Fat chance of being happy?

Do fat people have feelings? The answer is a painful ‘Yes’ and being fat due to any reason heredity, lack of exercise, over-eating or health condition is not a nice place to be at. This is in view of the fact that the world largely judges us on our physical presence and ‘picture perfect bodies’ are worshipped at the altar of fashion so anything that deviates from the norm, therefore must be either completely abnormal or something to be ashamed of.  It is equally true that obesity can be extremely dangerous condition for anyone to be in for the sheer number of complications that it can bring about like heart disease, hypertension, depression etc. However, for those who are already in the thick of it or more than just pleasantly plump, have a lot to deal with. It is bad enough having a harsh inner self or voice that goes off “Fat” at every given opportunity and what makes it worse is dealing with harsh criticism and sniggers from the outside world.

If you are struggling with a weight problem then this is how you deal with your ‘Feeling Fat...Feeling Low woes’.

Praise be the Lard! Never hurts to praise yourself

Yes, you have the determination to lose weight. You have got yourself a medical evaluation and realize the dangers of lugging all that fat around won’t do your aorta an iota of good. So what you need is to keep yourself motivated enough. Yes, the initial euphoria of joining a slimming club or when weeks later you see the pointer on the weighing scale down by a couple of notches - all these are going to die out when you don’t get the necessary pats on the back or words of encouragement 6 months down the line from friends and colleagues. Weren’t they the first to point towards your tummy sticking out of your t-shirt? Now where is the “Oh My God! Look at you now” when you need them the most? This, my friend is the way of the world - quick to criticize and point and terribly slow on genuine praise. So, don’t lose heart -just lose fat. Ultimately, you are doing this for yourself and not doing the world a favour. Remember that and just keep on keeping on with your exercise routine. You are doing well.

Don’t stick to your weight category…mingle

Sometimes fat seeks fat! No, we don’t mean that fat hamburger that you seem to attract at lunchtime. Sometimes fat people feel comfortable being with other fat people. Keeps them happy that there are others like them, we bet! Hey, that’s allowed only in boxing matches, the weight thing we mean. Welterweights sparring with other welters (don’t you just wish!). We understand the where the fat community thing stems from. A common thread that helps you exchange notes and take up cudgels against the ‘super skinny’ others. Not a bad idea, but do mingle with other body types as that would help you stay motivated to stick to your diet or exercise regimen and the more you mingle you will realize that half the criticism that you were afraid of  came from within you from the ‘Fat Inner Critic’ and no place else. Remember the world largely doesn’t give a toss after a while.

Feeling Fat is worse than Being Fat

Nibble on this little pretzel of wisdom! Nobody, we repeat nobody, can make you feel inferior without your consent. Ah! Eleanor Roosevelt sure knew what she was going on about. Simply said than done we know, but repeat this line over and over again and it will make a lot of sense. Just because you have a weight issue doesn’t give anybody the right to point fingers at you or criticize you. Granted! But there are people who are going to do that time and again.

Are you going to be a willing accomplice and let them get to you?  Their job gets a tad easier when they know they have a person on the inside helping them out. So accept yourself. Self acceptance is a venial sin as compared to self abuse. Obese people sometimes fail to take steps to address their weight issues because they crumble under the pressure of criticism and then go on self destructive food binges and sedentary habits as a reaction to all that they face.

Just remember who gets hurt is you and nobody else.  Self love needs no perfection! It needs acceptance to love yourself as you are. Not a pound more not a pound less! Just as you are.  That’s the first thing that can help build a positive self image and self esteem. There is more to you than just your poundage and if the world doesn’t realize that then it is their loss. So don’t stop yourself from socializing or having fun or reclaiming your right to happiness.

And ultimately if the world seeks its pound of flesh then they are not getting it…No Sir! Certainly not from you!