Thinking Inside Out: I really don't give a fuck if you're healthy, as long as you're happy.

Let me start by saying two things:

  1. I'm a raging liberal.
  2. I fucking hate some liberal talking points.
The topic of discussion today? "People can be healthy at any size."

Stick with me. This isn't going where you think it is.

When I was in high school, the music teacher was a skinny-ish guy with a bulging belly. Not huge, but enough that friends who'd known him a long time would tease him about it. I have few memories of music class, but I remember the time he told us about those friends teasing him. He laughed. He patted his belly. And he said, "You know what this is? Good food! And lots of it!"

Yum.

Then there was the episode of House, M.D. (anyone else remember that show?) where the patient was a man who doctors would classify as "morbidly obese." On various occasions he told the cast to STFU about his weight. "I'd rather die of a heart attack eating a seven-course dinner than live to ninety by not eating anything I like," he said, paraphrasing. Another time he said, "I've been fat my whole life. I've only been sick a few days. So you find me a diagnosis that doesn't revolve around my weight."

Sick burn.

And then, going on a year ago, I was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos, thereby explaining six years of clearly deteriorating health and a whole book of physical quirks that had gone on past that. Me--young, not obviously overweight, cute enough to look at--I was sick. I was being told I would be in pain forever. I'd need physical therapy and pain meds forever. I now walk with a cane and have a handicap placard in my car.

Meanwhile, there's my mom. Mom has bounced between sizes XL and 2X for most of my life. She's struggled with weight since she was young. She has trouble standing up from sitting on the ground. She has difficulty balancing. But she also maintains a garden, rides an adult tricycle to work when the weather permits, and when I was eleven she walked the Camino de Santiago.

Oh.

So let's just say I got very, very tired of the arguments. "You don't know their life." "They can't possibly be healthy looking like that." "They could have a metabolic condition." "Lay off the Pringles." I'm sick of it. So let me reiterate the title of this post.

I REALLY, GENUINELY, 100% DO NOT GIVE A FUCK IF YOU'RE PHYSICALLY HEALTHY. I COULDN'T CARE LESS WHAT YOUR CHOLESTEROL LEVELS LOOK LIKE, OR IF YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE IS ELEVATED. ALL I CARE ABOUT IS THAT YOUR CHOICES ARE MAKING YOU HEALTHY. REALLY.

This is not a popular opinion. You're not supposed to say that you don't care if someone is healthy or not. You're not supposed to defend fat people by saying "fuck you, food is delicious." But that's how I view it. You want to lose weight? Cool. Good for you. Allow me to point you to resources and steer you away from a few trends that will suck your money out of you. You don't want to lose weight? You think those extra Thin Mints are worth a year less of your life? I'm glad you have your priorities right. Now pay the nice little girl $5 and eat your cookies and be happy.

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