Thin people don't get it ...

I am surprised that even in the world of weight loss there is a very real class distinction. There seems to be a difference between those of us who are [or were] moderately overweight and are nearing goal and those of us who have lost large amounts of weight but still have a long way to go.

I must preface this discussion with the disclaimer that this is my own opinion and I do not expect everyone to agree with me, or share my opinion, but I reserve the right to express how I feel in my own blog!!

Frankly, I am sick of hearing that I wouldn't understand what it is like to be really overweight. That my "meager" efforts cannot compare with what truly big people have to go through. That because I now weigh less that 60kg, I am one of those people who don't get it.

Of course, I don't know what it is like to be more than 80kg because carrying that much weight was the trigger for me that made me do something about it. But I do know how difficult it is to lose weight, and to keep it off.

So let me explain how our [the smaller ones] journey has its own challenges

1. I get to eat much less food than the bigger folks. I have to survive on 18 points a day. When I get to maintenance, I don't even get my 4 extra points a day because I now have a 5 in front of my weight instead of a 6 so I am at 23 points for maintenance
2. I have to exercise longer and harder every week. It takes me much less effort to walk around the block because I am not carrying that extra 20 kilos I used to lug around. I am also so fit that it takes a full on sprint to push my heart rate into the maximum zone. This doesn't mean it's easier - I have constant physically pain from my dodgy knees and worked-out muscles.
3. When I turn down cake at morning tea, or chocolate biscuits in the office, people think I am crazy. People think that because I don't look overweight anymore that I can eat anything I like.
4. The word anorexia gets mentioned behind my back and to my face by concerned family and friends. I am not anorexic because I watch my weight.
5. Making healthy choices is still difficult. I constantly battle my cravings, my desire to eat until I am stuffed and my disappointment that it takes so long for the scales to move.
6. I can only expect to lose 1% of my weight during a good week. This is 0.5 kg. Most times it is less than this. I can never match the huge losses the bigger folk enjoy.
7. I hate drinking water as much as the next person.

I guess the point of all this is that we shouldn't stand in judgment of anyone else - be it those who are bigger than us and those who are smaller. There are not many people who are thin naturally, most people who have great bodies work very hard at it.

I may not understand the challenges of being 100+ kgs, but I do know how hard it is to lose weight - because I've done it!!