November 2010 News, updates, &
pronouncements from Pat Ballard,
the Queen of Rubenesque Romances
Nobody can make you feel inferior
without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt
Something to think
about....
You're only as old
as you feel.
I can't find who said this, but I've
heard this old saying all my life. And I do believe it. Some people just
seem to have a "younger spirit" than others. Then you hear a relatively
young person saying, "I'm old!"
And while I pondered these things a few days ago, the thought hit me...so,
maybe we're only as fat as we feel! Or as fat as we tell ourselves we are.
As I've written and said many times, I started dieting when I was eleven
years old because I saw a height/weight chart in a woman's magazine and
realized my "numbers" were not what this piece of paper said they should
be. Now this height/weight chart was for adults, but as an eleven-year-old
child I took it to heart and started 22 long years of body abuse.
But I didn't feel fat when I started dieting. I dieted because I felt like
it was something I needed to do because of what this and other magazines
told me.
As long as I was hungry I could lose weight and visit that smaller place
where I thought I should be. But as soon as I stopped being hungry and
started eating enough to just barely call myself full, I would start
gaining weight back. And I would gain until I decided I needed to diet
again because I had reached a certain weight.
But all along the way, going up and down, I never felt fat. I told myself
I was fat. But I never felt fat. I would wonder sometimes if I had
a disconnect with reality because I didn't feel fat even though
these magazines told me I was.
During those years, I would occasionally see a fat woman who was dressed
nicely and looked like she was totally at home and at peace with herself.
And I would envy her. I thought those women (my mother was one of them)
were so beautiful, especially when they dressed up and walked like they
owned the world. Many times I'd wish that I could be like them.
But...I kept telling myself that I needed to be slim because by then
I'd been taught to hate my fat body.
Then the time came when I declared peace with my body and determined to
feed it and love it no matter what size it became. I had been emancipated!
Freed! Liberated!
And I started to gain weight. But I didn't feel fat. There were
times that I'd get a little panicky and almost go back to the dieting
ways, but I held firm with my decision to stop dieting.
The more weight I gained, the more I had to fight to stop telling myself
that I was fat and to make myself hold on to my growing self-confidence.
The more I did that, the stronger I could feel myself becoming. But I
didn't feel fat.
Then, magic happened. I reached a weight that my body had been crying out
for, for all those years, and I stopped gaining. And I felt strong and
beautiful and at "home" in my own body for the first time since I had been
eleven years old. But I didn't feel fat.
And now, all these years later, even though this society tells me I'm
"obese," I still don't feel fat. So if I'm only as fat as I feel, I'm a
perfect size!
Hi everyone!
Speaking of
age, today, Nov. 14th, is my husband Joe's birthday! But I'm not
going to tell you how old he is because he's only as old as he
feels!
I hope you all had a wonderful October. It was awesome for me
because I got to see my sister Jerri, whom I hadn't seen for
almost two years. She's closer to me now, so I intend to see her
more often.
It's finally cooling off a little here in Nashville. We turned
our heat on and a few days later we started hearing a really
loud noise. Sure enough, we have to have a new unit. We could
buy the part, but the unit is 17 years old, so we decided to
just replace it. In the meantime, the people who came out to
check it said it was unsafe to leave the gas on, so they turned
it off at the unit. But while we look for someone who can bring
us a new unit, we have backup heat with gas logs in the den and
a cute little wall heater that Joe lovingly calls his "cozy."
As a result of me deciding to really "work" Facebook and Twitter
a few weeks ago, I've been contacted by two media outlets. I'll
be a guest on Vegas Allnet Radio in Las Vegas, NV
on December 19. And a new online magazine, Curvy
Magazine, is getting ready to launch and they've asked to
interview me.
Everyone in the states have a wonderful November and
Thanksgiving, and everyone else have a wonderful November.
Love,
Pat
Something
To Think About: Reflections on Life, Family, Body Image &
Other Weighty Matters by the Queen of Rubenesque Romances
As a young woman Pat Ballard almost died trying to starve her body into a
societally approved size. In 10 Steps to Loving Your Body (No Matter
What Size You Are) she shares the steps she created―and took―to
heal the damage of years of dieting. Join her in celebrating size
diversity, self esteem, positive body image, and health at every size.
Your body is a unique work of art.
There never has been, nor will there ever be,
another body just like yours.
Learn to love it and it will love you back.
More info at the Pearlsong Press website.
(All copies of 10 Steps
purchased from the Pearlsong Press website are autographed by Pat.)
This is a long article, but when you have
some time, read it. It will make you think twice about the next "new"
study that you see. I've included an excerpt below and a link to the
entire article.
Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science
Much of what medical researchers conclude in their studies is misleading,
exaggerated, or flat-out wrong. So why are doctors—to a striking
extent—still drawing upon misinformation in their everyday practice? Dr.
John Ioannidis has spent his career challenging his peers by exposing
their bad science.
By David H. Freedman
Excerpt: "That question has been central to Ioannidis’s career.
He’s what’s known as a meta-researcher, and he’s become one of the world’s
foremost experts on the credibility of medical research. He and his team
have shown, again and again, and in many different ways, that much of what
biomedical researchers conclude in published studies—conclusions that
doctors keep in mind when they prescribe antibiotics or blood-pressure
medication, or when they advise us to consume more fiber or less meat, or
when they recommend surgery for heart disease or back pain—is misleading,
exaggerated, and often flat-out wrong. He charges that as much as 90
percent of the published medical information that doctors rely on is
flawed."
Editor's Note:
Post a review of one of Pat's books
at an online bookstore, magazine, or public website,
email us at proclamation @ pearlsong.com to let us know, and we'll
consider your review for inclusion in The QP.
The following comment about Pat's books was sent via email by Nicky:
"I recently came across your books on Amazon and fell in love! I bought
and read all of them in about a week. Although it's SO hard trying to pick
a favorite, mine is a three way tie between
Wanted: One Groom,
A Worthy Heir
and
Abigail's Revenge. All the heroes are dreams! Do you have
any new work or plan on writing any more plus-size romance? I'm sure you
have heard this before, but being a single plus size young woman, your
books gave me hope and a new sense of self confidence.....Thank you for
writing such great stories."
Listen to the mp3 recording of Pat, her fearless publisher, and
several other Pearlsong Press authors in a Pearlsong
Conversationabout
creating fat friendly fiction and fat
positive characters.
Listen to a Feb. 11, 2009 Conversation with Pat Ballard
(blog post with link to 50-min mp3 recording of Pat talking about her
journey to
self- and body-acceptance and -love, her writing process,
and why a truly Happy Valentine's Day and satisfying sex life
starts with loving
your body,
no matter what it looks like.
Calendar of Events
Now available from Pearlsong Press—Pat's
newest book, the nonfictionSomething to Think About: Reflections on
Life, Family, Body Image, & Other Weighty Matters by the Queen of
Rubenesque Romances. It's a
FREE PDF ebook that can be downloaded at
http://www.pearlsong.com/somethingtothinkabout.htm or via the link at
the beginning of this newsletter.
Pat is now co-hosting Radio Free Nashville's
Health At Every Size show, which airs every Monday morning.
The show is streamed live
over the Internet 10-11 a.m. CST Mondays. You can
also subscribe to the podcast of the show. Go to
http://www.healthateverysize.info for more info, including archived
recordings, or to subscribe.
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Something
To Think About: Reflections on Life, Family, Body Image &
Other Weighty Matters by the Queen of Rubenesque Romances
