William Northcutt is a writer for the State Gazette and a former professor of English at Dyersburg State.
One sunny morning I met a friend near the offices of the State Gazette. He was wearing his usual work clothes, suit and tie, and as he approached I said, “Wow, you look like a million dollars.” He was never what I would call fat, but he used to have a few extra pounds that he has now shed. He looked fit and healthy. I asked, “How did you lose weight?” He said, “I walk two miles every day, and I realized I can’t eat everything I see.” He had lost weight the healthy way – not by dieting, but by changing his diet and exercise.
He said, “I feel 20 years younger.” That blew me away. I’m about 50 pounds overweight now, and at 62, I feel 20 years older than I am. When I see an octogenarian like Rolling Stone singer Mick Jagger dancing around on stage, I’m pretty sure I feel a decade older than him.
I’m guilty of the worst diet known to man – burgers, fries, pizza, bratwurst, macaroni and cheese, cookies and cake. I might as well be eating a sandwich with lard. My irregular schedule was my lame excuse for not going for regular walks.
Like some of you, my body has been on the journey from heavy to slim. I go through periods where I eat healthy, exercise, and am at a respectable weight, and then I go through years where my waistline grows. I have my big clothes in one closet, my tight clothes in another.
I know people who have similar problems. Many of them take Ozembic, some with significant results, most with no results. Even though the drug itself makes them nauseous, they are afraid to stop taking it.
Blame the fat shaming movement. Blame a world that values slim bodies. Blame the food industry. Terrible? Yes, but our problem is ourselves. We eat junk and sit on the couch. Or we are active but eat more calories than we need.
Body acceptance is good. Oh, we can say all day that someone like Lizzo is beautiful, but the truth is that she is morbidly obese, and if she doesn’t already have high blood pressure, heart problems, clogged arteries, and diabetes, she will soon. If she doesn’t die early, she will have a restricted life. That’s science. 1-2-3.
Fat people can be beautiful people, but our organs suffer from the consequences of poor nutrition and lack of exercise. My body can attest to this. I have all the ailments of fat people – high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, neuropathy, aneurysms (in the legs), neuropathy that makes my feet hurt and go numb at the same time. Two years after my knee bypass surgery, I was supposed to go for a walk every day.
But if you’ve had weight issues, you’ve probably experienced self-hatred and shame about being overweight. Self-hatred isn’t helpful. It undermines mental health. It makes us give up.
I want to make a pact with my overweight readers. Let’s not give up. Let’s not hate or be ashamed of each other. Let’s eat right, not diet. Let’s exercise. Let’s realize we don’t need to get thin: We need to get healthier. Let’s promise not to be ashamed of our obesity, but let’s promise to get active for the sake of our health. I need support, you need support. When we see each other making an effort, we say, “Hey, that’s great.” When we see each other with a Dairy Queen shake, we say, “When are we going for a walk?” Walk with me, and I’ll walk with you.
