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Women : A Weighty Concern?

You don't have to listen to other people bash you about your weight...or compliment you. Your weight has nothing to do with friends who are body-shaming you behind your back (or in your face, which is preferred, thank you very much). I wonder if they are your friends, to begin with.

Measuring Tape
Credit : FreeImages.com, Dora Mitsonia
As we get older, things happen to our bodies and sometimes, our weight fluctuates. Some people place the blame squarely on 'midlife crisis' and go through drastic transformations to deal with it. There is no shame in that. The same way people suddenly purchase a yacht out of the blue, or quit their jobs, or sign up for a barista course, there's no shame in either gaining or losing weight during the said period of crisis.

Actually, there's no shame in gaining or losing weight.

Just to be sure that we're on the same page, fighting obesity is a real thing. Malaysians are the most obese people in the region, thanks to Nasi Lemak and Char Kuey Teow. ;-P But on a serious note, obesity leads to cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders and some forms of cancers; therefore, it is important for us to monitor and take note of our own health.
In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these, over 650 million were obese - World Health Organization
Just in case you think that the most obese nation(s) in this world is/are the United States and the United Kingdom, they're not. Instead, take note, people of The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Qatar, and Egypt.

The point is this: we're all different.

Some people remain the same, some people exercise, some people become sick, others just love cheesecake. We're all freaking different. So, why is YOUR weight any of ANYONE's business?
I have major body issues that border on dysmorphia. I am in therapy for them and I struggle with them daily. I fight hard not to equate fat with lazy and thin with beautiful. So one part of my lizard brain says that this woman just called me lazy - Elizabeth Broadbent, Babble
I found out that alleged friends won't hesitate to shit on me behind my back, the hard way. The boomerang effect. The compliments I receive now after losing a little bit of weight are not much easier to swallow than the backhanded questions I got when I gained a few extra pounds over the years.

This surprised me.

Back when I was in my 20's, it would have at least elicited a smile. I suffered from anorexia (I've never really care about this when I was younger). But now, maybe it IS a midlife crisis, after all, I find myself asking, 'what's my weight got to do with anyone'? I used to get a little miffed (maybe a little more than miffed if I had a little bit of alcohol in me - lol) about it but now, saying God Bless Your Heart is much better.

I threw my weighing machine out about 8 years ago. I don't give a sh-t what it has to tell me anymore. The world needs to be less judgmental and kinder. If it's none of your business, does it make sense to stay out? Or is this world simply becoming less tolerant and ruder?
“One of the key downsides of this ability is that we are losing our empathy, our conversation skills and our ability to get along with others,” says Musson, founder of The Good Manners Company - Kathy Buchanan, Reader's Digest
Just for kicks, check out the Reader's Digest article to find out how you would react to modern-day rudeness which can happen anywhere in the world. There is some sage advice there.

At the end of the day, gauge your position based on how you're feeling. If you feel like losing some weight, you're right. If you feel like you can afford to scoff down pizza once a week, you're also right. Just remember to check in with and be honest with yourself once in a while.

A post shared by Spiritual Thinking (@we_are_spiritual) on

Lotsa Love, 
Marsha

 Credit: 
  1. Google search
  2. NST.com.my
  3. Huffington Post's Rachel A. Cohen
  4. Reader's Digest's Kathy Buchanan
  5. Elizabeth Broadbent, Babble
  6. Stats by World Health Organization
  7. we_are_spiritual, Instagram
  8. Image from Freeimages.com
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