Body image post

Hi, there. Guess what? I'm fat. I am obese. You can tell that, when you look at me. You can see that I have a lot of fat around my middle, that my upper arms aren't as slim and toned as they should be. You might be disgusted. You might think to yourself, "Ugh, how could you allow that to happen?" You can think a lot of things when you look at me. You can see quite a bit just by looking at me.
You know what you can't see? You can't see that I've lost over 40 lbs. You can't see the tons and tons of stretchmarks I have, from gaining 96 lbs between two pregnancies. You can't see how hard I've worked to get muscles underneath this fat.
You know what I can't see when I look at you? I can't see how much you are worth, how much you are loved, I can't even see how healthy you are or aren't. Not at just a glance, not even at a solid stare. You know why? Because appearances can be deceiving. I'm obese. My BMI is 34, and I have fought hard to get it there, and yet, I have wonderful blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. I, with my BMI at 34, might have better vitals than someone with a BMI of 23. You never know.
Yes, I am fat. You may or may not be. It doesn't matter to me. I don't know your story. I don't know if you've struggled with an eating disorder, or an over/under active thyroid. I don't know what issues you have. I just know that you're a person. That's all that anyone knows about you or me, at a glance.
Please, before your curl your lip in disgust at that person who is fatter/thinner/curvier than you, think a moment. That's all I ask. Just stop and think.

Replies

  • papastu
    papastu Posts: 737 Member
    :drinker:
  • sylvuz323
    sylvuz323 Posts: 468 Member
    Great post!!!
  • AMEN... :drinker:
  • domgirl85
    domgirl85 Posts: 295 Member
    Amen! I've seen so many posts here where people talk about seeing an overweight person and feeling disgusted! At least one of those times I commented about the person not knowing anything about their life to make assumptions. We all get where we're going (fitness and otherwise) in our own way on our own time. Out of the human traits that disgust me, obesity is not one of them! Congrats on the loss so far :D
  • AubreySue81
    AubreySue81 Posts: 167 Member
    I :heart: :heart: :heart: this post. Thanks for sharing. :drinker: :bigsmile: :flowerforyou:
  • kimiel51
    kimiel51 Posts: 299 Member
    Awesome!! :flowerforyou:
  • mhankosk
    mhankosk Posts: 532 Member
    Please, before your curl your lip in disgust at that person who is fatter/thinner/curvier than you, think a moment. That's all I ask. Just stop and think.

    A.) Love this post. Its so true!
    B.) I am by no means skinny (yet :drinker: ), but I want to thank you for including the "thinner" comment. I do see people bashing those that are overweight on here, but I also see a lot of "skinny bashing" Its super hypocritical to me. I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks thats a problem too. :flowerforyou:
  • I don't think any body type should be bashed. How do people think eating disorders start? I have a friend with Grave's disease that is struggling to maintain a high enough body weight. It breaks my heart that people make hurtful comments to her about "wasting away to nothing" all the time. That's a lot of what inspired this.
  • mhankosk
    mhankosk Posts: 532 Member
    I don't think any body type should be bashed. How do people think eating disorders start? I have a friend with Grave's disease that is struggling to maintain a high enough body weight. It breaks my heart that people make hurtful comments to her about "wasting away to nothing" all the time. That's a lot of what inspired this.

    Sorry to hear about your friend :flowerforyou: People can be so rude! :grumble: :noway:
  • mrsfortune
    mrsfortune Posts: 82 Member
    :heart: :heart: :heart: This!!!!!:drinker:
  • head_in_rainbows
    head_in_rainbows Posts: 290 Member
    This is great. Thank you for this post.
  • I'm glad it helped some people! I'm glad this was appreciated.