The other day when I was picking m younger son up from school - wearing grubs as I was coming from painting, one of his classmates mom stopped me and said I looked great and asked what I was doing to get fitter. I told her I was exercising and eating right and told her that since last year I've lost 90 pounds. She was floored.
The next day she stopped me again. This day I had on a nice summery dress, casual, but flattering. She said, "I meant to ask you yesterday, but forgot. What are you doing to make your stomach so flat?"
I was flabbergasted. Me? Flat stomach? I definitely do not have a flat stomach and I told her, "Well, my stomach's not flat - see this pooch? But I do bodypump and bodystep and walk. I'm not doing anything especially special just for my abs." She went on to say that I looked great and that yes, my stomach was flat and looked great.
Later, upon thinking on it, I realized that when compared, my stomach is much flatter than hers. She has a build that is not heavy all over, but she tends to gain in her tummy/midsection. When I gain weight, I gain all over, but I shrink all over too. So, I'm not wide or thick. My stomach has a pooch and it always will. All the women in my family - fit or not, have a lower gut that never goes completely flat. Add in loose skin and it's doubly impossible for me, but I don't have a round stomach like an apple shape where it is round side to side and back to back like this: http://www.plus-size-tall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/apple_shape.png. I'm a classic pear or perhaps rectangle shape: http://www.health.com/health/static/hw/media/medical/hw/h9991471_001.jpg I think.
That is something confusing for me - body shape. Here are a few photos:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2EMZjJLEmrD4d89sxGGD8HFNTHR1TiQJIXqtKYGWRCi9n-DHSzrxARd3lnb-RxGl5IK5WFi_Coa5jxM09RoqJFnciAf3jxdZWFOHqLqgwckS-TmHqDKCtNBKa4_O_RLmANPV9x6TfDIx/s1600/article2.jpg
http://www.brainyweightloss.com/images/female-body-shape-L.gif
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcAEJJbo5POYnsh0KNxFw53G2RmVK4BAKXbRDqcaUZ-PwHq_iPzG_ItVNegd3jvPb4U5txbAcclJWXzM9NCIQXQFSjeGYkTLV0zUwgvaRRy55BEbypFGj5VI99B-spL-o2wK04i62Yrw/s1600/Rock+Me+Fabulous+Body+Shapes+-+Mia+Joie.gif
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWW8FoR_xTHhc41F58cIB8TgUdESIuXyi680pM9CCh92ycZWRSfpsaq9ksmn635acJsaG_Amq7HSph-PHkd6hVYQVzUcKYzb3_bAkE04giRxmYQ4LkR2kNE2XH2z7dePTi3t5NLu-MyU/s640/tfbstoragesolutions.co.uk.jpg
Ok, I'm going to do a body shape calculator right now. In my youth I was an hour glass figure, but my waist has thickened with age.
Yep, according to this site: http://www.shopyourshape.com/calculate-your-body-shape.html, I'm straight or a ruler shape, rectangle. makes sense as my new measurements are 39-31-40, not a lot of waist definition there. I think most of my remaining fat is at my waist, so we'll see if that goes down or not.
Anyway... for someone to ask about my flat stomach was unbelievable as I've always been self conscious of my rounded tummy, envious of those girls/women who truly have a flat stomach. Of course, my mother in law was one of those women, wouldn't you know it!
Stats for 5/26/12:
Highest weight: 275 Now: 165.8
This just goes to show that not only are figure flaws all relative, depending on what one struggles with, but it is yet another example of us being our own worst critics :)
ReplyDeleteAs for shapes, I find them hard to calculate beyond rough estimations, as well. Right now I'm either a wide hourglass or just barely a ruler. While I meet the criteria of an hourglass in terms of percentage differential between bust/hips and waist, I still am by no means a wasp-waisted gal, my torso is ay too short for that. But whatever my shape OR yours, we look much better 100 pounds lighter, I think ;)