Praying Away the Fat

I could not count the number of times in my life I prayed against the fat on my body, hoping for some divine intervention that would somehow make my efforts work and the flesh melt away. I was earnestly seeking to be slim for God. And while I know prayers for “health” and prayers for a husband found their way into these times – the main motivation of my “prayers against fat” were that I did not want to shame God. I did not want to walk out into the world, proclaiming the liberty and freedom of God when I looked “bound” in fat – what seemed to be evidence of lack of discipline or trust or some other fatal flaw in my faith and character.

There are two particular moments that stand out in my memory. In the first, I am 18. In just a few short weeks I’d be travelling a few hundred miles north of my home and settling into a small town in West Virginia for the summer where I’d be working with a local church:  working day camps for kids in the area, organizing clothing and food pantries, assisting the pastor’s family, and generally helping out with the church. It is a good way to spend the summer of your 18th year. I have fond memories of that time. But a couple weeks before then I was distraught over the weight on my body. I walked forward to the altar of my church one Sunday night and knelt down and cried. I didn’t know why I couldn’t get rid of the extra weight. I thanked God for allowing me the opportunity to serve despite my weight and evidence that I was failing as a Christian.

I was ashamed that I would be going to a place to “work” for God but that no matter what, it would never be good enough because people would see my fat and question the freedom-giving power of God.

It was truly God’s name I feared defaming,  not mine. This is what brought me great grief. I was one of the “lucky” fat kids who can only recall a few times of being picked on for my size. In my heart, this was not about me.

The next time I am kneeling at the altar and crying – I was 24. It was 5 a.m. on a Monday morning. I had stopped at the church on my way to work to pray. Life was hard and heavy that weekend. In the years between 18 and 24 I had begun to learn to accept my body and focus on health instead of size- that was not what I was crying about that morning. That morning there were bigger questions about a faithful and true God and whether or not I believed any of it.

But as I knelt at that altar early in the dark morning another woman came to join me. She laid her hand on my shoulder and prayed out loud – affirming that she knew how difficult it was to walk around with the evidence of sin visible on her body.  She prayed and asked God to help me overcome my weight.

It was a seed, one I barely noticed because my focus was elsewhere at that time, but that well-intentioned prayer that completely missed my humanity and pain in the face of what she perceived to be my greatest struggle was the seed that grew into my passion for critiquing the way the church talks about bodies and weight and encouraging us to do better.

When I started really researching this theme in Christian thought, there were many moments where I felt both justification and horror. Justified that I was not the only one that felt this way, that I was not somehow flawed in placing too much emphasis on my body. Horror that so many of the published words of people who claimed to help Christians with their bodies were such damaging words. It’s a common theme in Christian weight-loss literature – this ardent belief that we must be thin in order to be good Christians.  It is not about looking like the magazines or some sense of vanity.  While that may be a part of it, the base emotion for many fat Christians is feeling like a failure as a Christian because they are fat.

Charlie Shedd, the author of the diet devotional that started it all said:

“When you are fat, you wear a badge which announces to all the world that you are weak.” and “Being fat means we wear a big sign on our neck that says “insecurity!” – we cannot be confident people if we are fat.” (Pray Your Weight Away, 1957)

While that was over half-a-century ago, more contemporary diet-devotionals have failed to critique this damaging lie.  The clear problem here is the perception of what fatness says about a person’s character and personality – yet, there is no effort to change the perception.

Carole Lewis, a national director for First Place, says that “although God looks on the heart, man looks on the outward appearance. [. . .] I think we have a responsibility in our world to share Christ. If I’m 100 pounds overweight and trying to tell them about God’s power in their life, they will look at me and wonder why there’s no power to help me in this area.”

This is a damaging  lie that keeps Christians, especially women, busy county calories and measuring waistlines to see if they have yet achieved the necessary bodily form in order to do Christian work “effectively.”  Romans 12 tells us to NOT conform our bodies to the world – and yet, we have somehow frequently twisted the “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” part of that same passage to convince ourselves that we must conform our bodies to the patterns of this world – so that the world may see us and find our offering pleasing and acceptable to their mass-media consumption of beauty and appeal.

We are justified. We are sanctified. That is enough to present our physical bodies – our hands and feet, our strained eyes and our jiggly thighs onto the altar as holy and acceptable offerings to God.

97 Comments on “Praying Away the Fat

  1. You don’t have to be skinny to be a witness for God. I’m fat and I’m not insecure most of the time. I’m normally happy and upbeat and I don’t care what people think most of the time. God looks at the heart.

    Liked by 5 people

  2. You do not wear a badge proclaiming you are weak if you are fat. Not at all. You could look at it that you greatly accept the fruits provided to you by god. Not a bad thing. He is after all generous in what he provides the kucky ones in this world. But if you want to loose weight. Eat less and move more. Its simple really. Ive been massively overweight. And i lost every bit i wanted through determination. Call it gods will to give you the strength if you will. Dont be sad. Be happy with who you are. And make positive decisions in your life. Great post.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I completely agree that I don’t wear a badge that says “weak” because I am fat – but I’ve found that lots of other people think I/they do.

      And, I’d say that “losing weight’ is more complicated than “eating less and moving more” (and saying such things assumes that fat people always eat a lot and move little, which is not true.) I try to make eating healthy and being active a priority – and then I don’t let whether or not my body loses weight be a way I decided if I’m successful at that. I am completely (well, usually ;)) with who I am.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Well said. You must forgive me. Im not so elloquent at saying what i mean as you are. I know its not as simple as i said it. Its knowing what to eat and when to move and clearly a lot more complicated than i wrote. Plus a lot of peoples unhappiness with appearance is down to society making people believe you should look a certain way. If you are completely, or usually happy and of course healthy. Who is anyone to judge anyone on appearance

        Liked by 2 people

  3. Wow, I had no idea this literature was out there! That’s pretty terrible and unbiblical, after all, 2 Corinthians 12 states that Paul found a weakness in his flesh to further glorify God because “his power is made perfect in weaknesses.” not sure that’s the exact context, but I think it fits the idea that you don’t have to have it all together to share about Jesus. Thanks for your thoughts. I cried over my weight at 18 too. Ironically, the one time I successfully lost weight was a when I worked at a summer camp and rarely looked in the mirror, measured my waist, or weighed myself at all for an entire summer. For me when I stopped obsessing over my weight and myself in general, and was serving those kids, it’s when God started freeing me from unhealthy thoughts about myself and, interestingly enough, my body became healthier too. I guess Satan has all sorts if tricks to keep you from God, especially for us women. I think voices like yours are so important to develop a healthy theology of body image and the concept of body “stewardship” (but that word probably makes you cringe now if I have any inkling).

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks for the encouraging comment, Lauren! I have a similar experiences of finding that my body became healthier when I stopped obsessing over it. I didn’t necessarily lose weight, but I was emotionally, mentally, and physically healthier when I accepted that God wonderfully made this fat frame of mine. I don’t mind the word “stewardship” of the body – but I would probably stick some qualifiers on it before I used it! 🙂

      So many many tricks, so many of them helped along by the way the church has adopted the messages of the culture.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you for the encouraging comment. 🙂 Focusing on health instead of appearance is a great way to start learning to accept our own bodies. I also think it’s important to make sure we don’t end up with some version of “healthism” (or orthorexia) where we start to value people/their choices on whether or not they are healthy.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. This was a timely post. Yesterday, I went to the doctor asking to switch anti-depressants. I wanted to get off the one that has worked fairly well for me for eight years because this medication is known to cause weight gain and hinder attempts at weight loss. I have been working out so hard for little results because of this. My doctor sniffed in her lovely French Canadian way and proceeded to take my blood pressure then measure my wrist. She said, “Listen, your blood pressure is fabulous and your bone structure is large. Why would you want to mess with something that has worked so well for you because of what you perceive to be a fault? I’m concerned about your health. Not your weight. And I think you look great.”
    At this point I had to admit to myself the reasons for wanting a “better” number on the scale. It came from my desire to “be” something holier and more beautiful – thus more useful to God. There was also that old feeling of feeling “normal” – to be like other (thinner) women. But I’m pretty sure God isn’t interested in normal. He’s looking for obedience. For humility. For selflessness. The minute I stopped looking at myself, I began to look deeper into God and the image He is concerned with.
    It troubles me that worldly image is equated with godliness.
    Thanks for this!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Oh, wow, I love that your doctor responded in that way! What a gift to have a doctor like that. I’ve had one – and it was such a blessing! Thank you for taking the time to let me know how these words were timely in your life. Prayers that you can live into the truth you’re learning. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

  5. That article you linked to horrified me, too! All the “thinliness is next to godliness” claptrap spouted by diet profiteers in sheep’s clothing. The notion that we should keep ourselves thin “for God” is not just pathological, not just rooted in bad science and bad culture and bad religion, but also deeply disrespectful of the deity– as if God were a cute-but-stupid boy who might (you never know!) wrinkle his nose in disgust and call you “Fatty” if you asked him to dance. Oh, and if he doesn’t want to dance with you, you get to go wait in the rain in the parking lot for the rest of eternity. So you’d better get really thin, and you’d better buy my book, ’cause who wants to risk that?

    Liked by 4 people

    • I LOVE your analogy. Because, that is very much what it feels like (especially since growing up in “purity culture” Christianity I felt like I’d never get a dance with a boy since I was fat.)

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Good job, expressive and FP too. There is a common sense way to approach the American Weight Issue. Tone and pursue a sense of power output — I’m fairly certain it gets easier, then easier. Many people do things I will not be capable of – same with most of our population. We can look up the meaning of “horsepower” do the math so it’s human friendly.

    Liked by 2 people

  7. I have never linked being overweight with God in any way, in fact, I always felt completely accepted by God, though family and doctors were all saying that my weight was unacceptable. I think God is more concerned with my soul, and that can’t be weighed.

    Liked by 2 people

      • I don’t think it is a common thing in the UK, thank goodness! There is a prevailing view that if you have religion, you are more likely to be less concerned about your image than everyone else, that internal matters will concern you more.

        Liked by 2 people

        • It’s interesting here in that we have the same image thing – but it often goes out the window when it comes to weight.

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  8. I am utterly horrified that you would have suffered that. I cannot speak for God, but I am sure that He only cares for what is in your heart. Your body is yours. Your health matters but it is not sinful nor reflective of who you are to be overweight. Beauty is a state of being, of acting, of interacting with the world. Not an attribute defined by others’ perceptions.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Pray away the fat? Really… Nicole God is not like society that judge women base on her looks. The God is the lover of our souls not our looks. Yes God can give you the strength to be healthier, but he doesn’t love base on your weight. 1 Samuel 16:7
    But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

    What it means: The world focuses on what people look like on the outside. God focuses on what people look like on the inside. Do you put more time and effort into being pretty on the outside or the inside? As you get older, you will meet Christian girls who spend more time trying to find the perfect outfit, get the perfect tan, find the perfect lip gloss, and have the perfect body. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look pretty, we need to make sure it’s in balance. God would rather see us work on becoming drop-dead gorgeous on the inside. You know, the kind of girl who talks to Him on a regular basis (prayer) and reads her Bible.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hi, Thanks for taking the time to comment. It sounds like you may have missed what I was saying? I completely agree that God does not judge a woman (or any person) based on her looks! I don’t even think that’s what I would’ve said when I was younger, I think I would have said that while God did not “judge my body” that my body was a symptom of sin – I find that highly problematic and completely wrong now – and this post was one look at my transition into viewing my body as acceptable and living into the knowledge that God views my body as holy and acceptable.

      I think talking about our “inner beauty” as “drop dead gorgeous” is also problematic – as it’s SO connected to the worldly understanding of beauty that the lines get crossed inside people’s minds, especially young girls. I’d much rather see us use the specific words “gentle spirit” – “stand firm” – “prophetic voice” – “rooted and established in the Word” than to lump all those things and others into “inner beauty.” Beauty is not our goal. (And I’ll go ahead and acknowledge that all those terms I just said are so christianeze that depending on the context, those aren’t the best words either.)

      Liked by 2 people

  10. I come from a catholic country, and frankly, I am astounded that there are articles such as the ones mentioned in your post that exist. I am fat but I have never felt that God loved me less. Admittedly, I also pray away the fat sometimes, but I know that He will accept me whatever shape or size I may be. Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’m so glad to hear that this is not so widespread elsewhere. Gives me hope! Thank you for taking the time to comment.

      Like

      • I don’t think it’s nearly as prevalent in Catholicism – but we’re not immune to society’s views on fatness in a more general way than this post covers – I hear a lot of passing comments about losing weight (nothing major, just grouped in with other “vice” sort of comments) in homilies, particularly from the older, very conservative (personality-wise) Priests. And my first Priest after I converted, fairly young (upper 30s, lower 40s?) Priest, constantly liked to joke about his fat gut, saying who is he to judge anyone, while shaking it. 😛

        They’re certainly minor and subtle in the scheme of things, but I don’t think they’re harmless comments as they show a bigger picture of how prevalent anti-fat and skinny=health is embedded into our culture.

        Liked by 1 person

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  12. Wonderful. I think another main problem is that people don’t understand the struggle some have with losing weight- it’s not always just a matter of willpower. My mother has more willpower than anyone I know- she spent years limiting what she ate and following strict dietary guidelines, to no avail. The problem wasn’t her- it was her (nonexistent) thyroid. Chemical imbalances can make it near impossible for some people to lose weight. And that’s okay! I agree with everything you said. What a wonderful, uplifting article. God bless you! Accept this as an encouragement from Him. He’s so proud of you.
    P. S. , yknow, some of my most gorgeous friends are fat. Seriously. Y’all just rock that look. You glow with God, and there’s more of you to hug. What could be better?

    Liked by 1 person

    • exactly. There’s so much more going on than people just “eating a lot and not moving.”

      Thank you so much for the encouragement!

      Like

  13. I struggled with the same thing. Today I taught my bible study and challenged them to read Psalm 139:14 in the mirror, no excuses, God doesn’t make mistakes. He didn’t miss a brush stroke or have extra clay when He made me. He has a purpose beyond what I can understand for my life and body to be how it is, broken and imperfect. I do agree the pressure is real and people can be unkind, but God has higher purposes for us than to spend our whole lives dieting.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Oh, how encouraging! Thank you for sharing that. There’s a part in Leymah Gbowee’s memoir where shes is working with women who have suffered trauma during the LIberian Civil War and she has them participate in a similar exercise. It was quite powerful for them as well.

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  14. HI Nicole, I am sorry to hear of your struggles. I believe God loves you the way you are and being fat is not a sign of sin. However, in our society, people, especially women definitely feel the pressure to be thin, and there is much stigma associated with being overweight. In my job as a nurse practitioner every day I see patients at various levels of being overweight. Some are having serious health problems because of their weight. Most are not able to make any significant changes in their weight. I do not know what the answer is. I do believe that God wants us to be healthy and happy and feel loved no matter what our size. I had an experience of losing weight last year after being in an accident and being unable to eat regular food for several weeks. I lost the weight I needed to lose and managed to keep it off, but would not wish that experience of how I lost it on anyone. There has to be an easier way.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you for taking the time to comment.

      As a nurse, I’m sure most of the patients you see have some serious health problems, regardless of their size!

      I think healthy is a good goal, but one I am always careful to qualify because sometimes our bodies are not healthy (or are disabled, or have something else going on) – but that does not mean that God is not good or that we have failed somewhere. (I’m not saying you were implying any of that, I just always feel the need to qualify that! 🙂 )

      I’m sorry to hear about your accident, I hope you’ve recovered well!

      I’d say the easier way is to stop focusing on weight and focus instead on living your life with intention and purpose and then accept your body as it is – the fabulous work of our Creator God that carries us through each day.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. If you’re a Christian……shouldn’t the focus be on GOD? It’s really not about you. Fat, ugly, dumb, whatever. The glory is God’s not yours. Stop obsessing with yourself. That being said, if you really want to lose weight…*spoiler alert*…..Eat Less!. And admit it…..you want to lose weight, because it makes you look better. Not because it makes you a better “witness”. :eyeroll:

    Seriously, great post. I really can identify with struggling to lose the pounds. Be honest…..would you rather be slim + trim, or is the comfort of food more important. Identify what you really want. If the latter, don’t torture yourself. Beauty is knowing who you are and not compromising to suit the world.

    Love,
    Don

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hi Don,

      Our focus on Christianity is of course on God, but the idea of embodiment – this idea that we are humans created in the image of God and that God became human in the form of Jesus is powerful and speaks to the force that our physical bodies have in this world. How we understand our bodies impacts how we understand God and our relationship to God and the rest of the world quite dramatically. When we live in this world and understand that our bodies – both our personal bodies and the bodies of others – have meaning and significance, then we can better glorify God.

      And, whether you believe it or not, my weight loss goals as a teenager were primarily about wanting to be able to serve God better. Of course the other things were in my mind – how could they not in this world? But my primary focus was that I thought I was failing God by being fat. I’ve heard similar stories from enough other women to know I was not alone. It’s the whole premise of the “diet devotional” genre – that we love God better by being thin. Some authors of these books say that more explicitly than others, but that’s the premise.

      Your “eat less!” admonition ignores vast realms of science, nutrition, physiology, psychology, and a host of other factors that go into determining what our bodies look like.

      I stopped “torturing” myself years ago when I said that I was going to focus on my health rather than my size. It was a process to learn to “eat intuitively” and to move purposefully/joyfully (instead of repetitive exercise out of obligation or self-punishment), but eventually I got to a place years ago where that is mostly natural. Still fat. I’m ok with that.

      I’m sorry to hear that you also struggle with feeling like you need to lose weight to achieve whatever your goal is. If that’s something you still struggle with, I hope my writing in this blog is an encouragement to get to a point where the way you live your life is not based on a number on a scale.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Didn’t realise there were such condemning teachings out there. Personally I think there needs to be a greater focus on being healthy: spirit soul and body and not just on weight loss. Some people are thin and very unhealthy. Our bodies are the temple of the holy spirit and learning to take care of it is a form of worship. The reality is we cannot all be a size 4 but we can all be healthy! 🙂

    Like

    • Thank you for taking the time to comment! I think we can all make efforts to make healthy choices. I try to avoid saying, “we can all be healthy!” because that ignores the daily lived reality of the countless people who suffer chronic and/or terminal illnesses as well as those humans who live in unhealthy conditions that are the result of factors far outside of their control.

      Like

  17. I particularly love this post. This touches on some really deep convictions of mine as well as some life long self esteem issues and I found your take to be refreshing and interesting. Thank you for sharing this private moment with us! Sometimes it does feel like the outside of me betrays how I feel inside, vibrant with so much to live for. We are to be good stewards of what we have been given and that’s what I intend to do with every inch of me. Keep up these posts I would love to hear more!!

    Like

    • Thanks for the encouragement! Praying that you’ll see your outside as you see your inside – vibrant and alive!

      Like

  18. At first I wasn’t going to read your post but I’m glad I did. Great post!! Ignorance is a dangerous thing and the gentleman who said that people who are fat are weak is an outright lie. If that was true then it has to be true in every situation that we believe we can’t change. About two years ago I was 293 LBS and I lost 89 lbs 9 months after I made my commitment to change. What we should be praying for is for God to open our eyes to understanding the principles of losing the weight that we want to lose.

    Like

    • I’d rather that we pray that we understand that our bodies do not need to meet certain weight requirements in order to be acceptable. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • Here is a true story! When I was starting in the fitness industry I was at a course for my PT cert and I meet a guy that weighed 300 lbs but only had 7% body fat and the doctors still called him obese and said that he needed to lose weight. The most important thing health wise is where your body fat percentage stands. There are many kinds of people and situations that will be unacceptable but accept and love yourself because that is the only way you will be able to love others.

        Like

        • I do think loving yourself is one important part of being able to love others.

          I wouldn’t worry so much about “body fat percentage” – but if someone wants a picture of their physical health I’d look at things like endurance, strength, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, etc. All things that can be ok in a wide range of body fat percentages.

          Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks for taking the time to comment, so glad you like the post! As long as you’re talking about the official re-blog tool on WordPress and not a copy/paste, reblog away!

      Like

  19. I had always wanted to add weight but no matter how hard i try, Im still slim. I have had a constant weight for more tjan ten years now. I never liked it. In my culture if u dont have body, something is wrong with you. I have been ridicled,rejected. It was lately i accepted my self. Im not a mistake in God’s eyes. He created me for his glory. No one can make me feel bad without my consent. When I had that understanding, I just let go. Im very happy with myself now and i radiate joy to people around me. I love mh life and I love my body. He is the potter im the clay.

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  20. Hi,

    I was really touched by ur article. Fatness is something I struggle with myself. The world and so call Christians have always judged me by my weight to the point making me feel totally alone. But fortunately I always feel like God has been on my side and loved me in spite of my weight weakness. I look forward yo bring in heaven where looks are not an issue. But as long as I am in this world I will have to accept that mt fellow humans can never accept me for me.

    Like

    • I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve also experienced judgment for your body size 😦 I would not say that your body size is a “weakness” any more than your eye color or your height. It’s just something that is about your body. Hoping that you will find affirming relationships in your day to day life where people accept you for you and you.

      Like

  21. This was so moving. I had no idea that there was that type of damaging Christian literature. Thank you for bringing awareness to this issue. He calls us to serve in all shapes and sizes.

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  22. Thank you, Nicole, for this great post! I will never understand why people equate “Christian” with “perfection.” Christianity is what we purpose in our hearts, not what we look like. Yes, Scripture tells us to not overindulge in anything, but, again, that doesn’t mean we must have perfection. After all, if we did it all correctly, we wouldn’t need Jesus, would we? Besides, physical perfection is intimidating and unapproachable to many. You are beautiful!

    Like

    • Thank you for taking the time to comment, Mindy!

      My best guess for the “perfection” correlation is that we, despite our hope for an eternal life after this earth, are still so very afraid of death and dying. We somehow believe deep within ourselves that we can earn ourselves immortality, even if we would never voice such illogical dreams.

      I think scripture makes a case for indulgences (perhaps what we would call “over indulgences” at times) (i.e. the prodigal son’s return is met with a feast! Even though he was returning from a life of waste and excess.) There’s definite wisdom in moderation – but there’s joy in indulgence too.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. We are made in his image…enough said. But I love your exposure of such a touchy subject in many lives. I struggle with weight mentally I’m not ashamed of my physical… ha ha if that makes sense. I was not aware that people had written books on such affairs from a “Christian” stand point, but everyone has an opinion. I wouldn’t worry about your weight if your soul and heart is in a good place, He takes care of everything.

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    • Thanks for the encouragement!

      I think we do need to pay attention to our bodies and our health and not leave it simply as “God will take care of it” – – we do have the ability to “steward” our lives and health to some degree.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. Look, I am not the least bit religious and only stumbled on your blog while browsing Freshly Pressed but I found your post both heart-rending (nobody should be shamed because of their body-type) and nearly incomprehensible (there are people who believe in a god who cares whether they are fat? really?). I don’t know whether you are at all interested in the real, evidence-based world, but if you haven’t read Gary Taubes’ book, Why We Get Fat, you might find it interesting. It is about how diet affects individual metabolisms, not about moral worth.

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    • Hi Trish, thanks for taking the time to comment! I’m very much interested in the real evidence-based world. 🙂 Not all Christians believe we should ignore science. 😉 I haven’t read that book – but the fact that all of our bodies respond differently to diets (and often diets trigger more eventual weight gain) is something I’ve read a lot about.

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  25. You’re right on target here. I remember being told frequently when I was young that I needed to present myself in an attractive way because “your body is a temple” and because “you are an example of a godly person.” This applied to EVERYTHING. Hair, makeup, clothes, and, yes, size. It’s amazing how strong (and painful, when your body just doesn’t cooperate) the emphasis on appearance can be.

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    • exactly. Looking back I remember the simultaneous “focus on your inward beauty” and “how you look tells people things about who you are” messages. All connected together by “who you are on the inside effects what people see” rationale. Such painful and damaging teaching in a culture that fails to critique the nuances and implications of statements like that
      .

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  26. I feel for you, Nicole, and all other overweight people. We humans are obsessively judgmental, and unlike alcoholism or homosexuality or unemployment or any of the multitude of things we look upon as “wrong,” obesity is out there for everyone to see. It can’t be hidden. People judge others negatively in an attempt to prop up their own failing self-esteem. It’s a grand irony that makes us all miserable.

    Like

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