Thursday, October 21, 2010

Gaunt? Moi?

People keep telling me to stop losing weight. Correction: men keep telling me to stop losing weight confirming Husband's belief that men don't like skinny women. Or as Steve said, 'Stop losing weight now. Women are supposed to have curves.'

In circuits last week a women who hadn't been for a while commented on my weight loss. She said something else too but my breathing was so heavy after boxing that I didn't catch it but my partner, Pat, said, 'Oh, no, you don't look gaunt.'

That's the second time in a month that the word gaunt has been used in the same sentence as my name. I've never been gaunt in my life. Gaunt and I don't go together in the same sentence!

In fact, when I look at myself all I see is my fat tummy. I know I'm slimmer as my trousers keep falling down but apart from that - and the scales - it isn't obvious to me. Which is strange. It's odd that it is obvious to relative strangers. I suppose it's about the way we see ourselves.

I can only hope that people looking at me also see a better person than the one I know is me.

Postscript
Younger Son said, 'Yes, you are looking gaunt. You should stop dieting; in fact you should put on weight. And I'm not saying that because I want food in the house that isn't healthy low fat crap.'

6 comments:

MissKris said...

Since having my hysterectomy I've developed that dreaded tummy 'pooch'. I don't think I've gained weight because my clothes all still fit - I have a love/hate relationship with scales and avoid them like the plague - but everything fits differently around the middle! Drives me nuts. I kept it under control when I was out walking my marathon walks with my grandsons but since our schedule's changed around so much now with Dylan attending preschool, our walks are pretty much hit-and-miss. I guess I'll just have to get used to the bump out front, haha! I SHOULD exercise regularly like I used to before I began caring for the grandboys but I can NOT find that extra hour to do it. Getting up at 3 is early enough as it is.

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Well Liz if someone is thinking or saying that you look gaunt, maybe lost too much weight, loosing weight can make your face look like this .. and how is it not obvious that you are slimmer than before.. How is it not obvious in the mirror.. This how anorexics see themselves, they see a fatter person in the mirror.

Ruth said...

If the scales tell you that you're a healthy weight, and you have plenty of energy (as you certainly seem to), then you probably are a healthy weight. People will just be adjusting to the new, svelte, version of you.......and some may be jealous ;-)

Mauigirl said...

I know what you mean, I have the opposite problem. I was thin for most of my life till I hit my 30s and now I'm nowhere near thin but I never see myself as fat in the mirror - only when I see a picture of myself! Oh my. I wish I were a little gaunt! ;-)

nick said...

In today's world where plumpness has become the norm, anyone middle-aged and skinny is seen as abnormal. I get the same remarks myself. Take no notice.

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