I'm quite thankful...

I found two documentaries on YouTube about women in the UK trying to get down to a US size Zero, and another documentary about women in the UK with anorexia.

The first two documentaries were month-long journalistic studies about the effects of weight loss to achieve a  US Size 0 (30-22-32 inches). The women dealing with anorexia were both Pro-Anas.  I personally love how the program mentions that the two women profiled have long histories of mental illness (not just the anorexia, but other body dysmorphic disorders).

My whole struggle with my weight is not about losing weight, but about gaining health, strength, fitness.  My main struggle is keeping my back healthy, and the healthier my weight is, the less of a strain is put on my back (especially because i tend to carry much of the extra weight around my abdomen).  My cholesterol is good, and I do keep track of all my yearly blood tests in a nifty spreadsheet.

I look at these videos, especially the one about "Dying to be Anorexic," and I know how lucky I am.  Despite being overweight/obese, how I feel about my body is healthy (generally speaking) and how I feel about food is healthy (okay, I might love it too much).

I think it's important to watch these videos, not to gain tips about how to be thin, but to know what the grass does look like on the other side of the fence.  And then to be glad I'm not on the other side of the fence.