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06-03-2012, 05:05 PM
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#1
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Stephanie
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 3,221
S/C/G: 236/135-140/More Fit
Height: 5'6"
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"Hey, Fat Girl."
Hope it's ok that I share this. I stumbled upon the link on another forum, I loved it so much I really wanted to share with you guys:
Flintland Blog
Quote:
Hey, Fat Girl.
Yes, you. The one feigning to not see me when we cross paths on the running track. The one not even wearing sports gear, breathing heavy. You’re slow, you breathe hard and your efforts at moving forward make you cringe.
You cling shyly to the furthest corridor, sometimes making larger loops on the gravel ring by the track just so you’re not on it. You sweat so much that your hair is all wet. You rarely stay for more than 20 minutes at a time, and you look exhausted when you leave to go back home. You never talk to anyone. I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.
You are awesome.
If you’d look me in the eye only for an instant, you would notice the reverence and respect I have for you. The adventure you have started is tremendous; it leads to a better health, to renewed confidence and to a brand new kind of freedom. The gifts you will receive from running will far exceed the gigantic effort it takes you to show up here, to face your fears and to bravely set yourself in motion, in front of others.
You have already begun your transformation. You no longer accept this physical state of numbness and passivity. You have taken a difficult decision, but one that holds so much promise. Every hard breath you take is actually a tad easier than the one before, and every step is ever so slightly lighter. Each push forward leaves the former person you were in your wake, creating room for an improved version, one that is stronger, healthier and forward-looking, one who knows that anything is possible.
You’re a hero to me. And, if you’d take off the blaring headphones and put your head up for more than a second or two, you would notice that the other runners you cross, the ones that probably make you feel so inadequate, stare in awe at your determination. They, of all people, know best where you are coming from. They heard the resolutions of so many others, who vowed to pick up running and improve their health, “starting next week”. Yet, it is YOU who runs alongside, who digs from deep inside to find the strength to come here, and to come back again.
You are a runner, and no one can take that away from you. You are relentlessly moving forward. You are stronger than even you think, and you are about to be amazed by what you can do. One day, very soon, maybe tomorrow, you’ll step outside and marvel at your capabilities. You will not believe your own body, you will realize that you can do this. And a new horizon will open up for you. You are a true inspiration.
I bow to you.
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06-03-2012, 07:14 PM
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#2
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Optimistic cynic
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Albany, NY
Posts: 1,078
S/C/G: 220/209/180
Height: 5'3"
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I'm so glad you posted this. I saw it linked somewhere else and was going to put it here myself. Such a great essay! I know a lot of us have felt self-conscious about exercising, so it's nice to know that not everyone is judging us harshly. The comments about the post were wonderful, too.
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06-03-2012, 07:28 PM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 4
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Hey Fat Girl
Thanks for such an uplifting piece of work. Though I am not a runner, this work provides encourgement to, not only become one, but to fully engage in my weight loss process.
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06-03-2012, 07:53 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NW PA
Posts: 1,609
S/C/G: 255/holding at 162/160
Height: 5'-7"
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I don't run, but that essay sure fits many of us who work out in other ways, too. Thanks for posting it.
Lin
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06-03-2012, 08:39 PM
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#5
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Overweight again...dang
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Arizona
Posts: 876
S/C/G: 213/160.3/135
Height: 5'5"
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This is really good! Thanks for posting it!
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06-04-2012, 11:18 AM
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#6
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I got this
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Near St. Louis
Posts: 2,823
S/C/G: 206/162/135
Height: a little over 5'2
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This is awesome. Totally what I needed to hear today! Thanks for posting/sharing this with us, Stephanie.
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06-04-2012, 11:28 AM
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#7
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Stephanie
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 3,221
S/C/G: 236/135-140/More Fit
Height: 5'6"
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Glad it could inspire a few, as it inspired me!!!
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06-04-2012, 11:39 AM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 19
S/C/G: 200/193.2/155
Height: 5'8
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This is awesome! Thanks for posting I am going to keep this in mind when I go to the gym today!
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06-04-2012, 11:34 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Corpus Christi
Posts: 101
S/C/G: 280/259/160
Height: 5'7
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That is amazing, so glad you shared that
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06-05-2012, 12:35 AM
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#10
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Raw Ramp
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: MinneSnowTa
Posts: 135
S/C/G: 205/164/150
Height: 5'10"
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Pretty cool! Every day when I'm driving I see people out exercising. I give an extra cheer to overweight people...because I know how they feel! When I'm out jogging I hope there's someone cheering me on too.
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06-05-2012, 12:40 AM
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#11
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Embracing the suck
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: California - East Bay
Posts: 3,185
S/C/G: 300/234/abs
Height: 6'9"
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Very cool. That said if I was going to talk to a big girl on the track I would tell her than she should read my sig.
I've seen sooooo many obese people on the cardio machines busting their butts but a year later they look exactly the same and they're still busting their butts on the cardio machine...
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06-05-2012, 12:13 PM
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#12
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Feed the muscle
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Diagon Alley
Posts: 188
S/C/G: 225/ticker/145
Height: 5'9
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I don't 100% agree with your sig JohnP.
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06-05-2012, 12:17 PM
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#13
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Feed the muscle
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Diagon Alley
Posts: 188
S/C/G: 225/ticker/145
Height: 5'9
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But yes, I love the essay (although some of the word choices irk me, but I'm a writer, so hey) I love the sentiment behind it. A nice pick me up-er, if you will.
One day I'll run. One day.
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06-05-2012, 01:07 PM
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#14
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Embracing the suck
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: California - East Bay
Posts: 3,185
S/C/G: 300/234/abs
Height: 6'9"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by meltaway
I don't 100% agree with your sig JohnP.
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Me either but since my true feelings on the topic don't fit into a one line signature I'll settle for it generally speaking to be how I feel about it.
The point is derived from the idea that many people falsely believe that they are going to drop weight from exercise and minor modifications in diet when in reality the majority of fat loss is going to occur from changes in one's diet.
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06-05-2012, 01:12 PM
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#15
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Here to Learn
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Alaska
Posts: 3,099
S/C/G: 225/140/135
Height: 5'5"
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There was a woman once I saw that I felt this way about. She was a bigger lady- probably 400+ lbs- and she would come to the gym and work out. She was the biggest person there, and I'm sure she felt self-conscious. And I was in awe of her. I really wanted to tell her how much I respected her for her determination and her efforts. I never did, because I felt like it would make her self-conscious. I sometimes wonder if I should have said something.
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