The Fat Girls Don't Diet Diet

It's very difficult to be overweight in the United States. It's probably difficult any where in the world in this day and age. I mean, there are books about how women in certain European countries don't get fat. And everywhere you look these is some waif like creature being touted as the epitome that we all should strive to achieve.

When you are over weight, you get used to the staring eyes that let you know that the looker somehow thinks you are out of control, sub human somehow because you have a weight problem. At the same time, our culture encourages us to "Supersize" everything, including ourselves. And those of us who are over weight know that we do try...it's just hard.

But it is not impossible.

I'm here to tell you that. It is not impossible. Start slowly. Make a commitment. And most of all

LOVE YOURSELF enough to do something FOR YOURSELF.

Go out and find yourself a good food counter...one that breaks down the calorie count and nutrition of a large variety of food. Some of them even include sections for eating out and will tell you how many calories are in popular entrees in certain chain restaurants. Then get yourself a notebook to write down your food count.

Above all: Don't starve yourself--that is counter productive. Our bodies are designed to hold on to fat if the brain perceives that we are starving. (That's also the reason we women tend to hold on to weight in our breasts and hips!)

Go out and get yourself both of those things.

Then decide what a good daily caloric intake would be for yourself. It can be as much a 2200 calories for very active people. Start writing down EVERYTHING you eat. Stay under or at your daily limit....and you will lose weight.

We'll call it the "Fat Girls Don't Diet" Diet.

On being and becoming

For those of you who don't know and have never had the misfortune to experience, it stinks being the fat kid at school. You get teased, you get picked last for all the playground games. When you get to high school, forget getting asked to dances. Or anywhere else.
If you're lucky enough not to be shy on top of being fat, you may have a few friends who let you hang around. If not you may find yourself in a group of equally friendless souls...losers all who keep each other company, and form a sisterhood of sorts. A collective identity of misfits who can keep each other afloat in the ugly world of adolescence.
Even knowing that...it's especially horrible as an adult to find that you have been sucked into being "them" into sharing their attitudes. Like when you encourage your own child to compare herself to others...using their negative attributes to make herself feel better.
How wrong is that? Self acceptance that comes at the expense of others is twisted at best.

Food is good for you, Right? Part Deux

The whole idea of washing down a 750 calorie sandwich with a diet soda is the very reason why people are so mean to the over weight. Seriously, do you really think the zero calorie component is going to help negate some of the fat brought about by eating a sandwich that contains enough calories to support a person for half a day? Who in the world decided that it makes any sense at all to wash a burger down with a diet drink?
It hurts so much to be fat in our society. I see little girls at my daughter's school who have thighs that are nearly as big as mine. It's bad enough to be an adult in America and be over weight. But these poor children...they are heart breaking.

Food is good for you, Right?

That’s not exactly true…fat girls do in fact diet, sometime chronically. Dieting is a way of life for some fat girls. I especially love getting in line behind someone who orders a bacon cheese coronary with chili fries and a diet cola product.Yes indeed we need to save those calories. Because you know all that sugar is bad for you. But the fat and sodium in the burger…well, that is food, right?

I actually heard some poor soul say that once. She didn’t know that fast food could make you fat because well, it’s food and food is good for you–RIGHT?!!!

Breakfast was yogurt and toast…still doing ok on the no diet diet. WOOT!

Welcome!

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Today is that first step. If all goes well, at the end of the year, I will be 60 pounds lighter. If not, well I couldn't possibly be any worse off than I am today.