While cuddling on the couch watching a movie, my daughter Grace looked up at me and innocently said, “I love that you have gained some weight mom. You are much more comfortable to lay on now. You are like a giant fluffy pillow.” I knew I had gained some weight over the winter, and had not sprung back into shape over spring; but I certainly did not think I had entered the fluffy stage. I probably could have lived with that lie, but summer break was knocking on my door which meant shorts, tank tops and bathing suits were standing right behind it.
There is no greater dread than having to shop for a new bathing suit. There was rack after rack of cute two-pieces that would barely cover my ears let alone my Ps & Qs. I quickly walked past the adorable polka dots and colorful stripes and stopped in front of the plain, boring one-piece black number made of magic fabric that that would flatten my tummy, slim my hips and lift my rear! Now that’s what I’m talking about. I grabbed my size and headed for the dressing room.
Whose bright idea was it to put three-sided mirrors in a swimsuit dressing room? I averted my eyes because I was determined to get this contraption on. And that’s exactly what it was. You need an engineering degree to figure out how to get in it. It took 10 minutes of huffing and puffing (there was my workout for the day) but I managed to wiggle myself into the suit and was ready to face those mirrors. Surprise. It was worse than I could have imagined. I looked like a stuffed sausage with its filling coming out of the sides. Discouraged and depressed, I peeled the suit off, left the store and signed up for an online weight loss support program.
I was determined to lose those extra pounds and get back my self-confidence. The only thing fluffy around our house was going to be the marshmallows for the S’mores I would make for my children because I would have more energy and be able to do fun things like that without passing out once this weight was off. This mama bear was going to lose some of her stuffing. It was going to be the best summer ever!
My children were definitely not as excited about my new plan of action as I was. “Oh no, mom is on another one of her diets … better stay clear for a while,” Jay said to his sister. I really wish they would have listened to their own advice as their helping was indeed no help. Like the morning I accidently took my vitamin before eating breakfast. Oops! Half way through eating my delicious homemade banana whole wheat waffle, I started feeling slightly nauseated and ran to the bathroom – just in case. As I crouched over the toilet bowl I heard the following conversation outside the bathroom door:
Jay: Do you think she is throwing up?
Grace: Nah, I don’t think so.
Jay: I bet she is!
Grace: OK, I bet you a quarter the old lady keeps it down.
Jay: And I bet you a quarter she tosses her cookies!
Then it was quiet and I could hear them place their ears against the door. I no longer felt like “tossing my cookies” but was curious to see what my darlings would do next so I stayed there. Five minutes passed by.
Grace: Mom, are you alive?
I felt loved. They really did care about me.
Jay: And if you are alive can you please just tell us if you threw up or not so we can see who won!
Sharon Fuentes is a regular contributor to Westchester Family.
