When raising my children (one is already an adult and one is a teen - so they aren't babies any more), I taught them to never say certain words. For example, we never told each other to 'shut up.'
The word 'fat' was also not used. Once, when my kid was about four, she called the family cat 'fat cat.' I wasn't sitting too far from her, witnessing the interaction. I didn't say anything because after all, it was a cat... However, on her own, she immediately withdrew her 'name calling' and hugged the cat, while apologizing.
I don't like the word 'fat' because it is attached to so many negative stereotypes. Let's think of a few...lazy...smelly...not intelligent...weak personality...less than capable...inferior and recently I heard a new one - easy! All of these are untrue and insulting.
I don't like the word 'obese' because clinically speaking, it is a dead end. You see your doctor, he or she writes 'obese' on your chart and guess what? Suddenly, you receive inferior medical treatment. If you are stressed, anxious, live with certain medical conditions - they all get swept under the rug and attributed to the obesity (which may or may not be the case). I have a friend that lives with anxiety - her doctor advised her to lose weight.
Speaking of doctors, have you ever noticed that many doctors don't know how to 'treat obesity.' True story here. I go for my annual exam. My longtime doctor was out and there was a replacement - a young fresh doctor (which, I'm okay with, by the way, everyone needs to practice their trade and sometimes new doctors are the most attentive and caring). He had an amazing physique and if I'm honest with myself, upon his 'physical presentation,' I immediately felt like 'the naked blob' on the examining table.
Anyway...
During my gyn exam, the doctor notices my inner thighs and announces: "You have some kind of discoloring. It doesn't look right. Are you experiencing problems with feeling in your legs?"
Panic set in.
I can't see my inner thighs (which is a legit problem with being obese). I just knew I had some horrible disease.
He got a mirror. He wanted to show me.
Chafing, my friends. The marks of many years of chafing. Poor guy. He was really embarrassed. Me too.
An obese body chafes. He didn't offer a solution for chafing. Many doctors won't be able to because they haven't experienced it. Would you like to know the very best (in my book) solution to chafing? A&D ointment. Good stuff there. I rub a dab under my breasts (women of all shapes and sizes have problems with chafing or rashes under their breasts), under my belly fat, and sometimes my inner thighs (when I'm wearing a skirt). It solves the problem right away.
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Today, I feel much more in control of my eating. Whatever happened yesterday, seems to have disappeared. But, I am going to start on my side bar 'known triggers.' Apparently, being overtired is a huge trigger for overeating. Being aware of triggers helps us avoid them/know how to handle them when they arise.
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I pulled about 10 pounds of tomatillos from the garden today. My mission is to make something for dinner with them. Could be an interesting dinner tonight.
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I'll be back later with my food journal and exercise journal.
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