Face it. You’re fat. Not curvy, voluptuous, full-figured, plus-size, fluffy… You’ve got numerous inches to pinch, bulges hanging over the sides of your bra, and folds in your midriff when you sit.
Forget all the cutesy terms. You’re fat. And if you’re anything like me, you’re tired of apologizing for it.
People in the U.S., along with the rest of the world, are getting bigger. Well, fatter. Is it evolution? I don’t know, but I’d be inclined to say so. I know what a thin person reading this would say: “It’s not evolution – you’re eating too damn much! Get off your ass and hit the gym, fatty!”
Hey, sure! No arguments from me. Hell yeah, I need to exercise more, and my diet is due for a re-evaluation. Fair enough. But according to the CDC, there has been “a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States” over the past 20 years.
I imagine it has a lot to do with our lifestyle. Our society is geared toward a sedentary lifestyle. People stare at a computer monitor most of their time at work and go home to surf the Internet (or blog) for hours on end. Factor in the amount of time people spend watching television or going to the movies (Don’t try to deny it. We are a pop culture obsessed nation.), the amount of processed foods on the shelves and the huge portion sizes we serve ourselves, and it’s no wonder Americans are among the world’s heaviest. I actually salute those of you who have managed to stay slim.
When I stop to think about it, I say to myself “Isn’t that what evolution is?” As humans continue to advance, our societies change, and with that comes lifestyle adjustments, which leads to a change in our appearance. This has been a gradual process over 20 years.
Now, calm down. I’m not a fatness zealot or advocate of any kind. I’d like to lose all this weight once and for all; not for vanity’s sake, but because it’s unhealthy. I know I’m great just the way I am – so are all of you – however, the overweight face a number of health dangers, including but not limited to, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, blood clots, stroke, depression, joint pain, and advanced arthritis. The list goes on and on.
If you’re one of those fit-fat folks out there, your enigmatic capabilities continue to astound me. Congratulations, I guess… Sorry to rain on your fat, yet toned (?) parade, but something just tells me you’re living on borrowed time. Or you’re delusional.
Seriously, I could raise my hand right now and join the Fit, Fat, & Lovin’ It! party. I don’t have diabetes. My blood pressure is and has always been normal. Plenty of doctors over the years have commented on the good state of my health despite the numbers on the scale. But, what can I say? I guess I could say what the skinny bitch with the bottomless pit of a stomach always says… I’m just lucky, I guess…
But I won’t. I’m tired of being fat. Aren’t you? I know this might sound like sabotage. You’re probably reading this right now and thinking, “Wait a minute – what? I thought this was a fat-friendly blog.”
Well, it is. I promise it is!
You know how fat-friendly this blog is? It’s so fat-friendly it’s going to be dead honest. The truth is, for most of us fat wasn’t an intentional destination. It was a long, complicated road that got us here and it’ll be a long road back. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel, people. You see, obesity is one of those fortunate diseases that's 100% curable. And you don’t even have to take medication – although if you’re anything like me, you wish the answer was in a pill!
We don’t have to apologize for our struggles with weight management. And we don’t have to apologize for wanting to overcome it… And having integrity about that isn’t going to make me any less fabulous!
I encourage all of you to join me on a Journey Down the Scale. I guarantee each step of this adventure will be paved with nothing less than big girl fashionista glory ‘n swagger!
-AllieYogaBall, July 16, 2009
6 months ago
