Friday, October 2, 2020

Fat Friday: Weight Loss is Not the Happily Ever After that Diet Companies Want You To Believe

 

How a lot of people think

I would love to be able to discuss carbohydrate intake and eating disorder issues without some fucking fucknugget concern troll always bringing the conversation back around to weight loss.

These fuckers always think that the only kind of eating disorder a fat person can have is binge eating.

I actually do not binge eat. I used to, but I don't anymore and haven't in years. I didn't stop because I became a saintly Thinlier Than Thou. I stopped because when I started treating my diabetes, the ravenous cravings that I used to have for simple carbohydrates were quelled. I stopped because when I was forced to quit working high-stress jobs that left my mind entirely numb and left me feeling like an empty vessel, I was able to consider my meals in a more analytical fashion.

What I actually have problems with is food restriction.

Type 2 diabetics have issues with paradoxical fasting highs.

I'm actually great at restricting food. Today, I've been restricting food since I woke up at 6:15 this morning. I have to hold off on eating for a half-hour after I take my thyroid medicine. That half-hour usually turns into several hours.

So, I'm great at food restriction. Still fat. 

My son isn't fat, but he's on the stocky side. He's prone to skipping meals, not because he's trying to lose weight, but because he doesn't feel like eating or he gets busy and forgets. Still stocky.

Here's the thing. It should not be about whether I'm fat. Since I'm diabetic, a big part of the focus should be on my A1C and blood glucose readings.

However, neither of those should be used as a reason to shame a person either.

Here's the other thing.

STRESS.

It drives up blood glucose.

It drives up blood pressure.

When you create a climate of self-loathing, you create a climate of constant stress. 

Stress increases cortisol.

Cortisol promotes weight gain.

However.

"Fat is the very worst thing a person can possibly be, and food insecurity and stress increase a person's chances of getting fat, so I shouldn't encourage dieting and self-loathing" should not be your reason for not being an asshole to someone.

Just don't be an asshole.

I would like to discuss my diabetic and eating disorder issues without fucking diet talk, fat-shaming, and thin praising always pushing their way into the conversation.

Fuck a whole lot of that shit.

Ornery Owl has Spoken


Fat and Ornery
Free Use Image by Open Clipart Vectors on Pixabay



Hangry
Free use image from Pixabay





2 comments:

  1. Sigh.
    And sadly thin is still considered beautiful. And of course that is every woman's greatest aspiration. Not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. People love to bring up how obeeeesiteeee causes conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. There is a correlation between a heavy body type and these conditions, but correlation is not causation. In my case, my body type is caused by the fact that my entire endocrine system is a trash fire. My thyroid gland went kerflooey when I was in my early teens. I had polycystic ovarian syndrome. The diabetes didn't onset until I was 49, but when I had intense cravings for simple carbohydrates, I was told to just ignore them and lose weight. So helpful--not.
      People of all sizes get these conditions. Being very thin is correlated with developing osteoporosis, but you don't see anyone telling thin people to gain weight so they don't develop osteoporosis.
      Saying "you need to eat a cheeseburger" to a thin person or "you need to not eat so many cheeseburgers" to a fat person is something that needs to stop. I call people out on that shit. We have no idea what medical or psychological issues a given person may be undergoing based on their body type.

      Delete

This is a safe space. Be respectful.