Now this makes my blood pressure go up

Ever since I found Shapely Prose, I haven't been able to get enough. That's a link to an article on the treatment of fat people by the medical industry. I want to add a resounding Amen!

I absolutely hate going to a doctor. I'll never forget the one who responded to my request for birth control pills with "You don't need them" because (1) they would aggravate my high blood pressure and (2) wishful thinking didn't get a woman pregnant. His nurse had already checked my blood pressure, but he hadn't checked my chart. I was in my early twenties and my blood pressure was excellent. His medical opinion was that there was no way I could ever get laid looking the way I did. My soon to be husband had a really good laugh at that one. I didn't.

Before that, when I was a teenager, my family doctor told me that the only thing that kept me from being completely hopeless with my body was having an oval shaped face. I always wondered what that had to do with the ear infection that was the reason for my appointment.

Then there was the therapist who came highly recommended. I had heard her speak at a seminar on women's health and well-being and was really struck with her common sense. At our first visit, she refused to treat me unless I started regularly attending Overeaters Anonymous. Despite the fact that I had sought her out for her skill in helping people become more assertive, the only thing she wanted to talk about was my weight. Dumping her as my therapist was the first assertive thing I learned in her office.

My insurance now is a program designed for the poor and the uninsurable. I went years without insurance and hope that I never have to do that again. This is one of the reasons why I'm so determined to reach and stay at a healthier weight for me. My weight is the reason that I've been denied insurance elsewhere. People complain that fat people don't take care of themselves and become a burden on other people. Let me tell you, it's hard, really hard, to take care of yourself when a single doctor's visit can equal a week's worth of groceries for a family. What does a woman do? Feed her child or go to the doctor?

People in the fat acceptance movement probably wouldn't like that I am now committed to following a diet. I know the good it's doing for me, and that's why I'm going to stick with it. However, my life is still affected daily by being fat. I'll never forget some of the mistreatment I've received simply because of my size. Owning my anger over this and realizing that it hasn't been all my fault would probably upset people in the weight loss industry. Fitness Nazis do more harm than good, and I don 't care what they think. Humiliating someone is not a good method of motivation to lose weight and exercise more, unless that person is in even more need of therapy than I. As usual, I find myself somewhere in the middle, walking a tightrope. I have to accept myself as a fat woman and be healthy to live the life I want. For now, that means learning a new way to eat and live in this body, as it is and as it is becoming. I like that, and that should really be all that matters.

medicine, fat acceptance