Nationwide Epidemic...My Personal Struggle

The US is fat. Obesity rates have risen dramatically in the last 30 years due to the foods we consume, the lack of exercise, fad diets, and the increasing social attitude and pressure that "thin is the best."

I haven't been thin since before puberty. My family and extended family is predisposed to overweight, big boned people. None of us are supermodel thin and almost all of us have struggled with our weight. My mother has been through a lot of ups and downs with her own weight and watching this as I was growing up, I really did not want my body and my body image to take over my life.

Almost 6 years ago I was in an unhealthy relationship and gained a lot of weight as a result of depression and social isolation. Thank God I ended that situation but I haven't lost or done anything about my weight problem. I just accepted it as a part of getting older, changing body in the 20's and college years and still never really saw myself as overweight.

In the last year, it has defintely become apparent that I have a problem. I am not healthy and I know this. I do not like the way my clothing fits, I dread clothes shopping. I find many cute clothing items and the stores that are for my particular age group are all geard toward the skinny, fit woman. Instead of celebrating my body like I have in the past, I am hiding it more and more. I have an athletic, fit boyfriend who loves me no matter what, but its still a factor in my want to be in better shape.

I do not eat garbage food. I just eat too much when I do eat. I have a strong phobia of public gyms and I do not have the financial means to have a membership at a health club, even if I wanted it. Plus it seems so out of reach that I could be thin and fit again.

I have a desire to be more fit and in shape because I am tired of being disillusioned about my figure and then hitting an extreme low when I come to the realization that I am fat...

So I didn't do it today and I've said I'll do it before. But I think that obesity is like alcoholism...its an addiction but in a different way and it can be dealt with in the same manner as alcoholics treat themselves. When alcoholics are working on sobriety, they say "I'm sober today." Maybe the fat person I am can say, "I'm thin today. If I fall off tomorrow, I can still climb back on."

I'm thin today.