In the U.S., we have become fat desensitized. Since about 1/3 of all Americans are obese, we have a new concept of what normal weight is. And it's technically obese. It is so normal for one to carry around an extra 20-30 pounds without worrying too much about it. Well guess what? Gain 20 more pounds and you're now obese. This may shock you, but you don't have to be that fat to be obese.
When I think of the word obese, I think about certain family members of mine who are more than 500 pounds. That's actually called super obese. (I'm not making this up, BMI over 50, look it up) Or maybe someone around 300 pounds, like my younger sister weighed on her wedding day, but that is considered morbidly obese for someone of my height. The definition of morbidly obese is 2 or more times your ideal body weight.
Growing up in a family full of fat people, I had a different sense of normal. Yeah, I knew they were fat, but I thought they were just plain old overweight. I see a person carrying around 20-30 extra pounds as normal, and a person with 40-80 as overweight, and then maybe around 90-100 or more is obese.....right? Wrong! I might be wrong, but I bet a lot of people think the same way. Maybe only skinny, health nutty people and Europeans actually already know these things I'm saying. Or maybe I'm just learning a little late, because I never thought it applied to me. I used to be really skinny, you know. Just sayin'.
Through it all, I take comfort in knowing that my weight is my fault. It's not my parents' fault, it's not "getting married"'s fault. It's my fault. I actually like figuring out when something is my fault because it also helps me figure out that I have the power to change it. The good thing about accountability is that we can take credit for the good things we do, too! We have a lot to do with the way our lives turn out. We can't control everything, but we control enough.
So, when I talk about being obese, it's not just because it's a super fun way to describe myself. I do it because it's the cold, hard truth. Sure, I only have 6 more pounds to lose before I'm not clinically obese anymore (Go me!), but in the meantime I'm still obese and I'm soaking in this feeling. But don't go thinking I'm gonna be posing for any of those graphic postcards of really huge ladies in thongs. I'm probably not as fat as you think.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree that it's easy to be numb to the fact that our self perception and perception of others is wrong.
ReplyDeleteThere was an article in Fit Pregnancy that I read that said women that had an unhealthy self perception (i.e. overweight women that thought they were normal weight) gained more weight during pregnancy than women that had the correct perception of their size.
Pregnant or not, I think that can happen. If you think you're normal weight you may be more likely to allow yourself a slice of cake or a second helping. If you recognize you're overweight then maybe you'll make smarter choices. I think that's why hard core personal trainers work so well, they tear you down until you can see the reality and stop being in denial about yourself.