"Me, My Weight, and My Insecurity"- Obesity: How I became obese and the foreshadows of my eating problems as a child

Essay by ThinkinonlyboutuCollege, Undergraduate May 2007

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Having lived in America my whole life, it feels as though I've been brain washed in wanting to have the perfect body. Everyone understands the pressure to be thin, especially being a Persian American living in Los Angeles. In LA we are surrounded with the movie industry, and the movie industry means lots of beautiful men and women, all with amazing bodies. With this kind of influence, it is not easy being obese, let alone overweight. But it's something I've dealt with ever since I can remember.

I have various memories of my childhood, most of which relate to my weight problem. When I was about 5 years old, I attended Kadima, a Jewish private school located in the valley. The kids used to call me names like big fat bologna. I was never really bothered by the name-calling, nor was I ever respondent to it. But I do remember once when my friend and I were at recess talking.

She assured me that when someone is young, and they are fat, they grow older and become skinny. But when you are skinny when you're young, then they grow older and become fat. By my friend assuring me of this, I was convinced I could look like a Barbie Doll and become a runway model. I used to practice modeling for my family. I had it all down, the walk, the turns, and even the face. What I did not know is that overweight children have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults, which was exactly coming my way.

My only problem wasn't at school. At home my parents were very worried. My dad had type 2 diabetes and so did his father. My mom's concern for me was to look good, feel good, and most importantly be...