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The Weight Insecurity That Can Come With Gastroparesis

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Many people seem to struggle with some sort of insecurity when it comes to weight…but with gastroparesis it’s a unique type of insecurity. You worry about getting too skinny because if you do, people think you’re sick again. You worry about losing weight from your illness and people saying, “You look good.” You worry about gaining weight and people mentioning you should slow down on your eating.

Size always seems to matter with this condition and it can fluctuate. From gaining weight to losing weight and repeat, over and over again. Your clothes never fit you just right as they did before you got sick. Some people who’ve had it their entire lives never have clothes that fit properly. Weight seems so superficial, but having the “perfect clothes” and the “perfect body” has become an ideal.

 

Gastroparesis can hurt your self-image. You try your best to ignore it, but the insecurity always lingers. You wonder if you should eat more or eat less, even if it hurts your body, just please others. To everyone struggling with this, I know how it feels and it’s unfortunate.

Try your best to not listen to the comments about your weight. Block out the negativity even when it seems impossible. Tell people to stop talking about your weight. Try not to be someone else with a different body. Just be you and try to be as healthy as possible. And even when you don’t feel like “you,” you’re still beautiful. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.

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Originally published: June 24, 2017
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