Weight Does Not Determine Health

I have always been overweight my whole life. My parents always cooked me balanced and healthy meals and we very very rarely ate out. I was a 3 sport athlete all the way through High School and I was still always the fat kid.

Growing up my doctors always lectured me about my weight and would tell me I must be lying about what I ate and the exercise I did. I started not telling the truth to doctors because I didn't want to be lectured even more for my weight. This is how it was up until I was in my mid 20s. I was basically scared to go to a doctor and only ever went if I was really sick.

When I first started dating my husband, I got the nexplanon implant for birth control and boy did my weight balloon. I gained 100+ pounds more over the 3 years I had it in. It was easy and my husband still found me attractive so, whatever I was just fat. I hated the way I looked but it was what it was, I was always fat.

When I was 27, I finally got some health insurance through my employer and decided to be brave and start seeing doctors again. I managed to find both a GP and an OBGYN who did not just see my weight but all of me. I found out over the years of care that I do not have any health problems that people would assume with my weight. No high blood pressure, no high cholesterol, no diabetes or even pre diabetes. I learned that I had PCOS and my body was predisposed to gain weight easily and have a hard time losing it. I focused on making sure I ate healthy and staying active. If I lost weight, awesome, but I learned to love my fat body and focused on health over being skinny. Even though I have had health problems, they have not been CAUSED by my weight (but to say my weight is caused by them is another story). The biggest accomplishment is that I trust doctors again and am not afraid to talk to them about any issues I may have.

I've worked hard to loose the weight I have and I've become more and more comfortable in my skin. I now understand though that weight isn't everything and I focus on healthy choices. I hope doctors realize that while weight is important and a factor to health issues, shaming patients is just keeping them away and making their health worse. If kindness and compassion are showed we will have a healthier society because people will be trusting of their doctors and more willing to talk about issues preventatively. I wish I could go back to my younger self and tell her how not fat she was because I would kill to be a size 12 like I was in high school again. I am confident it knowing that I am fat AND healthy.