The Good, The Fat and The Hungry - Getting sized up

Welcome to the Good, the Fat and the Hungry. I'm Karla and I have been -- or am -- all those things. Here, I will share with you my lifelong struggle with my weight and I hope you'll follow along on with my determined attempt to lose nearly 40 pounds. I promise to tell you every win and setback along the way every Tuesday and Friday.

I always thought the S in clothing labels stood for Skinny. The more weight I gained, the more that same S came to mean So-what-if-she-can-wear-that. Now, it stands for Someday.

The M in clothing meant Mediocre -- for the chick who couldn't decide if she wanted to be small or large, so she settled for mediocrity, in between. But that same M in labels now stands for MY size! Oh, how I have enjoyed the downward spiral of my clothing sizes. It has certainly improved the shopping journey. Three years ago, I was a size XXXXXL. That's right, count em, FIVE X's large. Now, I am a medium and there ain't nothing mediocre about ME!

When I began my weight loss journey, I didn't really have a specific size in mind. I just knew my doctors recommended I strive for 160 pounds, based on my height and the size of my frame. I am still a little more than 20 pounds away from that goal, and I'm not sure what size I'll be when I reach it. But it doesn't really matter. I'm focused on the goal itself. The health benefits are not lost on me -- but even they are not my motivating force. I simply look and feel great, and I want to stay this way.

I was born in the land of all things fried, North Carolina. Down south, we are not afraid to eat. Nothing is off limits, and no animal part is safe. A balanced meal for me was fried chicken tenders as an appetizer, followed by fried something else, accompanied by something mashed, plus a heaping pile of greens. I guess we thought the greens offset the fried. Of course, this meal is not complete without sweet tea AND dessert. Oh, I forgot the cornbread. I chalk my former diet up to growing up in an environment where people did what they knew. Now I know better. I know more about proper eating. And my diet reflects that.

Back home, folks are calling this Southern girl skinny and thin. Come Thanksgiving, they say they're going to have a contest to fatten me up. I have to laugh out loud because their idea of skinny is the black chick on the Pine Sol commercials. As pretty as she is, she's far from thin. She is much closer to the old me than the new. I appreciate their concern about my weigt loss, though, and it's almost flattering to think they see me as one of the Olsen twins, but I know better. In some African cultures, the bigger you are, the wealthier you are considered. I should've moved over there while I was still heavy. They would've thought I was Donald Trump.

So here I am, down in weight, down in size, and up in fitness. The great thing about committing to fitness is that it is completely personal. When I run, I do it for me. When I get tired, I talk to me. I tell me that I am a runner, not a walker. I motivate me and by God's grace, I do it alone. In days gone by, I'd lost weight for a myriad of reasons, ranging from my Mother's nagging to the men I loved. I would lose for them, but the regain was on me, alone. Everything about this journey has been different. It really is all about me. In the most selfish way, I am doing this exclusively for me, with all benefits being reaped by me (excluding the fact that I'm eye candy, of course), and all the hard work is being put in by me. I know those are a lot of me statements, but if me don't do it, it won't get done. And what better reason than to get fit for me. I mean who loves me more, than me?

Who loves you more, than you? IS there a better reason for you, than you?