I am now HONKED at as I run down the street...

I will take these latter honks over the former yells and moo-s. 

People are so weird.

I definitely notice that I am treated better at 180 than I was at 320.  But I treat myself better too, so I'm not sure how much of it is a function of that.  

The sad truth is we are treated differently due to our appearance.  And it's not just obesity.  I am as thin as I've ever been as an adult and yet I am treated differently because I am older.  When I was young and thin I was definitely treated good.

Now that I am old and thin I am invisible.  At least when I was obese I could lose weight.  I cannot get younger, no matter how I try.

What I am trying to say is that people are not perfect.  I don't really blame them as much as media and society in general.  Even overweight people can treat other overweight people badly.  And some overweight people treat thin people badly, just like some thin people treat overweight people badly.  People suck.

That doesn't mean we give up.  We just have to accept that things are the way they are and try to change our own behavior towards others and ourselves.

There will always be something about me that others won't like be it my weight, age or attitude.  But I can try to treat people good no matter what they look like.  But it is hard to treat people good when they have a nasty attitude no matter what they look like.  

So that is what I need to work on with myself because really, when it comes down to it, people like nice people who treat them good, no matter what their appearance.

What does MO mean?  Massively obese?  Lingo? 

Some days I have a great attitude and nothing gets me down and others I just say it's a "bad day".   I feel like everybody picks on me and walks all over me, but I'm around a lot of immature people at school (even adults who should know better) so that's an issue too.  I'm very intelligent and in the top of all of my classes and I think it immidates people that a large woman can excel.  It usually isn't an issue most days, but then it all adds up and I just need to vent. I know for a fact that I would get 100% respect if I was thin again, but I like who I am now, even if it's a larger sized body. I don't need to change for anyone like in the past when I was anorexic in order to lose weight, only to be personally happy and healthy.  I've managed to lose 50 lbs over the last few months and with my confidence high, my step mom and biological mom have both blurted out "oh, maybe now you can get skinny again!"  No way.  I practically died trying to be skinny and did irrevocable harm on my metabolism.  I thought being a size 2 would make people like me and they did, but when the weight came back on, even my family were callous.  

I feel like my opinion mattered to people when I was thin.  They took me seriously at work and in daily life.  When I made a statement, I was believed.  Now, it's like, I'm questioned when it's the same thing being asked.  People look at me with skepticism, but that's just the worst day when I have low energy, some days are better.  It's just that overall, I feel like people don't have respect for me and I have to work that much harder to get people to believe me.  It's made me pretty tough and I can take the heat, but it's just sometimes I need to vent.  Btw, I'm not even a fan of the fat acceptance movement.  You can't MAKE anyone accept anyone else.  

MO means morbidly obese.

Hi again.

I really liked this post so much I thought about it on my run and I came up with ANOTHER way we are discriminated against. CLOTHING.

When you get near the "normal"/healthy weight/size so many CUTE and GORGEOUS clothes are inexpensive.  Like selling for 20-50 bucks (i am a zulilly shopper).

Then, the same dress, grade up and made from inferior fabrics sells at Avenue, Katherines, and/or Lane Bryant for $80.00.

I have the best wardrobe in my natural life and I put it together on a shoe string..compared to what I spent to look just so-so when MO.

Thanks for helping my run go by quicker with such a good thread topic.

-SkinnyScientist

Who is training for her second half marathon

This is all so true.  Poor available clothing plus a refusal on my part to look at myself from the neck down.   Some people rock their wardrobe no matter their weight.  Not me!  Now I get regularly get compliments on clothing choices by people that just met me. 

For better or worse, how you dress makes a difference in how others perceive you.

I always referred to things like that as the Obesity Tax.

Also, they charge more for the same article of clothing at a store in larger sizes...for example:  misses bathing suit $52, plus sizes $60.

I've been fat most of my life & probably been discriminated in the past because of it, but I didn't let it get me down. So yeah the employers face changed when you walked in the door, you must not let that get you down, don't let it show. An employer picks up on attitude real quick. You basically gotta walk in the door with a this is my job, now let me convince you on why its my job attitude.

I've always had to compete against the skinny minis for anything, especially for a job. I went for a job that's basically dominated by white men. So here I come, a woman, a black woman, a fat black woman & yeah the odds were against me, but I knew about the job & the industry & employers like that. Plus depending on the company, the interviewer might be on the hook if they hire someone who couldn't do the job or has attitude problems. The down in the dumps attitude could affect productivity, but a go getter attitude could increase it.

What you feel is totally normal, but you've got to work past it.

btw, I got that job & I'm still there, 22 years later. Good luck to you.