Just to be clear, I’m not promoting starvation or deprivation with this - I’m totally pro-eating.  I have a long history with obesity brought on by many years of daily self-destructive food choices, and I created this macro at a time when I felt myself slipping back into old habits of letting junk food be the boss of me.  My dashboard reminds me of my health and fitness goals, and on that particular day I triumphed over the old me and chose grilled fish and salad rather than processed meat and cheese soaked in grease.

It never even occurred to me that people would read this any other way until I noticed that I was getting bashed for “promoting starvation.”  Anyone who’s known me for longer than five minutes knows that this is a ridiculous assertion - I’m very much an “everything in moderation” kind of person, and I’ve never skipped a meal in my life.

For chronically obese people, over-indulgent meals are more than just food, they’re a daily self-defense mechanism that we use to drown deeper psychological and emotional issues.  This image was my way of telling myself and others that I’m more than that, I’m more than just turning to burgers and fries every time life gets a little bit tricky.  But “not eating burgers” does not equal “omg let’s starve” - it just means that the wonderful people on my dash inspired me to make a healthier choice, and to eat food that actually nourishes me instead of food that just placates my demons for a couple of hours.

Posted on 22 April 2012 at 17.34

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