A Weighty Issue

 A Weighty Issue

“Leggings and Amazon are ruining the world,” my hair-cutting person said recently.  I couldn’t agree more.  The Amazon issue is pretty clear: Amazon is taking over the world. The leggings issue is less clear.  

Before the pandemic, I pretty much wore jeans at home and work pants to teach in-person.  Leggings were for yoga. Once the pandemic hit, and my two millennial daughters moved in temporarily, leggings were the rage.  I became a regular viewer of Athleta online, and discovered Alo Yoga and Beyond Yoga (my daughters’ recommendations) clothing websites offering all sorts of incredibly trendy and lovely leggings and yoga pants.  And as those few pounds crept up on me, the leggings felt better and better. Just a few pounds really make a difference when you’re 5’ 1 and a half.  I started noticing the weight gain in my face, even though my family insisted they didn’t notice anything different and I shouldn’t be so concerned with my weight during a pandemic. So I did keep on eating the bloomin’ onion from Outback Steakhouse, 8000 calories a bite. 

But despite assurances from my pandemic mates that I looked fine, I was aghast when I looked in the mirror or attempted to try on a pair of pre-pandemic jeans.  So recently I made a change, and became very aware of what I was eating. My new regimen includes eating an acai bowl for brunch with peanut butter and lots of fruits I love, and then a protein and a vegetable for dinner.  It is really working out.  I will indulge in an occasional pizza slice or two for dinner, or eat Mexican, Greek or Thai take-out when we order that.  But I must report that my jeans now fit me, and all my summer shorts for this Florida trip I’m on, also fit.  So for now, in this moment, I have reached my pre-pandemic weight - not that it’s so perfect, but I am no longer aghast when looking in the mirror.  As for my pandemic hair, that’s another story.