There seems to be a lot of conversation and discussion in the blogosphere lately about the Fat Acceptance (FA) movement and whether or not they encourage women to stay fat, in addition to the accusation of not being supportive of women who want to lose weight. And the very same women who don’t fit in with the FA movement also don’t fit in with other factions that staunchly support weight loss by any means necessary. More and more I am finding women who are caught somewhere in the middle of wanting to be thin and wanting to be happy where they are, and there is a whole wide range in between.
So the question is which side do I support?
Well, I support any side that allows a woman to choose for herself what she wants to do with her body, without being criticized lambasted or treated badly as a result of her choice. Because the reality is some women want to be thin, so what? They’ve been overweight their entire life and they want to access the currency of thinness and all that it brings in this society. Some women like who they are and aren’t really interested in changing anything about their bodies (yes, these women really do exist) and some women will hate their bodies no matter what size they are. And I don’t want to hear it from the fat haters about how fat people are a drain on the healthcare system, when our real focus needs to be on treating healthcare as a right, not a commodity. The real fight is about how we subsidize certain food industries, pharmaceutical companies, the big business of healthcare and government.
You have to be comfortable in your own body. Period. End of story. And there’s no amount of hatred, rhetoric, reports or statistics, on either side of the fence, that will change this fact. So, first ask yourself the question “do I feel comfortable in my body?” If the answer is yes, then great, congratulations. But if the answer is no, you’ve got some work to do.
When it comes to weight loss, body acceptance and living a healthy life, this is what I know for sure about:
Being Fat
For me personally, being fat is anything larger than a size 16, or being 200lbs+ and this is all in proportion to the sizes and weight I have been in my life. I’ve been as large as a size 24 and as small as a size 12. Right now I’m a size 16 and I’m starting to feel uncomfortable, so I know it’s time to pull in the reigns and get myself back on track. Fat is also uncomfortable. I don’t like my thighs rubbing together when it’s hot outside and I like to fit comfortably into an airplane seat
Being Thin
Nothing. While I’ve lost a significant amount of weight and kept most of it off, I’ve never considered myself to be thin. I have been a relatively average size, but never thin.
Losing 100lbs
I felt my healthiest and most confident at my lowest weight. I was more outgoing, friendly, and personable and I compared myself to other women significantly less than I used to. Life wasn’t perfect, but I finally felt at home in my body.
Losing Weight
It’s challenging, but not impossible. Getting to the heart of what’s eating you is absolutely critical to success for an emotional eater like me. Cooking and working out in a way that you enjoy are the mechanics of weight loss, but knowing why you eat and deliberately choose not to make healthy choices is critical to success.
Losing a lot of weight but still being considered fat
At my lowest weight, I was still considered to be obese by medical and BMI standards. Regardless of the fact that I had never been a size 12 in my adult life, it did not matter. One of the most crushing experiences I had was being in a pizza shop after losing about 75lbs and a kid asked her mom why I was so fat? I wanted to throw that kid out the window, but I resisted. Everybody’s got an opinion.
Weight Re-gain
It’s hard and it makes you feel like a failure sometimes. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, life intervened with a series of struggles, challenges and setbacks, and in the wake of it all I returned to the first love of my life. Food. The only difference is now I am awake and I know how and what it means to be healthy and that I can make better choices. It has also been very humbling to know that I am still on the journey and there’s still a lot to learn.
If you’re trying to get healthy, start by doing something physical that you enjoy and cook fresh food. You won’t lose 20lbs in a week, but it’s a good place to start.
