The 6.5 Pound Gain
- 06
- 08
- 10
Not my 6.5 pound gain. I don’t think. Sorry to disappoint. Or mislead. Truth be told, I haven’t stepped on a scale in a couple of weeks. Which is not my norm. Ever since Toddler was known to be brewing in my belly, I have made a point of weighing myself. I didn’t want to go the surprise seventy pound pregnancy route and a daily check-in seemed to be the way to go. And it worked. I only gained twenty-five pounds with each babe. And I’ve kept up the habit of number-checking since.
Until recently.
Recently, I’ve been under enough pressure and stress. I don’t need that extra oh-I-ate-soy-sauce-and-gained-two-pounds-in-five-minutes angst. So. I’ve forsaken the scale. Instead, I’ve opted for the clothing test. My skinny jeans? They fit fine. And, yes, they are stretchy, but that’s legal. And lovely.
The truth? I’ve been riding this publication wave. And I want to enjoy it. I want to suck every ounce of this experience. And I don’t want to be distracted by the ups and downs of a flat piece of technology that chills on my bathroom tile.
Denial, you say? Perhaps. I have been indulging. This weekend at my college reunion? I did not pass up that glass of wine for fear of the calories. I did not limit myself. And you know what? This is the way it should be. There are happy times in our lives, exquisitely beautiful times in our life, when we should just plunge in and go for it. Not play it safe. Not count. Not chide ourselves.
There are times to live.
I am friends with the author Emily Giffin. Yes, on Facebook. In the odd event that you are not familiar with Emily or her best-selling candy-colored novels, she is a bit of a phenom. And I have a bit of a soft spot for this chick because she too abandoned the sparkling legal world to write away her days and raise a family. Anyway. Emily’s latest book Heart of the Matter is waiting for me on my bedside. And it is selling like hotcakes. And she is touring around this fine nation. As she should. And one of her recent updates on Facebook made me smile. Because, really, it reminded me that despite her commercial magic, she is a human being. Her words:
Official (almost over) book tour weigh-in. Four weeks=a whole lot of French fries and drinks=6.5 lbs! Up slightly from my 6 lb average book tour gain.
This woman, this writer? She has been on tour for almost a month and, per the bits I gather online, she has been doing late-night shots and scarfing room-service fries and she has a bit more of her to show for it. And? The fact that she is willing to shout this from the rooftops of her digital palace? It makes me like her. It does. Because I am sick and tired of people pretending like they are perfectly disciplined and sensible creatures. (Because, frankly, I am often one such pretender.) I am even more sick and tired of those who are actually not pretending. Those who never have that extra fry or fifteen.
So, Emily? Bravo. I plan to plow through your purple-wrapped prose soon. Once I get a minute to breathe. More than anything, I applaud your humor, your authenticity, your honesty.
It’s not just your starry words that make you shine.
_________________________________________
- How often do you weigh yourself?
- Did you (or your wife) weigh yourself (herself) during your (her) pregnancies?
- Have there been very happy times in your life when you’ve indulged, and knowingly, and happily?
- Do you gain or lose weight at happy times? At sad times?
- Do you respect people who are honest about their very human tendencies?
- Have you read Emily Giffin’s latest? Would you like to? I plan to zip through my copy and then send it on to one of you when I’m through. In the upper right corner of the title page I will inscribe my top-secret weight at the time of mailing
Leave a comment on this post before 6am EST Friday, June 12th for a chance to win.
I refuse to step on a scale…and I think that is likely for good reason. Though now that my youngest is approaching 16 months, I might have to get out of denial and do something about it. The problem is, I’m not good with rules, especially when they come to food.
I tried … oh, I tried so hard to be good and sensible during my pregnancies. And I WAS (except for the occasional ice cream dinner, but when you are seven months pregnant in August, what else can you do?), and I still gained way more than my tiny little babies warranted. I blame it on genetics!
Thankfully I am one who is able to drop most of the baby weight through breastfeeding, so I didn’t feel QUITE so guilty about the extra pounds in my second pregnancy.
I lose weight when stressed – mostly because I get sick to my stomach when I’m upset, thus not being able to eat. Not exactly a healthy weight-loss plan. And usually I try to be good about what I eat, even when happy, but … if I’m having an extraordinarily good stretch of time, I don’t fret over it. Sensible eating will always be there to return to. Tomorrow.
oh-I-ate-soy-sauce-and-gained-two-pounds-in-five-minutes
I used to be able to eat pickles with impunity.
Then I hit my 40s.
Goodbye pickles and anything else salty unless I don’t want my shoes to fit the next day, plus there is the pleasure of a puffy face.
RE: Weight loss. Nothing, but nothing puts me off my feed. Unfortunately. For a while, I was taking topamax for migraines. Topamax has the happy side effect of killing one’s appetite. Unfortunately, it did not kill the headaches.
Oooh-I really like Emily Giffin’s books! I’ve read them all and can’t wait to get the latest one. I am in the middle of Life After Yes :=) I weigh myself most mornings…I find that knowing where I am helps keep me in check during the day when it comes to choosing what to eat. When I was pregnant I also weighed myself quite often. I gained 35 lbs with the first one and 40 with the second (although the second was born in the summer and the last few weeks I had pretty bad swelling). I found that the first 6 months or so I was excited to see the weight go up, but then the last 3 I was trying not to let it get too high. My daughter is 11 months now and I’m back to a weight I am happy with. I tend to lose weight when I am sad or anxious and gain when I’m happy.
I have never read any of Emily Giffin’s books. Am I missing out?
It’s ironic that you blogged about her today because just yesterday I was sleuthing around online and looked her up because I was curious about how she adopted her career as a writer. (I’m beginning to wonder what percentage of writers are ex-lawyers…)
As for my own weight – I gain it when I’m happy and lose it when I’m stressed. Things are happy right now and so I’ve been battling 3 or 4 pesky pounds that won’t seem to disappear. Perhaps my nightly s’more habit needs a hiatus? Please say no!
I *adore* Emily Giffin’s books and am loving LAS!
I never weigh myself. I use the “clothes fit” rule. If they’re too tight it’s time to pass on the second glass of wine and french fries. I’ve found, though, as I approach my mid 30′s, it is so much harder to lose weight. I am a huge fan of the app on iphone “lose it”. Really helps you track calories and make wiser food choices.
Speaking of food choices, I’m also reading IN Defense of Food. LOVE, love! Making me throw away all of those 100 calorie snacks and grab an apple or a pear!
I find it interesting that weight gain (generally considered undesirable) often accompanies such wonderful times in our life – and not just because hedonism and gluttony feel wonderful – but times that are splendidly life-altering. Pregnancy, newlyweds, college (ok, that may be hedonism), and apparently publishing a book!
I’m jealous of your 25 lb pregnancy! I weighed myself daily through a 70 lb pregnancy — what!? — so it wasn’t a surprise, but it was surprising (if that makes sense). I even was trying to be good and was feeding myself+baby mostly good-for-us foods. It was a confusing time. I was sure people assumed I was binging on milk shakes, but I am convinced (with no scientific support) that some people’s bodies just hoard weight during pregnancy. I am one such lucky person. Happily, I’m now watching the lbs fall off just as mysteriously as they appeared. Baby is just now 9 months, so I’m to the tail of the weight parabola…finally! Hello, pre-pregnancy clothes, I’ve missed you!
I weigh myself every day. Which I know is a bit crazy, but it’s true. I feel like it keeps me on track, like you said. Except for after my wedding, when I stopped and GAINED. So now I’m back on the healthy train, trying to lost those extra pounds. I gain in both happy and sad times, I think. Which just goes to show my f’d up relationship with food, doesn’t it? That when I want to celebrate, I eat. And when I need comfort, I eat. Ah well, recognizing the problem is the first step to fixing it right?
And then there are the times–as with your book publication–where I decide ahead of time that I might gain and I don’t care. Because the experience is too good to be ruled by food, and there should be no limit and restriction on the fun. And those are the best times! And, actually, sometimes I gain less in those situations than in the situations where I am trying not to indulge but do anyway…. Curious.
I don’t own a scale, and I’m quite happy with my jeans size. It works for me, but I understand why some people like to weigh in more frequently. I am an all-things-in-moderation kind of gal. I exercise almost daily, and I also eat ice cream almost daily.
I would love to win the book. Sounds like a great summer read!
Love this post AND this contest. Count me in
I don’t own a scale…the last one I had was lost in one of my many moves, and after a week or so of realizing how much happier I was in its absence, I decided not to replace. So I, too, do the clothing test.
And I love the idea that there are times to LIVE, and to enjoy the good things life puts in front of us. Glad to hear you’re doing that with your publication wave!
I try to weigh a few times a week–not every day because that would likely make me crazy given that weight fluctuates based on sodium intake, “time of the month”, etc.
I recently scanned “Women, Food and God” (can’t remember the author’s name though!) because Oprah had highlighted it a few weeks ago–the book is all about our emotions towards food, our personal experiences that perhaps make us overindulge when a certain feeling is “tripped” in our brain, and how we feel when we’re eating, whether we’re eating out of hunger, sadness, anxiety, excitement, or anything else (and more!). I didn’t get to read the whole book, but it was quite an interesting idea. I think you’re spot on about letting go and diving in during good times, though. I tend to lose weight during momentous changes in my life–like when I went to college, met my now husband, married my now husband, and moved to a new state. Not to say that I didn’t gain most everything back, but I think my body subconsciously turns off the “I’m hungry” flag when everything around me is going haywire.
I’ve seen E. Giffin’s books in Barnes & Noble…maybe I’ll pick one up next time!
Next time someone questions my choices or something I’ve done or do, I’m going to say “well, humans are not sensible creatures.”
I love that.
And I hardly EVER weigh myself. Don’t own a scale. I’m too OCD for a scale…I’d step on it every five seconds to see if it changes and who has time for that?
Oye. I don’t own a scale because it would make me crazy. My semi-obsessive caloriie counting is enough crazy for me. But I never ever turn down a glass of wine because of calories, but I would rather drink my dinner than eat it!!!
I have not been pregnant, so I canot comment on that part
I also have not yet mastered the feeling of guilt following an indulgent meal. And I usually eat a lot less the next day to make up for it, etc.
I love, love, love Emily Giffin and all her books! If you are new to her writing I would suggest reading Something Borrowed and Something Blue first. She is massively talented and so, so nice in person. And so tiny in real life. Heart of the Matter is by far her most serious/least lighthearted book but the writing is still stellar.
Great post. We all fight the scale at one point or another in both happy and sad times. Why oh why does pie taste so good with every range of emotions!?
I’m a weekly weigher, as I was when I was pregnant. I can’t do daily, the ups and downs would bother me too much.
Until recently I’ve had a pretty stable weight since having my son. Until I started having fertility issues, and was told that gaining 5 lbs would probably. Help. So now I’m pigging out, trying to enjoy it, and watching the numbers on the scale rise. Which is actually not an easy task.
I can say, quite honestly, that I absolutely never weigh myself — to the point that the only scale I had in the house, an old digital one, was donated to charity several years ago. I just didn’t need it around.
Like many women, I’ve struggled with my weight all my life — and now, at 24 and a size 10, I’m happy. I’m content. I feel good. I exercise when I can and try to eat healthy, but do I beat myself up for eating the occasional bagel and cream cheese or having a slice of birthday cake? Definitely not.
As you said: these are the times to live. I firmly believe that! My happiness isn’t tied up in my weight. I want to look and feel good, yes, but if that means I’m a little bit “heavier” than my friends, I’m totally fine with that.
We’ll see what happens someday when I start a family… my story may change!
I LOVE Emily’s books, too. But c’mon. Her normal weight looks to be about a buck and some change. That’s not average. She’s attractive, fashionable and very slender like Renee Zellweger, Kate Hudson and Sarah Jessica Parker. She’s got plenty of wiggle room for the occasional month-long french fry binge. I’ll bet her skinny her jeans still fit. LOL
I haven’t owned a scale for about 10 years, ever since my husband snuck it out of the house while we were having a garage sale and sold it! I used to be quite overweight, for quite a long time, about 85 pounds heavier than I am now. I haven’t weighed that for the whole 10 years but I work a 12-step program for it and that’s the only thing that ever did it.
The things I gave up (that I used to binge on) I have actually never once eaten again. Like chocolate and pizza and, yes, french fries. There was a time when I couldn’t go one day without that stuff and yet now it’s been ten years.
I LOVE that there are happy times in our life when we shouldn’t give any thought to weight or calories. We should indulge and soak in the full experience. Vacations are great for this – great food, great wine, no counting.
Until this year, I didn’t weigh myself often. But also until this year, I maintained a healthy weight pretty easily. Now I’ve gained 10 pounds and just can’t figure out if it’s due to medication or beer or desserts or genetics or age. So I’m trying to work on diet and exercise, and weighing myself about once a week. Maybe I need to do this daily… although that could backfire with my personality.
I love the clothes test. That, and going by how you look and feel. “Age ain’t nothin’ but a number”–I feel the same about weight.
Except now…because I am pregnant. I love stepping on the scale. So far I’m up 15 pounds and loving it.