I'm tired...all the time. I'm having trouble sleeping at night. I'm fat. I exercise five times a week. I watch what I eat. I can't lose weight, but I can quickly gain it. My body isn't cooperating with my mind. While I adore my family doctor, I am frustrated that he hasn't been more aggressive with these complaints. Happily, I told all of this to my ob-gyn, and we already have an action plan in place to find out why I'm struggling so much.
Granted, part of my sleep issues have to do with grief. So does my weight. But so many people report having more energy and sleeping better as they exercise more, and I find the opposite: I'm struggling to wake up and I see little change in my energy level. However, after three years on WeightWatchers, tracking what I eat, I'm still losing and gaining the same five pounds. I don't want to give up on WeightWatchers, but I know that I have to lose 70 pounds. It's a necessity for me to stave off diabetes and any other weight-related health issues I could have. I enjoy riding my bike; I enjoy walking and hiking. I don't enjoy the weight around my belly and hips.
I'll go in next week for some bloodwork, and my doctor has ordered some specialized tests, especially to see if I'm anemic or if something is going on with my thyroid. She's given me a recommendation to visit a diet center, one with a doctor, nurse, etc., that could help me get a jump start on losing weight. I appreciate her proactive stance on these issues. With luck, this will work.
A perception exists that fat people don't care about themselves. Or that they are too lazy to exercise and eat good food. What if, however, a fat person does exercise? Cooks healthy foods? Eats fruit and vegetables? Drinks water, not sodas or alcohol? Being fat is a medical problem for a number of people. But there's such a stigma to fat, such stereotypes around fat, that fat people are often afraid to say something to their doctors. It isn't unusual for doctors to insult their fat patients, catering to the stereotype that their patients are fat because they are lazy. So we fat people continue to wonder what's wrong with us and assume we must be defective in some way since we can't seemingly lose weight. Then fat becomes an esteem problem, fed by the prejudices and stereotypes that exist.
