I was in middle school when my biological father told me what he deemed to be my fate. He told me that “no boy would ever like me because I was fat”. I have internalized these words for almost 20 years.
I’m sure that I was not the only little fat girl that was told those ugly words. Whether it was said by a family member, classmate or other individual…it still hurts. It’s even worse when the sharpness of those words still replays in your head so many years later. No matter how hard I try to accept and love myself, I still move with the knowledge that I am deemed to be “undesirable” and “unloveable” because of my size (by some people).
When I dropped 70 pounds in college, I was determined to find a romantic partner. In my head, the only barrier to me being in a successful relationship was the number on the scale. I obsessively counted calories and worked out like a maniac. I gained validation by seeing the number on the scale go down. However, honestly, none of my relationships improved by me being smaller. I still was stuck in a cycle of wanting to crawl out of my skin and hide under a rock. I pretty much hated myself. The men I dated still wasted my time and ultimately the relationships didn’t lead to anything long-term.
I currently am over 100 pounds heavier than my lowest adult weight. Some, but not all of it had to do with me dealing with the loss of my mom by emotional eating. I am not happy with my current size but I am at peace. However, I am not actively doing anything to change it. I am fortunate not to hate myself anymore. I would love to lose weight but I have to commit to doing what it takes. I’m not there yet but I can tell that I am getting close. Until then, I choose to not beat myself up for being human. Whether I stay the same size, lose or gain weight, I know that I still have a lot of unlearning to do. My goal is to never be the reason why someone feels unworthy (especially because of their body size). Including myself…
Venus in September 