Explaining
This morning Husband warned me that I might be annoying or alienating people with my fat rants. I don't want to do that. I hope it's been clear in the past, but if it's not, I want to make it clear now: I don't attach value judgments to weight. I've been overweight, and I know how easy it is to get there and how hard it is to get out. Being overweight has nothing to do with how smart, funny, loving, responsible, talented, or otherwise cool a person is. I suspect a lot of overeating is linked to emotional issues, but that still says nothing about whether you are a good parent, loving spouse, loyal employee, or talented in some or many ways. There are fat jerks and skinny jerks.
My major focus around weight issues is health. It's sad that in a rich nation like ours we will experience reduced lifespans because of weight. Fat isn't like terminal cancer - I saw terminal cancer once and it is one of the worst, most tragic things I have ever seen. Weight is tough to lose, but it doesn't have to be a death sentence. I think it's important to put fat in the proper perspective: a big challenge, but manageable. It's crucial to have support and help to lose weight, and to be realistic, and not go to extremes. But I think there's a lot of optimism for this issue, because it isn't cancer, and deep within you is the power to make a change if you want it badly enough.
So, I hope I haven't offended you if you have a weight problem. A person's size is just one sliver of your whole person-ness, and not anywhere near the most important. The only reason I care about whether people in my life are overweight is because I worry about what it's doing to their bodies, and I worry about how they feel about themselves (when I was fat, I hated how I looked). But that's it. I don't pick my friends or love my family based on their size. I hope no one judges me that way either! I am far, far from perfect!
My major focus around weight issues is health. It's sad that in a rich nation like ours we will experience reduced lifespans because of weight. Fat isn't like terminal cancer - I saw terminal cancer once and it is one of the worst, most tragic things I have ever seen. Weight is tough to lose, but it doesn't have to be a death sentence. I think it's important to put fat in the proper perspective: a big challenge, but manageable. It's crucial to have support and help to lose weight, and to be realistic, and not go to extremes. But I think there's a lot of optimism for this issue, because it isn't cancer, and deep within you is the power to make a change if you want it badly enough.
So, I hope I haven't offended you if you have a weight problem. A person's size is just one sliver of your whole person-ness, and not anywhere near the most important. The only reason I care about whether people in my life are overweight is because I worry about what it's doing to their bodies, and I worry about how they feel about themselves (when I was fat, I hated how I looked). But that's it. I don't pick my friends or love my family based on their size. I hope no one judges me that way either! I am far, far from perfect!