Current weight: 297 lbs,
Total weight loss: -8.8 lbs.
I’d love to be average.
A strange wish, I know, since most people aim to be above average, to exceed. But with my weight, my size, my relationship with food and eating — I’d just love to be average. To be regular.
I don’t know what that’s like. In fact, I don’t think I ever did, not even as an adolescent. And honestly, sometimes I wonder if I will ever.
Even if I can’t achieve averageness in these areas, I hope that I can at least achieve a new normal – my new normal. One that is healthier. I realize as this happens, the struggles may not disappear but hopefully they will lessen.
An additional follow-up hope is that I can turn whatever struggles I face into opportunities for learning and growth. This current process and the blog are attempts to do just that.
Speaking of average – for some reason I always had it in my head that the average size of an American woman was a 14. I don’t know if I read that or heard that somewhere, but I’ve spent the last several years repeating that information (mainly to myself, but occasionally to others).
When I investigated the average size in the US, I discovered that the average is more like a size 16-18. A bit of a surprise, but I can certainly believe it.
Of course, I’m not at all opposed to bigger sizes. And I often think it’s detrimental that society focuses on a specific size and body type as the only way to be beautiful. A focus on health would make more sense.
Beauty and health come in many shapes and sizes.
Anyway, last summer in one of my many re-attempts at dieting, I bought the same pair of jeans in multiple sizes: from a 24 (my current size) to a 14 (which I thought was the average size but also happened to be the smallest available in that cut).
I know many will consider this crazy and a waste of money….but I did it (and am now admitting it!).
Don’t judge.
I decided to put them together to compare. Seeing them all overlaid from biggest to smallest is both inspiring and intimidating.
The 24 seems so large (it is); and the 14 seems so small (it is). Thanks to vanity sizing, understanding exactly what these sizes or the average size mean can be difficult. So, I measured the waist inseam of each size to have my own reference points:
Size
24: 47 inches
22: 42 inches
20: 40 inches
18: 39 inches
16: 36 inches
14: 35 inches
Wow.
No matter how you look at it, that’s quite a lot of inches.
It’s interesting that there is a bigger jump between the size 22 and the 24 than between the others. It seems completely crazy to think that I could ever fit into the seemingly tiny size 14 jeans.
Although it is intimidating, this visual does inspire me to move forward.
Today, I choose to be inspired rather than intimidated.
And I’ll take comfort in knowing that I’m a little closer to average than I thought.
Day #6:
Current weight: 297 lbs
Total weight loss: 8.8 lbs
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