I spent a bit of time in Cresta shopping centre this weekend. I love people watching and I spent a bit of time watching the folks doing their month end shopping on Sunday. Something struck me that I haven’t really noticed before. I can’t get over how many overweight people there are around (excuse the pun). I’m not sure if it is a sudden phenomenon or if it is just that I’m only noticing it now.

I’m not a hundred percent sure if the only reason I’m noticing it now is because a year ago I was one of the seriously obese people doing their shopping on a Sunday afternoon. But you would think you would notice it more when you are overweight yourself. Kind of like when you buy a new car, it is only then you realise how many of that model of car there are on the road.

Or do you not realise it when you’re obese because you are have blocked being overweight out of your concious mind. You know the problem is there but if you ignore it it will just go away or it is not as serious as it actually is.

What ever the actual truth is, if its always been like that or if the problem is getting worse, there is a major problem with obesity in South Africa. I feel a bit like Miss Piggy at a Weigh-Less convention talking about this because I still have another 20kg’s to lose myself but feel its ok to bring it up because I’ve lost 45 already. If that makes any sense. I see guys (and girls for that matter) the size that I was and wish that there was something I could do for them.

On my weight loss journey this time round (its not the first time I’ve tried to lose weight) I’ve had so many people come up to me and tell me how great I’m looking. Don’t get me wrong, I am truly appreciative of their support and well wishes. What concerns me though is this, I wasn’t born weighing 165kg’s. There are numerous reasons that I got to that weight but not once on the way up did someone say to me “Jeez boet, you’re looking a bit podgy, what’s going on?”. Not once. That to me is concerning. Surely someone noticed I had put on 10kgs. 20kgs. 50kgs and not a word.

Is it that society tries to be so politically correct that you don’t want to say something like that to an overweight person because you don’t want to hurt their feelings? Is their emotional well being more important than their physical well being? Being 65kgs overweight can’t be good for you. So when does your physical health start becoming more important than your feelings? At 100kgs overweight? Or is it then even more difficult to say something? I know this is a difficult bridge to cross for many people but at what point do you stop sacrificing a loved ones physical health in favour of their feelings? I’d love to know your thoughts on this…