Monday, July 23, 2012

Weighing in on Weight

One of the hot topics of the past couple of weeks has been obesity in the pagan community. I knew that I wanted to write something on the topic the last week, but I thought it better to wait and think of something constructive to say. I have decided to break it up in two separate posts because this is a topic that I feel very strongly about, and I've got a lot to say.

Body image and obesity is something that hits very close to home. I don't think that I have ever been "thin" before. Through middle school and up through college I just let myself get bigger and bigger. I did not feel good about myself or my body but didn't really do anything about it. There was one summer my between my junior and senior year of high school that I went on Weight Watchers and lost some weight. A soon as I left, I gained it all back and then some.

It wasn't until the summer before my senior that I realized that I couldn't take it anymore. I was is a dressing room a found that the size 14 shorts that I was trying on were too small. I remember standing there thinking, "I can't let this get anymore out of hand." I went up to my mom after I left the dressing room and told her, "I need to join Weight Watchers." Same day I bought a scale and when I return to my apartment joined the program. I choose Weight Watchers because they talked about changing your lifestyle and that is what I needed. Over my senior year of college I lost about 25 pounds, which is a lot considering that I am only 5"2'.

It is now about three years later and I have gained a little bit of the weight back. I am not obese, maybe about 7-10 pounds outside my medical "ideal" body weight. And as all these pieces about obesity have come up I have done a lot of thinking. While I do think that obesity is a problem for America, not just the pagan community, I am not here to condemn anyone for what they weigh. It is your body and your choice about your health.

However, at this point I am not okay with the way that I look and feel. I would like to lose some weight for me and my health, not because society or my community wants me to. And it is not just about losing weight, it is about take better care of my overall health. I have started exercising regularly and have been thinking more about what I eat.

Some things I have seen written seem to give the impression that wanting to change your body is not an okay feeling to have. Lots of people seem to think that you should be happy with how you are now regardless of how you look or how you feel. I don't necessarily think that is the right attitude to have. If you are unhappy with your health and lifestyle, change it. I know that once my body feels better, than my spirit will feel better too. I believe that part of my spiritual path involves eating healthy foods in the right amounts and exercising regularly.

Anyway, to get the the point of this post.

As much as we should support people who are happy with their body's as they are now, I believe that is important to support the people who are making positive changes for their health.  We shouldn't assume that people are doing it because of the pressures of society. We should use language that is positive and encouraging. We should create a positive atmosphere to have these types of discussions in. And we shouldn't be afraid to have these discussions.

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