I have so much to say on this subject that I am simply bursting at the seams. What I have to say will likely not be popular, but that doesn't make it any less valid. As a formerly morbidly obese person who bought into all the "it's not my fault" mentalities for years and finally took control of my weight and lifestyle, I have learned that the hardest thing that I, and most (yes most) of the obese people I know or have known, have had to do in an effort to shed excess pounds was to learn to be
honest. Honest with myself about my habits, honest about the amount and types of food that I was putting in my mouth, honest about my activity level, honest about the reasons I did nothing about the reasons I allowed myself to become obese, and honest about the reasons I remained that way for so many years.
Are there people out there who, through a genetic or metabolic abnormality simply cannot lose weight? Absolutely. Are they a significant percentage of those who are overweight/obese? No. Did I fit into that category of people? Nope. I, like the majority of those who are significantly overweight became so by a pretty simple formula: I ate too much, and moved too little. Does genetics hand some of us a raw deal? Of course. Do some people have a propensity toward carrying excess weight as a result? Yep. Do some of us have a problem with food and our use of it? Yes. Does that mean that we powerless to become thinner and healthier without radical surgery or restrictive temporary diets? Absolutely not. Is it an easy road to reprogram our habits and thoughts and lifestyle to achieve a thinner body and more active, healthy lifestyle? No, but can it be done? YES. And that is the what it all comes down to folks: Control. For most of us who are/have been overweight, our weight is absolutely within our control. And if we can control something, and choose not to through denial or misplaced blame, we can validly be judged accordingly. It's a tough pill to swallow, but if you want to get well you have to take your medicine like an adult. Taking responsibility for my weight was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but it was also one of the most important.
It took me the better part of 30 years to figure out that I could lose weight, and I know that my denial of the problem boiled down to the fact that I simply wasn't ready to acknowledge it. No one can make a change until they are ready, and you will never hear me disparage anyone for not being ready. It took a long time, but I did face it, and I have kept a list along the way of hundreds of ways my life has improved as a result. Perhaps my favorite item on that list is this: "I am no longer seen as a woman who allowed herself to become morbidly obese--I am now seen as a woman who has taken control of her life and her health". I love being that woman.
If I am to be judged, let it be by the things I can control. My weight, I finally realize, is one of those things.
