the harder it is to bounce back. After I had my first kid at 26, my stomach went back right away. After I had my second...ugggggggggggh. Nope. It only gets harder.

    I was just thinking about this in the car the other day. I saw a very obese man who appeared to be in his mid-50s and I felt so awful for him. I thought, I want to grab him and shake him and say, "IT GETS HARDER as you get older!!! HURRY UP! Lose that excess weight. NOW!"

    I'm pretty sure that would have put me in jail though. So...I didn't say anything. Obviously.

    YOU said it best: "So, if you’re an awesome lil’ whippersnapper and thinking about losing weight, listen to those of us who went before you! HOP to it! Your body will appreciate it, both for your overall health, and for the odd, giggly skin-wing reasons, too. Haha."

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    1. So funny that now we're the ones telling the whippersnappers. When did I grow up? How did that happen?! Oh well! I wish I'd done it sooner, but I guess everything happens for a reason and I've just got to believe there was a bit of divine timing. Fashionably late, right?! haha.

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  3. If I passed you on the street my first thought would be "What a lovely woman.." I'd notice your pretty face, glossy hair, and based on your writing here, your joyful exuberance. I'll bet that I wouldn't even notice any jiggly bits. Obviously, if something bothers you then it won't matter what a hundred people say to the contrary - but please remember that the whole package that you're presenting to the world is absolutely beautiful, and so inspiring. You're a knockout. : )

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    1. Thank you, Nancy :) The jiggly bits are a problem partly for vanity, and mostly for the awkward obstruction they're becoming! After having so much fun reading your tumblr page, I have a feeling if we passed each other on the street, there'd be some random reason we ended up chatting away and wind up happily late to wherever we were headed! I want to steal that butter dish! Or I guess at least go paint my own...

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    2. Ahahaha! You're TOO kind. My tumblr started as a way to keep my mother and elderly aunts up to date on our lives. Now that the kids are grown and flown it's become a habit and whether I have anything to say or not...there's a post for it. I so enjoy your blog and I'd paint a butter dish with you any day. Ha!

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  4. I'm so happy I randomly logged into Pinterest for the first time in weeks, and saw your post.

    I'm overweight, and preparing to start a long journey as well. I'm really glad I found your blog. Very well-written, funny, and inspiring! Keep up the excellent work! You are beautiful, inside and out! ♥

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    1. Sweet - I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Not to sound super cliched, but you can absolutely do it. Just keep on going. It's a journey I'll be on forever. I'm diggin' it, though. Can't wait to hear about your progress!

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    2. PS - your illustrations are cracking me up. FOR real.

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  5. Sarah, what you have accomplished thus far is beautiful, and you have excavated an even more beautiful you. A picture of health is by far more important than what the world ,and the mirror, tells you what a picture of beauty is.

    I know that it is tempting to contemplate plastic surgery but plastic surgery can be dangerous, and wreck the health that you are working so hard to attain. I am pressing forward in journey to lose weight and feel great because of what you have accomplished, because I know that it is worth it. I know from experience that it is hard to get used to and comfortable with your new body but keep it up and it will look and feel more right to you!

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    1. Thanks, Mike! It's not so much about beauty and being comfortable with yourself as it is about literal extra, awkward stretched out skin. It's partly because it'd be nice to wear certain clothes without having to hide parts of you body & things like that, but it's mostly just how frustrating it is having these weird parts of yourself that are just a plain ol' nuisance and literally get in the way. And as for plastic surgery, there's Joan Rivers, and there's people who've done amazing things and now have excess skin that can also be harmful. Google "excess skin" (with safe search on!!!) and there are infinite examples. But, yeah - we'll talk about that in another blog!

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    2. Seriously.. you've worked so hard and if a few things won't go how you want em, get it done :) I mean.. That's the best reason to go get surgery. You worked your butt off, literally, and just get a well experienced surgeon and do it, ya know? If it will make you feel better/life easier.. and also, you lost the weight pretty quick, it still might bounce back more ;)

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  6. Just found your blog and I want to say that it's amazing. You're amazing and I look forward to reading more about your journey as I am on my own!

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    1. I really loved reading yours, too, Meg. The photos are great, and your Fatty Girl Shrinks is awesome, too. I know what you're saying about the pain. But I'll comment about that on your page, ha. I see you're using myfitnesspal, too! It's been super convenient for me. Thanks for reading, seriously. I can't wait to keep up on yours.

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  7. Hey Sarah, I understand your problem completely. I just switched my diet to continue losing weight...got 40 pounds to go. So, I was worried about the same thing, since I want that bikini ready body and would feel self conscious about unflattering skin. So, along with diet and exercise I started doing these body wraps to help lose inches and tone my skin. This is the website for my distributor: http://Honestresults.itworks.net. You should check it out. I do the wraps and some of the supplements, and my friend swears by the defining gel too. I'm trying to get enough people interested in doing a party down there. Anyway, it is a little pricey but it really does work and it detoxes you and helps with weight loss! Just a suggestion :) again i am so impressed with your weight loss so far.

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! I'm so curious about stuff like that. I'm interested to hear how it works for you! I'll have to talk to you about it on Friday. I shall check it out, for sure.

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  8. Sarah,

    You're doing great and you look great! I was wondering how you started out. Did you start by just changing your diet? Or did you change your diet and exercise, and if you exercised, what did you do? Thanks for your help! I've started my own journey, well again. I lost a lot of weight when I was 21 but when I got married at 23 I gained it all back and then some!

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  9. Thanks, Karen! I kinda did it all at once. Making better food choices and making sure to exercise. I chose to look at it as a lifestyle change, almost like changing my clothing style - getting creative and experimental with healthy food! I started logging what I eat through myfitnesspal.com and their smartphone app, and I made sure to exercise a minimum of 4 times a week. The biggest eye opener for me was tracking my food, but I can't lose weight without exercise, too. Now I exercise 5-6 times a week and am a grumpy little bumpkin if I go without it for more than a day! hehe. Good luck, and regardless of how you feel day to day, just make a boring, conscious choice to keep on goin'!

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