It's another diet post. Thin people can stop reading now.

Okay, so Dreamweaver put up a post about her diet today. I am chuffed that she is doing so well (I'm sure that I wouldn't have the discipline for it). Towards the end of her post she mentioned a question I asked her quite some time ago about the reasons she wanted to change. I have tried for some time to come up with a clearer way to ask that question because, to me, the two alternatives are not as similar as they first appear. Let me explain:

The two reasons for change diet-wise produce a lot of the same response - people who feel them go on diets, work out etc. and may even produce similar thoughts like 'wishing I was thin', 'fantasising about being thin'. They are, however, VERY different.

I think the real distinction lie in your feelings about those to states: being fat and being thin and the depth of your feelings about them.

Being FAT

The person who hates being fat feels emotions like shame, anger, disgust, self-hatred, disappointment. They think negative thoughts when they see themselves in the mirror and tend to give themselves a rough time when they cheat on diets or skip workouts. They see themselves as a fat person. The intensity of 'fat' feelings are high.

I am a person who'd love being thin...I rarely feel bad about being overweight. My feelings towards myself are similar to those a good friend would feel if they had a friend who had made a mistake. I feel sorry that I have to deal with the consequences of this mistake and I do not deny that the situation I find myself in is the result of my own poor choices but I don't beat myself up over it. Everyone makes mistakes and bad choices and I tend to look ahead to better days rather than dwell on the extra pounds now. My 'fat' feelings are of fairly low intensity.

Being THIN

I honestly think that a lot of people don't want to be thin. They want to be anti-fat. Often I will hear people talk about how they would love to be thin but they don't seem to attach a lot of thought to it. Talking to them about being thin doesn't seem to evoke the same passion as talking about being fat. It's more like a pleasant day-dream than a pressing reality. The intensity is low.

Being thin is more than just having a low body fat %. It is a mindset in which you value your own health, wellbeing and longevity above the pleasures of an unhealthy lifestyle. If you don't value your own health above chips or chocolate or lying on the couch watching TV you will stay fat. You may starve off the extra pounds and drop your body fat but inside you will still be a fat person and in time the body fat will come back. Thin is not a weight - it's a choice.

I am passionate about the 'thin' mindset. Exercise is a pleasure now. I LOVE the gym. I love making good food choices because everytime I do it is an affirmation of my own worth. Each time I do it is as if I were saying to myself: "Honey, I am making this choice because your life is worth more to me than a Kit-Kat." When I picture myself at a healthy weight I picture myself in the gym each day, eating good food and (this is important) being happy doing it. It's not a sacrifice to not eat junk because it's my choice. My 'thin' feelings are high intensity.

Now I don't think anyone is really either of these extremes. I still have times where my self-worth drops and the 'hate' thoughts come back. I stop gym and I eat the wrong stuff. Slowly though I am drifting in the 'thin thoughts' direction and I see improvements in how I feel about myself every day. I think most people with weight issues are somewhere inbetween. I do think, though, it is SO much easier to lose weight if the 'thin' lifestyle holds appeal.