"Drop 2 or More Sizes Just by Going Shopping!"

Yesterday I wore a pair of capris that I bought last summer. They are a size 12. They were literally falling off. I had the teenage-boy-droopy-bum-jean look. I should have been overjoyed at the validation of losing weight and needing a smaller size. But, as much as I love fashion and the ability to wear more styles because of my smaller size, I don't love spending money. Then, there's the existential crisis of "Do I keep these size 12 pants just in case?"

Existential crisis aside, I marched off at lunch time to find pants that fit. I found a very cute pair of replacement capris that were quite snug but the sales staff assured me that's the way I should buy them as they will "stretch quite a bit". They were a size 4.

Now, I know I'm NOT a size 4. I think I'm a real size 8, or more likely, a 10 and I'm very happy with this. But over the last several years I've notice a trend in retail clothing that has been labeled vanity or flattery sizing. It made me think of the complicity of various industries in the current obesity crisis.

The many designer names in the fashion industry seem to be sized to sell. They don't want us to feel bad about being a double-digit size lest we lose our desire to buy. And companies in the food and entertainment industries want to Super Size it to give us "better value." But what are we really gaining by purchasing a "Jumbo popcorn for just 50 cents more" when we go to see a movie - except a heck of a lot of extra fat and calories. We're getting bigger and no business in its right mind wants us to "feel bad" about it.

This industrial subterfuge should be tackled by grassroots organizations, watchdog groups and government regulation. But we must never forget that we are responsible for our own health and well-being. And we should never confuse positive self esteem and an acceptance of our bodies with bad health and self destructive lifestyle habits. Accepting my pear-shaped body is a good thing, and aspiring to be a very fit pear (or apple for that matter) is even better.

But I'm not activist rabble-rouser or a purist. I believe vanity -- to a point -- can definitely play a positive roll in our health and wellness. Enter - The Skinny Jean. Last year I tried a 4-week fitness program called Skinny Jeans. Oh. My. Gosh. What a tough program! Tons of cardio, yoga and strength training, often two sessions a day. I did manage to complete the program and yes, I fit into my skinniest jeans at the end of 4 weeks - real size 8s!

I felt amazingly fit and strong after completing the program and I learned a lot about how I have to train smart and train hard to really make a difference in my fitness. But no real person (celebs aren't real people are they?) can sustain 2 workouts 5 days a week unless they are an elite athlete like my buddy and triathlete James Greenwood. The dude is super human. So I've returned to 4 workouts a week and a nice normal diet sans the jumbo popcorn. I feel great.

After my retail and fitness adventures, I can safely say I'm happier being a real, fit size 8/10 than a fake size 4.

FITFABFORTY



Fit, Fabulous and 40 is dedicated to anyone who is committed to staying fabulous by eating well, keeping active and maintaining a positive frame of mind. This takes work, so let's do it together. Drop me a comment any time, pass on tips and tricks or just follow along. You don't have to be 40, but you do have to be fabulous!

The Cheese Cake Diet - Lose 10lbs in Two Weeks!

We have a giggle around the office every time we see an ad promising significant (read: ridiculous) weight loss. And there are lots of those promises to go around... Lose 10lbs in 4 days! Drop 30lbs in 12 days! I often wonder why there are so many of these ads, and why people are so easily persuaded that such dramatic weight loss is 1) possible, 2) safe and 3) sustainable.

Then I remember my own rather infamous "Cheese Cake Diet".

When I was 14, I went to live with my older sister for a summer. I was really excited to be living in the big city with a "proper job" at the restaurant my sister managed. I was a hostess. For 5 hours a day in the heart of Toronto's financial district, I seated lunch guests, served meals and cleared tables. I loved it.

But surrounded by all of those slim, tall adults, I felt like a plump country bumpkin. In fact, I was the height I am now, 5 foot 5 inches tall, and a very healthy 120lbs. There was no Google way back then, and I had never heard of Body Mass Index (BMI). So I couldn't possibly know that I had a healthy teen BMI of 20. I suppose even back then, I wanted to be fabulous!

So I started my own diet plan. It consisted of one cup of black coffee and a slice of cheese cake. That's it. That's all. Every day for two weeks, I arrived at work, guzzled the coffee then slowly savored my slice of salvation over the course of my shift. Then I made increasingly suspicious excuses why I didn't want dinner. And low and behold - it worked! I lost 10lbs in just 14 days!!!! On day 15, I fainted and fell down two flights of stairs. That was the end of that "diet".

The point is, our body needs fuel. Good quality, well portioned fuel - especially in our 40s when things really start to change. But one thing doesn't change: the need for good information, not misleading and misguided promises. A wise person would start by calculating their Basal Metabolic Rate - the base rate of calories you burn just living. I wasn't wise. I was a teenager.

Without exercise, my BMR at 14 was about 1,975 calories. Add all the summer activities like swimming and bike riding and my overall calorie burn per day was probably close to 2,500 calories a day. A cup of black coffee has about 10 calories. A single, medium-sized slice of cheese cake has about 550 calories for a total of 560 calories a day IN and 2,500 calories a day OUT. No wonder I lost weight quickly. And no wonder I fell down a couple flights of stairs.

It should come as a relief that I've learned a thing or two about nutrition and the symbiotic relationship between diet and exercise. I now eat very well and come to think of it, I haven't had a slice of cheese cake since.

But... I KNOW I'm not the only one with a crazy diet story. So fess up and share the wealth... shoot me a quick comment and tell me your dumbest, funniest diet story. Did you know how many calories in and out? Did you pick a food and just eat one thing? (Lord have mercy on the friends of Cabbage Diet practitioners.) The weirder the better. And, as a bonus, I'll give a wee prize (a mypypeline.com workout video) to some of the best / silliest "promise headlines" Eg. I lost 30lbs just eating pimentos, and you can too!!!!!!!

Tell me everything. I promise... you have nothing to lose. FITFABFORTY