WRT being fat, I seem to have come to a place of what I'd almost call affection for my body, something I haven't felt since back when I weighed around 150 lb., which on my frame is skinny. It started on my recent pre-writing conference shopping spree, when I found clothes I honestly felt looked good on me the way I am now. That with the right bra and a shirt that's cut to flatter my build, I'm actually...sorta cute.

The next step was seeing my doctor for something else and getting into a discussion of various bad things in my family history--cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, etc.--and the fact that if we have another kid in the next year or two I'm worried I'll spend the entire pregnancy on bedrest, since I'm heavier now than I was when Annabel was born. I said I wanted to lose weight but never could seem to stick to a diet. We spent the next ten minutes troubleshooting why diets aren't working for me. At the end I said, "It's not a lack of knowledge. It's a combination of the fact I comfort-eat when under stress, which I generally am, and that going back on Weight Watchers or whatever turns eating into a part-time job, what with all the journaling and extra cooking and shopping. And I can't do that. I already have a full-time job to pay the bills, my writing amounts to a part-time job, and I'm trying to sorta maintain a life amid all that."

And my doctor said, "Look, your body is serving you well. Your bp is fine, and you're not yet showing any of the signs of repeating your family history. If you have to go on bedrest in your third trimester if you get pregnant again, well, you've done it before and came through fine. You might work on making healthier choices within the time and energy you have available now, but don't worry about dieting for now."

Which is the last thing I ever expected to hear from a doctor.

And just the other day I realized I've been eating stupidly for years now because I keep saying, "I'm going on a diet soon, like next week, so I'd better enjoy X now." Where X is potato chips, Dr Pepper with every meal, or whatever. And then I never go on the diet, or never stick with it beyond a few days, because, you know, I already have an unpaid part time job, and one that's a lot more fun than obsessively tracking every bite of food I eat! So I'm trying to make a mental adjustment from, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you must diet" to "How can I be kind to my body now?"

Susan, sounds like an excellent mindset/plan. And, compared to the horror stories I've heard, sounds like your Dr. should be canonized.

And just the other day I realized I've been eating stupidly for years now because I keep saying, "I'm going on a diet soon, like next week, so I'd better enjoy X now." Where X is potato chips, Dr Pepper with every meal, or whatever.

Ooh! I know that one. And you end up eating more, or eating things that are way over the top that wouldn't have even been appealing if you hadn't been pretending expecting to be on that diet next week.

Ooh! I know that one. And you end up eating more, or eating things that are way over the top that wouldn't have even been appealing if you hadn't been pretending expecting to be on that diet next week.

Or you finish the bag of chips/cookies/too big of a slice of cake/etc. because you have to get it out of the house before the diet starts!

So I'm trying to make a mental adjustment from, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you must diet" to "How can I be kind to my body now?"

It's wild, isn't it? Realizing that what your body wants is actually a vegetable and that by giving your body that vegetable you aren't On A Diet, or even Adhering To My "Eating Plan," but just -- eating what your body wants.

It's intuitive eating, and it's not always easy, since I've spent at least 25 of the past 37 years learning ways to NOT listen to my body. But when intuitive eating works, it's amazing, and I feel so healthy when I do it.

I'm not comfortable with the word "fat." I prefer overweight. One of the things that totally attracted me to DF is that, while she is (sexily) overweight, she never ever talked about body issues and she carried herself with such confidence that all you thought was, "Wow! This girl is hot and has incredibly spicy brains!" And I know I wasn't the only one who thought this, so it's not just the blinded by lust/love thing.

We've both gained weight over the years and could both stand to lose some, but I still find her incredibly adorable/hot and I'm pretty sure she thinks the same of me (though my own issues at this point are more about my face looking older than my weight - though I would like to be slimmer).

Other than my depression I'm as healthy as a horse whatever weight I'm at.

If I had regular acting work and a boyfriend I would never ever diet again.

But it deffinately hurts the first and almost deffinately hurts the second... so I'm left trying to simultaneously radically change the way I look without feeling crappy about the way I look. I'm a little better at this than I used to be.

I prefer "fat" to "overweight" for describing myself. "Fat" is just a descriptor. "Overweight" is a comparative.

I prefer "fat" to "overweight" for describing myself. "Fat" is just a descriptor. "Overweight" is a comparative.

Right. And even though "fat" as it is most commonly used, is not usually a positive thing, isn't the same true for "bitch?"

t points to thread title

I was talking recently about how part of my problem is that while I know I'm overweight/fat/whatever, my mental image of myself does not reflect this. It isn't until I catch a reflection somewhere that I go - oh yeah, not looking as hot as I thought.

I get so frustrated when I go clothes shopping cause then I do have to look in the mirror and have that reminder that what others see does not match whatmy brain thinks they see.

In regards to eating versus dieting, I have tried for years to just make healthy choices and not sweat it when I want a treat. My problem comes more from the unconscious eating where I grab something cause I'm bored. When I think about eating and making choices I do well. But when I don't think...well there is my downfall.