Sharing My Heart and Pictures

heather,

my first thought is WOW! what an amazing woman you are. let me meet all those relatives, church members and work related people. this new yorker would like to give a piece of her mind.

you are an absolutely beautiful woman. your pictures are great.
thanks for sharing. i know it makes me want to open up and share all the experiences i had of being heavy at one point, and of being 6 feet for most of my life. bottom line is people can be cruel. you have friends here in the forum.

i for one am upset that i wont be going to the road trip. it would have been an honor to meet you. good luck with your goals. you are doing a great job already!

suri
 
Heather, you would not be sitting in the back of my church wedding!(but what do I know, I am one of those Midwest corn fed women!:7 )

You are beautiful, and have a very kind face!

Thanks for sharing.
 
Heather, thank you for this post. I think it's just what was needed around here lately.

My best friend (we've known each other for 29 years!)used to be obese and struggled with concerns much like yours. She chose to have gastric bypass. I'm very glad she lost the weight for health reasons, of course. But I have always loved her, no matter what she looked like on the outside - and heavy or thin, she has always been a beautiful person.

I don't have a lot of time to communicate on these boards, but I admire your posts because they show a very strong and caring person. I'm glad you're here!
 
Heather,

Thank you for sharing your story. I looked at your pictures you are beautiful person. Please continue to your journey and don't let anyones words stop you from becoming the person you want to be.

Have a great time at the roadtrip.

Jenn
 
Heather,

Thank you for sharing your story. Let it be a gentle reminder to all of us that we shouldn't judge or make assumptions about people. As someone who has battled (and is still battling) my weight, I know that there is no such thing as "fat and happy" - in other words, no overweight or obese person feels good about it. I know, too, how powerful and hurtful words can be, and reading about the comments said to you made me wince. I don't know why it is still socially acceptable to bash and make fun of overweight people. Instead, we should be educating and encouraging one another.

I agree with the others - you are already beautiful. I wish you the best of luck as you work on reaching your fitness goals and look forward to meeting you pre-RT.

~Cathy :)
 
Heather, I knew some of your story, but not all of what you have shared today. I just want you to know that you are not alone. Many of us, including me, have experienced some of the awful prejudices you have been subjected to. To this day, I still fantasize about having my revenge on the pediatrician who told me when I was 11 years old that I would NOT grow up to be beautiful like my mother. x( What a moron. I became anorexic before anyone had even heard that word.

I have read many of your posts and think you are a wonderful, sensitive, caring, warm, positive, upbeat, awesome person. I also enjoy reading your posts because they are so well-written.

I am not going on the RT, but I think it was a brilliant idea to post your pic (and your story) before the RT. I think it will make those first few hours of meeting everyone a lot more comfortable for you. I've met a few people from the Cathe boards, and we always saw pics of each other before we met. It really does make those first moments of meeting a lot less awkward, and a lot more like just meeting an old friend! :D

You will have a great time.

As always, you are an inspiration! :D
 
Heather,

You are an inspiration beyond words :) I know I'm not alone when I say that you make me smile, you make me laugh, and you make me proud to belong to this amazing group of women. Thank you for sharing your story with us and for trusting us enough to share you picture. I can only hope to move through life with the grace that you display. I wasn't able to make it on this Road Trip, but I hope you come to future Road Trips so that we can laugh together some day. Like Tammy said, "You Rock"---simply put, but completely apt. :7

You are the heart of this forum!

:D
Mattea
 
Heather,

You are such a blessing! Thank you for sharing your heart and pictures. You have such a beautiful heart and smile!!! I've said it before, you are the one person I most want to meet on the road trip.

My heart hurts for all the trials you have endured in your life. Sadly, like you, some of my deepest hurts have come from those closest to me and professing believers. Your testimony is a reminder to me to look up and not around. God is clearly using you for His glory.

Wendy
 
{{{{{Heather}}}}}
Thank you for sharing your story with us. What you posted also speaks for those who sometimes feel slighted or reviled on this forum because of their size.

You have always been a positive addition to this forum, and I can't ever recall an unkind word posted by you. I'm so sorry you've had to be subjected to so much cruelty, especially by those who should love you unconditionally.

More {{{{{{{{{{Heather}}}}}}}}}} to you!
 
Heather, You are an awesome babe:) You are an inspiration, I related to so many things you talked about.
I was told by my stepmom, I have short legs, horrible hair, etc....:-(
I was anorexic in high school, and until I started working out, struggled with my body image--still have those demons, I just know how to handle them better:7 And I still cannot look at pics of myself, I am still am very critical.

Have fun on the road trip, Cathe and the gals will love you, I wish I could meet you too, but I live on the west coast.
 
Heather,
I ,too, admire your courage and beauty! Thanks for sharing your heart. Have a wonderful time on the road trip, and may God bless you on your continued journey. (((Heather)))

iris123
 
Heather,

Seems to me that your not happy when you have gained weight, and your not happy when you lose weight, because of the good comments of what people say when you have lost weight. (Did that make sense?)

I'm not going to even pretend what you are going through. I do know though, that everyone living has a sad story to tell. I know that must be some of the things we have to learn on this planet.

I believe we need to love and teach each other. But, how can you love other people without first being able to love yourself? That's a huge question isn't it? I've heard this all my life. That phrase alone made me not do a lot of things in life that I should have done. Finally I decided to help elderly people, and now my life is very much better because of it. Feeling better about myself helps me accomplish other things in life. (I just used my story of elderly people to try to make you understand to do something you passionately care about. It makes you feel good about yourself)

When other people talk rudely about other people being different from themselves, is perhaps they have things they still need to learn in life. Trust me, they will learn it. The hard way. It's sad, but a few years down the road, they will have an entirely different outlook.

For some purpose you are the way you are for a reason. I don't know why. For the same reason I don't know why I am the way I am either. Trust me, I will be telling God about all my issues about this life of mine when I see him. Everyone has a cross to endure, that's life. Maybe because we have something to learn, or to teach other people? Seems to me that is part of life. We all are different, some fat, some skinny, some brainless, all challenged in some way. We have to deal with it as best as we can.

I applaud you for wanting to change for the better. When you make changes, be proud of yourself, and thank the people that give you compliments. You my dear, deserve it. You worked very hard for it. Changing for the better is always hard to do and we all are worth it.

Life is so darn hard. Long ago I decided not to hurt people. At least I don't know if I am. I would never hurt anyone intentionally. When people hurt me, it just means they still have a lot to learn, so be patient with them.

You so remind me of my beloved sister in law. You two could be twins. We get along like peas in a pod. You are absolutely beautiful Heather.

Have fun on the road trip. You lucky person you. There will be many to embrace you. Just wait and see.

If you want love, you have it from me, just because.

Janie

The idea is to die young as late as possible

www.picturetrail.com/janiejoey

0607_10008295321.gif
 
Heather, you are one wonderful and BRAVE lady!

I have lost a lot of weight (90 pounds) with gastric-bypass surgery. I work for a newspaper, and agreed to be interviewed for them, so all my co-workers knew my pre-surgery weight (257 pounds - gulp). HOWEVER, I read some very hurtful and ignorant things on this forum about this type of surgery. I finally fessed up, and discussed why it was the only option left for me, but am still kicking myself about being afraid of being flamed and not speaking up the first few times the subject came up.

I know you will have a great time on the road trip, and probably make lifelong friends. BTW, I would kick people who say toxic things like ``you need to sit in the back of the church'' out of my life until they grow up a bit. Even though you know they are speaking out of ignorance, it still hurts, and your journey is hard enough as is. I have come to realize that the more you let go of hurtful things and people, the more room there is in your life for wonder and joy.
 
Heather, you are a beautiful inspiration to us all! Nuff said!

I look forward to meeting you in August.

ShellyC
 
Heather,

I wish I were going on the roadtrip, so I could meet you. You will have so much fun and meet great people. Thank you for sharing your story.

Debbie
 
Hi Heather!

You know I'm one of your biggest fans! I love that I finally got the chance to see your beautiful photo. You are incredible! Thanks for sharing and have fun on that road trip! :)
 
Heather,

You are brave and truly an inspiration. I'm sure your story will inspire a number of people. Many of us have had similar experiences to some degree. At 5'3" when I was 150 lbs (my heaviest) I started to get some comments. I'm sorry that so many people were so mean to you. It serves all of us to stop looking for unconditional love from other people. You will find it within yourself and God and those are the only 2 sources. I wish you many blessings in all your endeavors towards your own health and happiness. You are beautiful and never let anyone cause you to forget it.
 
Thank you for sharing your story, Heather.

There are some people who need an education on how much it hurts to diss others because they are not buff. Usually it is their low self esteem that makes they so cruel. It is not you, but their own insecurities. They don't realize there people who visit this forum for support.

I agree about Cedie. I think she has the best body of any of Cathe's cast. She is beautiful too.

My daughter is fighting obesity. At 4'11" and over 200 pounds, she gets very upset about going out due to negative comments.

Because she is so ashamed of her weight, she will not longer even go out with me to have a Satuday lunch and her nails done. It used to be our special ritual.

Now, due to unkind and holier than thou comments, she is reluctant to go anywhere. She even does her grocery shopping at Wal Mart in the middle of the night to avoid the stares and cruel comments.

So as the mother of a daughter who is struggling with obesity, I thank you.

Since she has not health insurance, gastric bypass surgery is not an option for new right now.

I am going to print your message and show it to her.

I love my daughter unconditionally - she is beautiful in my eyes. So I get livid when people make fun of her.

I hope you have fun on the Roadtrip. I've been on two and they were awesome.

Everybody was supportive of me (and at the time I was battling a weight problem due to my meds).

With deep gratitude for sharing your story,

Amy
 
Heather-

Thank you so much for sharing all of that with us! You are an amazing woman and beautiful inside & out.

Oh, I had to go back to see what shoes you had on too once I read Robin's reply! Too funny!

How many shoes are we up to now?? I always have one suitcase of just shoes when I travel so I have no room to talk about too many shoes!

Thanks again for sharing.
 
Heather, you are beautiful inside and out. And like others have mentioned, I too, have always enjoyed reading your posts. As a fellow believer in Jesus, it especially saddens me to read how cruel other believers have been to you. You are smart enough to not let that turn you away from the Lord, but rather to know Him as He really is. You have a good grasp on life and what is important. I have struggled with my weight and certainly can relate to how people treat you better when you are thin. That certainly affects us, but we are overcomers :) . Now I wish I were going on the RT simply to meet you!

ETA: the fact that you haven't purged in years is a testament to your perseverance. you go, girl:D
 
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