songsmith

I believe fat people should never be shamed for who they are. It often feels like we're the last carnival freak show: "Hey, look at that guy! He's bigger than a house! Let's take embarrassing and judgmental photos and put them in blogs, magazines and newspapers and TV shows." So, yes, I believe in better understanding of the condition and less judging. I had thyroid cancer. It went for two more years because the first three ENTs I was sent to took one look at me, thought, "Meh, she's fat and looking for an excuse," and didn't do the testing that should have been done. Another friend had PCOS. It took her forever to get diagnosed because, again, she's obese. Doctors, especially, need education. But I'm saddened when I hear people in the movement claim that fat is healthy. It is not. I was a healthy young fat person. I lifted weights. I exercised. I was in great shape. Then I hit 40. Suddenly my blood pressure skyrocketed, my joints gave out, and my endocrinologist threatened to put me on diabetic meds because my blood sugar was too high. (Convinced her to wait to see what surgery does for me.) Long-term, fat is not healthy. People who say otherwise all seem to be in their 20s or early 30s. They don't know yet.