Dear Jillian Michaels...

The first thing I want to do is to thank you for pointing out that women who have given birth are 'damaged' and it's something you would never want to put your own body through. While I agree that adoption is a fantastic thing and so many children truly deserve the loving family that they may not have been born with, I believe (HOPE) that you may have misspoken.

Sure, anyone who has given birth will complain or joke about the things that are now different about their bodies. Simple things like jumping on a trampoline or coughing or sneezing without preparing oneself could result in...we'll just call it 'more laundry to do!' Ankles swell, purple lines appear and make your legs look more like a topographic map than a set of limbs, and stretch marks...well, I'm sure you've seen your share of those in your line of work.

I know you SAY that it's about being healthy, but I can't help but think that you still have very little respect for the chubby 12-year-old that is your inner child. You never want to go back there again. I get it. Who would really CHOOSE to be overweight, right? So, even though most of us don't stand a chance in hell of getting our 'good' bodies back after having children no matter how proper or diet and exercise regimen may be, living as good examples with healthy habits and loving and accepting ourselves with all of our flaws seems a little too good to be true, doesn't it? Well unfortunately, it's all getting to be more difficult by the minute with the barrage of ignorant comments like yours.

You are not helping people, Ms. Michaels. You are making us feel 'less than' for not looking like you.

Silly me, thinking that you could be such a great example for women by getting pregnant, gaining weight, and showing the world how to do it all the 'right way.' I must be so naive to think that you of all people would have the self control to do that and not regress to be that chunky little girl inside of you that you apparently fear and loathe.

Perhaps you should maybe talk to someone about this, Jillian. It really doesn't sound healthy.

Or, maybe you're right. Maybe those three children who once lived inside of me were not worth all the stretch marks, spider veins, and lack of bladder control that may very well plague me for the rest of my life. And how must this make women who would do anything to experience pregancy but cannot feel? Their dream is your nightmare, right?

I have to say that I enjoy watching 'The Biggest Loser' most days, though I roll my eyes and grind my teeth when you are screaming at a contestant for not 'trying hard enough.' Break them down to build them up, right? I can't help but think that many of them will have some cracks of inadequacy in their 'foundation' with your methods, but only time will tell. But I must say that my favorite episode of yours wasn't even an episode of 'The Biggest Loser.' It was an episode of 'The Dog Whisperer.' To see that small dog have absolutely no fear and respect for you and make you feel helpless...now, there was an interesting turn of events! It was nice to see the human side of Jillian Michaels instead of the screaming, swearing drill sargent that you (or your show's editors) usually choose for us to see.

Once again, I want to clarify that I think adoption is a beautiful thing. You certainly do not have to actually give birth to be a true mother. But anything can be misunderstood or tainted if done for the wrong reasons. Talking about adopting for the sake of vanity? Not so pretty. You might want to run some of those words through your head before you spew them onto the pages of a popular magazine about women.

After all, we might get the wrong idea about you.

Sincerely,
Just Another Damaged Woman

Redneck Suburbans, Exploding Hearts, and Burlap Sacks

One fine Sunday afternoon, David had a brilliant idea...

...to connect the tandem bike to a trailer bike and THEN hook a bike trailer to the back of that.

The whole idea of it made me a bit uneasy, but at least they were wearing helmets right?

And thus, the 'Redneck Suburban' was born!

I opted to not ride with them...I'm sure I would have been the reason they would tip over! (Nobody tipped over and everyone had a great time, BTW!) Knowing that I could have gotten exercise with them but was not, I was actually motivated to hop on the elliptical last night and I DIDN'T DIE. The longer I put it off, the harder it seems like it will be. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be! The weight I'd lost is starting to creep its way back onto my butt and thighs, so I must do something. Besides, I just figured out how yummy it is to mix a handful of Chocolate Cheerios with a small bag of Chex Mix and eat a Red Vine every couple of mouthfuls. Pure heaven.

Gee....why do you suppose I'm gaining weight???

I'm just a spoiled, lazy glutton...THAT'S WHY!!! I'd also noticed that the lack of exercise over the past month or so has caused my energy levels to decrease quite noticably. I just always felt a little, oh I don't know...BLEH! Feeling like that makes me crave crappy food....and so the downward spiral begins!

I'm going to try to take 20 minutes out of my day to hop on the elliptical and make my heart want to burst out of my chest. (That sounds pretty reasonable, right?) I need to track my food on Sparkpeople again, too. That really works...but not if you don't log on! But the weather is finally warming up and I'm finding that I want to cover up a little more each day. Think I could bring the burlap sack back in style? (Okay, so maybe it never really WAS actually in style...and it sounds kind of itchy!)

Have a great day!