How’s your Wednesday going? I stopped on the way home from the gym for juice and ended up scoring some discount produce. Stuff like this is often marked down because it’s close to the “Best By” date so I just make sure to check that I can eat it before it goes bad.
Luckily, I can eat entire watermelons in 24 hours, so nothing spoils on my watch 
After the gym I had a morning snack – apple and almonds. I’m more of a cashew girl, but I was going through those so fast I had to change it up!
My mom sent us home with a ton of ripe avocados so Ben and I are fighting for them eating them as fast as our little crackers can scoop ‘em up!
The rest of lunch was a salad and open face turkey sandwich.
As always, I’m a thirsty bear camel, these are my drinks consumed by noon.
We interrupt this week’s Weight Loss Wednesday blog post to remember that even if you’re healthy and/or at goal weight you might not be model skinny and that’s okay…
This month French Elle is featuring a plus sized model on it’s cover – Tara Lynn
(image source)
While I know some people say “plus sized models” are really the size of an average woman in our world and are quick to dismiss curvier models, I appreciate it. I know if they really wanted to Beyonce and Kate Winslet and other stars with some booty could starve themselves to be super skinny. But, I appreciate that they don’t (even if their motivation has nothing to do with making a statement about body image). I appreciate it because it makes me feel less crazy.
People talk a lot of shit about my self deprecating comments. I make fun of myself, it’s not the end of the world. Word of advice, take most things you read on random blogs with a grain of sea salt – this is not the New York Times (or other publication you find respectable and in line with your political leanings).
But, the reality is I don’t mind the booty I was born with. I do think it’d be easier for me to ‘own it’ if my Latin curves were paired with some brown skin tone. I feel that Hispanics are more accepting of curves (sadly, this is changing more and more).
(image source)
It comes down to this – I don’t want to feel like crap about myself and it’s really hard not to compare. So, the more media supports normal sized stars the better. I know it takes all kinds, shapes, heights, colors… but I appreciate a more equal representation of not-thin out there too.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for getting to your weight loss goals. Heck, I want to lose the last 10 pounds I’ve been fighting with! But, 10 pounds is not going to make me thin by Hollywood standards. I want to be healthy and happy and not worry about muffin top. Goal weight or not, I will always embrace booty booty booty rockin everywhere.
Vogue created Vogue Curvy that features more curvy models and stars you can check out.
What’s up with all the giveaways on RER these days?
I used to have to turn down a lot of offers, but since changing ad groups about 6 months ago I have been able to say “Yes!” to anything I choose. This means I can pass along some free stuff to my readers via giveaways! I try not to formally Review unless I think it’s useful but I do want you to know what I like and don’t like. I’m always honest with my opinions to a fault.
I do not accept any giveaway where you’d be required to jump through 100 hoops to enter. If you notice you don’t have to like any Facebook page to play 
But, I wouldn’t hate it if you liked RER’s page.
If you win please respond within 48 hours or I will pick someone else. I try and email winners so they don’t have to come back to RER within a certain time frame, but it’s not always possible.
Let me know if it gets to be too much, but I like spreading the love via free stuff!
Here are the winners of my recent giveaways:
Quaker Heart Cereal – 5 winners
1) Katie R: [email protected]
2) Angie: [email protected]
3) Anne: [email protected]
4) katie: [email protected]
5) Katie: [email protected]
Vega Protein Bars – Melissa: [email protected] gmail. com
Irvine Mud Run 5K – tiffany: [email protected]
thinkThin Bars – Beth: [email protected]
@Kat – wow! @Monica – HATERS GONNA HATE!! 🙂
@Kat: I think you underestimate Monica’s self-awareness and are missing the point. RER is so loved by those of us who share Monica’s “obsessions” partly because she owns it, has a “backbone,” and is all grown up in ways we appreciate and can empathize with. You don’t like it? Oh well.
Thank you Catherine. I appreciate your support 🙂
Monica, I feel you would make less “self-deprecating” comments about yourself if you stopped obsessing about your body, food and exercise. You are so absorbed and involved in it. The minute you stop obsessing and worrying is the minute you’re body will settle exactly where it’s meant to be – and you will be radiant where ever that happens to be. Get it??
And self-deprecation is a lame excuse. It’s just covering up insecurities. Buck up and get a backbone. Stop making excuses and act like a grown adult woman for once. (I’m sure you’ll delete this because you won’t have the balls to accept the truth in it – the truth hurts?)
Kat,
Thanks for commenting here. I actually have only deleted one comment in the last 4 years of RER (it was mean to another blogger and completely unnecessary). I can handle the truth – especially if someone has a backbone themselves and says it here instead of behind my back.
I used to hate self-deprecating remarks and almost feel like it’s a learned thing. I’m sometimes uncomfortable being confident, like it might set me up to be knocked on my butt. Also, I do want it to be clear that I don’t take myself too seriously and I’m unsure how to communicate that sometimes.
After hearing the comments from people who come to RER and leave feedback I realize it’s not constructive (and more importantly not funny) so I’m working on it.
After years of battling with myself to fulfill to my idea of “perfect” in high school and college, I got over it and truly let myself start living a healthy life… It wasn’t as much a number for me, rather the feeling of control. Whenever I felt like my life was spinning out of control I turned to food. And in reality, I was only making the problems worse.
I am so, so, so happy to see women embracing who they really are and accepting their bodies for what they are… That is real power!
Monica you blog makes my morning and keep me inspired and motivated! I have gained some weight recently been struggling with feeling like such a failure to letting it happen. I am working to get the weight back off, but I have to remember at no matter my weight I need to love and respect myself. Weight does not determine my worth.
Keep up the great work!
I love Sara Ramirez! She’s definitely an inspiration. Also, I’ve never heard of eating avocados with crackers – I’ve gotta give that a try sometime!
Monica,
Thank you. I’ve been fighting myself for about a month or so about the number on the scale and why its not moving. I keep hearing that when you’re training for a marathon the scale typically won’t go down. How can this be possible? I haven’t changed my eating habits but my mileage has increased by double fold. This post is exact message I needed to hear this morning. Thanks again.
It’s funny you mention Beyone having “some booty”…I know someone who saw her once in an airport and said that she is actually very tiny and petite…curvy yes but very tiny. I thought that was interesting since she is always supposed to be “curvy” which she is, but small at the same time. I appreciate a wide range of beauty as well.
All those Katie’s and none of them had the last name Heddleston! 😛
I like having a booty. You can’t change bone structure and a random stranger once told me I have birthing hips… I guess that’s for the best since I’ve birthed 3 kids. Haha!
I wonder if your random stranger was the same one who told me I have birthing hips, too! Hah!
Do you ever worry about making yourself hyponatremic with all of the water you drink? I know you said once you’re a salty sweater, I was just wondering if you ever worry about that, or if you counter act it with all that iced coffee you drink 😉
I do worry about that and have felt the imbalances in the past that I try to fix with salty foods or less water.
In what ways have you felt the imbalances in past?
I ask because I am a huge drinker in my daily life (non-alcoholic 😉 and so I try when training and doing half and fulls to make sure I alternate water and gatorade (or water/gu and gatorade), but at the full distance, I always get the swollen hands thing. I don’t think I drink more than what is recommended (I’m careful about that), but I still wonder if I might be over-doing it.
Monica — I love this post. I love how you own who you are and have an authentic writing voice. I have really cut back on the number of blogs I read because I feel like authenticity is going out the window. As for the giveaways – I don’t care either way. I love trying for something I really want. If I don’t really want it, it’s fun to see the stuff companies send to you. Angie
I dont mind the giveaways, though I dont usually play. But how funny is it that 3 of the 5 winners this time were named Katie?? lol
Katie’s are lucky I guess?! I know I double checked to make sure it wasn’t the same person!!
I’m torn on giveaways. I think it’s nice to ‘spread the love’ but I hate reading a blog post that is one big ad. Esp when bloggers review something that has nothing to do with their blog (olive oil on a running blog, let’s say).
What about if I used olive oil to prevent runner’s chafe? Ha!
My thoughts on the giveaways – I think you’re doing it right. I don’t usually participate in the food giveaways on blogs because I don’t usually eat many of the things being promoted. But, I love free gear. My issue with giveaways is when every single post is about a new product and a giveaway. When that becomes the case, I usually stop reading. But, like I said, you are doing it right and you have content to go along with the stuff. So I am here and commenting whether you like it or not!!!!
Bwahahahahahahahahaha
I ♥ RER more with each new day, so glad to have this blog and to have someone speak for so many of us who feel the same! You keep it real and your fans adore you! Keep it up girl! Oh and thanks for not making us jump through those wacky, like us here, post us there hoops for your fun contests 🙂 Oh and hatewrs are gonna hate, brush them off and know they surely are not the majority!
thank you for this post. I think its always good to remember that its not all about what you look like. Its always good to take a step back and remember that no one cares about it as much as you do and no MATTER what you look like, someone else will always have something you want. Grass is greener. It’s all about perspective!!
I’ve learned that the number on the scale doesn’t automatically make one healthy or even “fit.” It’s just one of many numbers that help determine whether or not we’re healthy or may be at risk for certain diseases later in life.
I’m turned off by a lot of self deprecating comments. It reminds me of thin friends in high school and college who complained about being fat. It always made me wonder how they saw me (I was actually overweight) and other people who were overweight.
I think we all see ourselves differently than others do. I know that i’m my biggest critic. Being fit and healthy and HAPPY is what is important.
I suppose no matter our size, height, weight…we all pick ourselves apart at times….and that’s ok as long as we love ourselves at the end of the day or are willing to make healthy changes to correct what we don’t like. I think you are gorgeous, funny and you are pretty darn speedy too!
I believe everyone is their own worst judge. In my opinion, I don’t think you need to lose 10 pounds. You look amazing, and I certainly wish I looked like that and had the motivation and willpower to workout consistently like you do. You’re right, it is hard not to compare ourselves to others. 🙂
I am Latina too and where I’m from, you are definitely judged based on how thin you are. I actually feel more accepted here in the little town where I live in the U.S. than I ever did in the big city I grew up in.
I think Sara Ramirez is a gorgeous woman, no matter WHAT size she is!!!