My Secret History

I am thin myself, and I work my tail off at the gym and watch what I eat to stay that way. I have nothing but respect for the heavy people who come to the gym and do what they can on the treadmills. They are doing something about the fact that they are unhealthy.

What burns me are the excuses the morbidly obese make. At what point does acceptance become harmful to society? My health insurance rates are through the roof because I am subsidizing the extreme health needs of the obese. My secretary is a great person, but she is morbidly obese, and she refuses to exercise or cut back on the constant eating of junk food. She cannot walk up a flight of stairs. She walks in to work from the parking lot red and sweating from the exertion, and she has a close handicapped spot because of her obesity!

I despise the way our society approaches weight. The too-skinny ideals of Hollywood aren't possible without eating disorders and structured diets and exercise that normal people can't afford, but the push to simply accept obesity with open arms is just as bad! I am 5'8" and I weigh 140 lbs. I exercise all of the time, and my body fat is about 18%. That is somewhere between normal and excellent health, but I still get snickers that my muscular frame is too large, and that makes me hate my body too.

Why can't we all aim for healthy? Compliment and praise the people who work hard to be healthy, and encourage the too thin and the too fat to get there. Most of all, STOP showering the too thin with compliments, and STOP rewarding the obese with subsidized health insurance and handicapped parking passes.

"I said nothing about clothes sizes"

But the article did.

People can be amazingly heartless, as both the article and many of the comments below illustrate. To those of you who advise "self control"--has it ever occurred to you that reformed alcoholics, smokers, and drug users can stop by never touching the problem substance again? But fat people must eat. I seriously doubt any of you self-righteous folk can imagine what it is like to constantly control what you eat, how much you eat, and to feel unsatisfied most of the time. I'd like to see an alcoholic have one drink a day. It's no wonder we lapse!!! Oddly, I am losing weight right now because I am full really quickly these days. So I don't really deserve "credit" for the loss, and I probably have some dreadful disease that is causing the weight loss. But all I hear is how "wonderful" I look. Nuts to the nay-sayers.

Bravo Megan!! I had gastric bypass, too. I was 22 at the time and I just had my 5-year "anniversary" yesterday. Sometimes I can forget the "fat girl" I used to be. Most of the people I am around on a daily basis never knew "her." But, I do tell almost everyone I meet (eventually) that I've had "that surgery" and I get mixed reactions. Mostly shock that I was ever large enough to need it. I tell people because I hope that the more people learn about it and meet post-op patients (and see that we're "normal") the less stigma there will be. Thank you for being one of our voices.

qbertina- you've gotten totally off my point. I said nothing about clothes sizes, and you are debating BMI which has nothing to do with what I'm saying. I said that being excessively overweight indicates some underlying issues and unhealthy habits. And, you may notice that I included being underweight and overweight as similar problems in their basis. Regarding your couch potato theory, there are people who have slender builds, but they can still gain weight. There are others who have healthy lifestyles and are in GREAT shape, but have more "stocky" builds. If they are others lump them into the "fat" category, they are just idiots. For their own good they need to get a perspective, focus on more interesting things and reject society's current ideal of the ultra-slender build.

Sonia8, you honestly think a size 16 person is more likely than a size 6 to be a trainwreck? Lots of vegetarians and runners wear bigger sizes than that -- you don't even have to hit the "obese" BMI category (which starts smaller than where you'd think-- google "BMI Project") to be a 16. And it's about as hard to overeat and couch-potato yourself fat if your body really wants to be thin as vice versa.

How AWESOME for you! Congradulations on the success of your surgery! I too have recently had gastric bypass, and it took me quite a number of years to decide to go through with it. A majority of people would just ASSUME that people who become obese, are just lazy, lay around watching t.v. eating everything in sight! Nothing could be farther from the truth. We are all different, we who SUFFER with this affliction! I know because I have been going through it most of my life! While I have lost 79 pounds thus far (27 before surgery), it is a LIFE-LONG adjustment to getting healthy again and remaing that way so as not to end up with Diabetes, High blood pressure, High cholesterol, acid reflux, artritic hands and knees, fibromyalgia (and that's just to name a FEW) AGAIN! Although there was ALOT of PAIN involved in the surgery and many unpleasant things you have to go through afterwards, I would do it all again! I did not have this surgery to LOSE weight, NO, I did it so I could LIVE AGAIN and be a HEALTHIER and HAPPIER person. I resemble alot of the comments on this page and identify with more than I wish to admit to! But the people who think it's just a matter of "putting down the fork and getting up off our ASSES" need to be EDUCATED about people with obesity. I want to thank you for wiriting this article and I wish you every sucess in life! You look MARVELOUS!
One day soon, I too wish to be among those who are considered one of the "beautiful" people again, BUT I have ALWAYS been beautiful on the inside! As for other people, I haven't a clue what their problems are, but they need more help than I!

Sincerely,

A fellow bypass Patient

I've been morbidly obese for most of my life. Over the past 2.5 years I've lost just over 100 pounds by using diet and exercise and following Weightwatchers Online. It can be done without surgery!
The difference in lifestyle is amazing!

I've been morbidly obese for most of my life. Over the past 2.5 years I've lost just over 100 pounds by using diet and exercise and following Weightwatchers Online. It can be done without surgery!
The difference in lifestyle is amazing!

There are stereotypes against both fat people and thin people. I have been ridiculed for being thin my entire life. God forbid I skip a meal... I am obviously aneorexic! It's not just obese people that suffer ridicule for the way they look or eat. I don't think this prejudice is discussed nearly enough. All of these comments are very interesting! I actually see a little bit of hypocrisy. The obese people say to "bring on the cookies and chips before joining the skinny people world." Well, even though I am natrually skinny.... "bring on the treadmill, lean protien and veggies before joining the obese world."

I think you were brave to write this article. These forums are interesting but it amazes me that people can be so nasty and critical, accusing you of being critical! Americans seem to be a group of haters, don't we? Society as a whole needs to be more respectful and treat each other with dignity...fat, thin, big busted, or no busted, whatever race or religion, level of education, elderly or young child. Megan Northrup did a good job in sharing her own experience and whatever your own personal experience, share it respectfully Americans!

I am what some people would call FAT! But I have always been a very BIG man I have never had any Health problems like some of my other SKINNY friends, as a matter of fact Ive out lived most of them. I come from a Family of very BIG people most of us weight in at at least 350 LBS.I am 6' 3" and my shoulders are a LARGE size 58. I am a Vegitarian and I dont Smoke or drink. So being big is not so bad at all! As a matter of fact Id rather be FAT than be SKINNY and I hope I never fit in with the SKINNY crowd!!