Being Geek Chic is the yammerings of a Midwestern nerd named Elizabeth Giorgi. My vision impairment is real, which is frustrating because I really would like to see a 3D movie.
Send questions, requests and ideas to [email protected]. Please put your complaints on a napkin and toss it.
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Note
6th September 2012
This geek is trying to lose weight. There, I said it.
For the last 3 years, I have been afraid of a number. Three digits. I have been terrified of facing 167.
One hundred and sixty seven pounds is the most I have ever weighed in my life. And it was my weight for the last three years. A 5 foot 5 inch woman is considered “overweight” at 167 pounds. And this girl considered herself a failure for ever getting there.
The truth is that getting there was easy. Owning it was hard. And so I misdirected my mind. I told myself a series of alternate truths in order to conceal and protect myself from the reality that made me feel worthless.
I am smart. I am talented. I am great at my job. I have great friends. I have an incredible boyfriend. I have great hair. And great legs.
These statements are true. But these were things that I told myself on a weekly basis because I didn’t want to admit that I felt badly about my weight. See, if I never “looked” at 167 - it might not exist. If I didn’t acknowledge it, I could focus on liking myself anyway.
I know this theory has been disproven time and time again. And yet, Republicans still employ it when asked about global warming - so why couldn’t I use it when dealing with the details of my body mass?
And as long as I’m being honest, let me tell you another truth. There were certain things I stopped doing because I would have to be reminded of that ugly number. I skipped doctor’s appointments, because I knew I would be weighed. I held off on getting a new driver’s license when I moved, because I didn’t want to report my weight. I avoided getting my picture taken, because I didn’t want unflattering photos ending up on Facebook.
If you know me in living, breathing, non-internet form, you know that I pride myself on being honest. I try hard not to be harsh or brash - but I’ll always tell you the truth. Why? Because I firmly believe that we only reach our fullest potential and develop meaningful relationships when our lives and friendships are built on a foundation of truth. And yet one of the cornerstones of my life, my health, was essentially built on a foundation of sand that I kept telling myself was concrete. I was ignoring the truth - because it was inconvenient. And I was the only one responsible for it.
Plus, it’s just goddamn embarrassing. When you parade through life with such earnest intentions, you start developing a narrative of who you are. I was a “strong” person who wasn’t affected by trivial details, like pounds. In fact, I developed an entire series of mantras to deal with my inconvenient truth:
“It doesn’t matter that I’ve gained 3 pounds a year for the last five years - because I’m still a great writer.”
“It doesn’t matter that my size 6 and 8 clothing don’t fit anymore - because it’s shallow to care about trivial things like sizes anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter that I don’t like the way I look - because no one is hiring me for my appearance.”
These truths were no foundation to stand on. They were bullshit. And deep down, I knew it. But if I ignored it - it wasn’t a lie - it was just ignorance.
Something changed this summer. After a 3 hour hike with my boyfriend, brother and mother, TJ and I were dipping our feet in a nearby lake to cool off. My mom snapped a picture of us to commemorate the successful day. I was afraid of what that picture looked like. My fears were affirmed when I saw it later that day. TJ looked triumphant and handsome. Sweaty, but proud. I looked miserable. I wasn’t miserable because I had just manhandled mother nature’s stairways - no, I was miserable, because I didn’t want my picture taken.
What a ridiculous way to live my life. It’s a short ride, my friends. Even shorter when you consider the limitations on one’s body as we age. And I couldn’t even muster a big smile after successfully putting my glutes to the test, because deep down I knew that 15 of those 167 pounds were resting unattractively over my midsection.
That weekend, I decided to turn it around.
I wasn’t going to continue to ignore 100. Or 60. Or 7. I was going look that numeric representation of my physical failure in the donut hole and tell it to fuck off.
It’s been almost 8 weeks and I’m happy to report that I left 167 in my past. Pretty soon, 150 will be there too. And hopefully, I’ll be back at a healthy, jubilant weight soon.
You know what I learned in all of this? (Besides the fact that egg white omelets can actually be delicious.)
Your body is math equation. You add calories to it. You subtract calories from it. At the end of the day, if you can do simple math, you can stop hiding from the truth of your health and solve the problem.
Even bigger than that: you are a beautiful person at 167 or 154 or 142. BUT, you are more beautiful when you are happy. When you pound the gravel for hours and then take a picture with your boyfriend - you should be proud of what you just accomplished. And being proud means you smile EVEN when you’re hair is in a crazy bun and when your pit stains are showing.
Sadness? That is for when people die. Or when you’re sick. Or when you break up with someone. Or when you’re struggling with your job. Or when your favorite show is cancelled. Sadness is not an emotion you should equate with looking in the mirror.
That means that you’re going to have to stop hiding your personal “ugly” truths behind the logical ones.
That means you’re going to have to start being honest with yourself about what being happy means. If you can’t be happy at 158 - then do the math. And solve the problem.
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Note
15th September 2011
Finding inspiration: working out
Believe it or not, I used to be a workout nut. These days, not so much. Hours and hours of sewing, playing video games, pouring over books and re-watching my favorite movies have taken the place of good old-fashioned calorie burning. That’s why it hit me so hard at my most recent doctor’s appointment when the nurse told me I had gained 10 pounds in the last year.
The fact is that VERY FEW people actually enjoy working out and I am most definitely not one of them. That’s why I thought it might be useful to think of inspiring ways to encourage myself to move my booty as opposed to the normal self-deprecating choices, such as constant weighing, criticism and the eventual gorge into the ice cream pint.
1. Do double duty. Read while you sweat on the elliptical, catch up on podcasts while you run, watch your favorite TV show while you lift weights. In a world where we all have less time, we need to multi-task. Nothing makes a work out session go by faster than pairing it up with something that you don’t want to end.
2. Talk about it. The internet is full of people who share your problems/frustrations/goals/dreams. Think of these people as your inspiration focus group. The internet gives us the anonymity to be a real jerk, but in this case, you can use that nameless-ness to find likeness and support.
3. Reward good behavior. When I finally reach that 10 pound weight loss goal, I’m buying a new TV. I know, that’s a HUGE present. However, I remember that when I was in elementary school my mom told me that if my brother and I both got straight A’s, we would be able to get the new Super Nintendo. Nothing motivated me to study and do my homework like the promise of more Mario games.
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Note
21st June 2011
Lady Geek of the Week: Geek Girl Gets Fit
I wish I could give you this awesome chick’s name. But several google searches later, I have come up completely short. Regardless, I thought her story was worthy of sharing.
She started her site, geekgirlgetsfit.com to chronicle her efforts to follow the Hacker’s diet as she attempted to lose 30 pounds. She shared all her great tips and tricks along the way and is now at her goal weight. The best part? Her geeky references throughout her journey!
It wasn’t easy (One does not simply walk into Mordor, right?) I started by learning to eat less food then I burned in a day with the help of the Hacker’s Diet. While trying to adjust to a lower calorie existence I found out what a great diet food Chipotle makes.
That statement sort of sums up her overall experience and the Mordor reference is just so charming. Need further proof that this fit geek has serious nerd cred? Check out this photo from her blog:
If anyone knows this lovely lady, we’d love to give you her real name so we can give her proper credit for her awesome accomplishment and inspiring website. In the meantime, you can become a fan of the site on Facebook.
Want more information about the Hacker’s diet? You can check all that out here.
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Note
27th September 2010
Lady Geek of the Week: Katherine Schwarzenegger
You might know of Katherine Schwarzenegger simply because of her famous parents, but she’s carving a path for herself as a self-help author with an important message. Her new book, “Rock what you’ve got” is aimed at teen and tween girls struggling with self-esteem who are obsessed with being thin, “sexy” and all words synonymous with beautiful.
Sure, she’s a pseudo-celebrity by her parental association, so she’ll probably sell books based on that alone, but her message is an important one that women of all ages should embrace: No matter your size, you’ve got to find and love your “inner and outer beauty.”
In her own words:
I think most fashion designers view models as being a hanger for clothing. Having a curvy woman wear something gives it attitude. I get that designers don’t want the model to have personality because they want you to focus on the outfit, but that’s really ridiculous. You don’t want to applaud women who have eating disorders or tell them to “keep it up.” It’s a bad message.
It’s a message we’ve heard before in a plethora of ways, however, it’s important that people who get face time from the media actually tell the truth about these issues and help to re-shift our collective ideas and standards of beauty. Schwarzenegger admits that she’s a fitness geek, largely because of her father’s influence, and discusses at length how getting into a lifestyle that is healthy is key no matter what size.
If you’re still a nay-sayer and don’t think that book can stand on its own, then check out what the initial reader reviews are saying:
I wish there had been a book like this around when I was a teenage girl, but it’s here now and as someone who’s long past those awful, insecure years, I still found some nuggets of truth in Katherine’s wonderful new book. It’s one thing for your mom to tell you that you’re beautiful, and you’re very lucky if she does, but it’s even better when you hear it from a girl you would perceive as having it all. Famous and successful parents, beauty(yes, Katherine is a gorgeous girl) money and fame, didn’t prevent from feeling like she was fat, ugly and stupid.
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This book is so great for my daughters, and for me! I have already dog eared several pages and I’m only half way done! Katherine’s approach is so real and I feel that she speaks her mind about her body issues. I’d recommend this book for my sisters, my daughters, for any woman, any age that needs to ROCK what they’ve got!
So Katherine, here’s to you for taking on this issue and for getting the discussion started. For your intelligent writing and honest chronicles of your struggles, you’re our Lady Geek of the Week.
