Husband is wearing Legionnaire shirt, an old shirt from Legion of Superheroes in the 90s. We are on our way to the car.
Me: You’d best get in the garage (how we talk in Iowa. Honest). The mosquitoes are after you. You are Mosquitoes Like Me Lad. (In the Legion of Superheroes, with a long 1950s tradition, all the heroes are Girl, Lad, Lass, Boy, Damsel, etc. Usually a power describer and then the appellage. Not always, but most of them.)
Him: Right. Hurry up. Guess I’m a Legion of Substitute Hero, right? (Substitute heroes are people with less cool powers. I don’t understand why Bouncing Boy is full on Legion and Polar Boy is a sub, but there you go.)
Me: Well, yeah, but I’m right there with you. I’m Too Heavy Girl.
Him: Are you kidding? You are Voluptuous Lass, and you’re a first stringer. You’re one of the most popular Legionnaires.
***
So. Voluptuous Lass. Clearly my husband is a fan of those Renaissance artists who portrayed curvy women, or is like all those Russian physicists who spent the flight from Frankfurt to Moscow hitting on me. Voluptuous Lass. I like it.
At this current time, I am 213.4 pounds. Yup, right off the Wii Fit this morning. I know that I should weigh more like 150 pounds. Lest that sound low to you, I have been in a physical education study, and have a really realistic idea of what my frame should hold. The Wii wants me at 136. Ain’t gonna happen, and I have the graduate student stats from the study to validate me.
But hell, you know, I’m Voluptuous Lass. One of the most popular Legionnaires. I might even lose my alluring super powers if I drop 65ish pounds.
Except…in spite of her beautiful looks, Voluptuous Lass has some weaknesses. Rather than Kryptonite, Voluptuous Lass is occasionally bought low by acid reflux disease. Her thyroid isn’t quite right, her knees hurt when she weighs a lot. Voluptuous Lass is still going to have her dangerous curves even if she loses weight. They will be smaller, but her hourglass ratio will be preserved. That’s what really makes her Voluptuous Lass, with her awesome powers of va-voom.
So, all of this is preface to say that I’ve done a little weight backsliding. About 10 pounds from where I was at this time last year. Hey, that makes sense. Lots of change, lots of insecurity, some unhappiness, and a boat load of workaholicism means I might not have taken care of myself the best.
The good news? Exercise remains a solid habit. The bad news? I really need to watch what I eat, and how much I eat all the time, rather than just whenever.
So, we’re back to this. I’m weighing in with you once a week. (Get it? Weighing in? How funny is that?). Additionally, I’m going to spend one entry a week not just posting my weight, but talking about body image, fashion, what have you. I plan to even post pictures of things I’m wearing or interesting clothes from time to time.
So, the stats for those of you paying attention.
Weight Watchers Start Weight: 224.8 pounds Current: 215.4 pounds Loss: 9.4 pounds
Wii Start Weight: 223.8 pounds Current: 213.4 pounds Lost: 10.4 pounds
I encourage you to talk about your own health and weight issues and body image issues. I just want to say that beauty isn’t about being thin. There’s a whole lot more going on there. However, health is often about being thinner. And that’s where we are starting from.
Don’t you just hate Matter Eater Lad? He can eat anything and still look good. 😉
Boy howdy, do I empathize. I’m currently clocking in at 197.5, and I’ve GOT to pull my weight down again. So I’m trying to get more aggressive on my daily calorie counting, and I’m using a step tracking app to gauge my activity, too.
(It kinda helps that we’re currently having a step count competition at work, which is fun!)
This is the second time I’ve had to start this cycle of monitoring my caloric intake, though, and that’s kind of exhausting. My metabolism’s shifted, though, thanks to being surgically menopausal. Joy oh glee!
Good luck on your efforts!