The Fat girl in the Family

I was over here at With a Side of Sneakers today reading some older posts.  This post in particular was about how she and her family would like to find a way to motivated the one family member in their family that is overweight and who's lifestyle is suffering because of it.  Let's just say it really really got me thinking about my family. 

My immediately family consists of my Mom, Dad, brother and myself.  Of the four of us, I am the only one who is or has ever been obese.  For the most part they are pretty slim people.  We were a really active family growing up and until I faced some pretty serious trauma in high school I had never even been overweight.  Somehow in a split second that all changed and I began to eat away my feelings.  By grade 11 I was a little heavier but certainly not what I would label as fat.  I was still exercising taking dance classes and skating regularly.  The huge change came during university, where left on my own, I had to make my own food choices all the time.  Lets just say I ate a tone of fast food.  Thank you university meal card!  Man oh man. 

So this is a round a bout way of me getting to wondering how my gaining weight affected my family.  I know for a fact it worries them all.  They always comment about how happy they are that I am making better choices, losing some of the excess weight.  I really think they felt they were unable to help me, they could encourage but at the end of the day it has to come from within.  Kinda the way I feel about my parents smoking, I worry that it will cut their lives short. I worry about their overall health.  I am sure they feel the same way about my weight. 

Even more so, it makes me wonder what it will be like to not be the fat girl in the family.  I have for years now been the only obese person in my immediate family.  I wonder how it will change our family dynamics.  I know I will stop wondering if that chair is big enough to sit in when we go out for dinner.  I will enjoy a walk after dinner instead of worrying if there will be a hill and how embarrassing it will be that I am huffing and puffing by the time we get to the top.  I know my family will be proud of me and all I have accomplished.  They already are. 

Have you ever wondered about how your life choices impact others?  

Have a great day!
Cheers!
Leah