Say you had a friend or family member that you knew was doing something physically harmful to themselves. We will say that every day, they jumped off the roof. They did it because they were used to doing it, and it's all that they knew.
Sometimes they would hurt themselves physically - get cut, scrapes, or even break a bone. Sometimes they would just roll with it and have no problems.
What would you do? A caring friend or family member would give them an alternative. They would say that is really not good for you - let's find something better to do. Maybe if they could not get through to the person, they could suggest that they go to a doctor to find out why they do that, so they could do something better.
Or say that said person also drank a shot of something bad for them daily. A poison that could be tolerated once or twice, but cumulatively would kill them. A caring friend or family member would say something. Would give them alternatives. Would try to help them live and not die. Would try to be an example by not drinking the poison, not jumping off the roof, but showing ways to live.
Makes sense, right?
Now say it's being sedentary in the first scenario, and using food in an unhealthy way in the second. You'd still want to help.
When I started this blog, I had to pause and think about it. Because the healthy living business is bigger than ever - but so is the backlash. This post was prompted by one of the countless pictures posted by overweight usually female social media users in their underwear, proclaiming they love themselves just as they are, except them as they are, etc.
it's two distinctly different issues.
Yes, you should not hate yourself. People should not hate anyone based on their outer appearance. No one should be treated bad because of what they look like.
Welcome to the planet. There are morons who like to say mean things. We ALL have our stories of being made fun of in school at some point. It's part of growing up, though it's not nice. But it is.
Now back to the scenarios and sedentary lifestyle and overeating. It's not okay. I had my wake up call in August of 2011 when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and with substantial degenerative back disease. Both of these were exacerbated by my being overweight and by a sedentary lifestyle.
I had a choice to make at that moment - continue to walk the same path, maybe shortening my lifespan and mobility, or I could decide to change.
I chose to change. I chose to eat healthier and more mindfully, and I chose to start exercising - something I really detested. And over time, I lost weight, I got stronger, I became healthier.
The response to my enthusiasm for my journey? It fell into two camps. One camp was encouraged by my story, and they used it to bring positive change to their own life. I found a way to feel better and live longer, and I wanted to share it. Help others, who, like me, were fooling theirselves.
The other response? Vitriol. Anger. Rejection. Why? Because obesity is still a taboo subject. There are actually radical obese people (😳) who think it's a hate crime to even talk frankly about the known medical risks and dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and overeating. It's easier to reject the message or the messenger than it is to accept where you are with your body and your health. While I have a pointed message, I never pointed fingers. There were many who felt I was singling them out and they took offense. I can't help anyone who is determined to jump off the roof daily and drink the poison daily.
Obesity is killing people - it's not being ugly, it's the ugly truth. Heart disease, hypertension, diabetes all shorten lives, and obesity exacerbates it. Obesity limits mobility. It causes muscular skeletal issues. These are facts.
So I weighed out the rejection factor and I press on with my message of hope and health. I refuse to drink the Koolaid that loving myself means staying where I am.
Loving myself means being the best steward of this body of flesh and bones that I inhabit every day. Loving myself means taking care of myself.
Now THAT'S something to celebrate!
e b e r
