In my many (many) years on this earth, I have learned, as an almost always fat person, that blaming your fatness for your problems is not only not useful in any meaningful way, but is also often incorrect.

Sometimes it’s just the same shit everyone deals with.

Some problems are simply what everyone goes through, but in our infinite ability to make everything about our own self, we seem to think that we are the only ones ever having experienced whatever it is that happens to be going on, and it must not only revolve around us personally but around our fatness personally.

Get over yourself and your fatness.

(I know not helpful – it’s never that easy, is it?)

Sometimes it’s my chronic depression.

Despite better living through chemistry, my depression raises it’s ugly head from time to time.  At least now I have enough experience with it to recognize it.  Before I got this experienced though, I would find myself blaming everything wrong on myself, my life, and my fatness.  I still sometimes end up in the throes of depression, but at least I now know that it’s not personal.  It’s a condition that I have and the condition has nothing to do with my fatness.  People of every size can and do suffer from depression.  (And if you are one of those people, I hope you are able to get help.)

P.S. if you get help and the doctor tries to tell you that you are depressed because you are fat, go find another doctor.  Seriously, you have enough problems without adding the doctor’s fatphobia to the mix.

Sometimes it’s just old age.

This is a fairly new one for me.  Okay, not so new.  I am, after all this Fat OLD Lady and have been for some time.

But as the aches and pains grow and the vocal accompaniment to my everyday physical efforts grow as well, I have to admit that at least some of what is going on is simply this fat old lady body is aging.

Growing up fat, you are constantly told that you will never reach old age, and yet … here we are.

And growing old can mean a whole list of new and exciting health issues – fat or not.

Of course, the healthcare professionals will want to blame everything on your fatness – why should they change at this late date?  They may even urge that amazingly ineffective (and detrimental) treatment of dieting.

Unless there is a specific reason to adjust your diet (something that would be appropriate to anyone, fat or not, with the particular condition) – fuck them.

After age 65 or so, fatness no longer plays a significant role in morbidity risk and it also has numerous protective aspects for the aging body.

So just fuck them, and get on with your fat self.

So before you go blaming a problem on your fatness – try to take a step back and a good look at the problem – and see if it really arises from your fatness.

And if the problem with your fatness is really someone else’s problem with your fatness – then it’s not YOUR problem!

It’s their problem.

And also, fuck them.

Life is life, whether you are fat or not.

Go ahead and live it, now, in the body you have.

It’s the only life and body you get.

Might as well have a good time.