Weight a Minute

Recently I joined Weight Watchers...again.  I am what they call a "repeat offender."  In fact, I've joined so many times that I'm sure next time I enter a WW meeting with the intent to join again, they'll have to call in reinforcements.  The lovely teachers and assistants will be instructed to whisper covertly into their headsets, "She's here.  What should we do?"

And the authorities hiding behind the two-way glass will respond, "Just keep her talking, we're comin' in." 

Then, before I even have a chance to recite, "If you bite it, write it," men and women in white lab coats armed with scales and pedometers will overtake me and shuffle me off to some isolated, hard-core program for those who just can't seem to gain enough "Momentum."

OK, so this is a slight exaggeration.  But I have noticed that WW employees around the country seem to recognize me on sight, despite that I've moved several times.  Now, none of this is to denigrate the program itself, and here's where I'll do a little non-compensated plug.  The Weigh Watchers Way, whether it's Points or Momentum, or even old-school meat/veggie/bread rations, simply works.  If you work it.  Hmm...that sounds catchy:  "It works if you work it."  Where have I heard that before?  Ah, yes...the AA mantra.  Well, I'm not an alcoholic, but I suppose that's appropriate anyway.

So I have been fighting my body for over twenty years.  It's not my fault, I know this.  I understand what needs to happen for me to lose weight; my body just disagrees.  And, after twenty some years of looking to everything from Weight Watchers to Atkins to Oprah to books on emotional eating, self-love, and deep-seated psychological problems -- and even considering "dramatic" options like joining the military or physically cutting the pounds (note:  this option was quickly discarded when I considered the pain and mess) -- I feel like I don't really have any more answers than when I began.  Somewhere in there I briefly contemplated just loving myself the way I am, but then I got up from whatever book I was reading, took a look in the mirror, and those loving thoughts just seemed to fly right out of my head.  I was hoping as I got older, I'd get wiser -- you know, like old people always say happens -- but so far no good on that front.  I mean, granted I'm only 33, which by some estimations is still a "young'n," but looking back on twenty years of fighting the up-stomach weight battle makes me feel old.

In the last decade or so, I've noticed increasing focus on "America's Obesity Problem."  Evidently the "problem" of people being fat, which I'm pretty sure has existed for quite some time, has gotten worse.  I have several thoughts on this subject, as do plenty of other people (these don't all come strictly from my head, but it's hard to know which ones are which):  1) maybe the problem is with our idea of beauty or appealing body image, not with the number of plump fellow citizens we have.  2) if it's the health angle that you're coming from, how 'bout a little shout-out to America's Illegal Drug Problem, or America's Nicotine Problem, or America's Standard-80-Hour-Work-Week Problem, or America's Lack-of-Belief-in-Siestas Problem?  3) I wonder if America's Obesity Problem is a complex issue with many causes and effects?  Hmm...now there's something to think about.

As one of these aforementioned "problem" citizens, I tend to be a little skeptical when I see these articles condemning the stick-frame-challenged.  How many of those article authors are thin?  How many of them have ever had a department store sales lady "gently guide" them with her eyes to the Plus Size department?  How many of them have had to pretend not to notice the looks of horror on friends' or strangers' faces as they're about to sit on a plastic lawn chair?  How many have caught themselves feeling "worthy" of the McDonald's drive-in worker's disapproving look as she hands them their burger and shake?  

And those are just some of the more obvious public censures we Problem Citizens have to endure.  Let the world know we're on a diet, or changing our lifestyle through something like Weight Watchers, and suddenly we have a whole new set of "well-meaning" comments to field:  "Ooh...are you sure you can have that?" "Is that on your program?" "How many points do you have left for the day?"  "Oh, I bet that would be worth, like, your whole week's worth of points!" "It's just a little bite, what could that hurt?" "If you could just exercise your will power a little, you wouldn't have to pay for these expensive programs!" "Just don't eat as much.  It's that simple."  These little jabs are almost worse because these people supposedly have good intentions.  But since when did it become appropriate to appoint yourself Official Monitor of another person's body?

When you find out your best friend has lung cancer, you wouldn't say, "Well, yeah, I knew this was coming -- I mean, I told you to stop smoking a long time ago."  And you also wouldn't say, "Hey, have you tried that chemotherapy stuff?  I hear it's really effective if you just do what they tell you to do."  And I'm guessing you wouldn't confront a paraplegic who's resting in his wheelchair after a couple hours of physical therapy and say, "God, if you could just exercise a little willpower, you'd be able to walk!"  Yes, I believe these comments would be what we call "politically incorrect."

Weight problems are no less serious than lung cancer or other physical impairments.  People who are overweight are struggling with something, be it medical, psychological, or just gastronomical.  We are desperately fighting a battle, whether you can see the bloodshed and scars or not.  Think about that the next time you decide to "inspire" someone with your "well-meaning" comments or glances.