Breaking the Stigma of Dieting

Today is day 1. The first day of my self-proclaimed day to start my fitness challenge. I created this blog to help keep me motivated, and possibly help others as they watch me succeed or fail in this endeavor. I am not a doctor, nor am I a nutritionist. I'm not trying to give anyone reading this medical advice, or even promote that what I am doing is right, or wrong. It is just what it is. My challenge. And I'm bringing you along for the ride. :-)

That out of the way...I have mentioned this challenge to many of my friends. Most of which have told me that I don't need to go on a diet. Whereas this made me feel good in the "thanks for thinking I'm not fat" category, it also made me think of society's perception of dieting. Somehow, we equate dieting as a means to lose weight. Losing weight is only for "fat" people. If you are perceived as "skinny," automatically you are lumped into this category of "healthy" ergo all "fat" people are unhealthy. This train of thought may seem logical, but it is also based on a number of assumptions. It assumes that all "skinny" people eat fruits and vegetables (or are suffering from an eating disorder), while all "fat" people eat fast-food and bakery items.

I have known plenty of thin men and women that eat terribly. I have also met plenty of men and women who eat all the foods the dieticians tell you are good to eat, and still carry a lot of extra weight. I have also met quite a number of exercise fanatics that have the most unhealthy eating habits I've seen.

Moral of the story? Stop assuming.

So why am I doing this? Well, that's one question I can answer. I am tired of waking up in pain and needing the first half hour of my day dedicated to standing straight. I am tired of being winded when I walk up a flight of stairs at a fast pace. I am tired of the extra weight that I do carry on my small frame. Summer is fast approaching and I want to be able to enjoy it with bicycle day trips, hiking all day, and swimming at a friend's house without worrying about if I'll be able to breathe if I tackle the big hill. Plain and simple...I just want to feel better.

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