For Girls Only

I got some new bras yesterday ... and my "girls" are very happy right now! I've always been well-endowed, even when I was skinny, and let's just say that right now, my breasts are real -- and they're spectacular. But I have a bad habit of wearing ill-fitting bras, which is a big no-no when you're as a big as I am. It can be hard to find bigger bras, though, and I'll admit, it can sometimes be embarrassing when you're walking around carrying this huge piece of underwear that could couble as a pup tent.

But I found some great plus-sized bras online by Just My Size (and no, I'm not a shill for the company; I just like their stuff) and I'm feeling nice and supported today. Come to think of it, my back is feeling a bit better also. I don't know if it's the new bra or the weight loss, or both, but I'm going to make it a point to get better-fitting undergarments from now on.

In other news, I've been reading a lot of other weight loss blogs and watching weight loss videos online lately to find some inspiration. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people who've posted weight loss video diaries up on YouTube. I give these brave souls a lot of credit for just putting themselves out there because I don't think I could do that, at least not yet, anyway. It took me a long time to even get the guts to start writing this thing.

Anyway, while many of the blogs did indeed boast success stories, one caught my attention because it was more of an anti-success story. This person kept a blog for years and while the weight went up and down, it mostly went up -- way up, in fact -- and yet this person kept blogging and trying, blogging and trying for a long time. This person hasn't posted in a while, so I'm not sure what the update is, but I give a lot of credit for the effort and honesty, and wish continued success. But this is yet another example of how complex obesity is and how it goes beyond someone simply overeating. Clearly this blogger was determined to lose weight somehow and because there was some success, knew what to eat and how to exercise. However, for various reasons, mainly emotional, the food addiction just kept returning.

It's tough and for people who don't have an eating disorder, very difficult to understand. But I think stories like this are more the norm than the exception. Think of how many celebrities have gotten gastric bypass surgery, like Carnie Wilson or Al Roker, only to gain the weight back. I mean, these are people who CHOSE to have something drastic done to their bodies ... and yet it still didn't work.

People are wringing their hands over the "obesity epidemic" and trying to come up with "solutions" for our poor eating habits. While this is certainly important to look at, I wish that more attention were paid to the psychological needs of the obese. I think that at least part of the reason why we're seeing more obesity -- as well as anorexia and bulimia -- is because we just live in a more complicated society than say, a hundred years ago. We have more choices, more technology, more expected of us. That can really mess with one's head.

I know that many wish for an "obesity pill" that would just zap the fat off of overweight people. But as I continue to lose weight, I'm realizing that -- cheesy as it sounds -- working on my inner self has become as important as working on how I look from the outside.