There are many things that are an assault on the body. Just because your body can tolerate something in small amounts does not mean it is not an assault on the body. Also, every one has a different reaction to everything.
I think that sometimes people can reach weights that are an assault on their body. When a person can not walk or can not move because of their weight or when someone has no energy and their body slows down in ways related to weight.
So, I want to make it clear that I believe that fat acceptance is an awesome movement and I still support it but I have made my decision. I have been trying to figure out what I thought about the aspect of weight loss and fat acceptance and I have figured out that I am NOT against people trying to lose weight although I AM against dieting. I hope this makes sense.
Many times FA websites that I come across or literature that I come across are against trying to lose weight. They believe that you should participate in HAES (Which I agree with. Let me continue) but that no one should make the decision to lose weight and try. I think they define this as dieting. I define dieting as partaking in unhealthy practices to lose weight. It especially means trying to get down to a weight that does not work for you.
I believe that HAES is definitely true, but only to an extent. So I will just go ahead and say that no, I do not believe someone can be healthy at 700 pounds. I do not believe their are many people who are healthy at 500 or 400 pounds. I believe that it depends on height and body frame, yes, and that everyone knows how they feel at their own weight. I think their are probably 400 pound individuals that do not experience any "obesity related" health problems. I just don't think that there are that many.
I also think that people are bigger now for a reason. It is the food industry. A lot of discussion at FA websites and blogs have touched on the fact that the food industry has changed and that this may be the reason that many Americans are larger. This is true. I have known this for a reason. The obsessive part of my ED has done a lot of researching. Unfortunately I do not think that this means that everyone who is affected by current food science should just sit back. Everyone has different reactions to the food we eat and I think many people are fat because of the things in our staple foods and because of the culture of food that we live in. OF COURSE, People have the right to decide that they do not want to change. BUT, it is OKAY for people to decide that they want to demand more from the food industry and change the way they eat so they can become healthier, whether that means weight loss or not.
I am changing my behaviors and the things I eat for my health, sanity and for weight loss. My body is constantly tired. I get tired easily. I can not walk long before I am panting. Standing becomes uncomfortable after too long. Shoes aren't fitting as well and I am having feet and knee pain (gravity) a lot lately. I think I need to accept who I am and love myself through my recovery of my ED but I also think I need to loose weight. Of course I have the Fantasy of Being Thin and I need to check that shit. But I also have for real shit that is related to me gaining 50 pounds in the last year. I don't even think it has been a year.
I think that I will never be socially acceptable. People will always think that I need to lose weight. According to the bullshit BMI, I need to be 114 pounds. Get the hell out of here. I haven't weighed that before my age was below double digits probably. That is why I know HAES is real. I was my healthiest at 220 pounds! That was my freshmen year. I remember exercising a lot and trying to stay on top of ed. I was walking a lot. And people would still define me as fat. So, I can be healthy at a large size, I just know it is not this one. But weight loss will not be a punishment for me. It will never work if it is. Because of my mindset with my ED, it has always been "hate myself thin" and now I have to love myself healthy.
These are some of the books I am using for my recovery. I should say I have decided to stick with 3 for certain. Pollan (and my intuition) for a food plan. Women, Food and God and Mindful Eating handbook for understanding my ed and how to handle eating and emotions. Oh, also the other Mindful Eating book. There is so much out there. I have spent the last year confused. I will try this and if this does not work I will continue to try other things. I will try whatever I need to until I find recovery. I included ED for Dummies because it is also. As a feminist and a scholar I am reading Bodies Out of Bounds which will discuss the social construction of fatness and the prejudice associated with fat.
No comments:
Post a Comment