The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[elle4nelly]

Carrie,

You made me shed a few tears by echoing all that I feel inside. I too want badly to break free from this prison I've been in for years now. The years are passing by and I don't want to be left out of life anymore.

Nelly

[shineface]

Oh my God you guys---

I'm sitting here feeling like the tears are gonna become sobs. The years of pain we have all experienced. Mike, the kids break my heart all the time when I see them. I had forgotten how the hiding the pain - physical and emotional started a long time age - been doing it for decades and I hate to see any kid crossing that threshhold.

You are all a credit to your children and nieces and brothers by doing what you're doing and saying the things you're saying - we can make changes in more than ourselves and you're proving it every day.

WE WILL DO THIS TOGETHER!!!

[DutchChoc]

Thanks, Mike for such a poignant retelling of what you saw. SO SAD -- and sorry that you know the feeling so well.

I'm not much of an advocate of people (say, unrelated adults) sticking their noses in to kids' business, but when I think of things like this, I ask myself if maybe it wouldn't be so wrong for school counselors to at least try to find out what's bothering/"eating at" kids at risk such as this. It probably IS something a high percentage of the time. I know there are some deep-seated issues that would be encountered and maybe there aren't enough resources to help, but oh how grim things (and lives) can be, alternatively.

Carrie, I think you're right that it's our prison and only we can get out, too. I know that I had issues as a teenager and having my mom rail against my weight things, trying to help and rehabilitate me just set up a pattern of rebellion and sneak-eating. Plus, I felt less loved by disappointing her in what I knew she wanted for me and for me to "do". It's very touchy stuff. For me, it seems to have started when I reached 125 in 5th grade and my mom had, by that time, already let me know that she wrote that I looked "like a blimp" in her journal. I'll always remember that.

[Sylvia]

I was also a fat kid. I slimmed down when I was about 13 and remained thin until after college. I was popular in high school and college, had lots of boyfriends, etc., but how I felt about myself and how I imagined others felt about me was to a large extent shaped by my experiences in those "fat years".

It is really interesting - I spent my teenage years thinking of myself as fat when I really wasn't. I then spent most of my adult years thinking of myself as thin when I really wasn't. By that, I mean that although in both times I knew intellectually if I was fat or thin, my self image was quite different. All I can tell you is that I've been far happier as a fat adult who imagined herself thin than I was as a thin teen who always thought she was fat.

While I don't have self-image issues anymore, it is important not to minimize the impact they have on people and especially kids. While we can't solve all of the problems of the world, I think we owe it to our friends and loved ones to share our experiences or otherwise guide them to a happier and healthier course.

[Nancy]

Mike and others ~

It is very interesting that you took note of the young man's coping mechanism - he feigned a forgotten paper so as to avoid running.

Younger people are sensing that they appear inadequate, without merit or value because of being overweight and 'feel' they must make excuses for it.

There are 43 million overweight and obese Americans.

Clearly 2/3 people are over weight. Half (50%) of Hispanic children born today will have diabetes by the time they are 21 years old; 60% of native Americans born today will develop diabetes and 40% of Asian children will develop diabetes.

A recent Baylor study really creeped me out - the report indicated that by 2030, 80-90% of the population will be obese.

We know that eating healthy improves our health and our sense of well-being. It is not easy to eat healthy - if it were, we'd all do it!

Eating healthy has a cost. It costs us time and money. Disease. Self-esteem. Children are not generally knowledgeable regarding what is appropriate to eat and how much to eat. People with lower incomes are not always able to afford healthier foods. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, hot dogs and burritos are faster to prepare and cost less than fresh vegetables, fruit and lean cuts of meat.

There's a fine line between the push of discomfort and the pull of hope, isn't there? What a blessing it would be to have the snack machines in schools stocked with Fit! Drinks and Fit! Energy Bars!

As we get healthier, we begin to see with clear lenses the reality of the state of the American health, and it is NOT a pretty picture!

We have a gift. It comes in a little shaker jar, in a little Tetra Pack and in Mylar wrapped packages. We offer it every day to others. The sad thing is that many who can afford it, pass it buy or let it sit on their cupboard shelves; those who cannot afford it, we want to supply!

Keep on keeping on, Forum Friends! Educate your family and friends, let's redirect the health of America.