~a minor setback~

If you would like to read about my latest derailment, check out here. Seriously, the week of my period I am pretty much a mess in what I eat, totally unmotivated to do ANYTHING and feeling guilty the entire time! I just have to keep telling myself, "You will get back to it".
How do hormones or your "cycle" affect your goals and life?

~Attention YOU!~

Writing this book is sooo fun. I hope you all think it is as funny as I do! I will give you a little teaser.... " I’d like you to meet my most loyal friend, Fanny Bottom." For those of you who do not know, my real last name is Bottom. Yeah I know! I knew I had to use it in the book somehow and put it this way, Fanny is a huge character in this book!
Who do you think "Fanny Bottom" is in this book?

I know there are plenty of outspoken, humorous, opinionated women out there! Please email me your thoughts about this subject that ALL women agonize over. Our bodies, food, exercise, etc...

~may i help you?~

A few years back I worked up the nerve to go into Victoria Secret. You see, hubby and I were going on a "second honeymoon" and I had stashed away some money. My plan was to have a different piece of new lingerie for every night. I was excited, but nervous, for my little shopping spree in the "pink palace". My spree did not last long when the seventeenish size 2 said to me, "we do not carry anything in your size". Seems like a scene out of Pretty Woman huh? I walked out, with my head hanging low, straight into Lane Bryant (which only had bras and panties).

**Since then, Torrid has opened up and have a great selection of plus size lingerie. YAY!**

Have you ever been denied service or been treated "differently" because of the way you look?

Thanks Jennie and Jenni for inpiring this post!

~shopping list~

I am in a phase right now where I only where 3/4 length sleeves or longer to camouflage the arm flab.
Is there anything that you "have to" wear to disguise problem areas?

~Attention size 2, 4, 6, 8~

I want to hear from YOU too! I know that as women, no matter what size we are, there are always things that bug us about our bodies.
Do you see yourself as you truly are?
What is it like being on your side of the fence?
Do you work hard to stay where you are at?

~the voice in our head~

If you are like me, you probably have people telling you what to do all the time. We all have voices in our heads that tell us what we should eat or what not to eat. You know what I mean, like the voice that whispers, "don't put those walking shoes on. It is much warmer in bed." Sometimes our voice says things to us about the way we look or why we do or don't deserve happiness.

what does the voice inside your head tell you? (about food, exercise, self worth?) what have you done to overcome listening to that voice?

~friend or foe?~

We normally do not intend to offend anyone, but sometimes it happens.

Has anyone ever said anything to you about how you looked that was just really rude? If so, share it...

~the mirror in your head~

For me, I go back and forth about my distorted body image. Some of the time I see myself as the tiny person I once was. Then reality sets in when I look at a picture or in a mirror. Unfortunately, it is not a real reality...then I see myself as obese.

How do you view yourself in your head? Is is accurate? Do you have an experience you'd like to share that relates to your body image?

~ why a book~

Welcome to a project that has been in my heart and mind and on my small, petite frame for a very long time. You see, when I was little I wanted to be a novelist. My first two years of college I went from a journalism major to a creative writing major to an English major. Guess what I graduated in?...Child Development.

As I moseyed down the path of life I always kept the idea of writing a book in the back of my mind. Frankly, I never found anything that I felt compelled to write about...until a long airplane ride and it hit me like a ton of bricks! ME AND MY WEIGHT ISSUES! As I whipped out my iPhone (because I had no pen or paper on the plane) I fiercely typed in six hours of thoughts. It was very clear to me that this would be like no other weight loss/or lack of weight loss book out there. It was going to be a hoot for everyone, big or small, to read.

Then it dawned on me. If I have funny, introspective thoughts about this subject then I KNOW other women do too. And here we are, on Behind The Refrigerator Door, ready to join in this process together. Let the fun begin!