The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

Image via LandsEnd.com

Few people love shopping for swimwear, but I’ll admit to feeling a rush of excitement when the Land’s End catalog arrives each spring, because I know there will be several swimsuit options for my shape and size. Not that I buy a new swimsuit every year–the quality that goes into these suits usually means I don’t need a new one for at least three summers, which is great because these babies don’t come cheap.

However, filing under “you get what you pay for,” Land’s End stands by their products from cradle to grave, offering a money-back guarantee with no questions asked. They even throw in free shipping for returns on re-orders, or you can return your items at any Sears store. If you’re a risk-taker, waiting till Memorial Day or after (including now) means you can find many items on sale, provided they don’t sell out.

All of those things are great, but here’s what keeps me coming back to this company: Land’s End makes suits that actually fit plus size bodies. Even better: they offer enough styles, colors, and patterns to satisfy just about everyone. Plus size swimsuit seekers can choose among flattering, slimming one-piece numbers to mix-and-match separates and cover-ups in a variety of fabrics and patterns that are actually cute rather than a couple of token “Perhaps This Obnoxious Pattern Will Distract You From Noticing That I’m Fat” styles.

This year, I bought the Kaleidoscope Print V-Neck Swim Top (pictured, above) paired with the SwimShape Separates Solid Swim Mini™ in slimming black, and it looks and feels fantastic. The SwimShape Separates SwimMini™ has a tummy control panty built in that does its job while still allowing me to actually move around both in and out of the water. Last year I’d ordered the Beach Living Tummy Control SwimMini™, but found it ran a bit too short (14.5″ length) and flared, giving that “hippo in a tutu” look from Disney’s Fantasia we all know and hate. (Your mileage may vary if, unlike my body type, your thighs are slimmer at the top).

I returned last year’s skirt without hassle and also tried the Women’s Plus Size Beach Living Tummy Control Swim Shorts, but found they rode up my inner thighs when I walked; not the effect I wanted while strolling around poolside. (Again, if your legs are on the straighter side, the shorts will probably work really well for you).

I feel so confident and cute in the top and skirt I kept this season that I even waltzed into our public library to return books on the way to the pool while wearing it! I haven’t had that experience since childhood. Tee is trying to convince me to post a photo of myself in this year’s swimwear; what do you think? A few librarians vs. The Internet; how bad could it be?

Have you found a swimsuit you love? Share your favorite places to shop for swimwear in the comment section.

Every Sunday we’ll select a photo from our FGG Girls Flickr Group to share here. The criteria? You being wonderfully, fabulously, unapologetically YOU. That’s it! So join us over at Flickr and start uploading already.

This week’s photo is from ShawnaF, a fitting shot given our kick-off post on kayaking. Paddle on, Shawna!

Welcome, friends, to the first weekly installment of FGG’s Foodie Fridays! I’m Michelle, and I promise this space will not… I repeat… will not be about low-fat/low-cal tips and tricks. You can get those almost anywhere you can point a web browser. Sure, we’ll exercise reason where it make sense, we’re all responsible adults, right? But the core principal behind Foodie Fridays is mindful decadence. That means if you’re going to have the calories… make it count. Indulge. Savor. Enjoy.

Speaking of enjoyment, is there anything better than the combination of peanut butter and chocolate? These flourless cookies are so easy to pull together, there’s no need to wait for butter to soften (because they don’t contain any) or drama when you discover you’re out of flour (none of that here, either). And: you can even make them a little more healthy by using natural peanut butter and unprocessed cane sugar. But don’t feel obligated to – they’re great either way.

These rich little beauties pack enough of a punch that it only takes one – okay, maybe two – to satisfy my sweet tooth craving. Pair them with a glass of cold milk and I’m in heaven. They keep nicely covered in an airtight container at room temperature, and are perfect for snacking throughout the weekend and on into the workweek (if they last that long).

Go ahead… bake yourself a batch and enjoy.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup peanut butter (regular or natural / creamy or chunky)
¾ cup granulated sugar (regular or cane)
1 large egg
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottoms of two 12-by-18-inch sheet pans with parchment paper or silpat.

In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda and salt until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a tablespoon-sized scoop (or 2 small spoons), measure out the dough in tablespoon-sized balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared pans.

Bake until lightly golden, about 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely on the pans on wire racks. Remove and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to week.

Yield: approx. 24 cookies

Activity rating:

Luscious, non-greasy shea butter

Most of us have dealt with skin blemishes like pimples and blackheads at some point in our lives. I remember standing in front of the bathroom mirror at 16 using Scotch tape or the sticky ends of band-aids to lay over my nose, then ripping it off fast, hoping it would take all the cloggy oil and gunk with it. It felt terrible enough back then, but as an overweight adult, having unhealthy, blemished skin often becomes just one more reason for us to feel badly about ourselves.

The bad news: the systemic imbalances that cause outbreaks and other skin issues, some of them serious, often come with fat-girl territory. Double-whammy.

The good news: while we’re working on improving our health in the bigger picture, we can implement a few small, specific changes right now to help stave off skin problems and let our natural, radiant selves show through.

To fix anything, we need to know why it’s happening
Our skin is affected by everything we do to our bodies – what we put on them, and what we put in them. It’s where our system throws up desperate red flags for things that are out-of-whack internally, be they hormones, vitamin deficiencies, high levels of sugars and fats, and even more serious conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Just like when we were teenagers and our hormones went haywire as our bodies transitioned into adulthood, our hormones today are going bonkers because of the things we’re exposing (and not exposing) them to. We’re not designed to process many of the things we’re asking our bodies to process – and that includes most diet foods – resulting in the confusion and over-extension of our systems (mainly, our enzymes) and ultimately the storage of fat, depletion of energy and organ function, and the appearance of  conditions like acne, rosacea, dry skin, skin tags, facial and body hair and skin “staining.”

I know, we’ve all heard it before. But then we turn around and expect to reverse the effects of our choices on our ailing skin by treating it with even more processed products that we’re not designed to metabolize easily — and that’s asking for trouble down the road. Chemical-based solutions like harsh astringents, acne medicine and even some moisturizers, while they may appear to help in the short term, often make things worse in the long run.

“The chemicals we put on our skin are overtaxing an already overtaxed system in overweight women,” says Sara Damelio, a licensed esthetician at The Still Point Wellness Center in Takoma Park, MD. “The skin is a sensitive organ. Our external looks are the direct result of the choices we’re making.”

What can we do right now?
Damelio says one of the first things she does for new clients is to give them an eye-opening primer in skin care ingredients and how they react with the body. Then she offers advice on ways to achieve healthy, radiant skin through educated dietary decisions and natural skin-care treatments.

Her suggestion for a simple, inexpensive, readily-available skin treatment plan we can use right now? Add coconut water, probiotics (like plain yogurt), multiple servings of raw vegetables and daily omega 3-6-9 fatty acids to your diet.

Damelio says coconut water is good for hair, skin and nails, as well as your heart and digestive system. Probiotics boost your immune system, inhibiting toxins in the body, helping to prevent infections, and are said to help lower cholesterol and even blood pressure. Essential fatty acids (omega 3-6-9, or fish oil) help ward off cardiovascular disease, stimulate blood circulation (good for problems like varicose veins), boost the immune system and promote brain health and function. And we all know, whether we like it or not, the benefits of eating raw vegetables.

Add to that the benefits of ditching heavy moisturizers that often contain wax and clog pores (Damelio recommends a tiny bit of light, small-molecule oil) and swapping other chemical-based products for organic soap, raw shea butter and other natural skin care treatments (she also whips up a natural “skin smoothie” and recommends the combat-ready soap bar through her skin-care company, Skin Can Do), and you’ve got a recipe for evening out your skin tone, reducing blemishes and other visible anomalies, and improving the digestion and circulation cycle so important to proper skin nourishment.

Of course it goes without saying that making healthy choices in all areas of our lives will impact our skin – just like making unhealthy choices does – but don’t fall into the trap of waiting until you can do it all before you do any of it. Why not show your skin the love it needs now, so it’ll be be there for you when you’re ready to show it off to the rest of the world?

Whatever opinions any of us hold of Michael Jackson, he battled image in the media for most of his adult life, and his death today is a reminder of the brevity and unpredictability of our own lives.

Let’s all get up and boogie for six and a half minutes, shall we?

There are thousands of important, engaging and inspiring voices in our ranks – both women and men – with expertise and advice (or just a unique experience) to lend in health, fashion, dating, lifestyle, travel, business and a whole host of topics that affect us as “fat girls.”

Each Wednesday we’ll turn FGG over to a guest blogger with a great topic they’d like to share. If you’d like to be our special guest, send an email to letters@fatgirlsguidetoliving.com and tell us a little about you, your work or other relevant experience, and a brief summary of your idea for a guest column. If it looks like a good fit, we’ll send you a brief style guide and a list of available dates for your guest column.

Guest bloggers receive a 2-3 line bio in each of their posts, and a link to their web site and email address (optional).

Interested? We’d love to hear from you.

Walking the trails at my lovely city park

And we mean that literally. Please join our FGG flickr group (you can see some thumbnail preview pics from the group on the lower right).

Because the Fat Girl’s Guide to Living is about living in the here and now rather than awaiting that magical day where we awaken as perfect beings with perfect bodies, we’d love to see images of you out there in the world doing what you love. Show us how you dipped your brave toes into the waters of a new activity (kayaking, anyone?) you’d held back from trying because of your size. Already my friend and kayaking mentor, Shawna has added photos of her regular kayaking excursions with her family in Nebraska to the flickr group. Way to go, Shawna (and thanks)!

Each week, we’ll be posting weekly images of women from the flickr group who understand that life is meant to be enjoyed here and now, and your photos might be featured!

In the future, we’ll be doing guides to taking lovely self portraits. And sexy ones. We hope to see your interpretations in the flickr group, too.

What are you waiting for? Join us as we ditch our self consciousness and put ourselves out there!