Fat acceptance isn't about being complacent about your health - in fact, it actually promotes the opposite.

In fat acceptance, or health at every size (HAES), people are encouraged to take charge of their health without tying it to a number. There have been a number of times when I've had very unhealthy behaviour (extreme dieting, etc) suggested to me for the sake of losing weight. Once I stopped focusing on losing weight and started focusing on my health and overall well-being, things got a lot better. I don't punish myself for being fat by restricting my food intake to an unhealthy degree and I'm healthier than ever, despite being at my highest weight ever.

It is possible to be healthy and fat. I eat healthy food for the most part, and I'm more physically active than most thin people. My non-weight related numbers are well within the healthy range and I feel good mentally and physically. I accept the fact that I am fat, just like I accept the fact that I have brown hair. As a person who follows the principles of fat acceptance, I give myself permission to exist in the body I exist in, and to enjoy living the way I live.

Your doctor has said that you need to lose weight for medical reasons; heck, if I was told that being fat was contributing to me being ill I would definitely do something about it. Until that point, I don't see why people should treat me as less than a person (ironically enough).

*** POST-FEEDBACK REPLY ***

Some more helpful and probably unwanted advice - you probably shouldn't post questions asking for someone else's perspective, then berate them for having that perspective. You do you, by all means. I'm going to continue to do what's right for me.

No one should be treated as less of a person for any reason, but there is no healthy way to be overweight. People shouldn't have to do crash diets or wait til they're diagnosed with something to realize this. There's such thing as too much of a good thing, too. In my community a lot of people are overweight, despite eating primarily healthy foods, due to piling on too much on their plates. It's a lie that someone can be in worse shape than another, despite eating better and exercising better, over time, especially after puberty. Unless there's some rare separate issue, relating to the thyroid or something like that. People wonder why teenagers tend to be thin but then balk at the idea of 3 or 4 hours of playing volleyball in one day. In highschool a coach told me that this was as good as our bodies were going to get, and I proved him wrong in the next year. Don't limit or deceive yourself. We are all bodies in progress.

My Personal Forum

My name is Amanda and I'm 26 years old. I'm currently studying electrical engineering. Armed with a fairly odd sense of humour and a sunny outlook on life, I'll take on just about anything. I'm also cussedly stubborn, which has its ups and downs. Things get tough sometimes, and I've never been one to run from it.

In my last 8 years with Advicenators, I've gone from honours student to failing out of university (and getting back on top again!), from single to married, from tenant to homeowner.

Until lately, I have been struggling with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and OCD, which had basically ruined my life and taken just about everything from me. I'm thankful every day for every experience I've had because of this ordeal, because it's helped to make me who I am today. Things like that really make you appreciate what you do have. Now that I'm back in work and school and starting to become myself again, I couldn't be happier. I credit Advicenators with saving my life back when I was a teenager, which is a big part of why I'm still here.

I won't necessarily give you the answers you want to hear, but I'll always be honest and do my best to help.

Gender:
Location:
Occupation:
Age:
Member Since:
Answers:
Last Update:
Visitors:
Main Categories:




Favorite Columnists