Man Schnibs

I thought this weeks lesson on Genderads was really interesting. I can totally see myself falling into the trap of categorisation. Growing up in school I was always labelled as different,(as i mentioned in another post) but i have really seen the us VS them attitude in media and TV. I have watched too much TV.

Before i went to secondry school i was small thin and i even played Rugby as the hooker as i was so small. It was around this time, (age 13) that started eating meat, drinking soda and lots of sweets. I wasn't fat but i was chunky and i stayed chunky for a few years.
It was pointed out to me that fat was wrong and that i should try harder to lose it.I was in need of repair. Despite there being people much larger than me at school, and the majority of the students a similar size to myself, i sure i can't have been the only one to develop a view that i was somehow abnormal, that my body was not like the others.

Of course at school there are always the over achievers and (as there are in life, TV, media and society) those specimens of the human body. These were there for us to see what was wrong with our own bodys. I wasn't athletic and got bored with Football and Rugby very quickly when i was too big to play hooker. Nowadays it's the P90X advertising that always catches my attention and makes me believe for a moment that if i subscribed to it and actually took the effort i too could have a body like some of the men in the after photos.
The key word here is effort. If i make the effort maybe i won't have a wobbly gut or man schnibs. Punishment. I need to punish myself. I need to eat less, i need to work out, i need to push myself to the limits, sweat till i bleed. As if.

But there are ways to fix ourselves and success stories.
Heres my success story.

A few years ago, i was really unhappy with my weight, i felt sluggish and bored and just not happy with myself. Then i had my monthly check-up at the dentist. He said to me, "How many sweets to you eat?" I said that i am a fan of sweets. He said, "Well if you don't want 4 cavities next time you come to me, you'd better take it easy on the sweets consumption." This scared me silly and i swore off sweets and chocolate in fear of cavities. The next day some Arse, stole my bike. I walked everywhere and was not eating sweets. For 3whole months I abstained from sugar and soda and was marching all over the city.I Lost 50 pounds. You can do it too.

As an aside to that story, when i returned to the dentist I had 3 preventative fillings and decided that the no sweets thing was a bit harsh and i had cavities anyway. Nowadays, my wobbly gut and man schnibs are back, and i'm rethinking the soda and sweets deal.