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Born2lbfat

My life with Lipedema & Lymphedema...destined to be fat.

Dear Abby, My Mom is VERY Proud of My Weight

August 11, 2014 by Sarah Bramblette 3 Comments

This morning I saw a post about Dear Abby on The Anti-Jared. Appears a young woman was told by her mother she couldn’t wear her bikini to the family pool gatherings. At first Abby suggested the woman should follow her mother’s wishes as it is her home and her rules.

But then Abby crossed the line and made assumptions related to the woman’s health and ultimately about the possibility her mother would be more proud of her if she “if you were less complacent and more willing to do something about your weight problem.”

If you have read my blog you know I have no issues with wearing a swimsuit, or about the face my mother instilled in me a sense a pride and self confidence.

So here is my quick response to Dear Abby that I left in the comments section. I plan on writing direct correspondence to her, also.

Dear Abby,

I have a medical condition called Lipedema, it’s an advance stage that includes Lymphedema. I currently weigh 400lbs and I proudly wear a swimsuit in public, on cruises, I’ve never been interested in wearing a bikini but that’s a personal preference nothing to do with how I feel about my body, because honestly I have plans on visiting a nude beach the next time I visit Florida.

And let me assure you my physician feels my HEALTH is fine, other than managing my lymphedema, all my other health statistics are in normal range. See I used to weigh over 500lbs, so while 400lbs is still morbidly obese being 100lbs less is still quite an accomplishment. As is the progress I’ve made in reducing the lymphedema in my legs. You should not be so quick to make judgmental assumption about the writer’s health based on her sharing her weight. It’s that type of stereotyping and stigma from society that keeps many people affected by obesity too ashamed to get out and enjoy life like this young woman is doing. Tell me would it better that she is so ashamed of her body that she doesn’t go swimming? Swimming is being active after all so it’s great that she is confident with her body and lives her life.

momkeywestAs for her mother, it seems the mother needs to be proud of her daughter no matter what size she is. I will tell you my mother is extremely proud of me and all my 400lbs, I have two college degrees and am working on a Masters in Health Law. Despite the challenges I have faced with my lymphedema and fighting weight stigma and bias in accessing healthcare and employment I continue to be successful and my mother, family, and friends are all very proud of me. And I am very proud of myself. Fat only describes me, it does not define me.

Sincerely,

Sarah

 

Filed Under: Obesity Tagged With: bikini, dear abby, obesity, swimsuit, weight, weight bias, weight stigma

Dancing for Dollars! Support me in the Walk from Obesity!

August 9, 2013 by Sarah Bramblette Leave a Comment

 No tutu until I reach my fundraising goal of $1000!

 

 

If I reach my goal of $1000 in donations by the morning of the walk, August 18th! I will WALK IN MY SWIMSUIT (and tutu).

Filed Under: Advocacy, Blog Post, Health Insurance, Obesity Tagged With: advocacy, asmbs, bbw, beauty, breaking, discrimination, featured, gastric bypass, headline, lipedema, lymphedema, morbid obesity, oac, obesity, obesity action coalition, rny, sbbw, self confidence, self esteem, super morbid obesity, swimsuit, top, walk from obesity, weight lose surgery

Bathing Beauty

January 6, 2010 by Sarah Bramblette Leave a Comment

I’m sitting here in my bathing suit.

Why?

Because I’m about to head to an aqua aerobics class. Yes, that’s right I’m wearing a bathing suit AND going out in public. It’s a nightmare scenario for many. Even the non-obese have this fear of bathing suits. I live in Miami, there are beautiful people everywhere…real and fake. I actually asked myself if I was “pretty enough” to move to Miami five years ago. Afterall not only couldn’t I fit into a bikini, my legs are too bit to fit into rollerblades. Crazy, am I? You know you think the same self-defeating thoughts. But really have you ever looked at others, it’s not the body, it’s the suit. Either you have a cute well fitting suit or you don’t. I’ve been on cruises, to busy waterparks and to the beach. I’ve seen many bodies, young and old, fat and skinny, male and female, in bathing suits. Skinny doesn’t equal cute, confidence equals cute….so find you a nice bathing suit and strut your stuff.

I love the water, my mom would take me to water baby classes at the YMCA and that is where I’m headed in about 15 minutes, to the YMCA. I’m going to test drive their advanced aqua aerobics class. Yeah, I’m skipping ahead to advanced. I LOVE me some water exercises and they love me back unlike other exercises. I joined a gym back in July, and yes I actually WENT and worked out. I would do about 30 mins of cardio, and 30-45 mins of weight training. It felt great to accomplish so much. Then my lymphedema got worse, it doesn’t like the strain, despite the fact I work compression garments. So I returned to my search for a decent aqua program. This one is about 20 mins away but hopefully worth the drive. Expect a full report. And look forward to my test drive of their belly dancing class on Saturday.

Filed Under: Articles, Blog Post Tagged With: obesity, swimsuit, water aerobics, YMCA

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