In January 2011 I started to unravel about being told how to be less fat!!! It only has become worse, probably because I was focused on it. In January I picked up a magazine, read an article about dieting. It did not tell me one thing I had not heard before. Not one thing!!! You know, exercise more, eat better, sleep more etc. I am not against healthy ways of living it is just that there seems to be a war on about fat people and especially fat kids. Since then I have read how where you live makes you fat, who you hang out with may make you fat, lack of sleep makes you fat, too much sleep makes you fat, it is endless. There is also all this talk about food tax, healthier foods in machines in the work place, in schools and how are we going to make healthy foods cheaper? Now please, give us a break, is it not cheaper to buy an orange than a chocolate bar? What about the fact that fat foods just taste good, can we ever legislate that? Again I am a supporter of a healthier lifestyle but I am just so mad about the constant attack on fat people. I am also tired of being told what to do and especially what to eat, I know I am not alone. For all the years we have heard about losing weight it must be alarming to” whomever those folks are” that we are getting fatter as a nation. Something is not working!
I know that kids today lead a much more sedentary lifestyle but let me tell you about my childhood. I was born hungry…really, my mom said I wanted to eat (drink) from day one. I came from a very active family. I did all the sports, ice skated for years and battled my weight. We did not even have TV until I was 12 years old. My brother grew up exactly the same way and he is tall and slim. Did I eat too much? I don’t really know, I started to diet at 16 and well we all know what that does over time. Thanks to my parents I grew up with great self esteem, some might say inflated….
I say all this because in my opinion there is still so much we don’t know…no computers in my day to keep me captive indoors. We still have stats that say we are likely to gain weight back we lost, we still spend billions of dollars on weight loss and we are still fat.
I have no idea what the answers are. I am in a position to know thousands of fat women and over the years there have been a small number who have maintained large losses. Most have not. That includes me. I do know many women who have chosen to be healthier and are still plus sizes, I know women who have given up and those who continue to try new things.
I am very interested in what women of size think about this issue. Where do we go from here? What are you doing? I have so much more to say on this subject, it is endless in my world. I will keep you posted.
