Essential Self-Care Tips For Fat Folx From A Fat Girl
Hi Musers,
Today’s post is about essential self-care tips for fat folx because it’s important, and I’ve never covered it here. I’ve talked about how to look after yourself when you’re having a bad mental health day and how to learn to love your body as it is. However you feel now, and whatever point you’re at in your self-love journey, it’s essential to learn how to look after yourself. Why? Because you matter! I want you to feel fabulous inside and out 🙂
You’ll find I use the word fat a lot in this post. It is not intended to hurt anyone; after all, I’m fat myself. I am working to reclaim the word. Fat should be a description with no negative connotation whatsoever. I want it to be the same as tall, brown-haired or blue-eyed. The fact is I am fat, and that’s ok. I’m not worthless or a lesser person because of it, ok? So let’s get to the essential self-care tips. As ever, this is my personal list and not definitive, but hopefully, it’ll get you started.
1) Wear clothes that fit
As we move through life, our bodies change, and sometimes they get larger. This. Is. Ok. It’s perfectly normal. What’s not ok is being made to feel like such a failure by society for being fat that we squeeze our bodies into clothes that are too small. We’re uncomfortable and in pain all day rather than admit we need to buy clothes a size up. I remember a time years ago when I was shopping with my sister. I found a shirt I LOVED, but it didn’t quite fit in my size. Jayne very reasonably suggested I get the size up, and I refused because I simply could not admit to being that size. How ridiculous is that? I’d rather miss out on a top I loved than just accept I was bigger. I’ve stepped away from that now, and you should too.
2) Moisturise And Use Talc
When your body is larger, there’s a lot more rubbing and sweat under your boobs ( if you have them) around your waist and between your thighs. I recommend using talc while getting dried as it can prevent the sweat from being as much of a problem. In the evening before bed, moisturise your skin to keep it in tip-top condition and make you feel fabulous.
3) Wear Sunscreen – Skincare As Self-care
This isn’t just a self-care tip for fat folx; it’s for everyone. My sister Jayne recently discovered she has rosacea, and so she did what she always does. She researched skincare to death. She told me I needed to be wearing sunscreen on my face and neck every single day. Yes, even here in good old blighty! Even on days where I don’t plan to go out. Every day. So now I slather on factor 25 every single day, and so should you if you want to avoid premature ageing, hyperpigmentation (dark spots on your skin) and skin tags. If this interests you let me know, I have been considering asking Jayne to do a guest post on skincare as it should be among our essential self-care tips and plans every day.
4) Care For Your Thighs
If you’re like me, you love to wear skirts and dresses but may not have done in the past for two reasons. Firstly in winter because traditional tights didn’t fit. They were too tight, they rolled down, and they sagged. Snag tights have fixed all that, and I’ve done a whole post on how much I love them. They come in a range of sizes specially made for different size wearers, they don’t sag, and their colours are just EVERYTHING 😍. If you haven’t already, then check them out.
In summer you probably won’t want to wear tights due to the heat so what then? Luckily you still have options. Big bloomers company make lace garters that protect the part of your thighs that rub. They look pretty great too. Other companies create a deodorant you can apply to your thighs for protection too. I haven’t tried either of these but plan to in the future. For me, though, it’s currently Snag Tights to the rescue again! Their fabulous chub rub shorts are lightweight and come in a huge range of colours. I slip them on under my skirt, and I’m comfy and looking great all day. Discomfort is not a part of being fat!
5) EAT
No matter what your size is, you are entitled to eat. You are also allowed to eat whatever you want, even in public! If you’re out for lunch and you genuinely fancy a salad, then go for it. I make some fabulous salads for lunch at work that I look forward to all morning. On the other hand, if you want pizza or a burger, then have it! What you eat is no one else’s business. Ever.
If you’re hungry at home and feel like you need a snack, then respect your hunger. It doesn’t matter if you had a big breakfast or ate loads yesterday. Trust your body to tell you what it needs. If you are hungry, then eat something. Diet culture makes its money telling you you can’t trust your body to let you know what it needs. Please, please dump that mentality. Intuitive eating is fantastic, and I recommend you learn more about it. The bible, written by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, is Intuitive Eating. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, so if you use this link, I will receive a small commission. Please be aware it does not affect the price you pay, and I would never betray your trust just to earn a couple of pence. Anything I recommend on this site is a book or product I’ve loved and has really helped me. I hope it helps you too).
6) Move
Not to burn calories, not to get ripped, not to change the way you look one little bit. I want you to move because it feels good and because it has a host of health benefits.
It keeps your heart healthy
It helps stabilise your blood sugar
Builds stronger bones
Releases endorphins to lift your mood
Improves your self-esteem
Improves bone density in women over 50, which does decrease
Reduces the risk of certain types of cancer
Boosts energy
You sleep better
Can enhance your sex life
That’s a whole pile of great benefits that have nothing whatsoever to do with weight loss or how you look. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. You don’t have to go to the gym. You don’t need to be pouring with sweat. There’s no need to exercise every day. You simply need to find a type of movement you enjoy and do it as regularly as you can.
I am aware that traditional exercise is not possible for everyone. You may have disabilities that prevent you or struggle with your mental health. Almost everyone can do something, though. A lady in a wheelchair attended a circuits class I went to. She couldn’t do the leg exercise, but she did use weights to do all the arm movements, and she did see her health improve. If you can’t exercise or don’t want to, however, it is totally fine. It does not make you a bad person; please take it from me you’re still awesome 🙂
That’s all for now
That’s my essential self-care tips for fat folx, please feel free to tell me what yours are 🙂 Til next time my Musers!
