The New Normal

Here we are at the very end of September - we sure got here fast! With the change in weather, I finally pulled out all of my fall and winter clothes from last year. After going through everything, I decided I needed just a couple of things . . . OK, maybe "need" isn't exactly the right word :-).

Anyway, I went shopping to pick up a couple pairs of cords and was also on the lookout for another sweater or two. I went to one of the stores at our local mall and found a couple of cute pairs of pants, but they weren't in my size. In fact, the store had very little in my size (size 6 pants and size small tops). It was pretty frustrating to see lots of things in larger sizes, and the bigger the size, the more things I found. There was one darling wool jacket, but they didn't have it my size. They had a couple of jackets in a medium, and several jackets in size large and XXL. I commented to the sales clerk that I was surprised that they didn't have more things in small sizes, and she said that they only ordered one size 6 or size small for each item. She went on to explain that they really didn't have very many people wanting small sizes.

A little over two years ago, I couldn't even shop in this particular store because their largest size was way too small for me. It seems ironic that now I'm having trouble shopping there because they don't have anything small enough.

What's striking to me is that this store, focused on properly stocking merchandise so they're able to move it out the door, has all but stopped ordering small sizes. I live in Michigan, which is one of the heaviest states in the country, and the expanding girth of our population is now reflected in the decisions made by clothing buyers.

I watched a segment last week on the "Today" show that featured fashion for larger women. The segment was touted as "fashion for real women," and all of the clothing shown was size 14 and up; the host noted that the average American woman is now a size 14. As the average size gets better, it's becoming more difficult to even recognize what a healthy weight looks like.

This blog isn't about sizes, but it is about the growing perception that overweight is the new normal. We may kid ourselves and comfort ourselves with knowing that we look like the average American, but our bodies aren't fooled. A BMI of 30 or over puts us at higher risk for a host of diseases, and it doesn't matter if most people have BMI's hovering near 30 or not. Popular perception doesn't change the medical reality and the risks of being overweight. Take Shape for Life/Medifast isn't about getting to a certain size - it's about getting to a healthy weight and then staying there for the rest of our lives.

I've said it before, but it's worth repeating: what we're doing here is counter-cultural. I kind of like being counter-cultural - how about you? :-)