The Top 6 Misconceptions of Plus Size Women

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and shared things you have done or wore and they seemed surprised. Although we live normal lives, there are some people that believe our lives are anything but like theirs. I have complied the top 6 misconceptions of plus size women. Can you relate????

#1 Plus size women are lazy....

Most plus size women are not lazy. We enjoy getting out of the house and doing activities. Just because we are overweight does not mean we sit on the couch all day.

#2 Plus size women are totally unhealthy and near death lol

While I do understand some risk factors with our health, not all plus size women are having health issues. It is very possible to be over 200 pounds and still live a healthy lifestyle.

How Do You Love Your Body BUT You Want to Lose Weight

I've came across a few things that this topic came up. Typically it's a large woman that is either trying to or has lost weight and is getting negative comments from others. What's more surprising is that the negative comments comes from other big women or men. You know it's kind of crazy to me to see others putting someone down for making changes to their own body. I have never received negative comments about losing weight. The most I have heard is not to lose too much. That is stupid too! I think because those who are receiving backlash are people who are more known basically celebrities in their own right and have a large following.

Weightloss and Life Update

Monthly Weigh In

It is finally time to give you guys an update on my numbers for my weight and my measurements. My previous measurements have been misplaced so I don't have those numbers to compare. I can say that clothes are fitting better so I know I have lost a good amount of inches. My starting weight was 298. Below are my current numbers as well as comparison photos. I see the biggest changes in my side and back pictures. Going forward I will try to keep the same clothes on to see how I transform in them.

My Weightloss Progress in Charlotte So Far

Hey Loves.....

I am trying to be consistent  again with posting so expect a new post at least once a week.

Ok so I have been living in Charlotte for 2 months now and although my progress has been slow I am still making progress. I do not know my current weight because I do not own a scale but the last time I weighed myself at my sisters house I was 295. That's a big jump from the 276 I was back in April and close to the 317 I was last year. I hate that I let myself gain 20 pounds back but I know how it happened and I am not letting it happen anymore.

I Moved to Charlotte!!!!...and Gained Weight

Oh my goodness guys you have no idea how much I needed a break from EVERYTHING. I finally made that move to Charlotte, NC with my daughters and I can breath again. Preparing for this move was way more than I bargained for, but the move was so needed.

My move to Charlotte was to have a better life for me and daughters and to be closer to my sisters. I was supposed to move years ago but always chickened out when it was time to start planning for it. Welp I didn't chicken out this time and the last week of June I got on the road to a better life.

I Signed Up for A Dietbet and FAILED!!!!

HI GUYS!!!!!!!!! I know, I know it has been a minute but just like the last time I am back. Sometimes we go through things in our lives that makes us take a step back to re-evaluate ourselves. It's good to take some time away to collect yourself and then get back into the swing of things. I have so much to update you guys on but I will share in different posts.

The first thing is I signed up for a Dietbet and FAILED miserably. I thought signing up for it would give me the push I needed to go harder and at first it did. In the beginning I was doing great, but life got the best of me and I slacked off and never reached my goal which meant I lost the $25 bet I put in. Was I mad about losing $25....Yes. Did I put in the work to get my money back......NOPE.

I'mmmmmm Baaaaaaack

These past few months have been an up and down roller coaster for me health and fitness wise. It started mainly when I hit my plateau, which I am still currently in. I have not been able to get under 273 and boy has that driven me crazy, but here's what I have been up to...

~ I did not complete the Whole30 challenge. I think that is part of what created my plateau in the first place. I strayed away from what was working for me food wise. I was pretty balanced with my food choices and although Whole30 isn't a bad choice it just shifted things for me. I think it may have threw me off of my balanced plan.

What Happens When The Weightloss Slows Down

I was beyond excited when I hit 40 pounds down. Up until this day I have had a steady loss of a few pounds a week minus the moments in October and December when I fell off a little and gained some weight. Although they say it is not healthy to weight yourself often, I do. I find weighing myself helps me stay on track and push myself to see those numbers go down. Lets be real... my numbers have to go down by a lot at this point. I am still high in the 200s so seeing the numbers go down is very important.

So for months I have been seeing at least 2 pounds down a week but ever since I hit the 40 pound mark I am stalling out. I have not lost one pound since then. I am still eating clean and working out 6 days a week so what gives???? It is frustrating to see me hit a plateau and I want no parts of it. I spent the weekend reevaluating my food intake and workout regimen and I am implementing some changes.

Why It's So Important to Take Pictures During Your Journey

We have all been there when we know we are working hard towards our goal of weightloss, but don't see the changes we would like to see. I am in the mirror everyday examining my body to see if I find something that is different and many times I don't. When you look at yourself everyday it is hard to see the changes your body are making.

Well Saturday was my weightloss group weigh-in and I am officially down 40 pounds... whoot whoot! Although the numbers on the scale are steadily going down I still haven't seen a huge difference in the mirror. I have now started to try on clothes I couldn't fit and guess what?..... I can fit some of them again. Yyaaayyyyyyyyy!!!!!

Weightloss with an Iron Deficiency

Earlier this year I decided to get a physical since it has been years since I have had one. So after everything is done and I get blood work done I get a call from my doctor to come back in. She starts asking me questions about am I always tired and other things. Now I start to get nervous because I'm like Oh God something is wrong with me. I tell her being a single mom of 3, working full time, and running two businesses would have anyone tired. I was truly tired though. Extremely exhausted almost everyday, but when your as busy as me you don't think twice about it.

Turns out I am severely anemic to the point she was very concerned and even asked me about my menstrual cycle which coincidently was horribly heavy beyond words can describe (sorry for the TMI). So she puts me on iron pills which I have to take three times a day and sends me to my OBGYN to get checked out. My doc there put me on birth control to help out. But, here's the thing....I am a horrible pill taker. The only time I have taken pills consistently is when I was pregnant. Definitely not good and this time was no different. I have completely stopped taking my birth control because I kept missing days and I take my iron pills sporadically. I may do good for a whole week and then I may not take them for a whole month.

True Life: My Boyfriend is Fed Up with My Weight.....Womp Womp

I love watching MTV's True Life and more often than not many people can relate to what the people are going through in their episode. True Life has been flying under the radar lately, probably because of ratings, so I've found that new episodes come on very randomly and very late. Well that's the only time I tend to catch them. Last night's episode featured two couples in which the women are facing weight loss battles to save their relationship and each couple got me upset in different ways.

The first couple consisted of a very fit man and an overweight woman. The man was very into fitness and healthy eating and the woman wasn't. She was like the average big girl who enjoyed her food and did little physical activity. With her boyfriend constantly on her case about loosing weight she obliged but it didn't come without added relationship issues. This is when I started to give my major side eye... I was all for encouraging her to live a healthier lifestyle but it was the way he went about it. Like many (for reasons I will never understand since it never works) thought by calling her names, giving her ultimatums, and damn near forcing her to workout and eat the way he did would give her the motivation to lose weight. Why, Why, Why do people do this!!!!!!! It never works and usually brings on negative results. My whole thought during the show was why is he with her if he wants a smaller framed woman and why is she with him when he talks to her that way. I absolutely can not deal with women regardless of size that stays in a relationship when someone puts you down constantly. That is not and will NEVER be love. This young lady deserves better and hopefully in time she will and if SHE wants to lose weight for HERSELF I am more than proud she is making it happen. We just have to remember why we are doing things and it should always be because we want to do it for ourselves and through our own journey.

Now on to the other couple.....Major side eye from the beginning. There is a slightly over weight guy and a severely obese woman. What got me upset about this couple is that the man simply wanted his girlfriend to become healthier. He didn't want her to be a size two, he just wanted her to get down to a healthier weight due to the medical conditions she has and she was straight up being lazy and not seeing the severity of her situation. After miscarriages due to her size and other medical problems she still did not take her weight seriously. Now as much as I preach to love your body I also preach living a healthy lifestyle regardless of your size. It wasn't until she became pregnant AGAIN and her boyfriend left her (because of the burden she became due to her constant weight gain and unwillingness to do better) that she understood she had to take her weight seriously and do something about it. It killed me to see her killing herself. I thought her confidence was awesome but regardless of your size you should always work towards making healthy life choices to live a long life. There was no doubt that had she not gotten pregnant and her boyfriend stayed she would still be gaining weight and that's sad. He had to help her put her shoes on and tie them for her and she told him  he would be doing more for her in the near future. Now how selfish is that!!!!! By the end of the show she had a healthy baby and was embracing eating better and exercising and looking into getting weight loss surgery.

This episode hit many spots with me and my own weight loss journey/struggle LOL. Everyone has a choice of how they see their life and what they would like to do in it. First and foremost always focus on your health and secondly make sure your choices are for you. You have to love yourself before you make your changes or your changes will mean nothing.

Thanks for letting me vent LOL.....

My Fitness Magazines Obsession...

Ok guys I have a confession to make....I am obsessed with buying fitness magazines. My healthy lifestyle journey started after the birth of my first daughter in 2009. At that time I started to buy books and magazines about how to change things in my life to become healthy and lose weight. It wasn't the pictures of women I wanted to see, it was the information I was being given.

I don't seek information from these magazines to look like the models (very unrealistic and unhealthy to do), I do it because you never know what new things, studies, recipes and etc. has come out. I used to subscribe to a few publications but to curve my "addiction" (lol) and to save money I now just buy them here and there.

 

I get a lot of limited edition guides and books usually once a year (hence them being limited editions). I do have my favorites that I feel give me the most beneficial information though. Check out my list of go to magazines and books below,

My ultimate Favorite is Oxygen Magazine and my favorite books comes from the owner of Oxygen Magazine. Her name is Tosca Reno. Her books and magazine focuses on clean eating and fitness.

My other go to places are:

Fitness Magazine
Self Magazine and guides
Women's Health guide (don't really care for the magazine)
Clean Eating Magazine
Shape Magazine

I feel all of these magazines, guides and books gives great information and their own spin on healthy lifestyles. I usually apply what will fit into my lifestyle and not worry about what doesn't. What I don't use out of the magazines I sometimes create and update my vision boards with. You can never have enough information on living a healthy and balanced lifestyle!!!!

Are you a magazine junkie like me????

Everyone is NOT Fat Shamming You!!!

I am pretty sure you have heard about the mom of 3, Maria King, and her fitness photo. Here photo has now gone viral because many believe she is fat shaming. I completely disagree!

I understand what it's like to be a busy mom of 3 with 2 jobs (one of which I own). I have a 4 year old, 2 year old twins. I work over 40 hours a week. I handle all of the cooking and I do most of the cleaning and preparing for the next day, not to mention I don't like to miss my fav shows. I used to use how busy I was as an excuse to not be very healthy.

I am not saying you can't be overweight and healthy because I have never had any issues because of my weight. I got to a point after my first daughter that I wanted to lose weight and get more healthy and fit. It has been a roller coaster especially since I had my twins. I have way less time to dedicate to fitness BUT I make it happen. I believe Maria's photo was meant for those who want to be healthier and more fit but let their excuses get in the way.

 Everyone that sends out messages are not attacking others. Now there are times when people do send out messages and pictures to shames others. Wee see that everyday, but I don't agree that this is one of them. I feel those who were offended have their own insecurities within themselves that this picture struck a cord with. I could understand if she had including other things in her statement that where very offensive but to simply say what's your excuse can be targeted toward everyone, not just overweight women.

I hate when people are quick to judge without knowing the other person's situation. Maria shares that she suffered from bulimia in the past along with other things about herself which lets me know that she has had her own struggles but did not use them as an excuse.

At times I feel some plus size women get to emotional to fast and are quick to yell fat shaming without looking further into things. There are also a lot of plus size women who don't realize they thin shame women. How many post have you seen of bigger women putting down skinny women? It is all the same thing people.

Yes fat people get shamed often, HOWEVER, not everyone is fat shaming you. We need to work on our sensitivity to subjects before we jump to a conclusion.

You all know I love you ladies and I am sorry if you disagree with me (everyone is entitled to their own opinion). I hope Maria King's photo did not offend you and if it did I am sorry. Always remember you are fabulous, amazing, and beautiful women.

Celebrating Healthy Curves is Still Celebrating Curves....Right??

I have noticed that when I post things related to fashion/style/body image I get a great response from my fabulous followers, but when I post about living a healthy lifestyle I either get no response, negative response or people start to unfollow me. Now I know everyone is on their own journey and I in no way push my thoughts and opinions onto to others, but it does make me think. Do people feel like I am not still celebrating curves if I talk about healthy foods and exercise?

I am a full figured woman full of curves and I believe I will always be plus size (I don't want to become skinny). I do however want to be HEALTHY...is that a crime? Size Fabulous was created to have women love their bodies while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Do I criticise people for eating foods I don't or not exercising...absolutely not. Everyone is in charge of their own life and like I said many times, losing weight and eating healthy is your decision and your journey.

Would I like to see you fabulous ladies on a healthy journey...Yes! I am a firm believer that everyone regardless of size should eat healthy and get a little exercise in their daily routine. I want us all to be healthy. I know I am not perfect and nor do I claim to be. I have been up and down on my journey since the birth of my twins (which was 2 years ago) so I know and understand the struggle. I love you guys and if my posting of health and wellness bothers you then I am sorry, BUT I will continue to share my journey.

Size Fabulous has a goal and you don't have to agree with everything that is shared. I am sharing my stories through my blog so those who are going through the same journey has someone they can relate to and reach out to. I love all of my followers whether you hit the gym or not and I will always be here for you guys in all aspect of being fabulous at any size.

I'm the Biggest Girl in The Gym

Finally deciding to get healthy is a big step for anyone. Regardless of size, health is the most important factor to maintain. I congratulate all of you who have starting and are currently working hard to become and living healthy. It is no secret that I am battling my own weight loss and healthy journey. After many years of not actually working out in the gym (I usually work out at home) I have signed up with my love to get back in there.

I have found that I will work harder and stay focused if I have other people around me, not to mention I'm spending money on it. When walking to the cardio equipment, I was surveying the area and sure enough I was the biggest person in the room. Did that stop me....NOPE! Many women and men tend to shy away from gyms and other fitness areas because they are scared to show their larger bodies and ultimately feeling judged by others. I sometimes feel that way too. Its always in the back of my mind what others may think but IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT ANYONE ELSE THINKS!

The other gym members do not know your story. It is up to you to stay focused on your goal and strive for the best. Just think about the end result and how happy you will be when you reach your goal of a healthier life. I wanted to give you a few tips to make it easier to handle being the big girl in the gym.

• There will being other plus size people at the gym even if you are bigger than them just know that you are not alone in your journey.

• If possible bring a friend you can talk to. It will keep your mind off of everyone else.

• Create a workout plan. This will keep you focused on your tasks.

• Take your time and do it right! Do not kill or hurt yourself trying to do things you can't handle.

• Say positive messages to yourself to keep you going.

• Wear cute a colorful workout clothes.

• If you need help, ask the staff. Most gyms provide trainers or staff to help you with equipment.

• REMEMBER YOUR HEALTH COMES FIRST!!!

Obese & Pregnant or Should I Say Obese with a Ton of Medical Problems & Pregnant

So a couple days ago I was watching a show on the discovery health channel called "Obese & Pregnant" I love watching all types of pregnancy and baby shows. I have not seen this show before and thought it would be interesting to see plus size women like myself go through their birthing journey. The show ended with me being very upset. They did not focus on the joy of being pregnant at a larger size, they instead focused on medical issues the women either had before, during, or after having a baby. There was not one women that did not have a normal and healthy pregnancy. That's what really bothered me.

There is plenty of plus size women who has not had children yet and was probably scared to have any after watching this show. It saddens me that no matter what the topic is, if a person is overweight they will mainly focus on the medical issues you can get or already have. Can we not still enjoy giving the gift of life without someone focusing on obesity related issues. I an so sick of listening to people give the speach of you can only be healthy if you loose weight. I am not blind to the fact that people do develop health issues because of their weight but that does not apply to everyone.

I could have been great on this show. I have 3 children, 2 of which are twins and I have never had a medical issue before, during, or after my pregnancies. With my first child, I believe my weight got up to around 290 something. This was the heaviest I have ever been and I did loose 60 pounds after. Carrying twins was no joke, my delivery weight was 314. My pregnancies were all full term, I had Kennedi natural without any meds. I did have to have a c-section with the twins but only because they both wouldn't stay head down. After birth my weight went down to 274 and I will admit that it is not as easy to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight as my life is completely different and more hectic. The weight I am today is my heaviest without being pregnant but I am still healthy.

36 weeks pregnant with my twins

There are many other women like me that has successful and healthy pregnancies and births. This show was so disappointed and only further pushed the stigma that with a heavier size comes health problems. The ending credits gave a very brief update but highlighted that the women lost x amount of pounds. Was that really necessary??? Could they just have an update on mommy and baby??? As a plus size person we have a long way to go to get people to accept our size. Weight loss, weight gain, and maintaining a certain should be at the discretion of the one individual not other peoples opinions. I am all for a healthy life style but you have to make the right decisions for yourself. Maybe we will see a plus size woman on this show that doesn't bring up weight as an issue...I'll wait....