Body Fat, Body Weight, and Your Former You: From A Former Pageant Girl's Perspective

Hi Followers! Sorry, I know this post is coming very late in the day and will not encompass my planned "What I Ate Wednesday" post! I will return to regularly scheduled programming next week.

On Tuesday, when I actually document what I ate, I got a flat tire en route to the gym! Oh, don't you fear, I made it there safely, did my workout, and then the hubs came to the rescue and assisted me with transporting my car to the nearest auto care center. Basically, that early morning incident, threw off my entire day! I am so thankful that the flat tire decided to "pop" at a time in which Coach Kemp was actually in town until 10:00am! Yikes, frequent traveler husbands, can be MIA at the most inconvenient of times. But luckily, I was able to count on one of the coach's wives, Tish Mincy, to give me a lift later in the day and then a spontaneous Girls Night Out! We ended up having an enjoyable evening despite some questionable customer service at an area bistro. Not a good look as the owner is a booster. You know as a former waitress and customer service representative, you never truly know who knows who. The name of the restaurant will remain nameless, but pure disrespect and unprofessional handling by the restaurant manager, who was the main culprit. The husbands already got a FULL report of the situation. It is truly a shame since the food and atmosphere was cute for an area bistro.

Ok, so my next complaint is with the city of Toledo for all the potholes hence my flat tire! Get it together, and fill the holes! Next....

Today I ran across a great article that is so fitting for my stage in life and quest for optimal health and well-being. I have decided and am determined to stay on this voyage for the remainder of my life; through all of life's trials and tribulations, celebrations, and daily struggles. The article that I am referring to was written by a former Miss New York, Shannon Oliver, whose blog Generation grannY is now on my reader feed. In her recent post, More Than One Healthy Body: Former Pageant Girls Weigh In, she discusses how an individual "healthy body" may evolve (body weight and physique in her article) but still be considered healthy. She posits the notion that a healthy body does not have to mirror fitness magazines and celebrities. But she also touches on a more personal, and very small population of women, former pageant queens, who sometimes struggle with accepting the fact that they have gained 10-25lbs since their competition days!

What I enjoyed most was the numerous "former" queens during their pageant days verse the current weights, workout regimen, and outlook on health! I have on numerous occasions reminisced through my old pageant day pictures, especially those from when I competed at Miss USA and longed for the body I once had.  

Today looking at this picture, I am not even that impressed, although the scale tipped at the lowest it's ever been for me, at least as a grown adult. When I competed at Miss USA I weighed 130lbs, wore a 2-4, and am 5'8"! All of my friends and family, exclaimed that I was so thin, but I was actually one of the 'larger' contestants. Today I weight about 10-15lbs more, and am a size 4-6. So, when you look at pounds, it is not that significant which brings up another fact - muscles weigh more than fat!

Today, I am now more concerned with body fat than the number on the scale! I actually can't recollect my body fat percentage when I was competing, but I do my weight; maybe because that was the number I was most concerned about - losing the pounds and seeing the scale move DOWN! And, that's all anyone wanted me to report!

Question of the Day: Do you struggle with comparing your current weight/physique to your "golden" days? 

Michelyn