my mom was always around a 14, at heaviest a 16. Within the last year she's started smoking (boo) but as also, whether related or not, lost a good bit of weight. She still has a tummy vut has a lovely back, and is around a 10/12. She has a physical job, and just started brown-bagging lunch.
She's 5'8, and when she was my age, she was 125 pounds O.o Naturally skinny, but really skinny. It never used to bother me, but now it makes me feel that I should have better control of myself and more respect for my health.
She is smaller than me, now. But hers was health related, and she didn't lose it because she was trying to. She is so small now. I've always had something to hug and it's all gone now!
My mom was overweight in middle age, and it's no mystery why I have been as well. In fact, both my parents were overweight in later life. My mom developed diabetes. Later, though, as she became elderly, she lost weight. Food wasn't very interesting to her anymore. So then, the thing was to try to keep her weight up. Her diabetes went away when her weight dropped, and also, she was in an assisted living center where she went to exercise class every morning. (She had no history of exercise before this.) She died at 86 from old age.
At my highest weight, I weighed more than my mom did at her highest weight.
Well about two years ago I was skinnier than her and then with everything going on she is much skinnier than me and it kind of drives me crazy She used to be very overweight, but she has lost a lot because of Lyme's disease. Plus her eating habits aren't the best. I don't want to be skinnier than her because she is 5 inches shorter than me, but I would like to be her size (8).
Last edited by Rhighlan86; 02-07-2008 at 01:47 PM.
Americans as a whole are getting larger - not just fatter, but larger. Statistically, birthweights are higher now than they ever have been.
Part of that is that - despite the "obesity epidemic" or whatever you want to term it - we as a generation have more access to better, more nutritious foods year-round.
If you ever visit a museum that has items of clothing on display, really pay attention to the height and sizes. Or visit historical locations and see how short the doors were and how short the beds were. Just in the last 100 years, the average height around the world has increased by nearly 6" on average, with Americans being some of the tallest (Dutch and German fall next on the scale).
(channeling my inner anthropologist - one of my degrees)
My Mom eats terribly. She doesn't eat out much but her habits are awful. For breakfast she has a mocha with no actual food. Sometimes eh eats some lunch then big dinner. She sleeps a lot. Weird. She's about 168-170 and about 5'6. She's not real big though. She carried all her weight in her tummy and chest (as do I). She's a heavy smoker and that is my biggest concern for her health.
Jay I was just losing weight for vanity purposes then I watched the dvd of that Dr. who wrote YOU on a Diet, etc books. He showed what fat looks like around the stomach, talked about diabetes and heart problems. My mom has always gone on and on about my grandmother who had diabetes and how I shouldn't gain weight as it can be genetic. I never really listened but as I get older, I think more, I lost my dad to cancer, I want to live a long life for my boy... now I have to think about my mom aging and pray that all her years of extreme health habits that drove me half crazy will help her live into her 90s at least.
My mom has always been overweight, with eating issues she was kind enough to pass on to me and my sister!! At one point, for about five years I was a lot smaller than her (miss those days) but I'm also about 6 inches taller than she is. Every time I lose any weight, I feel incredible guilt that she is still overweight -- even though I try to help her out and she makes febble efforts to lose weight. Don't tell her I said this!! But I actually use her for incentive because I don't want to waste the next 30 years still trying like she does.
This topic is interesting because it is starting to cause a small problem in my house. I weigh 14 lbs more than my daughter. She is built much bigger than I am and is a couple inches taller. I am about a 14 and she is about a very lose 12. She tried a pair of my size 12 Levis on the other day and while she could wear them, they were huge on her lol. I tried them on and while I can get into them, I like to breath to much to wear them lol. She is NOT as supportive as she was 44lbs ago. Now I hear " it is my diet foods ", I don't eat diet foods, " it is because I don't eat enough", I try to get all the required amounts of the four basic food groups in everyday, I eat a ton and sure don't do without my mountain dew a couple of times a week. " it is this, it is that ". It is I am eating right, she isn't. It is I am exercising, she isn't. It is starting to cause friction and I feel so bad about this. At the weight I should be, I will be much smaller than her. I am a very tiny person, she isn't. I wish I could figure out how to make her feel better but also let her know she needs to lose a few lbs. DO YOU KNOW it is considered child abuse if you tell your child they are over weight.
Last edited by Shy Moment; 02-07-2008 at 02:32 PM.
My mom has fought her weight her whole life and the last few years has really struggled. She always ate healthy foods, but too much and she is a classic starve on a diet, then pig out person.
I read in an article that we as mom's aren't supposed to talk much about weight issues... here's a funny little story. My boy is three and I've been counting calories, little ones seem to repeat mannerisms and things, so he picks up food items and pretends to look at calories, "oh, no, 1000 calories he'll say!" And then he's been getting on the scale, how much do I weigh? he'll ask me with THAT look, same as my look of "oh please scale"... I'm trying to explain to the boy he's supposed to EAT and gain weight, he's a little skinny right now. He's growing. At least he's a boy, how about passing along our weight complexes to our daughters? My mom passed along some ideal of perfection to me that I can't live up to...
My mom weighs more than me, but she is also taller (I'm the short one in the family). And she has always gone back and forth with her weight, as have I and she loves food. She laughs when I count my WW points. She tried to do it, but would never write anything down and wondered why she gained weight every week. LOL!
My mom has spent her entire life struggling with her weight. I think the biggest she ever got was around size 20 but she is a petite woman so I think she may have never gone above 200. Ever since I was in elementary school, she has been "skinnier" than me. We basically both struggled with our own weights together for many years. Now though we wear around the same sizes, although she might be a size smaller in the bottom.
Up until a few years ago, she would always complain about being tired, too tired to exercise. Then she got a gazelle and started working out every night. Ever since then, she says she has more energy.
When I was at my HW, my mom was MUCH skinnier than I was!
My mom had her share of struggles with her weight due to her limited capacity for physical activity (she has multiple sclerosis), but she found an eating plan that has worked for her. This plan made her go from 165 to 140.
But while she was busy LOSING weight, I was busy GAINING it! She was maintaining 140 pounds as I had let myself, uh, blossom, to 175+. It was quite depressing knowing my MOM was much thinner than me, as I had always been much thinner than her in my teen years. I never wanted to be "MOM SIZED" let alone 35 pounds MORE! Like Jay, my highest weight was higher than my mom's highest weight.
Now, I am 12 pounds skinnier than my mom (2 inches taller also) and quite a few sizes smaller (she wears 8-10, I wear 4-6, plus the brands I buy are smaller than the ones she buys). I am also skinnier than my younger sister who has never had a weight problem. Now THAT makes me feel good!
She used to be very overweight, but she has lost a lot because of Lyme's disease. Plus her eating habits aren't the best. I don't want to be skinnier than her because she is 5 inches shorter than me, but I would like to be her size (8).
At one point, for about five years I was a lot smaller than her (miss those days) but I'm also about 6 inches taller than she is. Every time I lose any weight, I feel incredible guilt that she is still overweight -- even though I try to help her out and she makes febble efforts to lose weight. Don't tell her I said this!! But I actually use her for incentive because I don't want to waste the next 30 years still trying like she does. 
Like Jay, my highest weight was higher than my mom's highest weight. 
Now, I am 12 pounds skinnier than my mom (2 inches taller also) and quite a few sizes smaller (she wears 8-10, I wear 4-6, plus the brands I buy are smaller than the ones she buys). 