LogFAQs > #983876696

NeonPhoenix posted...

I bet it's cuz they had to work hard to lose the weight, and seeing people be fat activists or just not care about being fat seems disrespectful to their hard work to them

As someone who has lost over 100 pounds and kept it off, I've actually found it is far more important for me to share my story as a means to teach and to like, provide an avenue towards change.

I used to minimize it a lot because even being 315 now I still have some ways to go to be truly healthy (I'm on some meds now that have impacted my activity levels a lot the past 8 months and I've maintained my weight rather than losing), but that mentality and not celebrating what I've done really made other people who have struggled to lose 10 pounds feel so much worse.

People need to be supported to make lifestyle changes. Losing weight isn't about dieting, or even as simple as, "put down the fork". People who are severely overweight have to make substantial lifestyle changes that can be maintained literally for the rest of their lives. Don't minimize that, but don't lie about it either.

I tell people all the time that it took an entire change of everything I did to lose weight. When I ate, what I ate, my activity level, my coping strategies, my anxiety and stress, all of it. It is hard and it is why so many people struggle to do it.

Don't be the one who is holding someone back by belittling them and making them feel like shit. Engage with them in a positive way and talk about lifestyle changes they could implement for themselves.