That's Fit

A friend and I had a conversation a year or so ago, shortly after Tyra donned her fat suit. "If I put on a white coat," she asked, "would I know how it felt to be a doctor?" She had a good point. When Tyra felt the hurt and shame that those who struggle with obesity sometimes bear, she felt it for an afternoon. And at the end of that afternoon, she knew she could unzip her extra pounds and leave them behind.

When a person who has actually struggled with food or weight issues talks, I'm riveted. That's why this post struck a chord with me. Laurie, the author, writes some heart wrenching words about why she started overeating and what being overweight did for her. Packing on pounds made her bigger, she says, but more invisible, when being invisible was what she needed.

Luckily, Laurie's the kind of girl who knows how to sort out her feelings. As she dug through the reasons behind her overeating, she discovered that those bad habits weren't working for her anymore. But Laurie was battle worn -- a dieting veteran. She refused to go back to counting calories or carbs or anything else that crossed her plate. In fact, she came up with what I think is probably the best eating advice of all time (and I'm quoting her):

"...eating natural, nutritious foods with the sole aim of being healthy."
Exhausted by the idea of starting another diet, Laurie quit dieting. Instead, she's started nourishing her body with whole, nutritious foods and delicious, healthfully cooked meals. Instead of doing intense cardio every day, she's walking for 30 minutes. And instead of viewing this as a diet -- which usually has an goal weight as its ending point -- she's finally looking at her life like a "single long, whole path." It's so simple, it's genius.

Maybe Laurie's new lifestyle won't interest you. Maybe you're looking for something more rigorous, more structured, more efficient. But what I think we can all take away from this post is that when fighting weight problems -- no matter what method you choose -- you have to understand your motives for overeating in the first place. Weight problems may manifest themselves in the gut, but they start in the head and in the heart.