A matter of opinion

Apparently, I, and others like me, are a threat.
It has been suggested that we are as big a threat as terrorism (link) and (link)

The key word here is  BIG.
And you know what, that makes me MAD.
Especially as there are more important health issues that need funding for research and support.
I have suffered with weight issues for the majority of my adult life.
One doctor suggested I was morbidly obese, and that the only way I would lose weight was to be on a liquid diet of 300 calories a day.
My second word was ‘Off’ as I left the surgery never to return. Not only did I change my doctor, but I changed surgeries.

I am not going to depress you with definitions and charts in respect of the perfect weight as something that tells me that for my height and build I should weigh in at between 9 and a half and ten stone, is a farce. I haven’t been that light since I left school, when, oh yeah, they told me I was fat and had to diet.
Thus began the yo yo of dieting, weight loss, double the weight gain, depression and self loathing which stuck with me for over three decades.

It has taken years to get my weight under some degree of control, and I am still considered to be overweight.
I am sure there are thousands, tens of thousands, and maybe hundreds of thousands of women like me.
But comparing us Chubbies to terrorists? The worst thing we’re likely to do is smash you over the head with a rolling pin or throw reduced fat rock buns at you.

If you are a couch potato, sit in front of the box all day and stuff your face with sweets, chocolate, chips, crisps and everything else bad, getting little exercise other than to and from the fridge, I would suggest you change your lifestyle.
Or at least LOOK at your lifestyle to understand why it is the way it is and realise just how much in life you are missing and how much damage you are doing to your body.

Being overweight is bad news.
But in my opinion, in order to address it, we have to change our attitude.

Just because you are overweight, doesn’t necessarily mean you eat a lot, eat all the wrong things or don’t exercise. There are other factors to consider, like mobility, age, overall health, and even your partner, especially if they are ‘feeders’, forever giving you yummies because they love you or want to control you (and like you big).

Let me share this with you:

At my heaviest, I found it difficult to breathe after the minimum of exertion (like crossing the road).
The tops of my legs were rubbed raw just from walking.
I had blisters along my bra line where I sweated so much between the skin rolls, and burns around my tummy from the elasticated waistband on my joggers for the same reason.
My feet were distant relatives I hadn’t seen in years.
I could not see the dial on the scales when I tried to weigh myself.
I could not reach behind me to scratch my back or tie my hair up.
My snoring almost broke the sound barrier (apparently).
Intimacy with my husband was a definite no go (not his fault).

I am 5 feet 7 inches tall, almost 60 years of age, and have found a good weight for me is 13 and a half stone, that’s around 189 lbs. I am comfortable with that, it’s realistic, and I feel well. That’s so much better than the 18 and a half stone I was over twelve years ago.

There’s no quick fix to permanent weight loss.
It’s taken me a long time and it’s hard work, frustrating, a bit of a yo yo, and I’m still trying to achieve my goal.
I exercise by walking the dog, try to eat a more varied diet and I don’t drink or smoke.
I no longer work, so I’m not stuck in an office behind a computer screen. However, there are exercises you can do at your desk, and if applicable, take the stairs rather than using the lift, it all helps.
The best thing that helped me was keeping a food diary, and that was BEFORE I started to change our eating habits.

If being overweight is to be considered on a par with terrorism, then it is only because we are terrorizing ourselves by not being prepared to do anything about it.
After all, who puts the food in your mouth?

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