Today we’re going to talk about what weight doesn’t tell you about me. A lot of people will say that looking at me, a size 24, tells them I’m:

• Greedy
• Lazy
• Stupid
• Undisciplined
• Unhealthy
• Going To Die Soon
• Not Prepared To Exercise
• Happy To Eat Junk All Day Instead Of Healthy Food
• Ugly
• Not Sexy

All of the above is utter bullshit, and today is the day I call it that.

What My Weight Does Not Tell You

1) I love food, but I’m not greedy, or at least, no more so than anyone else. Of course, we all overindulge occasionally; it’s part of being human. My meals, however, are no bigger than my sister’s, who is literally half my size.

2) I’m not lazy. I hold down a full-time job, write this blog, write professionally, and still make time for my veggie garden.

3) I’m not stupid. My intelligence has been measured as above average, I have a degree, and I read a lot.

 4)Undisciplined. Nope, not even slightly. When I was 22, I completed a degree, and that takes discipline. I write this blog twice a week, even when I’m busy, tired or would rather lie on the couch and watch tv. I have closed my move ring on my Apple Watch every single day for the last 245 days. All of these things require discipline.

5) Yes, I am unhealthy in the sense that I have health problems. My weight does not tell you anything about them. Believe it or not, I am not talking about weight-related problems. I have asthma and have had it since I was four, and I now believe it was because my mother and stepfather chose to smoke around me. I also seem prone to auto-immune disorders in general as I also have eczema, hay fever, and other allergies.

What my weight doesn’t tell you is I’ve also had chronic fatigue syndrome for ten years, ever since I had two extremely severe chest infections back to back. I am exhausted from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. I have tried CBT, graded exercise therapy, a healthy diet, keeping to a sleep schedule, tests for thyroid, diabetes, and anything else that could make me tired, but there’s just no improvement. My life is constantly about balancing activity and rest, good days and bad days. It’s hard, but I have no choice other than to cope. Pop my anxiety and depression on top of that, and I am pretty damned happy about how I’m doing.

6) I only see myself dying soon if I get hit by a bus or struck by lightning. I think all the people who refuse to get the covid jab are in a lot more danger than me.

7) I exercise. I normally go to the gym three times a week and go for a walk on the other days. There’s been less time recently because I’ve worked overtime for my full-time job as well as keeping up with all my writing commitments. I still close my move ring, though.

8) Would it shock you to know that I love vegetables? Virtually all vegetables, and I pile them on my plate. I also love salad and have it for lunch twice a week. I eat ice cream, and pizza, and cake, but I also eat broccoli and chicken breasts, and even kale.

9) Ugly and Unsexy is something society made me believe for years, but not anymore! Now I have learned to see beyond the thin, cis-gendered, whitewashed agenda of the media. I see beauty in all shapes, sizes, colours, and levels of ability, and it is because I see this beauty in others that i can now see it in myself. So if you’re a troll and you’re going to insult the way i look thinking it will get to me…f*ck off to your sad little hole and stop projecting your insecurities onto me. I am beautiful and sexy and awesome, and I am going to own that shit!