Hello readers! Today I'm going to talk about a topic that I feel is really important to everyone, and that is being healthy and personally responsibility for oneself.
I used to be super fat
And I mean super fat, at 5'4 I was over 200lbs just last year. About 220lbs I believe and that is unacceptable. I felt disgusting and gross and always had the nagging feeling that even my boyfriend didn't love me (which is totally untrue) because of how repulsive I was. And yet I did nothing about it: I kept shoveling horrible food into my mouth without looking at the nutrients and calories and I was totally inactive. I used to drink venti Starbucks frappuccinos almost every day.
I was drinking just a little under half of my daily recommended amount of calories every single day. We'll talk about liquid calories in a little bit but this was just an example of how utterly negligent I was about my body and needs.
So the point is, I was super fat and it was totally my fault.
So the point is, I was super fat and it was totally my fault.
Personal Responsibility
The main point I want to stress is the importance of personal responsibility. A quick google definition says this about personal responsibility:
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:
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.
- 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
Now let's talk about "HAES" and the cancerous nature it has on the way we perceive health and personal responsibility here in the United States. As taken directly from Wikipedia:
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.
- 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
First off, let's discuss thin-shaming. It's pretty obvious what it is, making fun of thin people just because they are thin as if being thin is a bad thing. This an example of how toxic the HAES mindset can be: it has taught people that being thin and healthy automatically makes you a bad person that needs to be made fun of.
So some examples:
So some examples:
The original without the cross line is a pretty good example of the HAES mindset. These HAES activists are trying to gain a sense of body-positivity and appreciation for fat bodies by throwing thinner women under the bus. The phrase "real women have curves" insinuates that women without curves aren't real and so is shaming women who are thin. This is the most common and actually socially acceptable form of thin shaming.
There is this idea that because thin women supposedly "have it easy" it is perfectly acceptable to comment on their bodies as if they were public property. Now if you think this is okay, think about this situation: if you are a fat woman and make public comments on a thinner woman about how "you're all sticks and bones", "no one wants a toothpick"; then it is perfectly acceptable for that woman to turn around and comment on your fatness as well. This is a two way street, if you only allow the negative comments to go in one direction then you are acting just like the bullies that made fun of you all growing up.
Feeling good about yourself does not need to involve making others feel bad about themselves.
Feeling good about yourself does not need to involve making others feel bad about themselves.
Health Issues
One of the big tenets of HAES is that being fat and having fat have absolutely no repercussions on your health overall. Hawww.
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.
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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Even besides this lovely bulleted list from the CDC, being obese just makes your life miserable. If you start huffing and puffing after walking up one flight of stairs, isn't it time to make a lifestyle change? Think about your family and any future or current children, don't you want to see them graduate? Don't you want to be able to play outside with them and take them out to do great things and see what the world is like? The best time to make a change is yesterday, but the next best time is today.
Taking that first step
Like I said, I used to be super huge in the obese category. I was fat all my life until I just said "no more". But it's not like stopping smoking, you can't just decide to not be fat anymore and suddenly it's gone. This is a process and the most important part is the little things. You're not going to go from eating 2000+ calories a day to just 1200; you'll hate yourself. Really, just take the small steps.
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.
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! 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.
Walking isn't nearly as painful when you're walking on clouds.
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 :)
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.
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!
- 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!