I used to be super fat
So the point is, I was super fat and it was totally my fault.
Personal Responsibility
- Personal responsibility is the willingness to both accept the importance of standards that society establishes for individual behavior and to make strenuous personal efforts to live by those standards.
So not only is it recognizing the fact that being fat is unhealthy and a disease (as defined by the Center of Disease Control), but taking the effort to maintain a level of health that is expected of upstanding US citizens.
I was personally irresponsible; while I knew I was fat, I didn't care and did very little to push myself in the right direction. Not only did I let myself down, but I was letting my community and those around me down because no matter what you say and what you believe, your obesity will always have an impact on everyone around you.
I see more and more people these days that struggle with their weight say that their obesity impacts no one but themselves, but this simply isn't true:
- The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. In the same year, the US only spent $56.0 billion on education.
So not only do medical bills for the obese cause insurance rates and medical bills to increase for healthy people in our nation, but the obese are stealing from our children. When the medical cost of obesity is double the education bill we spend on ensuring the future success of our youth, something is seriously wrong. So yes, your obesity and personal negligence impacts the entire country.
The Alluring lies of the "HAES" movement
- Health at Every Size (HAES) is a controversial movement that "supports people in adopting health habits for the sake of health and well-being (rather than weight control)."[1]
- It hopes to remove discrimination of obesity and improve standard of living for people who are overweight.
- HAES believes that traditional restrictive dieting does not result in sustained weight loss for some people,[2] HAES suggests that this method is not always healthful.
- HAES proposes that health is a result of behaviors that are independent of body weight and submits that societal obsession with thinness does not allow for diversity in body shapes.[3]
- HAES has recently gained popularity among proponents of the fat acceptance movement as an alternative to weight-loss.
TL;DR, the HAES movement believes literally in "Health at Every Size", that your personal health has nothing to do with your weight. Obviously, ask nearly every doctor you can and they will tell you just how much bullshit this is. Excuse my language but there is no justifying the amount of deliberate misinformation running rampant in the HAES community.
But the thing is, I can see why people want to believe in HAES. These are mostly young women who have grown up obese all their lives; young women who have been bullied and picked on for their weight all throughout their youth. They feel trapped and now their fatness is their identity. They have and will always be known as "the fat girl". If you take that away, if they lose weight, they have no more identity. So these young women are trying to justify their unhealthiness and obesity because it's really all they have. It can be a scary thing and as a young woman who was obese all her life until recently, I can see the allure of such a movement.
The problem is, though, the HAES movement is trying to spread body positivity through negative methods that involve thin-shaming and spreading misinformation that seriously puts people at risk. Body-positivity is a great thing! Everyone should feel comfortable in their body because it's the only one you'll ever have, but spreading straight up lies about health is dangerous and not the way to go about these things.
Thin-shaming
So some examples:
Feeling good about yourself does not need to involve making others feel bad about themselves.
Health Issues
There are years and years of research perfectly outlining nearly every negative effect being obese has on your health, and just because such research hurts your feelings or makes you uncomfortable it doesn't make it untrue.
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Taking that first step
- No more soda.
- Portion sizes
Actually look at and follow portion sizes. Use your measuring cups and buy a cheap food scale, you'll see just how much more you're consuming than you should.
- Count calories
MyFitnessPal is one of the greatest services ever made. Count your calories and see just how much of what you're eating! You're probably not getting nearly enough proteins and way overboard on sugars...
- Take the stairs
Take the stairs! Stairs are an amazing source of exercise you can get in the day without doing anything extra! Especially if you're a college student, the stairs will get you there both faster and healthier than waiting for the elevator.
- Buy comfortable shoes
Walking isn't nearly as painful when you're walking on clouds.
- Cut the chips
Chips, no matter how delicious, are the enemy. Once you eat one you just can't stop, so just don't eat one in the first place! Crunchy vegetables are an excellent substitute that hit the same need for crunch. Put salt on them if you need the saltiness factor, or buy unsalted and unbuttered popcorn and salt it yourself. Air poppers are wonderful :)
- Stand at your computer
If you work an office job or live on your computer, try standing! Standing helps recirculate blood and oxygen through your body and also encourages you to shift about and fidget.
- Talk to people
Losing weight is not a solo adventure: talk to people who have done it or find a buddy who will keep pushing you to better yourself. I'm always here if you want to ask what I do to stay healthy and lose weight!