The 80s: The Grapefruit Diet and Leg Warmers

The 80s was all about indulgence, new money and living tragically hip.

The only spot though where that decadence didn't reign was in a person's diet. The Reagan Era ushered in the fad that deemed Thin is Beautiful.

People were all crazy with their Diet Coke and their Sergio Tacchini (or Adidas if you were really fly, yo) warm up suits. Girls put on their leg warmers and danced around like they were a maniac, maniac on the floor.

My mom got all consumed with dieting in the 80s. She did Weight Watchers back when it was in its earlier beginnings. Oh, there was no point counting back then, folks. It was all about egg whites, milk and gross liver.

I think she started dragging me to Weight Watchers with her around 1989. Looking back on it, she says she can't believe she thought I had a weight problem. A look at the pictures is proof enough; I wasn't chubby, I was just big. My mom has a much smaller frame, and at the time I think she was checking in at a Size 8, whereas I was about a 12. Now she says she realizes her mistake, but I think that whole episode did a number on my body image. I've battled bulimia, mild starvation streaks and occasional obsessive-compulsive bouts with food. I often wonder how I would have turned out if she hadn't dragged me to all those meetings when I was 14.

To this day I only drink diet soda and skim milk.

Anyway, the weight battle continues for me. I was doing really well, down 15 ell bees before I moved to Cincinnati. This crazy ass schedule has done a number on my formerly consistent gym pattern. Now I'm lucky if I walk from my couch to my bed to go to sleep.

Hopefully that's changing.

I am going on a trip next month, and putting on a swim suit is sheer motivation to get me to the gym. I spent an hour on the elliptical trainer (remember those days when I was working out like a Mean Bitch?) yesterday and am all psyched up to go back today.

Drinking plenty of fluids? Check.

Still not wearing any leg warmers though.