19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Monday, March 23, 1914: Got a streak of sewing today. I get the streaks quite often in many variations. Another one is to get rid of some of my superfluous fat. 140 pounds (January) is entirely too much for a girl of my age. I don’t weigh that now, since I lost six and gained about three. Intend to take advantage of the other three and fight for dear life.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Grandma lost 6 pounds after her tonsillectomy. They were removed on March 11, and two days later she wrote:
Weighed myself this morning. I had lost six pounds. My tummy is flat you can bet. Ate solid food for supper.
My memory is that Grandma was fairly short when she was an older woman—maybe 5 feet, 1 or 2 inches. She probably lost can inch or so as she aged, but I don’t think that she ever was over 5 foot 3 inches max.
—
Grandma—
You can do it. Hang onto those three pounds. 137 pounds sounds a little heavy—and you don’t want to regain any more.
A Hundred Years Ago 
My problem is that I hang onto the pounds instead of letting them go :-).
Oh, I don’t know…137 on a small frame isn’t as heavy as you’d think. A girl who worked the farm would carry a lot of muscle – she’d be a modern size 8, or even a 6 depending on how she carried it.
(I speak from experience – when I was in my 20’s, working and chasing kids around, that’s what I weighed, and I’m 5’2″. Looked good, too 😉 )
I stil find it amusing that girls worried about flat tummies back then, just as we do now….well, some of us used to, before we “lost the battle”!
I’m a little surprised to hear Helena worrying about her weight–I kind of thought that was more of a modern fixation for women.
kerrycan, weight is a modern fixation for women of all eras.
My grandmother was short & a bit stout as well. German heritage, I chalked it up to. I hope Helena sticks to her guns, or simply decided not to fixate on a little extra padding. Wonder what she was sewing?
That’s quite a few pounds for such a little person. From what you know of her, it looks like she managed to get it under control — right?
It is kind of sad that us women worry so much about a few pounds. I weighed myself this morning and I’m 137! but I’m a bit taller!
Oh how I relate to Helena as we both fight the battle of the bulge – with 100 years between us!
I’m 5’1 and 100 pounds is my best weight, 140 is what I weighed pregnant!
And fight for dear life! She surprises me sometimes. I guess we all fight that battle.