Growing Pains

"This year is the happiest I have ever been. I stopped caring about my weight and stopped being self-conscious."

A couple years ago is when I noticed I was gaining weight. My family wasn’t much of a help. They called me fat, a pig, chubby, and told me to stop eating so much and I listened, I ate only small portions or not even at all. I exercised to get slimmer, but only drained my energy more. Whenever I went to school, I thought everybody was judging me, so I started wearing hoodies every day. I looked in the mirror and always told myself “I’m so fat”. I fell into barely eating meals and only working out. There was a day when I realized I was in a toxic household. It did not stop me though. I continued to weigh myself and tell myself things that would lower my self-esteem. I met a friend that the same problem as me. We helped each other through the times where we could not eat or thought we were useless. I slowly started to eat more and gain more confidence. My family also changed, they helped me through my bad days and encouraged me to eat.

This year is the happiest I have ever been. I stopped caring about my weight and stopped being self-conscious. I began to stop wearing hoodies and started wearing more tight clothes I felt confident in. I still have some days like that but always end up being proud of myself and my journey.

- November, 2020