Its attitudes like Meme Roth’s that are shaping our discrimination. I am NOT saying that we shouldn’t be healthy, exercise and live long prosperous lives…Well obviously…otherwise I wouldn’t be on the weight loss journey that I am on. I do believe we need to look after our bodies and that any ADDICTIONS are ‘unhealthy’ for us whether it is food, smoking, drugs etc etc. However, for most of us there are medical, sociological or emotional reasons why we are the way we are. Which can’t just be fixed by diet or exercise! Lets see some research that gets to the REAL root of our weight problems whether it be medical, social or psychological…instead of just discrediting us as ‘a statistic’, ‘unhealthy’, ‘or slobs with no discipline or willpower’. What do you think?

The honest truth is that in every respect I have been made to feel like I am not good enough…As a FAT woman, I fall below the mark… My X Husband used to refer to me as a ‘big fat cow sitting on the couch eating chocolate’ to all his mates at work…and wouldn’t touch me sexually or affectionately, for that matter, for months at a time…its a miracle I have two beautiful children really. My parents, took me to a ‘fat’ doctor when I was 9 cause they were concerned about my weight even then.

‘Fat’ to all sense and purposes in this world is just plain wrong! How can I hope to experience the fairy tale; a knight in shining armour that is crazy about me, ‘true love’, an empowered life, successful career, super mom, if I am constantly burdened by this handicap of Fat’ness. How will people take me seriously and accept me ‘Just as I am’ when first impressions are just so darned important.

I guess I have bought into the religion of perfection that permeates in the world today. I am not a size 0 and somehow that makes me less than perfect…no not even that…it makes me ‘null’. No matter what I do, how smart I am, what a great sense of humour I have, or how nice I am. It makes no difference because I am FAT, a statistic, an ‘undesirable’, the humiliation of society. The ‘obesity epidemic’ is given more coverage than the famine/hunger in third world countries. This is not a cry for acceptance, or a shout for you all to tell me how wonderful and special I am…I know that I am…’Just as I am’…but unfortunately the world doesn’t and to mold myself to the ‘worlds’ standards I must lose weight.

However, It would be a dream to actually be accepted, successful and loved ‘just as I am’ by someone else for a change…not just me…

Deep, deep down I want it to be true that you don’t have to be a size 0 to live the fairy tale which is partly why I have been filling my head with books like

I know my life will NOT be complete as soon as a drop the pounds, I know the fairy tale wont just begin then…but, at least then…I WILL have a fighting chance! At least THEN…I wont have this ‘handicap’ of a negative first impression, before I have even sat my huge butt down.