Over the past week, I have been looking at photos of very attractive women. The most attractive women I can find, in fact. Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Editions, FHM.com, AskMen.com, etc. Not overly thin women, just realistically curvy, sexy celebrities.
No, I haven't suddenly become a massive lesbian (though I can definitely see what lesbians see in women). Nor do I like men's magazines - I once described the genre as "If it were an animal, it would be a slobbering, lecherous dog with virulent rabies, just crying out to be put down."
I stand by that. So why the sudden interest in hot scantily-clad women?
It's simple: I have now been dieting for nearly six months, and as I get closer to my target weight, my motivation is waning. Dieting is very dull (and reading about it is probably quite dull too, hence the compensatory picture of Jessica Alba) and I would rather eat chocolate cake instead. However, I have a big bag of size 8 (US size 4) clothes in my wardrobe which I'd also very much like to get back into. If I can't, I'll have to buy new clothes, which seems a waste. Plus I look much better slimmer.
So, my theory is that if I bombard my brain cells with pictures of slim-but-curvy women I'd like to look like, I'll feel compelled to stick to the diet. I'm quite enjoying it...
My other motivational tool is this dress, which I wore on my first date with my boyfriend (photo taken in September 2009):
I dream of getting back into it for his birthday party at the end of November. Will it happen? I'll leave you on tenterhooks...
13 comments:
Ah, Ariane - you're a beautiful lady and that is an amazing dress - good inspiration!
Don't feel the need to look to magazines for inspiration - those women are tweaking to an ideal; find a happiness by your own standards! :)
I do the same thing, so it would be hypocritical for me to tell you not to look to airbrushed celebrities for inspiration.
What about buying a new, sexy black dress?
I'm sure you look FANTASTIC and your boyfriend thinks so too. We are our own worst critics. Besides, you've worked so hard, you deserve to do a little shopping for some clothes that make you feel good.
Are you really dieting to lose weight or just change your habits for nutritional reasons? I hope I don't sound like the typical ignorant, crass guy for saying, but you are a stunning looking lady with an ideal figure.
I could do with losing a few pounds myself, so I have decided to try your technique of looking at pictures of attractive women. I would normally be reluctant to do this of course, but I totally trust your judgement. Wish me luck!
@RacingStu: That's a lovely thing to say - thank you very much. (But I know I'll be happier when I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight!)
@Alessa: Very sweet of you. I'll probably buy a few new things when I'm down to 117lbs, but I've got two really nice size 4 black dresses ready and waiting for me to get back into them...
@MrChambers: That's very kind, but I gave birth in April and put on five stone during my pregnancy (there are no post-pregnancy photos of me online!) so that's why I want to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
@Graham: Ha!
I still say you should buy a few really great articles of clothing so you can feel good about how you look right now. I bought some nice cardigans from Victoria's Secret and it has helped me to not feel so blimpish. I also treat myself to chocolate once per week (small portion) so I don't go crazy.
The important thing to remember is that you absolutely will fit into those dresses again. Dieting and losing weight is no easy feat. And that's precisely why you will feel all the more proud once you reach your goal.
Open mouth, insert foot. I did not know, but congratulations and best wishes to your family!
@Alessa: Totally with you on the chocolate! Glad the cardies made you feel hotter (in both senses of the word, hopefully). And cheers for your encouragement.
@Mr. Chambers: Not at all! Thank you very much.
You must have been really earnest about winning your boyfriend´s heart wearing this eye-catching and eye-guiding dress with that smashing body of yours. Plus that coy look down onto the ground! He must have gone bananas (though better not smelling like them)!
Now I can perfectly understand why you want to be perfect again! Thank you for sharing this very private picture with us! But why compare with plastic surgery? I´d rather adore a second photo of yours in your prime.
And the toe-show tells you´re still great at loosing weight!
@Graham: Perfect pun! The maiden magazine diet for men sounds like real fun, saucy and inspiring instead of dull and dry!
I understand lesbians too, in their likes and dislikes. Men belong to the ugly gender and I just feel lucky there are women with poor sense of aesthetic.
That said, women in magazine are so fake they can hardly be inspirational.
@NoGodZone: Oh, I was! Thanks a lot. I'm not sure all the women I'm looking at have had plastic surgery, though some of them definitely have. (By the way, Graham's been on that diet for years, so by rights he should weigh about two stone by now!)
@Guillaume: Ha! Men aren't ugly, they're just... different. Hard where women are soft, rough where we're smooth, etc. In most cases, opposites attract.
Well, there's no scientific basis for slimming by browsing 'girly' mags. :)
If the chap loves you, he'll love you regardless of your dress size, but, you're right, fitness helps you breath easily.
@Ariane-And aren't we lucky opposites attract. In French, women belong to what we call "le Beau Sexe", the Beautiful Gender. It is true, I think, women are more beautiful than men, more aesthetic.
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