RECLAIMING MY BODY IN FIVE STEPS AND HOW YOU TOO CAN START APPRECIATING THE WAY YOU LOOK

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This story started the day I became body aware. I realized that my chest was no longer flat and I walked up to my dad to ask why I was growing fat around that area. He said it was nothing.  Well, that "nothing" ended up impacting the choices I made socially throughout my teen years and my young adult life. But this story is actually not about my lipomastia (man-boobs is the colloquial term) but about how we must take ownership and accountability for our bodies. 

To me, taking ownership means: 

1.  Having a realistic expectation of how much I can achieve in terms of weight loss and building muscle given the time and energy I am willing to put in. For anybody struggling to lose weight, you know it takes a considerable amount of effort and time. I have to face the reality that having six-pack abs is likely not going to be sustainable for me and that's OK. 

2. Realizing that I don't have to worry so much about the way I look. People talk about loving yourself but I'll be honest, that's often difficult to comprehend for me. 
You might not love yourself 100 percent but you have to acknowledge that your body gets you by on a daily basis and that counts for something. 

3. Finding a partner who loves me just as I am.  You don't want to be with someone who constantly reminds you that you need to be someone else. I try to be upfront about having chest fat so that I can focus on dating the said person or finding someone else. 

4. Dressing up, looking good, and smelling nice. 

5. Finding ways to integrate socially.  The truth is that humans are self-absorbed anyway so
nobody is constantly thinking about you. Although going to the pool is still very awkward for me as I don't know how strangers would react, however, there's something called a bodysuit and I plan to buy a very nice one soon. People will just think I'm modest? Yeah!

Above all, eating better (lowering junk food to a minimum) and working out regularly to reduce my risk of hypertension and diabetes later in life. The fact is that my body is my responsibility to nurture and care for and that counts more than only what's on the outside. 


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