Interesting Observations

I've been heavy all of my adult life. Funny thing, though...it seems like the heavier I got the less people were able to see me. I'm not exactly sure why that is. Did they think that maybe it would be contagious? Like the fat would just jump off me and into them? Or maybe they were embarrassed for me, I mean, how could anyone let themselves get to this point? Maybe it was just being uncomfortable with anyone who is different from themselves? Maybe it was a combination of all of these, and more.

I don't think I have changed all that much since losing the weight. Granted, I feel better, and I'm probably a little more confident, but the basic things that make me who I am are the same. So, when people treat me differently now, I'm a little amused, and if I'm honest, I'm also a little annoyed.

I hate that we live in a society that puts so much emphasis on what a person looks like, and so little emphasis on who a person is inside. I hate that people make judgments based on a shape or a size, and miss the beauty that is right there for anyone who will look. I come in regular contact with one older lady who has for years told me that I would be so pretty if I would just lose the weight. And now that I am losing, she seems to be in my face all the time - asking if I'm staying on the "diet" - how long I think it will be before I lose all the rest of my weight - do I plan on having the plastic surgery to take care of the places that are drooping. She gives the impression that I never really will be "good enough."

I am SO THANKFUL that I am surrounded by friends who really saw me for who I am - regardless of the weight I carried or am carrying. Friends who appreciate my sense of humor (most of the time). Friends who know my heart. Friends who feel my pain. And friends who will still be there for me, even if I gain the weight back. (Just so you know, I'm still committed to this lifestyle change, but I just want to acknowledge that I know you will be there no matter what!)