The Morality of Weight Loss…

Last updated on: May 25, 2015 at 9:59 pm by Katrina Fernandez

The Morality of Weight Loss… 2015-05-25T21:59:39-04:00 Katrina Fernandez

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… What week is it now? Something like Week 7, I think. For a gal who couldn’t commit to a nine day novena, I think 7 weeks is not too shabby an accomplishment.

Current Weight : 277.8 (down 7.2 lbs)

Current Mood : Vacation Mode

Projected Outcome : I’ll be drinking my calories this weekend

Things I’ve Learned

– Pacing yourself to prevent injury and sore knees
– That unsolicited advice ins’t necessarily criticism
– That dramatically reducing your calories while exercising and dieting can seriously backfire.
– I am not eating enough (Ha! That’s a first)

Inspirational

– Every fit person I see out jogging, cycling, walking, or at the gym. That will be me in a year.
– The encouragement I’ve received from people who say I’ve motivated them get healthier.

NSV

– I walked 2 miles
– This time about last month I’d get winded walking across a store parking lot, now I can walk 1.5 miles in 20 mins at a moderate 3 mph pace without having to stop.

General Thoughts

There’s so much moral superiority attached to fitness. As if being thin and athletic is the highest moral good. Obesity is an outward visible sign of our sinfulness and that’s why fat people are loathed so much. When someone sees a fat person they see sloth, gluttony, greed, and lust. They see insatiable appetites and lack of self restraint.

It’s easy to feel morally superior about our short comings when standing next to fat person.

I’ve often remarked that being thin and healthy wasn’t a moral achievement because we all know plenty of physically healthy but spiritually and morally corrupt individuals. Thinness is no more a mark of piety than a denim jumper and chapel veil are.

It does no good to care for the vessel while letting its contents sour. Like I said, my health hasn’t been the only thing I’ve neglected lately. It’s as much a chore to get active and moving as it to pray. Finding the time has been my biggest obstacle. Also neither, exercise or prayer, come all that naturally.

We often put a lot of emphasis on being ourselves and individualism. We are supposed to love ourselves and accept ourselves for who we are. Being “true to oneself” has become the pinnacle of self achievement. So I’m fat, who are you to judge? So I live unhealthily and do all manner of self destructive behavior. I don’t pray regularly and miss mass. Who are you to judge? This is who I am, man. Love it or leave it.

I call bullshit.

Contrary to popular opinion this isn’t self love, it’s self loathing. This attitude doesn’t lend itself to personal growth but personal stagnation. It’s a coward’s cop out. A coward never tries to achieve personal betterment.

So while I am not so quick to embrace the idea that personal health is the highest moral good, I will contend it is a moral good. We have a moral responsibility to care for this vessel God’s given us. We have a moral responsibility to our family to not slowly eat ourselves to death. I have a son who depends on me. How is it morally responsible to drive myself to an early grave when he needs a mother to care for him? We all have people in our lives who love us and would mourn our absence. Don’t we owe it to them to make an effort to be around as long as possible?

Every day is a struggle where the biggest achievement is simply putting one foot in front of the other. I think I have a moral responsibility to at least try.

You Can't Spell "DIET" Without "DIE"

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