Fat Talk: Exactly What Does it Accomplish? #FightFatTalk

This post is written on behalf of a sponsored campaign with Special K. Right now, they have an EXCELLENT social media campaign going on to #FightFatTalk. I don’t often get revved up by social media campaigns, but this is one I am proud to be a part of. Fat Talk helps no one. I hope you enjoy this post. All opinions are my own.

My children have never heard the word “diet”. Not from my lips at least.

Have I been on “diets” in their presence? Unfortunately yes. Many.

None that have succeeded of course. I have finally conceded that a major lifestyle change is necessary and I hope I will be ready for that lifestyle change very soon.

Thankfully, in the past when I’ve restricted myself in yet another lame attempt at “dieting” away the pounds, it’s never been terribly drastic and it has never been something that I have felt the need to announce to my children.

That said, they are getting older and they are picking up on things a lot more.

My husband and I decided early on, that we were NOT going to “fat talk” ourselves or others in the presence of our children (and in general, at all times).

Likewise, we came to the conclusion that commenting on body type/size in any form is not helpful and is instead defeating in and of itself.

What we look like does not explain a single thing about who we are inside. That’s what we want our children to look for. What’s inside a person.

Sure, our outward appearances can definitely shape our inward hearts…mine sure has taken a beating this last ten years or so. These are subtle things though and until you know someone for their heart, you can’t know this based on looks alone.

So we don’t talk about going on a diet. We don’t complain loudly about being too fat for our fat pants (which…I am right now *sigh*). Not in front of the kids at least.

I’d be a big fat (there I go again) liar though if I didn’t admit to letting self defeating talk rob me of my happiness day in and day out though. There is not a day that passes by that I don’t feel a bit angry with myself for where I am today. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t look at my closet with a small sigh.

Adding to these depressing thoughts, I am surrounded by women who are unhappy with their bodies.

Women who have bodies I would do ANYTHING for.

Pretty much anyone who weighs more than 10 lbs less than me has a body I wish was my own. My qualifications for body envy are not restricted to the super model thin (In fact, I’m more likely to envy a woman just 50 lbs lighter than me over someone 100 lbs lighter. My envy has realistic goals I guess? Ha! ).

When women around me start lamenting about their thighs, their double chins, their “fat”ness…I don’t chip in my $.02. Because let’s face it, CLEARLY you can SEE that I get it. I am not a slim woman.

I try not to take it personally. They know I’m bigger than them. They probably know that by saying THEY are SO fat that they are calling me RIDICULOUSLY fat since clearly…well yeah. I am typically much fatter than them.

Who does this help though? Does it help them if I feel offended? Does it help me that they are unhappy with their bodies too?

What would really help ALL of us?

Love.

Just love.

Health is important. No one is saying that being overweight is healthy. But health and skinny are not synonymous either.

Once again, that’s leaping to the conclusion that just because someone looks a certain way on the outside, that they are some health nut worthy of your attention (when in reality they might be a junk food junkie jerk).

No.

Let’s just stop it already. Let’s just agree to speak to ourselves and others in LOVE.

Let’s stop this fat talk.

Let’s talk health.

Let’s talk love.

Let’s talk about life and living and events and memories and ideas and about the things that matter and that make us who we really are apart from our size.

Do you agree?

Let’s fight fat talk with love.

Special K believes that fat talk is a barrier to managing our weight. Can I just say I wholeheartedly agree with them?

You can read more about Special K’s campaign to #FightFatTalk here and be sure to follow the hashtag #FightFatTalk on Twitter.