"I am Happier Heavier"

sweetpea03b

Take a look at this post a heavier woman wrote about her weightloss and how she decided she was happier being heavier because she was always in "anxiety" over food and exercise and how it consumed her life. What do you think?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-ohuiginn/i-am-happier-heavier_b_4413458.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

vinny76063

I can see how she felt like it cosumed her life, that's how i was the first year sometimes it was more of a pain and burden. Now it's just my lifestyle & habbits & when I do eat whatever it doesnt get to me I don't even think about. I love the way i feel now

chivalryder

Quote from the article:

"I wanted to feel happy, but dieting wasn't making me feel happy."

That was her problem the entire time. She saw it as a diet. She didn't see it as a sustainable lifestyle change. She was giving her 100% just to lower the number on the scale. she wasn't making baby steps to new habits and a new life.

SkinnyMel78

I think it can feel like a burden in the beginning. It takes time to adjust to this new lifestyle. It's not gonna be easy but it will be worth it!!!

Mia_RagazzaTosta

She was going balls to the wall, no wonder she was miserable. She was miserable because she was restricting her diet too much and probably doing exercise she hated.

It's amazing what happens when you learn moderation, eat at a reasonable deficit, and do physical activity you enjoy. I did WW. It equated to about 1000 cals/day. I'd be happier heavier too if that's what the rest of my life looked like.

DMZ_1

No matter what a person weighs, there's always a propensity to think about your body image.

Erin_goBrahScience

"But as the scale dipped lower and the compliments on my weight-loss wore off, something else emerged: I felt exhausted, disappointed and still unhappy."

So once she was no longer praised for her weight loss it wasn't worth it to work anymore??

That was her issue, that it wasn't a magic pill and it was easier to not actually work on herself. Which if I may add it doesn't seem that she did. If you talk to anyone that has had any type of long term success they will all tell you they have made permanent changes to their lives. And most of the time it extends far beyond food and fitness.

I think that its great that the writer of the article has made some self acceptance. I mean really for her that's all that matters.

futuresize8

While she makes some good points about being happy with herself - which is a healthy attitude - and I am not one to judge or criticize anyone's physique, it sounds like she did not find something she could stick with.

She dieted.

She did not change her life or create a program she could sustain endlessly.

So, of course dieting made her unhappy. So of course she is happier not dieting (heavier.)

I get that sometimes, it's tough to make time for fitness and healthy eating...until it becomes a habit.

It's wonderful that she is happy. But it would be great if she also loved herself enough to invest some of that time she is putting into her marriage, business, family and friends to finding an activity she loved and could do to be healthier and enjoy this life longer. She is worth it.

We all are.

yoouperh

I think the following is what should be focused on :

"Some might believe that my story means I am anti-weight loss, but I am not. I'm anti-shame, guilt and fear as an avenue to weighing less in the hopes of being a better and healthier person for it. "

Before I was ever able to be successful in weight loss and keeping it off, I needed to be 100% happy with who I am. I am no where near goal, but I am getting closer every day, and I, for the first time am not consumed. I feel calm and I don't beat myself up about a bad day.

KimJohnsonsmile

Good for her for learning how to love herself. And, you know, it really isn't the size that matters *chuckle*. If she truly is happier where she is at then that's fantastic. I hope she is healthy and active and loving life, even if she isn't a size 6.

Achrya

Some people are happier heavier. Some people are happier smaller. Some people like avocado, I think that crap is gross. Some women my height wanna be 110 pounds. I wanna be 135.

As it turns out we aren't all the same.

Novel concept.



Edit: Oh. Is this gonna be about lifestyle changes? I see. Whelp, back to my regularly scheduled diet then...

hararayne

I agree with her wanting to battle the nasty mentality people have about being over-weight, but if she is into the idea of holistic health, I think either her weight will even out eventually or she will see the health effects later and eat her words. She was "dieting" not making a lifestyle change. I hope she has found a healthy way to eat and live. I hope I can too.

missomgitsica

Quote from the article:

"I wanted to feel happy, but dieting wasn't making me feel happy."

That was her problem the entire time. She saw it as a diet. She didn't see it as a sustainable lifestyle change. She was giving her 100% just to lower the number on the scale. she wasn't making baby steps to new habits and a new life.

Yep, this. Absolutely this.

Also, regardless of how much happier she supposedly is at a heavier weight, that doesn't mean she's healthy! I work for a cardiologist and if she could come into my office and pass a treadmill stress test then whatever, but realistically her cardiovascular health is at risk.

DeltaZero

Happier = Easier.

Mad_Dog_Muscle

She may be truly happy, but like others have posted, she may have been looking at it the wrong way... so focused on a number and not taking small steps to be healthier for the long term of a healthy lifestyle.

Bebubble

I have not had but 2 people comment on my weight loss. And I know I am in a much smaller size, 3 sizes down. Some people either do not care or don't look at you as someone who needs to lose weight. I had to make a life style change. Not a diet. I do not care what others see. I know for me that my health is important.

kateanne27

Geez, she wrote an article about how she is happier with herself when she isn't worried about being skinny, and people are critical that she didn't worry in the correct manner? Our culture equates thin with happy and successful, and these comments to her article just underline how screwed up that is. She tried something, it didn't make her happy, she found a way to be happy, and you think she is wrong because she did not try the same thing that makes you happy? No wonder she gave up. The semantics of size and health are loaded with connotation but their meaning is not always consistent with usage. Who are you to say that if she had made a 'lifestyle change' she would have been happier than 'dieting?' or that the happiness she feels now is not good enough? She decided thin didn't make her happy. and the response is that thin=healthy and that's what she should want. All that does is prop up the same cultural pressure that caused her so much exhaustion and negative body image in the first place.

mccindy72

Happier = Easier.

^This^. Lots of people decide they feel better when they don't have to work hard. That's why people don't like to exercise. It's hard.

iplayoutside19

“Isn't my quality of life worth more than my pant-size?"

I found this statement ironic. People that rationalize their lack of fitness always say: “I may be big, but at least they'll die happy.”

The more I read up on weight related illness...I'm convinced that death by obesity has to be one of the most miserable ways to live your life. She's 29 and probably doesn't know anyone in her immediate social circle that has had to deal major issues of obesity, yet. I know people who have to spend money to wear masks so they can sleep at night. Spend money on drugs to keep their insulin in check. Spend money on other drugs to keep other parts of their body working correctly. People who can't do some outings with their family because they can't physically participate in those outings. Never mind the outings they don’t do but could because they’re tired all time. Never mind the mood swings that come along from being tired all the time.

This is the path I saw myself heading down five years ago. I may have had less stress at meal times, but the rest of my life would have been miserable. I would not have been happy. So yes, Rachel, quality of life is more than about pants-size. It’s about a whole lot of others things. But being heavy will also degrade your quality of life.

DebbieLyn63

So much truth in what many people have already said.

No, we don't all have to be super-models, but 100 pounds overweight is not healthy for anyone in the long run.

Moderation is the key.

When this girl is 50, has Diabetes, arthritis, HBP, trashed joints, and all of the other side effects than can come along with a lifetime of obesity, she will regret not keeping the weight off.

If your happiness is tied to the scale, or if it is tied to a dozen Krispy Kremes, neither is a good way to go thru life.

bajoyba

"I wanted to feel happy, but dieting wasn't making me feel happy. Isn't my quality of life worth more than my pant-size?"

That's the problem right there. I think too many people make the mistake of putting happiness and body size in the same box and thinking the two go hand in hand.
If your quality of life is at odds with your pant size, you're going to have issues no matter what you weigh.

I loved myself bigger, I love myself now, and I'll love myself when I reach my goal weight. I decided to lose weight in the first place because I loved myself and I wanted to feel better. Obviously I realized that losing weight would result in a smaller body, and I'm happier now than I was a year ago. But it has very little to do with the size of my body and much more to do with how my body feels and what it's become capable of.

Having a positive relationship with yourself is the key to happiness at any size.