Warm Legs for Fat Girls

I write a lot about how weight loss, especially large amounts of weight loss, should always be a journey where accomplishments are recorded and acknowledged. I know that some people will roll their eyes at that and say that it's the same thing as Everyone Gets a Gold Star, but fuck them. It's not. This is the celebration of actual accomplishments, that happen after you really do something.

It's important for you, personally, as the one losing weight, to acknowledge your milestones. Yes, it's nice when someone else says something about your weight loss process, but we also know that can seriously backfire. Often praise from others can set off a cycle of resentment. This is certainly the case if it's someone who has their own selfish reasons for wanting you to lose weight (like, for example, they will feel like a better grandmother . . . sometimes I experienced a lot in my life). It's also very precious when you have people around you who you know ARE NOT selfish about their observations and I am lucky to have some of those.

Even if the people around you are good about it, keep in mind that losing weight is a process of healing.  Yes, part of that is about healing your body, but it's also about healing your mind and your heart as well. It's about learning to affirm yourself and handle your emotions in a way that don't involve soothing them with food. So in the same way that you walk to strengthen your legs and your back, in the same way that you lift weights to strengthen your muscles, you should affirm your progress, as a way to strengthen your soul. The stronger you are on the inside, the less you'll fall into the habits that got you fat in the first place. I hope.

My roommate bought me some new sweats. I tried them on today and they fit. They're snug, certainly, but they also certainly fit me. This is a huge thing for two reasons. For one thing, it means I can get pants from the store for a third of what I can get them ordering them online.  This will save me a lot of money and I need to save all the money I can.

Second of all, these sweats are actually sweats, made of fleece, meaning they are actually WARM to wear. None of the pants I have been able to buy since I got really heavy have been warm. They always throw them together with the thinnest materials they can find. Even ones that are supposed to be for warmer weather never really are.

So for years now, I've spent my winters with cold legs. You'd think the fat would keep me warm, but fat also doesn't allow for great circulation, so my legs were never that warm at all. So I had these cold legs covered by pants that really only work during the warmer months. Almost every winter, going outside meant facing cold legs and just doing my best not to think about it. I really didn't see any alternative.

But NOW, now I am writing this post with warm, toasty legs, covered in nice fleecey goodness! I can walk outside and not freeze to death! I can wander through the house without shivering! It's awesome. It's a very nice little accomplishment.