My So-Called Obese Life

I was scanning blogs today and ran across one of those "answer the question" posts where the question was "If you could change anything about your life, what would it be?" things. Since my weight loss journey has been the only thing on my mind lately (yeah, work is going to start noticing soon, so I better get my arse in gear!), I was thinking about whether or not I would change the fact that I have been overweight all my life.

I can answer it very easily. No. I would not change the fact that I have been big since childhood. I honestly think that it has been a big part of making me who I am today. I learned to truly love myself despite always being bigger than anyone else I knew, including men. I have learned how to make others see who I really am and have learned how to let others know me and love me despite the social stigma of obesity. Those are invaluable lessons.

I never grew up relying on my looks to get me anywhere. I had to be smart, nice, and talented and have had to work hard to earn everything I have ever gotten. Don't get offended thin folks - this is not to say that just because you aren't fat, you do these things, but I see it all too often among men and women alike. It seems like the tall, handsome guy and the thin, cutesy girls catch all the breaks no matter if they are the most qualified or not, all they have to do is smile and show an ounce of charisma and they are in like Flynn.

It's so odd that the weight that my body has carried around so long has given me as many positives as it has negatives. It has made me a stronger person on a personal level, but it has weakened me on a physical level. Now that I have had 32 year of growing as a person, I'm ready to shed this skin and see what it's like from the other side. I will appreciate the other side even more and be able to live a healthier life with compassion for those who still struggle with their weight.