So Long, Big Apple

Nope, this isn't a post about New York City (though I love visiting NYC). Nor is this a review of some wonderful kitchen gadget that spirals the peel off the apple in one perfect piece. It's not even about how much I like to chop up apples, sprinkle them with cinnamon and cook them with my oatmeal when I'm in the mood for a yummy, hot breakfast. No.  This is about my shape.


You know. Some people are pear shaped (extra weight distributed at the waist and hips), some are banana shaped (my little E's measurements are 20", 20", 20"--definitely banana), some have shapely hourglass figures, and then there are the apples. I'm an apple shaped person.  Any extra "avoirdupois" shows up right at my middle. This is the worst shape to be. Not only is is neigh impossible to find clothes that fit nicely on an apple, but this shape is a known predictor of disease--coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and gall bladder disease. The rule-of-thumb danger sign for apple is the waist measurement.  The critical measurement is 35 inches.  That's the dividing line between just overweight and obese.

I take my body measurements about twice a month.  It's not an exact science.  I really like exact science. It's too easy to pull the tape measure a little tighter, or to go the other way and be overly scrupulous and not pull it tight enough.  Most definitely I never take the measurement exactly the same way twice.  But, and this is a big but, (stop laughing!) over time, the measurements definitely show what's happening. I started measuring again at the beginning of May, when I got serious about this whole thing again.  My waist measurement is 3 1/2 inches less now than it was on May 2.  Yes, there's a "fudge factor," but 3 1/2 inches can't be fudged (when I'm honestly trying to measure myself correctly each time).  Three and one half inches lost is progress.  I also have corresponding progress with the hips, bust, upper arm and thigh measurements.


So Long, Big Apple??  Well, I'm still an apple shaped person, but, as of yesterday morning, I'm not a BIG apple, or at least not an obese apple, anymore.  My waist measurement is officially under 35, just.   I'm going for more, but I'm loving the trend.


One last piece of business.  Do you remember Charlie, of the Laws of Physical Diet?  Well, he posted a challenge the other day to encourage his readers to get on board with him in his push to finally get down to business and get this weight, these inches, this bloated lifestyle done with and over.   I commented that I was "in," but that wasn't good enough for him.  No, I have to post a picture of myself saying I'm on Board.  So, without any further ado . . .

Do you take your measurements?  (If you haven't yet, I highly recommend it!)