If you believe what you read, the world is getting fatter. I think this is probably true judging by what I see every day. I suppose it all depends on what you consider to be overweight.
I’ve been overweight my whole life. It wasn’t easy as a youngster dealing with the name calling and finger pointing. Kids can be cruel but I eventually learned to accept it and ignore it as best I could. It bothered me more when I was just starting out in school but lasted into and through high school to a lesser extent. By that point I had developed some pretty thick skin and had just learned to laugh it off on the outside. Inside was a bit of a different story.
I never slipped into deep depression as I’ve always been a pretty happy person enjoying life and spending time with people who like spending time with me. There were times when I’d feel depressed but it wasn’t something that I’d dwell on for long. I refused to let others make me feel like less of a person because I was different. Of course, as is common for many people like me, I’d eat more when I was feeling low. It’s a comfort thing I guess.
Dealing with being overweight has always been difficult on many levels. Romances were rare, people I considered very close friends were few but that’s probably normal for everyone. I was actually quite active in competitive sports playing football, rugby, badminton and track & field in high school along with all of the intramural sports.
After that I played a lot of baseball, sometimes five or six nights a week and weekend tournaments. I enjoyed it until I broke my hand swinging the bat one night. That was in 2002 I believe and I’ve never picked up a glove since. I did switch to golfing but bad ankles and knees from a combination of size and physical abuse in sports has resulted in my needing to use a golf cart now instead of walking the course. The uneven ground is torture on my joints.
No it isn’t easy being fat and although I’m happy with who I am I’d still prefer to be a bit thinner. I actually don’t eat a whole lot but my activity level has dropped so it’s tough to shed the pounds. I was recently on a ten day mini-holiday and I lost ten pounds without even trying. Don’t ask me how it happened but it would be nice if it continued.
What really infuriates me about being a person of size is the limited selection of clothing available to me. It’s tough to be trendy when you can’t find clothes that fit and the number of places that actually sell plus-size attire is limited to only one store in my area. In Canada I find it to be almost impossible to find clothes I’d be comfortable wearing, and when I do, it costs an arm and a leg to purchase them. You don’t find Wal-Mart prices at the Big and Tall store. The selection leaves a lot to be desired as well and they still barely carry the sizes that I need.
That’s why I love going to Florida. Not only do I get to see family that I don’t see often enough but there’s a store in Sarasota called Casual Male XL which caters to the plus size man and they have a much better selection of clothing to choose from. For the record, they have stores all over the United States but that just happens to be the one I visit.
I can find sporty shirts, shorts, pants and trendy t-shirts that look good. I even found a golf windbreaker by Reebok the last time I was there that was actually too big. Now the prices still aren’t exactly inexpensive but I’d rather pay a bit more for clothing I’ll enjoy wearing then having to settle for something I really don’t like.
Trust me, clothing is only one of many areas where being overweight can be a pain in the ass by getting in the way of things and living life. I’ll always be fat and I’m OK with that. It’s who I am and who I’ve been all my life but it doesn’t define me and I don’t let it control me. If someone sees me and judges me based on their preconceived opinions of overweight people, they’re missing out if they don’t take the time to really find out who I am.
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