5 Minute Freewrite Challenge Day 332 Kit

It’s been a bad week in weight loss coaching over here @fitinfun. I’ve been fighting the Big Beautiful Women all week. These are the members of a LARGE tribe of fat chicks who like to celebrate their curves, and empower themselves, and decide that beauty is on the inside.

(This lets them forget about all the teasing and bullying and how miserable they really feel about their fat selves.)

I get to fight about the BMI stats and how their young, tall, skinny brother has a lot of muscle mass so the BMI chart is wrong and stupid.

I am not taking about BMI 27 on a tall skinny young man. I am talking about YOU with BMI 50+ which is in the morbidly obese category.

Let’s get you down to your brother’s level and then see if you are happy at BMI 27 or if you want to keep losing. Please. Can we at least stop this nonsense?

I am at BMI 26 right now and I am fine with that. You might be too. Let's find out, shall we?

But no! Instead lets look to our role model - Fat Oprah. She is the most beautiful of all the fat girls. She is lovely on all sides and gives you hugs, and cars, and empowers you to feel like the princess you really are.
But.
She.
Is.
Still.
FAT.
(and unhealthy)

She first lost this 30 pounds in the early 1980's

I'm old. I watched.
Oprah is doing Weight Watchers where they have low points for things like poisonous skittles so you can eat a lot of them. Since she is eating all this addictive garbage:
She.
Is.
Still.
FAT.
(and unhealthy)

The only thing the BBW’s think is a problem with their weight is that mean people fat-shame them. Bullies! They should stop being mean and everything will be just fine.

I talk about health. I say:

• you are fat
• you are getting fatter
• you are unhealthy
• you are getting unhealthier
• you cannot find clothes to fit you (and trust me, the ones you did find Are. Not. Cute.)
• you are afraid to sit in chairs in case they break
• you can no longer squeeze into restaurant booths at your favorite fast food place
• you need seatbelt extenders of airplanes
• you cannot climb stairs
• you cannot keep up with your kids

And then there's this:

You are an inspiration to me!! I am going to a seminar next month about weight loss surgery. I need something.

Let’s break this statement down:

You are an inspiration to me!!

Great. My ego is stroked now.

I am going to a seminar

High pressure sales pitch

next month

Ergh...

about weight loss surgery

Debilitating, rarely works, can be deadly. Later you can’t eat real food, and hate your life even more than you do now.

I need something.

Yes, I know.

I say in reply, "How about doing 10 minutes of gentle stretching RIGHT NOW and every day until you go to that sales pitch for the harmful surgery? I can even give you some quick tips to improve your food for cheap and easy.

No. They are not going to do that. It's too much work, it's too complicated, they have no time or money for this. They will just go under the knife and make it all go away at some later date.

I tell them, "This is why my coaching will help you. I work with you from where you are now, and help you make small tweaks over time and before you know it you will be on a path to health and able to keep going on you own. You will have new skills and be a whole new person. "

Absolutely not! This is out of the question.

So then I say, "Please join fb groups for this surgery and see how other people are doing after having it. You are unlikely to find many positive stories. And you will find 1000’s of miserable and scary ones instead."

No. They are not going to do that. They do not want to be distracted from potential successful weight loss by a few bad stories.

I lost half my size eight years ago by:

• getting over my excuses for being fat
• taking daily action to improve my food sources to find healthy food I can afford and enjoy.
• taking daily action to do gentle exercise within my limits
• taking daily action to get better rest and sleep
• taking daily action to educate myself about what works and doesn’t work for others.
• taking daily action every day instead of next week or next month

I have kept my weight off in all the years since by continuing to do all of those things and not letting up on myself. You can do it too. Anyone can do this if I did.

= =

After that, the fat person blocks me.

Or sends me a video about how we are all beautiful no matter what our size.

Or sends me a PM to tell me that skinny people die too, so who cares?

How does this relate to kit?

I need one. A set of tools – one size fits all. So everyone can lose weight.

The BBW’s won’t buy it anyway.

But my one fb friend who has gained over 60 pounds in the last three months did spend $800 on two tickets to a Broadway show this week. Sixty pounds ago when she was desparately PMing me for help with her weight she could not afford my coaching and was going to look at her budget. Now she also has money for new clothes and those are already too small.

The sound you hear, and the shaking you feel, is me banging my head on my keyboard.

It's possible this five minute freewrite post took longer than five minutes to write.

I've actually been writing this post all week for this week's homework at @steemiteducation. I cound not seem to finish because I kept becoming enraged.

What is your biggest fear as an educator?

My biggest fear as a weight loss coach is that while EIGHTY PERCENT of Americans are obese and overweight I will never help even one of them.

How do you fight your fear?

• I vent.
• And then I go back and keep trying.
• I remember the successes I have had with other people.
• I feel faith I will have more success in the future with new clients.
• I remember that people are helped by my work even though I may not hear from them until long after they lose the weight.

I never give up. I never give up. I never give up.

I was this person in denial until I finally lost weight at the age of 50. I know exactly how bad these people feel. I know how scared they are. I know how much their families worry about them. I know they have very few places to turn for help.

I know I am one of only 5% of people who keep their weight off for more than five years. I know I will never go back to obesity. I know my work has value.

I have no other choice.

My post is for the #freewrite daily challenge by @mariannewest. Freewrite is a great way to post on steemit when you do not think you have the time, or talent, or anything to say. I know you can do this too! Here is Marianne’s freewrite prompt post for today. Give it a try and surprise yourself.