Big might be beautiful, but it’s doing ugly things to our health

William Northcutt is a writer for the State Gazette and former professor of English at Dyersburg State.

One sunshiny morning, I met a friend near the State Gazette offices. He wore his usual work clothes, a suit and tie, and as he approached, I said, “Wow, you look like a million dollars.” He had never been what I’d call fat, but formerly, he carried a few extra pounds, and he’d shed them. He looked fit and healthy. I said, “How did you lose weight?” He said, “I walk two miles a day, and I realized that I can’t eat everything in sight.” He lost it in a healthy way—not a diet but a change in diet, exercise.

He said, “I feel 20 years younger.” Well that hit me. I am about 50 pounds overweight now, and at 62-years-old, I feel 20 years older than I am. In fact, when I see an octogenarian like Rolling Stone singer Mick Jagger dancing around on stage, I’m pretty sure I feel even a decade older than him.

I’m guilty of the worst diet known to man--burgers, fries, pizza, bratwurst, mac and cheese, cookies, and cakes. I might as well eat a lard sandwich. My irregular schedule has been my lame excuse for not walking regularly.

Like some of you, my body has been on the heavy/slim elevator. I go through periods of eating healthy, exercising, and weighing in respectably, and then I go through years of the expanding waistline. I have my fat clothes in one closet, skinny clothes in another.

I know people who have similar problems. Many of them are taking Ozembic, some with profound results, most with no results. Even though the medicine itself makes them feel sick, they’re afraid to stop taking it..

Blame fat shaming. Blame a world that values skinny bodies. Blame the food industry. Terrible? Yes, but our problem is us. We’re eating trash and hitting the couch. Or we’re active but eating more calories than we need.

Body-acceptance is good. Oh, we can say all day that someone like Lizzo is beautiful, but the truth is, she is morbidly obese, and if she doesn’t already have high blood pressure, heart problems, blocked arteries, and diabetes, she soon will have them. If she doesn’t die early, she’ll have an impeded life. It’s science. 1-2-3.

Big people can also be beautiful people, but our organs are suffering the consequences of bad eating and a lack of exercise. My body can attest to that. I’ve got all of the fat guy ailments—high cholesterol, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, neuropathy, aneurysms (in my legs), neuropathy that makes my feet both hurt and feel numb at once. At two years past popliteal artery bypass surgery, I should be out walking every day.

But you with weight issues have probably experienced self-loathing and shame for being big. Self-loathing is not helpful. It erodes mental health. It makes us give up.

I want to make a pact with my overweight readers. Let’s not give up. Let’s not hate ourselves or feel shame. Let’s eat sensibly, not diet. Let’s exercise. Let’s realize that we don’t have to get skinny: we have to get healthier. Let’s promise not to fat shame ourselves, but let’s promise to get active for our health’s sake. I need support, you need support. If we see each other trying, let’s say, “Hey, that’s great.” If we see each other with a Dairy Queen shake, let’s say, “When are we going walking together?” Walk with me, and I’ll walk with you.