read an article in O Magazine about weight loss, “I Was A 51-Year-Old Desk Muffin” by Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks, with disdain.

The entire article was self-flagulation and self-deprecation for being, according to the BMI Calculator a NORMAL WEIGHT.

Guess how much the self-discribed “aging hippo” weighed? 123 pounds. She was 5′2″ and over the course of 23 years she gained a whopping 19 pounds. Big Freaking Whoop!

Negative terms she used to describe her normal body were: brandy snifter, Bosc pear, pear-shaped corpse, slightly mushy 123 pound pear, aging hippo, curvaceous deposit of midriff fat, upper arms jiggle so much,

I think …read more

Ever read news and go, “Well, duh. It took them long enough to get there?” I recently had a conversation with Jeanne Connor Dessert. She’s struggled with endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a painful, chronic disease that affects 5.5 million women and girls in the USA and Canada, and millions more worldwide. It occurs when tissue like that which lines the uterus (called the endometrium) is found outside the uterus.This misplaced tissue develops into growths or lesions which respond to the menstrual cycle in the same way that the tissueof the uterinelining does:each month the tissue builds up, breaks down, and sheds. Menstrualbloodflows …read more

You were rude to your husband, my friend said to me on Sat. She had observed a completely ordinary interaction between my husband and I.
I responded to her criticism by going into defensive hyper-sensitive justification mode that quickly turned into sobs.
I’ve been internalizing every hateful, critical and harsh comment against Kate Gosselin mother of sextuplets and star of Jon & Kate, Plus 8, that has been written on my BlogFabulous post Kate Gosselin, Time’s Person of the Year.   Evidently, many, many people find Kate’s treatment of Jon despicable beyond redemption.
My friend’s benign comment simply provided an excuse for all that internalized criticism to bubble over …read more

Am I alone in breathing a huge sigh of relief that low-waisted jeans appear to be out?
I heard Sarah Jessica Parker, say on Oprah, that her new line Bitten includes no low-waisted jeans because she’s over it. I’ve been over it since they were in.
Hallelujah!
Let’s face it, during the low-waisted trend I’ve been non-16. I’ve been doing feminine things like having babies and nursing them and lugging them around on my hip, which often causes shirts to ride up. Such things are not conducive to wearing low-rise pants, the sole intention of which is to let a little tummy show. No thank you.
Bitten offers such …read more

Be honest, if you are not a parent, when someone in your office says they have to leave early to attend their child’s birthday party, or worse that crucial meeting occurs on a Tuesday, which is your colleague’s work from home day, your eyes roll a little, come on you know you do.
But if you are an employee who has children or you are the care-taker of an elderly parent — Flex time can be a life-saver.
In many companies, “Flex Time” is a benefit given to employees who need a certain amount of balance between their personal and …read more