Big Girls Don’t Cry

Ladies come and join me on my journey into the world of fitness.  Yes I have joined Fernwood Gymnasium for women.  Today I went with my neighbour who also just happens to be an instructor at Fernwood, to do her pump class.  For those of you who don’t know what this is let me explain.

A pump class is simply a weight-training workout.  You use a bar and your weights are on either side of the bar.  I can not even begin to tell you how terrified I was to do this, but as you also know that I am trying to have a baby I knew that this opportunity came along and I had to at least go and see what it was all about and try it.

My neighbour and I were talking last week and I was telling her about how at my job I sit most of the day, then when I come home from work I sit in my study doing work on my website.  I told her that I was thinking of coming to check out the Gym and see what classes I could do, with my weight and low fitness level.  She suggested that I come to her Pump class on Saturday. 

She sent me a text message last night, which I didn’t get and in that message she just wanted to know if we were still on today.  When I didn’t reply she thought for sure I chickened out.  So she thought she would come around in the morning and ask anyway.

When she arrived I was just about to put my sneakers on, to her surprise I was almost ready to go.  Because I was in a rush this morning I didn’t eat breakfast, this is the first thing she asked me.  Did I have breakfast?  I didn’t and so then she thought I would pass out in her class, and to her surprise I managed to finish the whole class with only a few times stopping. 

She was really bowled over when I actually took up a membership after her class.  What I am trying to say here is that sometimes people under estimate us and we do this to us too.  My first induction is on Monday, the second on Wednesday and I hope you join me on this journey of self-discovery and wellness.  Who knows if I can make this work, it will inspire you to follow in my footsteps? 

You know that if you ever want to email me about anything at all you are all welcome, to ask questions, simply to tell me about your own situation, together we can get through anything.  Wish me luck!

Photo name - cat walk front  - Photo credit: ill-tempered 

Have you wondered what type of clothing you should buy to accentuate your fuller figure?  Well wonder no more I have a wonderful site that gives us curvy gals some great tips when buying clothing.  They are called plus-size-clothing [dot] org.  Take a look at their site to gather great tips on fashion and how you should wear your favourite items of clothing. 

I myself have trouble trying to find something that I feel comfortable in and that looks good on me.  This site is really informative and will no doubt help you with your selections next time you go shopping.  The site is too extensive for me to write about it in detail you really need to go have a look at their site as it has many different sections that may be of interest to you.

Photo credit: Jaff

A-Z on Health is a great directory for you to look up information about health matters.  Simply click on the links on the subject you want to know about and there you will find helpful hints.  . 

This Diet and fitness page has some really helpful hints on eating well and fitness, there are even video’s to download, check it out and see what you think. 

Curtesy of Nine MSN - lifestyles

Photo credit: nisa/neb

Easter is upon us again and no doubt we are all wondering what will we do for Easter feasts.   I know I worry about it all the time because you always try to eat healthy and then you go to a party and they have nothing healthy on the menu.  Here are some healthy recipes that you can use at Easter time and they will look fantastic and taste great too.

Salad Tortillas are a nice way to eat something tasty but not put those kilograms on, we also have these great recipes to choose from that are all healthy alternatives.  Lets not forget Good Friday when all good Christians can only eat fish.  These seafood ideas can also be brought into our Easter Feasts instead of the heavy food we end up eating.  Now that it is still very warn in Melbourne there is no other more enjoyable way to spend Easter then throw some seafood on the BBQ. 

For those with a sweet tooth, take a look at the links above and you will find some yummy sweets to satisfy your sweet tooth.  All these recipes are curtesy of MSN, lifestyles and recipe finder.  Enjoy your Easter and lets hope it’s a safe one.

Photo credit: Jose Miguel Serrano

Bulimia is very distressing to everyone. The pressure at school or home, media has become in your face so much that young men and women and adults feel the need to be thin. So much is this pressure felt that people have gone crazy with their health. The throwing up, dieting, excessive exercise has become the normal thing for these people, a way of life.

What are the causes of Bulimia? This is the question on everyone’s mind. There are many reasons for it, but you should know what the symptoms are.  These symptoms are what you should look for if you suspect that your loved one has Bulimia. It is important that you realise that telling them that they are not overweight and that they look fine won’t help matters. They have all these negative feelings stored in their heads and you telling them that it is ok just won’t help.

However, with treatment, Bulimia can be overcome. This will be a long process but will be worth it. What we don’t realise is that there are many health issues associated with this disease.  If you have a child that has Bulimia you should point out that there are plus size models out there like Crystal Ren on the Cat Walk that shine and are absolutely beautiful, they look healthy and happy and are gorgeous.  There is no need for them to take drastic measure to lose weight and be unhealthy.

Photo credit: William Richardson 

Ever since I have started buying plus size clothing I have been outraged that if you want to buy a tee shirt you pay over $50.00.  Why is it when you go to K-Mart or Target you only pay $10-20 for a smaller size tee.  I have now been buying on line for about 1 year and found that if you buy in USA their pricing is cheaper even after the exchange rate and freight.   Whilst you have to wait longer to obtain your goods I found that I refused to pay that much money for one item of clothing.

If you are like me and earn a minimum wage you will all too know how it is when you can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on clothing.  You know how it is bills, mortgage, and groceries.  You make your own comparisons and you will see the savings. 

I think that because there is a demand for plus size clothing in Australia the retail stores think that they can charge what they like because we need clothing and therefore we will pay what ever it takes.  Or so you would think.    After hours of research and searching for online stores I found that there is a much better way to dress well and not kill the old pocket in the process.

I have found that the UK pound is quite expensive for us Aussies.  As at today 28/2/08 the conversion rate for £50.00 to AUD is $105.33.  There is a big difference in the pricing there.  For $50.00 USD converted to AUD is $53.0920.  Use this as an example and use the rate converter from XE to check how much this will cost you. 

Photo credit: esther17 

I am sure you have come across many fad diets in your time. I my self have tried everything under the sun. Some worked, some didn’t and some just worked for awhile then stopped working.

I have tried so many and yet I am bigger then ever. I think that everyone has their own health issues and therefore these diets are just not suitable for everyone. You may have a Thyroid problem which makes you put on weight, so really anything you try won’t really work. It is the Thyroid you need to treat and so diets won’t help.

In my case it is the polycystic ovarian disease which causes my weight gain. Dieting has proven to be very hard for me, food is my enemy and time is not kind to me as I find it hard to find time to exercise. Take a look at the link above and you will see what I am talking about with all the fads.

Let me know if you find any new fad diets.

• 1. I am witty
• 2. I know how to laugh
• 3. I have a big heart
• 4. I am open minded
• 5. I am fun to be with
• 6. I am interesting
• 7. I have pretty eyes
• 8. I have style
• 9. I have an imagination
• 10. Not afraid to try new things

Ten things I love about me is something that I thought you would benefit from.  Try it yourself write down 10 things you love about yourself.  If you can do this then you are doing ok.  Sometimes we forget what is great about us because of the black cloud hanging over our heads all the time.  It is in the media, at work, in life.  All we tend to think is I am overweight, and nothing else matters after that.  When ever I feel down and feel like I am falling into that trap I write a few things that I like about myself.  It helps me to be positive and how ever hard it is to get away from, you have to try because no one out there that is negative about you will give you a break. 

Only you can do this, and if you do it often enough it actually starts working.  You start to smile in the morning again and when you think you can’t do something you think back on the things that you are good at and then start to realise that you can do what ever you want.

Someone very dear to me always says positive things to me, like every email sent starts with and I quote “Hello cute one” or “Hi beautiful woman” and for those brief moments I do feel good about myself.  She has always encouraged me to write and do something with my writing.  I finally am doing that.  It was her encouragement that led to my doing this website.  If you are lucky enough like me to have someone special that will be a positive force in your life, then you are truly blessed.So try to find that one person to be your compass, to find you’re way to loving yourself and to give you the inspiration to be creative and smile and be happy.  And please do try the 10 things I love about myself, keep a diary and refer to it when you are feeling down and out.

Are you an emotional eater?

Do you snack frequently during the day?

Do you eat when you get angry about something or are upset?

If you do any of the above things, ask yourself is there something else that is behind this, like some kind of trauma?

If you suffered some kind of trauma do you think that it has scarred you and therefore you eat to comfort yourself?

Do you feel there is no way out for you?

Do you feel depressed?

Do you dread getting up in the morning?

If you feel any of the above things or experienced anything bad in your life, do you think that maybe it is time that you tried to get over this to be happy again?

Please read my suggestions and tell me if you think that this could help you.

The reason I have asked you all of these questions is because I think if we can all talk about what we are feeling and admit that there is a problem and start to address what is bothering us.

This may not relate to everyone out there but I am sure lot of you including myself have felt this way or have done these things in the past, the present and will do in the future. You know how everyone always tells you to think positive and good things will happy, well they might be on to something here.  I started thinking positive and have achieved allot.  I created this website and am in the process of writing my novel.

A year ago I would not have dreamed that I would start this site or even write a book, but I have.  One wise woman told me to believe in myself and I did - just like that.  In the process I focused on all the positive things in my life like my Husband Rob, my gorgeous dog Pebbles, my new site and my book.  The only reason I feel positive now is because I took a chance and did these things that have occupied my time.  The world is your oyster, so let us all get active and do something useful with our time and have some fun.

I guess what I am trying to pint out is that there must be something you want to sink your teeth into and really give a go, or just do it because you love to do it.  Write a list of things you might like to give a try.

My activity is writing and fashion, yours could be cooking, pottery or sport.  You just need something to focus on other then your weight and how others make you feel.  Just something that is done for you.

I know this will change your life because it has mine.  I think more clearly, I have a purpose and have only really now started to appreciate who I am.  The questions above are not meant to upset, but rather let you bring out your feelings and allow you to face them.  Drop me your story and or comments to Katly@big-girls-dont-cry.com.

As Scarlet said in Gone with the wind “after all, tomorrow is another day”.

Photo credit: Golden Emporium 

Remember the days when all you could buy in plus sizes ended up making you look like a granny?  Well those days are gone, I have been following and researching the different online stores for the fuller figured women.

I’ve come across some wonderful sites that really have listened to us plus size buyers.  I used to go into a shop and get a size 26 off the rack; I would put the item on and find that the top was too tight around my hips, and way too big around my chest.  It was almost impossible to buy anything that fit properly.

I found some great stores that ask you to measure yourself chest, waist, hips and length of your leg.  This has made things easier for us consumers because we know what we are getting in the form of measurements.  Also making things easier is the designers of the plus size fashion.  They have taken real plus size women with all different shapes and sizes and have managed to make tops that fit right at the top and fit right at the hip area.

This is fantastic as far as I am concerned because the plus size fashion of today has really sparked that twinkle in our eyes again.  We can now be bold, fashionable, classy, and sexy and not look like a grandmother in her Sunday best clothing.

Take a look at some of my links to stores and you will see what I mean.  Lovely blouses, skirts, dresses, work wear, bathing suits and accessories like belts, yes I said belts.  They have actually made a belt to fit the plus size woman and she will look great with it on.

Oh, and ladies, take a look at the lingerie, they have some gorgeous things and very sexy too.  I must admit that I was surprised at what I found so don’t be afraid to buy online, I have done it and was very happy with my purchases.  You can’t go wrong because if your measurements are correct and you guide yourself that way you will be fine.  In the event something doesn’t fit right or you miscalculated then I would say almost all stores will accept the items back for exchange, some offer store credit.