The Elephant In The Room

I found this funny on Facebook and thought it was pretty accurate.

 

I never know why as a woman it is so hard to see ourselves as good enough.  We are always striving for better and we often can’t accept that we look good when we really do look good.  It is only in hindsight that we can see the real truth.

I met up with my friend Mark a few weeks ago.  We went to the Farmer’s Market and had a nice chat.  I felt like the whole time there was the elephant in the room that we weren’t talking about…my weight gain.  You could say that Mark has known me through all my phases of life.  We met while I was working in the Registrar’s Office at Boise State University in 2001.  Mark has seen me both pre-WW and post-WW.  Mark himself has even gotten on the healthy living wagon and dropped over 60 pounds.  He is a fitness machine these days workout out with his trainer and running many miles daily.  He has been a great support through the years.

Since I regained weight I often feel it is a elephant-in-the-room type situation when I am in social gatherings with people I’ve not seen in a while.  I had two graduation parties to attend last Saturday and I have one to attend later today.  I love seeing my extended family.  They too were very supportive and complimentary of my weight loss.  It now feels like I’m coming to the party with this large invisible animal on my back and something that we just don't talk about. 

 

Of course I talked about my weight loss and answered a zillion questions through that journey.  And if asked, I’d answer all the questions people have for me now with weight gain.  Weight gain is an uncomfortable topic.  It is taboo and bad and usually holds a negative meaning behind it.  We don’t like to talk about weight gain or how we got to this point.  It is easier to just avoid the topic. 

I also found this funny on Facebook.

 

It is probably all in my head and nobody even cares about my weight gain.  Who really knows for sure.  The one thing I know is I’m not going to miss out on social situations just because I’m now brining an extra 76 pounds with me when I go.