Have a recommendation? We'd LOVE to hear it!
Salutations Readers!
Kalamazoo has good food.
Great food, in fact. We have made it our mission to check out all the local eateries one at a time - and more for our own poor memories than any other reason, we'll be chronicling our adventures in food here. And some places float our boats way more than others, which is why we have developed the very scientific five golden forks rating scale. Ok. It is not scientific at all. It is actually quite unscientific. But, it is something. And now, you can search all of our reviews by the forks rating. YAY!

But, wait! There's more!
Kalamazoo Foodies no longer just eat at restaurants then review them. There are recipes posted, some easy, some less easy, all delicious. There are, or will be, book reviews, the new Foodie Movie Review-y which will focus on movies about food or ones that have a lot of beautiful food in them. There are other food musings, and hopefully soon contests and so much more. But, Foodie Friends, it is all about food. Because we love it!
And, we want to hear from you!
We want to hear your comments on our recipes and reviews. We want to know where you love to eat. And, we are looking for GUEST bloggers to broaden our horizons a bit. And, if you haven't found us on Facebook, you should do that too. Like our page for other fun Foodies stuff like photos, polls, and more.

SO KALAMAZOO PATRONS - where do YOU love to eat? Because we'd love to check it out and share our thoughts here. Give us a comment below, and quickly! Our tummies are grumbling in anticipation.

A Note from the Foodies about our typical fair:
So, you may notice as you read our blog that we often order the same thing wherever we go. OK, maybe not quite, but we do often order similar things. Kristin has her caprese salads and mushroom dishes. Kate has her baked goat cheese and things with tofu. Well, readers, we wanted to let you know that this is absolutely intentional. A) We love those things, so why not order what you love? And, B) It is a lot easier to compare apples to apples than it is to compare apples to comquats. So, we like to order similar things to have a good sense of how to compare them. Just wanted to let you in on that little secret. Bon appetit!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Fat Girl in a Skinny Girl's Body

This seems totally blog appropriate, since it is food related. Right? Or is this a total stretch?

Anyway, there was a part of my life when I was overweight. How that part of my life managed to be while I was attending college as a dance major, I am not sure, but that is how it was. Fast forward to grad school, not in a dance program, where I wasn't dancing 40 hours a week, and more weight started to pile on. At some point, I realized I was unhappy with how I looked and felt and needed to do something about it. So, I did.

I started running, which was SO hard to get into. I ran a 5K, then a 10K, then a half marathon. I also started paying attention to what I ate, and not just watching it go to my mouth. I became aware of calories and balance, and all that jazz. And, what do you know, the weight started coming off. And, the best part, it got easier to keep it off.

So, here I am four years after that journey began. 30 pounds lighter and in the best shape of my life. And, I don't have to pay as close attention to what I eat now, because I have built better habits. And, Denise Austin and I have a date almost every morning, in my living room, and we work out together. And, I feel great.

BUT, despite all that, I still feel like a fat girl. I still look in the mirror and see my round belly, and my large hips, and the extra stuff here and there. I know I could, safely and healthily lose more, but I don't think that is the issue. Because, there are parts of my body that I look at and love. My calves are slim and trim and toned. I love the definition on my arms. And, I think I am OK with not having washboard abs. But, some days, it is the same fat girl starring back at me.

Sometimes people will call me skinny. Or say something about how thin I am. And, it throws me for a loop. They can't possibly be talking about me. I am a fat girl.

I have fought the fat and won. Now I need to fight my mind and win. And, say, "YES! I am the trim, fit girl that others see!" And, just smile when someone uses a word like "skinny" to describe me. Right? That's what needs to happen now.

Has anyone else faced this or something like it? What did you do to combat it?
Posted by at

1 comment:

Mallory said...

Hello sister!

I've had similar issues, but it's so interesting that we came to this point from such different places....

I dropped 30 pounds when I had mono a couple years ago and have figured out how to keep it off. I feel like the older I get, the healthier I get, which is in so much contrast to so many people I know.

I will stare at myself in the mirror and tear myself apart and then later that day, a student will comment on how tiny I am. What? ME?

Women are so trained to scrutinize themselves, but when you open your eyes and look around for a bit, you'll realize that you are doing a damn good job.

We could always do better, but don't forget to acknowledge the good things you've done for yourself.

I love you and can't wait to see you soon.

December 17, 2011 at 10:27 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)