For some reason, that I can never figure out, I always read some of the comments after articles that I read especially if they are about issues that are important to me. What I realized as I was reading the comments was that it is sad how many people think that it is okay to be horribly mean to people who are overweight. I've heard and/or dealt with negativity most of my life. Comments that are just a little mean as a failed attempt to be funny all the way to comments that are hurtful and ugly. I don't understand it. I don't know why people think that is okay. No matter what a person weighs, they are still a person with feelings that can be hurt. And there is nothing helpful about being negative to a person who is struggling, whether it is because of their choices or not. Physically, it is a struggle to be overweight. Everything is harder. So why make it more difficult emotionally? I've never heard someone who has lost weight say thank you to the people who made fun of them or belittled them because they made such an important difference in their journey. I know I'm thankful to those who have been supportive and kind as I have been on my journey. Losing weight is tough enough. As someone who has quit smoking as well as started on a journey to be healthier, I will tell you that as tough as it was to quit smoking, it has been harder to stay focused on my journey. Food is a part of life and can't be avoided. When I quit smoking, I could avoid areas where people were smoking or places where I always smoked. In fact, from the time I quit until the time I moved out of that apartment, I rarely went out on the balcony because that was where I smoked most of the time I was home. Food is everywhere. Eating is often a social activity: Treat days at work, going out to eat with family to celebrate, meeting at the bar after work for drinks and snacks, and so on. So I guess my point with this part of my blog is to remind people to be kind. You never know what someone is going through or where they are in their journey and being mean, even if you are trying to be funny, is never helpful. Treat each other with kindness. I'm working on this myself. Being kind sometimes seems harder than it should be, but it is important.
Now to a more positive part of this blog. I had a conversation with a friend, who is also on her journey to being healthier, about how her doctor had told her on one of her visits. that she was no longer morbidly obese. I was early enough in my journey that I didn't think about it much because I knew I wasn't far out of being morbidly obese, if at all. Reading this article today got me thinking about that conversation and I wondered where I was on the scale. I googled obesity scales and found this one:
Now, it's not the most official or, frankly, flattering, but it illustrates what I was looking at. When I started this journey, I was morbidly obese. It's not a happy thing to admit, but it's the truth. When I checked today, I realized that I'm not morbidly obese or even severely obese any more! I'm still obese and still have growth (or loss) to go, but what a positive realization!! I was so excited! Of course, this is one of those weird things that is hard to share with everyone, because it sounds kind of weird. So I thought about sharing it on Facebook and decided not to then I thought about not sharing it. However, I decided that this was the perfect format to share this information. If you are reading my blog, you are interested in my journey for whatever reason. :) So you should understand why this is exciting for me!
Now as I continue on my journey, I try to remember to be kind and to keep my successes in mind, even if they are a little strange sounding.
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