Rethinking YOU: Part 1 – Tummy Time

Noooo, the title sadly does not refer to cutesy babies lying on their tummies.

It refers to that annoying little pouch people sometimes get – Y’all know which one I’m talking about!
I’m pretty sure most people who read yesterday’s post laughed when I said my first opponent was body fat. The words ‘Becky’ and ‘fat’ are not usually ones that fit into a sentence together. According to some lovely seniors from my latest bus trip, I am “Size Nothing”. Now that is all fine in good… but being ‘skinny’ (for lack of a better descriptive word) is not all that it’s cracked up to be. You may be surprised to know that I too also fight “the bulge” *grimace*. It started two summers ago when I put on a yellow horizontal striped top and looked in the mirror. It accentuated a few spots that certainly were not flattering to this bod. I was horrified to say the least. *insert scary movie music of your choice*

That top, along with the ones in varying colour but identical style promptly went into a pile for Goodwill.

Now this, of course, is my completely biased opinion, but I feel that ‘skinny’ girls have a tougher time fitting in with the ideal body shape.


For plus size or more curvy girls, a little fat will drift into the bust, hip or thigh region. Sure, that extra padding isn’t always great to have around, but at least it looks proportionate. Then there are people like me who are height-less, hipless, thigh-less, bustles and waist-less. That extra padding HAS NO WHERE TO GO! Thus, as a PETITE person who enjoys food, a nice squishy midsection is not really appreciated especially with summer coming, along with bathing suits, shorts and tank-tops.

So what to do about this issue? Here is my process:

1. All that negative stuff written above: Accept it; consider it; throw it out the window. People should appreciate your personality, not your body.

2. Goodbye junk food: It’s great for a little treat on a movie night but all of that has salt. Salt = water retention. Thus, although it tastes great, so does snacking on fruit. Another incentive in case you aren’t convinced: You will feel better after eating an apple than a chocolate bar. Think of it as the placebo effect. It’s good for you, thus you better.

3. Work it OUT: After getting a job that involves walking, I’ve noticed a reduction in my waist line. HURRAY! It’s not quite flat yet, but it’s getting there! With some added sit-ups, I’m confident I will be summer ready. Now that the weather is nice, I intend to start walking and biking even more. I’m working on getting fit at my own pace. After I can run around the block without passing out, I will move on to more strenuous activity… * wheeze*

Time to drag this out of storage ^

4. Portion control: I am still that girl that eats more than the average man. I do not intend to ‘diet’. However, everything is good in moderation! My goal in portion control now is to not eat that third helping of pasta… *ahem*

5. A Back-up Plan: Ok, so sometimes I don’t follow my own rules and give into temptation. Solution? Clothes of course! If you are feeling down, find an outfit that makes you feel great about your body. The baby-doll style top is great because it gives the illusion of body shape while flowing over the belly to hid any things you want to cover up *wink*. Seeee?

OMG LOOK ^ IT APPEARS I. HAVE. A. WAIST.

So thoughts? How do you compete with the Battle of the Bulge? Come back tomorrow when I tackle something about my face I’d love to change.