Weight Loss & Self Love!

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Do People Judge Others Based on Their Weight?

I was flipping through the June issue of Glamour magazine and saw an article on the way people judge others based on their body type.The picture below gilded the first page of the article.

This picture is brilliant! It depicts two women who have similar features, the only major difference being their weight. Their bodies are labeled with weight based stereotypes. In the small type on either bottom corner there is a qoute from each of the women. The thin woman on the left states, "People assume I am self centered and superficial. In reality, I volunteer at a homeless shelter every other week. As for being bitchy, I'm actually the biggest goofball." The full figured woman to the right states," Lazy? I get up every morning at 5:30 A.M. and am constantly on the go! My size does not define who I am."

The premise of the article was that women have different perceptions of other women based on their weight. The data in the article was derived from a poll the magazine conducted. More than 1,800 women ages 18- 40 were polled with guidance from the Director of Research and Weight Stigma Initiatives at Yale 's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Here's the data from their poll:

 

Do women really prejudge other women according to their size? I never did but that's because I've been both full figured and thin during my lifetime. But what about women who have  always been thin or women who have always been thick, do they really think this way?

At first glance the data seems ridiculous. I thought to myself, what idiot would make assumptions by the size of a person. How could a person possibly make educated assumptions about the type of individual a person is without talking to the person in question? The answer is they can't make EDUCATED assumptions without talking to the person! I had to remind myself that this was a study on PERCEPTION data. Not what actually is, but what is perceived to be.

Well what does this mean for us? Whether you are full figured or thin you have to make sure your strengths and positive attributes are immediately evident to those that matter. Don't give anyone the chance to PERCEIVE you are someone you are not!

Healthy Living Must Be A Priority!

Mind and Body!

What to Wear at the Gym While on Your Weight Loss Journey!

A friend of mine who just started a diet confided in me that she feels uncomfortable when she is at the gym because most of the women are thinner than her. I remember having the same feeling when I first started my diet. Of course my feelings soon changed when I saw I had more stamina than most of the people in the room.

My advice to her was to put 100% into every class. The more she exercises the more endurance she will have. The more endurance she has the more confident she will be. The simple fact is, if she can physically outdo the "skinny girls" in the room what is there to be self conscience about! 

I remember observing everyone in class the first few weeks and choosing the two most impressive people in every class. My goal was to outdo them in six months and I did! Creating goals for yourself let's you focus on what's important improving yourself!

I also told her to choose her outfits wisely. Choosing your outfit for the gym is as important as choosing your outfit for work or for an evening out.  Looking good, simply said, gives you confidence! So, be strategic when buying exercise clothing; invest in quality exercise gear that emphasizes your best features and enhances the look of those you are not fond of.

Here are my tips:

1.     Always buy outfits! Match your pants, tee shirt or tank and sports bra. For example a black pair of spandex pants with neon green detailing and a neon green tee-shirt and sports bra. Don’t dress like your lounging around at home at the gym! The goal is to feel more confident and looking like a ragamuffin is not going to make you feel more confident.

2.     Buy exercise pants with at least 12% spandex! Spandex is your best friend when buying exercise pants! In addition to a minimum of 12% spandex, buy one size smaller than you normally wear in street clothing. This will give you extra support and make your body look more firm. If you have a little jiggle this strategy will help you control it. Stick to black if your legs are not toned. This helps give a slimmer silhouette.

3.     Wear a top that hides what makes you feel least confident! For example, if you have a “stomach pooch” you’re trying to hide there are tanks that are purposely made loose or ruched around the mid-section and if you hate your upper arms there are tee shirts that cut off just above the elbow.

4.     Do not wear exercise clothing that is too big for you! Often women think wearing large exercise clothing hides what they feel uncomfortable about. On the contrary, this strategy makes women look bigger as well as unkept!

Below are two examples of exercise tanks from Lululemon that help hide your stomach pooch!

Slimming Body Wraps!

There are two companies that seems to be the lead in slimming body wraps: suddenly slimmer and suddenly slender. They claim that you will loose 7- 12 inches during the wrap. I wonder if that's just water weight?

I've visited a few sites where individuals who have received body wraps say they actually lost inches but the benefits only lasted a day or two because it was water weight that was lost. A qoute from Mary M on yahoo Answers, " Body wraps reduce the amount of water weight you have, not the amount of fat. So you will be slimmer for a couple days, but as your body recovers you'll gain all the water back."

None the less, it seems it would be worth while to get done if you have a special event to go to. Watch the body wrap videos below for more information

Try Extra Dessert Delights Gum!

Imagine a gum that tastes like your favorite dessert! I happened to be at Target and came across a gum called Dessert Delights. I was amazed to see the number of dessert flavors it comes in: apple pie, rainbow sherbet, root beer float, orange cream pop, mint chocolate chip, strawberry shortcake and key lime pie. Intrigued by the thought of gum that tastes like dessert, I bought a package of the apple pie flavor. I thought it might work like the dessert sprays that are sold that help curb your sweet tooth. To my amazement, the gum actually tasted like apple pie and it works to suppress my cravings for sweets! So now, every time I have a craving for a sweet dessert I have a piece.  It really works to nip those cravings in the bud! The best part is that it is only 5 calories a stick.

For more information go to http://www.extragum.com/flavors# .