Over on AOL That’s Fit, I shared my story of losing weight and taking up barefoot water skiing again. Here’s the link:
Karen Rediscovered Her Passion
The story was posted earlier in the week and was featured on the front of the AOL website several times. Emails, tweets and Facebook messages have been coming in, mostly with people expressing shock at the before picture. At a recent ZVRS presentation, a senior citizen came up to me and said, “Wow, you lost weight! That’s much better! You were so fat before!” Gotta love those seniors, they tell it like it is, in colorful sign language.
My oldest son even did a double-take at the photo of me. “Mom, I didn’t realize you were that… big,” he said. He glanced at me and then came over and gave me a hug.
Debra Poneman, the gal behind the “Yes to Success” seminars, said, “I nearly fell off my chair when I saw the photo of you at 220 on the That’s Fit article.”
Well, Debra, you and me, both. I guess that’s why I avoided the scale and the mirror for a long, long time.
I still have a ways to go to get rid of the rest of the pounds. It’s a work in progress. During the last couple of weeks, I have been going to Bikram Yoga. Most days, I actually enjoy the challenge of getting through 90 minutes of poses in a hot, hot, hot room. Then there are other days when I want to run screaming out of the room into a tub of ice.
The most amusing part of the whole losing weight saga has been the comments left on the That’s Fit story. Here’s one:
I am really happy for her and her weight loss. But somehow I find myself wondering when I read this article and many magazine articles where people are said to “finally buy a size 6 jean” at 168 lbs??? I bobble between 158-162 and I am in a 12 comfortably and can still squeeze in my 10’s on a good day. I might get one leg in a 6. Exactly what kind of jeans are these people buying??
I have two pairs of size six jeans, one from St. John’s Bay and the other from Target. At 168 pounds, people are scratching their heads trying to figure out how that could possibly be true. I wonder the same thing myself at times, because I weigh exactly the same as I did back in November when the barefooting photo was taken, yet have gone down two sizes since then. But then again, jeans vary in sizes like crazy. I can’t get into a size six in jeans from Eddie Bauer.
So to give you an idea of my jeans one year ago and my jeans today, take a look:
Comments
10 responses to “A Size Six? You Gotta Be Kidding”
Way to go, Karen!
Reason #1 you can fit into size 6 jeans – you have been working out like crazy. You are fit and toned and everything is smaller.
#2 You are an apple shape, not a pear. A pear could not be a size 6 at that weight maybe, but an apple or Y shape sure could. Everyone’s body type is different, but trust me, you ARE a size 6 – I just saw you and you look awesome.
Karen,
This is fantastic! What an inspiration for folks wanting to loose weight and feeling like it’s too hard. Congrats on the recognition, but even more importantly, congrats on making you a priority and for taking care of yourself.
To Life!
Congratulations! You look fantastic! I have a pair of size 7 jeans from *ahem* the 80’s and I tell you, that would be a size “0” today. I know that the fashion industry has changed the standards. Also, if you were to shop in the big, fancy department stores, the sizes will be smaller, encouraging you to purchase their clothes!
You know that is all so true. Sizes are so different now a days. When I was in high school and weighed the same as I do now, I was more of a size 12. At the same size, today it came out a 12. When I shop for clothes, sometimes it’s a size 8, sometimes a 6, and other times even a 4 or a 10. I can’t make sense of sizing since I lost weight.
It’s more about how you feel in your clothes than what size you are. Size 6 never looked so good!
Yahoo!!! I’m so proud of you girl. Whoohooooooo.
xoxoxoxo
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Karen, you were amazing before but I am so happy for you! Congratulations on your fitness journey! I gotta say nothing bugs me more than women who tear down the success of other women. Weight is a very small part of who we are and the numbers don’t tell the whole body type story. When you work out you may weigh more but fit into smaller clothes because you are toned. It’s why the universal weight chart is so deceiving you can be “overweight” for your height but in reality not at all overweight or unfit. I wear the smallest size I’ve ever worn in life yet I weigh more than I did in my slim 20s because I am actually fit now. Don’t let anyone take away from your success and joy, you have totally rocked it!
Hello Karen,
You’re looking so fantastic, I will show your blog to my sister. So she can be motivated after seing your blog.
Thanks