It sucks.
I understand. I am 6’3, and give or take 345 pounds. I have been battling my weight since my junior year in high school when I was a star baseball player and I had professional scouts question my weight when I was only 195 pounds, because my father at the time was close to or over 400 pounds. I currently take medication for hypertension, and though I don’t have any other related diseases or anything, I do believe I have some sleep apnea and I snore like crazy at night.
What I want to do is pen an open letter to all fat people. It is about high time someone laid down the facts, and talked to each other like we should and have an open line of communication so we can get some clean and clear understanding.
First off, we need to call a spade a spade. We are fat. Some of us are overweight. Some are morbidly obese, or just obese. By definition, fat is:
| synonyms: | plump, stout, overweight, large, chubby, portly, flabby, paunchy, potbellied, beer-bellied, meaty, of ample proportions, heavyset; More |
It doesn’t matter to the rest of us of how you go there, or how you ended up fat. The point is- you’re fat. I’m fat, you’re fat, just get over the semantics of what we are called for a moment.
I’ve done it countless times before:
“I’m not that fat, I’m just a little bit overweight.”
“It was just holiday weight- I will get it off quickly.”
“I’m fluffy, and just more to love.”
Everyday I scan the internet, and probably at least 2-3 times a week on the front page of various websites there is a feel good story about someone who is “feeling good about the way they look.” One story I saw had a 400 pound male model. Another was about a women proud to wear a 2 piece swimsuit at 250 pounds. Sometimes it is about stretch marks. It is always somewhere, about something to make us feel good about ourselves.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think we should be happy. We should be happy with who we are. But we have to improve. We cannot expect for the world to change for us, for society to change for us. We must change for ourselves. I have put together a list- albeit a more fluid list, but something that we as a fat society need to pull together, recognize, and be able to work on correcting:
1. Place “blame” where it belongs. It will probably be on us. Stop complaining about the seats being to small to fit in. Stop complaining about people saying stupid things are comments within earshot. Don’t blame department stores, or McDonald’s. Man and woman up and look in the mirror. Stop blaming genes, or your thyroid, or anything else that is “forcing” you to gain or be fat.
2. Acknowledge that being fat is NOT healthy. Shit I get tired of that. “Well, I may be 40 pounds overweight, but I am healthy and love myself so I don’t need to change for anyone.” You can be happy. YOU ARE NOT HEALTHY. When we can admit that, move on and start making the choices that lead to better lives than we will be on the right track.
3. Give the finger to everything you think you know or have been told to lose weight. Here is all you fucking need to know: eat less, sleep more, drink more water, move more. You don’t need pills. You don’t need prescriptions (for that) change you habits, change your life. Eat more fruits and veggies. Don’t eat seconds. Make the buffet places go extinct. Get sleep. Real sleep, like 7-9 hours of sleep. If you can’t sleep, get it fixed. Stop drinking shit that YOU KNOW poisons you: alcohol, sodas, etc. Get your ass up and move! Walk. Pick one foot in front of the other, balance yourself and walk!
4. Get rid of excuses. We all have them. Even skinny people. IT’s ALWAYS something. Just stop. IT IS ALWAYS SOMETHING. IT IS ALWAYS YOU! Stop feeling sorry for yourself, stop acting like your life is over, because when your life is over. It is FUCKING over! If you are reading this, your life IS NOT OVER. Stop wasting days, and precious time. START NOW!
I have written in journals since I was about 25. They always said the same things. ALWAYS. I haven’t adhered to my own advice. I acknowledge. I am not trying to be a fitness instructor or a life coach. I am struggling just like a lot of us are. But sorry but someone has to stand up and say some of this shit, and we all have to stand up as a fat society and stop bitching at corporations, or roller coaster makers, or airline seats, or fast food places. If you want to bitch and complain, go in front of your bathroom mirror, look yourself dead in the eye and then complain. To my knowledge, no one picks up a knife and fork, and force feeds you shit after shit after shit.
I’m out. I’m going to go for a walk.
How in the hell do you lose weight at 40? 