upstairs Room

Okay, first let me premise this post by saying that I was reading Zeusmeatball’s post from yesterday and I posted a comment there.  This is where I got to thinking about the daily abuses of the overweight.

We are judged. Multiple times a day.

When we go for a job interview - is this person lazy?

When dating - will I want to be with this person physically?

While shopping in a regular sized store - nothing will fit them

Even when dieting and exercising - they have no self control, they will quit

And don’t let me get started on how a Pakistani Aunty feels it is her right and privilege to judge your body and let you know with NO TACT.  There have been so so so many instances, but I’ll just quote you one incident.. the day I found out I was pregnant with Yumna (I hadn’t told anyone but my husband yet) and this Aunty comes up to me and says.. “You’ve put on a lot of weight since you got married”.  Thanks, you’ve gotten really old since you got married too.

But worse than all the judgement the world throws out at us, we judge ourselves, constantly.  I’m too fat to do this or that.  Guilt we feel for whatever food we put in our mouths that isn’t low calorie.  We don’t deserve to enjoy life since we’ve already enjoyed enough.  Stupid stupid stupid thoughts in our heads that beat us down, kill our self esteem and destroy us.

And where do we run for comfort? Food. Food doesn’t judge us.  Food doesn’t make you feel ugly. Food doesn’t discriminate.  It is tasty for everyone.

So what is the solution.  Not to say things to people when they are overweight?  I don’t think so.. I don’t believe in being tolerant of obesity.  I think it is only to the detriment of the people who are fat.  There is no doubt that eating healthy and exercising are important to having a healthy lifestyle and they should be encouraged.  We all would of liked to have started our journeys in weight loss at a lower weight.  Everyone has a different breaking point where they feel they have to do something.

I think education from Day 1 is the key.  This needs to be part of the school curriculum from kindergarten.  Parents have to encourage their children to eat healthy right from when they are young.  There is a difference between the way Safiya eats and Yumna eats.  Already.

Yumna eats mostly carbs, cheese, meat and fruit.  She will eat some vegetables like corn, peas and carrots, and is getting better with lentils, but she refuses to eat most other vegetables.  Safiya on the other hand runs to us when we’re eating salads, she loves beans, she eats any thing that is given to her.  She loves vegetables.  And it has a lot to do with what she has been served since she started eating.

And truly, I think the difference with my new way of life this time and in previous attempts is that I have children.  I don’t want them to develop my bad eating habits, I want them not to delve into a world of bruised self esteems due to the food they eat, but rather be proud of their bodies, and their brains, and their MOM!

Filed under: Day to Day