I’m still pondering the topic of weight, everyone. Still. I know. You’re thinking, “Wait. When did she ever stop. That’s all she talks about. Blah blah blah.” Whatevs. Just hear me out.
Recently, actually maybe a year ago, someone told me a story about a woman. A woman who had a weight problem. And the person who told me the story said something like this: “She is always dieting and exercising and watching her calories. And she won’t eat anything with sugar or carbs. And she’s still fat. I think this just goes to show you that if you think about your weight all the time, you will only gain weight. If people could just not think about it, everyone would be thin and healthy.”
Now the woman who told me this story is skinny. Naturally skinny. At any dinner I’ve been to with her, she eats twice as much as I do. And she drinks lots of wine and has dessert and appetizers. And her idea of exercising is to go for a walk, and not even a really brisk one or long one at that. And with all that, she was a size 2. When pregnant even.
I’ve covered how much I exercise and restrict my calories. It sucks because I’ve had to do this my whole life. Ok, maybe not the first 5 years, but I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve been on a diet since I was 5 years old. Still, this is the hand I’ve been dealt, and I make a point of trying to make the best of it. At least having to always eat right and focus on healthy eating and exercise habits means that I will never be shocked when I hit 40 (in only three years, people!) and all of a sudden can’t stay skinny while subsisting on fast food. Or when I realize I’m a size 2 with shockingly high cholesterol. None of that will ever happen to me.
I’m just saying, I’m not complaining.
But, I am annoyed. One year later, I’m still annoyed. Because I hate (and I did mean to use that strong of a word) people who are naturally skinny and who think that those who aren’t just need to do what they do to be like them. Not thinking about food or exercise will not make me lose weight. And neither will going for a 30 minute walk every day. Nor will eating turkey or fish. Or any of the other ideas imparted onto me by those who don’t have this problem. And anyways, who ever said I want to be like these people.
I realize that there are some people who are fat, and they are fat because they have bad habits. But it’s really none of my business how they got fat. Nor is it my place to tell them how to lose the weight. That is between them and their doctor.
It just galls me when people think all fat people are fat because they are lazy and have no self-control. And I swear that if I hear another ludicrous weight loss suggestion from someone wearing size 2 pants, I’m going to kick them in the shins and run away.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Size 2? Sheesh. But what you say is true about obsessing over weight. When I obsessed over losing baby weight with child #1, I tried the Zone diet. That sucked. I exercised a lot. Whatever. It never really worked. After the second kid, I didn’t think about it much. I just ate what I wanted when I had time. I do work out about 3 times per week. I don’t know. I totally stopped obsessing and got back to size 6. I think there is a connection with being overly focused on it. When I was in high school and freshman year of college I really wanted to be skinny and I weighed 145. Then I forgot about wanting to be skinny and lost 20 lbs. Similar story. It’s very weird.
Unfortunately, depending on what your issues are with food, sometimes the only way to lose weight is to focus on it. Not thinking about it only works for some people, not all people. Some of our minds, and our bodies, just can’t be left to our own devices.
Genetics sucks sometimes too. I will always have to work hard. I hate seeing the skinny girl order the whole milk mocha while I get my unsweetened nonfat latte, but like you, I know that I will have earned it, and there should be no suprises out there.