I was reading this article at Junk Food Science and the picture just made me so sad:



Poor rhino. :(

I'm just glad that I quit beating myself up, punishing myself for not being "perfect", and hating myself. For the most part, anyway. I feel like I'm very lucky to not have developed an eating disorder--there've been times I've been afraid that I've been right on the brink of bulimia. I've overeaten and hated myself for it, and I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind a few times. On the other hand there have also been a few times I've eaten to the point of feeling like throwing up and I wouldn't let myself even though I would've felt better physically, because it would've been too much like binging and purging.

Even setting aside the extremity of eating disorder, I don't understand people who go on crazy low calorie diets. What's the point of being thin if you're so exhausted from malnutrition that you can't enjoy anything? I was thinking about that while I was at the dog park yesterday. I was just following my dog around the park, occasionally running with her, and I felt light. So what if I weigh almost 240 pounds and wear a size 22? I was happy and enjoying my life. I couldn't do that if I was starving myself to be "thin". I feel good because I'm eating things that are good for me, I'm feeding my muscles and getting the nutrients I need. If I lose some weight, okay; I am, gradually, and I am tracking it, but it started out secondary to feeling better and is moving further down the list.