I have been a chubby person my entire life from the time I was a kid. I grew up to become overweight and recently I have gained a bit more weight and come under the obese category.
Many people assume that obese people are always happy as they get to eat what they want but that is not really true. If you are an obese person yourself, you must know what I am saying and if you are not, you have no clue about it.
Thereby, I have shared the everyday challenges I face due to my excess weight below;
Traveling Is Tough:
This goes on without saying, traveling as an obese person is not as simple as when you are puny. For starters, you may find it difficult to fit into the economy class when you are flying, that is not even the worst part until you will have to ask for a seat belt extension. I have also experienced the guy next to me demanding to be shifted to another seat, though I really do not blame him.
Train and buses are worse as people discriminate when they see I am obese. I am not bothered by the pity looks I get but people boycott to sit next to me assuming they may fall off the seat (though I do enjoy the entire space to myself).
Shopping for Clothes is Hard:
Oh, the sale season is here which means I can fill my wardrobe with cheap clothes, but I have learned something. Being obese means it is difficult to shop at any season, the sale is particularly more difficult as you may have to fight for sizes and before you even reach the store, all XL sizes will be gone (obesity has increased in the recent time) and you will be left with xs and s sizes.
I have not even gotten to the worst part yet, many stores do not even keep my size. Especially if I need to buy jeans, I literally get replies such as, ‘the store does not keep my size’, as if I am too fat (I am obese but there are fatter people out there).
Grocery Shopping is Difficult:
My mother almost every other day sends me to the grocery store with a list of items to buy. I pledge to stick to the list but then when I see the many temptations available in the grocery store, it is really hard to control myself and I hardly succeed in it and end up buying junk.
Undue Health Tips:
I am obese so I obviously am aware of the health hazards of being obese but there are still people out there offering me free advice such as carrying excess weight can cause heart disease and diabetes. Well, Mr., I am very well knowledgeable of it, I also know that being obese may lead to many health hazards including varicose veins in which I will have to visit vein doctors. So, please stop giving me free advice and mind your work.
Elevator Embarrassments:
I always find myself a bit reluctant to climb into an already crowded elevator fearing it will give the ‘overload’ error and everyone will stare at me indicating me to get off the elevator. It is embarrassing.
Gym Insecurity:
I know I need to shed off a few pounds, so I do have a gym membership. I feel highly energetic about going to the gym as I am confident that I will find similar people struggling with their weight and instantaneously bond with them. In reality, I hardly find a bunch of overweight people in the gym instead most of them are muscular or have a good body shape. Pushing yourself to workout around such fit people when you are struggling to hide your fatty tissues is not exactly motivating.
Relatives and Family’s Taunt:
After a tiring day of struggling to keep your self-esteem high despite facing issues related to obesity, when you come home and your family starts giving you advice about staying fit, I think that is my threshold of tolerating the consequences of being obese.
Obesity is not a healthy way of living and I am not promoting it here but the first step towards leading a healthy life is self-acceptance hence if you go through all the above, do not worry, you are not alone. Every obese person faces this, and it is a part of your life you will need to accept and not really care about. This will help your focus to shift towards bringing a difference in your lifestyle.