to everyone trying to lose weight

[LB]

It makes me sad to see so many women struggling with their weight and I wanted to put a different perspective on it. I, too, had to watch my weight when I was younger--about 10 pounds worth. I went through all the fad diets and worried constantly about losing those 10 pounds. Then when I was about 21, I started having bouts of fatigue and pain that eventually became continual. I started losing weight as I became more ill even though I was still eating the same. I ended up losing about 20 pounds. But that's not all I lost. I am now 38 and have spent the last almost 20 years battling this illness. I had to have my tubes tied at 23 because of the fear that my condition would get worse with childbirth. My husband and I adopted a wonderful daughter. The thing I want most in the world is another child, but my health is not good enough to adopt again, so my hopes for that are gone. I now struggle to maintain my weight at 95 pounds. I'll probably never have to worry about being overweight again, but I'll tell you, if I had known this is the price I would have to pay for wishing those pounds away, I would gain them back in a second. I'm now on disability and have very little energy to even take care of myself. My husband sometimes has to wash my hair because I can't even do that on bad days. The look in my daughter's eye when she wants me to play outside with her and I tell her I can't is sometimes more than I can bare and I go in my room and cry.
So please, don't obsess too much about those last 10 or even 50 pounds. Enjoy the life that you have now. You are all so wonderful and have been a great inspiration to me and you all deserve to be proud of who you are and what you look like NOW.
Laura

 

[bkloots]

Thank you for the perspective

Yes, we should all be grateful for the privilege of having time, energy, and financial resources to spend on what is both a health pursuit and a kind of hobby. I'm very sorry about your struggle with illness and disability. It isn't your fault, and you didn't do anything to deserve it.

For most of us here, fitness pursuits each day are aimed toward a healthier life for years to come, and we do that by setting goals for things like weight management and muscle building. We are against fad diets and unhealthy lifestyles, and we try to help people who come here to find a better way.

One of the reasons we are here chatting on forums like this is so that we won't bore and/or offend everybody else we know with fitness shoptalk. Please forgive us for sounding obsessed. Most of us do have lives larger than our workouts.

 

[LB]

thank you

Wow, do I have egg on my face now! I didn't mean it that way at all. I absolutely agree with everything you said and by no means do I think anyone is obsessed with their fitness. I come to this forum because I enjoy it so much. I have just read several posts from women seemingly agonizing over losing weight and I remember going through that myself and how it shaped my image of myself. Seeing women setting goals, as you said, and accomplishing so much with fitness and still feeling the need to lose weight was what I was talking about. I have a great life now and am very happy and I'm sorry if anyone felt I was judging them.
Laura