NO, I DON’T Have An Eating Disorder!

Have you been taking care of yourself, eating well, working out, and simply taking control over your health? With this, have you experienced others projecting jealousy or concern–maybe they think you have an eating disorder? An Identity ready Veronica, wanted to share her experience with others projecting their opinions about her health.

My 1st Hike!

Over this past two years I have turned my life around when it comes to my diet. I’ve finally faced the facts that my stomach cannot handle food like others can, which has led me to become a healthier person. I’ve made the conscious effort to work with my stomach instead of eating foods that will end up making me sick anyway. With that being said, I’ve also taken on the working out lifestyle. I’ve tightened up my body, lost weight, gained muscle in all the right places, and am almost to my goal of overall health. I feel GREAT about my appearance, which unfortunately I could never say before.

Today I look in the mirror and say to myself “Dang girl! Good for you!” However, over the past year when I see people from my past who I haven’t run into in awhile, I get “the look”. And then they ask, “is everything okay?” and even if I say, “of course!” they ask me again, “No, but seriously… is everything okay?” in a concerned tone. I’ve even had people I was once more involved in their life say to me, “You look sick.” WOW! Wow wow wow. Maybe I shouldn’t let them get to me, but it’s still so rude and uncalled for. I don’t know how people can just blurt out those comments to me.

Hiking for Exercise

It throws me off guard every time that I never stick up for myself. BUT, if I were to say to someone who is overweight, “you look fat” I would get my ass kicked! It saddens me because I have waited so long for this moment to feel good about myself and to have people bring me down because their not used to seeing me healthy or “skinny” or because they don’t know how I got skinny, is no excuse. No, I’m not starving myself or using drugs. Yes, I do pay attention to what I eat and say no to the sweets and grease because I want to be HEALTHY.

I come from a family of “skinnies”, so I called my older sister to vent because it happened AGAIN to me after running into an old friend from high school and I’ve had ENOUGH. My sister told me how often it happens to her, which is heartbreaking. I knew people would make comments to her about being skinny, but I didn’t realize how rude they were. After talking with her, I spoke with my younger sister about the situation and she told me a story about how an old acquaintance of hers asked her to open her mouth to see if her teeth were corroding from being bulimic. My younger sister has always been in great physical shape, so to hear that finally made me lose my cool.

I was going to write a long post on Facebook about how rude and upsetting this was, but after talking to my sisters they made a good point that it doesn’t matter what they think. What matters is that I know how tough getting in shape is and how much determination and self-discipline is required.

How is there SUCH a double standard though? I decided to turn a negative into a positive and help make people more aware of their words and projecting on others. Just because I’m skinny doesn’t make it okay to make comments or ASSUME that I’m on drugs or whatever they might be thinking! I wanted to write this article in hopes to help others become more aware of their comments and to know that in cases like my own those comments can be hurtful.

Whether you are skinny, fat, or sideways, you just shouldn’t judge anyone or assume anything. I went from 170 pounds and hated everything about myself to now GRADUALLY losing weight over the years and I’m at my goal of 123 pounds of healthiness!

So think twice before opening your mouth because it doesn’t matter how someone looks, your comments can truly affect someone for YEARS. I now know what it’s like to be called “FAT” and I now know what it’s like to be called “sickly”. People come in all shapes and sizes.

For those of you who are second guessing on how you look: If you look in the mirror and like what you see, do not let ANYONE make you feel less about yourself. Your own opinion about yourself is the one that matters most. And in all honesty, no matter what, someone is going to have a comment and something to say about what you do, how you look, etc. It’s a terrible thing. And what I say to those people is a simple… “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it AT ALL!!!!!!”

Identity Magazine is all about empowering women to get all A’s in the game of life — Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.^TM Every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. As a team, we hope to inspire and motivate ourselves and inspire you to get all A’s.

What have you accepted in your life that took time, physically or mentally?

In my life I have accepted that NO ONE is without a flaw. I use to compare myself (mind & body) to everyone and as soon as I accepted my flaws and realized they are what make me who I am I was able to live a positive life finally!

What do you appreciate about yourself and within your life?

What I appreciate about myself is my forgiving and loving nature and the people who have come and gone in my life. Everyone who has come in contact with me has molded me and the way I live in some way. I’m thankful for every one of them (good AND bad).

What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? What goals do you still have?

One of my most rewarding achievements in my life is starting up my own business! My goals I still have are to branch out my business any way I know how and to make it self sufficient enough to live off of.

What is your not-so-perfect way? What imperfections and quirks create your Identity?

My not so perfect way is I get inside my own head sometimes which creates unnecessary life blockages. What imperfections and quirks that create my identity are my hardy laugh, my quirky attitude, and my energetic personality!

How would you complete the phrase “I Love My…?”

I love my, passion for meeting new people and experiencing all the different “types” of personalities in the world. There is so many interesting/valuable minds, and ways of living out there and I want to be able to meet as many as I can!