I saw this photo on Facebook the other day (DR – I thought I would refrain from starting a long argument on your wall comments, and instead post my thoughts here). I had so many mixed emotions when reading this, as well as when I see other things of this nature.
In one sense, I completely agree with the thought that is behind it: Your body composition, the way you look, or how much you weigh, in no way defines what kind of person you are. Your worthiness is not based on a number on a scale. For that, I can completely agree. However, the implicit message that is also being sent, is that it is okay to be overweight – That a person should not worry about their weight, or do anything to try and change it. With this, I whole-heartedly do not agree.
Over 65% of the USA is currently overweight or obese. Being obese significantly increases a person’s risk of early death, specifically because of the increased risk of coronary artery disease, insulin resistance and diabetes, high cholesterol, heart failure, stroke, and high blood pressure (and actually does decrease your perceived quality of life, medically speaking).
It has been about a year since I went through a big push to get healthier. I lost 17 pounds in the process, and went from being classified as “overweight” to being “normal weight”. Although I did not increase how much my friends and family love me, I did increase the number of days that I will be able to spend on earth, watching my kids grow up, and how much energy I had to do the activities I like to do.
Although I would never want to support your self-image being based on the way you look, I feel we should be careful in making it seem okay to be overweight. It is unhealthy. I stand behind getting America to make smart, healthy food choices (with smaller portion sizes), and getting people fit and active. However, I also support not focusing on the outward appearance of a person.
How do we convey these two messages simultaneously? I have no good answer to that, yet. I would love your thoughts…
BElieve Health & Fitness 
As someone about to become a parent, this issue particularly concerns me. How do I teach my children about respecting their bodies through health while at the same time I don’t want them to store their self worth in their physical image? Living with obesity, could be damaging, yet living with the feeling that you have to look like a magazine cover could be worse. I can make good decisions for myself and set a good example. I see a cultural shift coming. I think America will realize the terrible eating habits that our lifestyles/behaviors create and I hope that we as a nation will rise to help our children make better decisions than we did. Perhaps someday, my child will teach me something about nutrition that I haven’t learned yet.