What's in a Size?

(An example of a size chart I found online)

"Ladies, throw out your scales! Weighing yourself every day is as stupid as a man measuring his 'manhood' every morning. I'm not going to do it anymore. Instead of beating myself up for the 10 things I didn't do, I'm going to appreciate the two things I did do. I'm going to start celebrating myself." 

~ Wyonna Judd

She's got a point!  

 

I will be weighing myself for the 8-week challenge I'm doing, it's a good way to stay focused, but there is a problem with us women and how obsessed we are with numbers. 

 

Numbers are everywhere!  On the scale, measuring tape, calories we eat, how many steps we're supposed to walk each day, ounces of water, number of vegetables, number of fruit, etc, etc, etc, etc . . . 

 

Am I the only one who's spent a week working out and got on the scale, only to see the number not reflect what I feel I earned?  The number goes up, I eat a treat for feeling depressed.  The number goes down and I eat a treat as a reward . . . I've done that.  Shows why I've had a hard time losing weight.  Problem is I've let the scale determine my mood and my value.  It's stupid, but it's happened more times then I can count.  Regardless, it's hard to walk that fine balance line, because weighing oneself is a good measurement for progress. 

 

You know what's not a good progress measurement?  Clothing sizes . . . and thus enters what I really want to write about.  Clothing sizes!  They infuriate me.  Men are smart; their sizes are based on inches and length.  Us women?  We go by 0,2,4,6,8,10,12,14, and there is nothing definite about it.  No size 8's are created equal.  

 

Nothing annoys me more then fashion/popular magazines declaring the sizes of celebrities.  So and so is a size 2.  This person here, a size 6.  We look at that and quickly relate to what we view as a size 2 or 6, and that's determined by what brands we wear and where we shop.  I have some pants that fit nicely that are a size 8, and some of my size 12s don't fit quite right.  So what am I?  A size 8 or a size 12?  Neither and both, at the same time.  

 

And then there's the Marilyn Monroe paradigm.  We've heard for years that she was between a size 12-16, and that immediately makes us normal women feel better about ourselves.  Then the hard, cold reality hits when a different set of numbers pop up: 35"-22"-35".  (Bust, Waist, Thighs) Those are Marilyn Monroe's measurements according to her dress maker.  I'm the same height as Marilyn Monroe, standing at 5 foot 5 1/2 inches, and I can tell you I have no 22" waist!  Nor do I ever hope to have one . . . unless I plan on removing a couple ribs, which, trust me, will never happen.  I'm a slave to my genetics and body type, and there is nothing wrong with that.

 

Yet why is it said that Marylin was between a size 12-16?  Vanity sizes, and we women are ruled by vanity.  It's the value in numbers, and our need to find value in them.  Walk into store A and try on a size 10 jean, get depressed and thus wonder into store B where their size 8's fit perfectly, only to then buy those second pants just to declare a size 8.  It's impossible to lose that much weight on a short walk.  So what happened?  Vanity.  

 

Vanity and numbers.

 

There's no trusting sizes, and it's silly for us to find value in them.  Size doesn't matter as long as the clothes fit right.  Wearing the correct size is quite slimming.

 

So is there any value we can find in numbers?  

 

Yes, and one simple way is by grabbing that tape measure and measuring yourself, checking every few weeks.  The scale works, but only when you take muscle into account.  Muscle weighs more then fat, and so if you're strength training and losing inches, but not weight, the increased muscle is an easy explanation.  Strength training is a must.  Increased muscle tone doesn't just look great, but it revs up metabolism as well: Win win.  

 

And there are measurements in time and distance.  Being able to finish a full 50 minutes spinning class when 20 minutes were unbearable a few months before, or being able to finish a 5k when a couple laps were once deemed tough.  

 

Though I will be weighing myself now and then, I vow never to allow the size of a dress, shirt, or pant to determine how I feel about myself.  I will not be ruled by those numbers!  I'm worth more then that.

 

Sarah