Fat: People treat you badly when you're overweight and it's not OK

I have struggled with my weight for my entire life.

By the age of 12, I was 12 stone, and by the time I was 52, I was double that, plus a few extra.

I had always wanted to be thin, and I had made a couple of serious attempts at it in my life – but a Scottish diet of tattie scones, Irn-Bru with Malibu and two or six bottles of wine at weekends had prevailed.

I got to the point where walking the length of myself was a major achievement, and looking for places to hide at the back of a crowd was ideal.

I was stuck: stuck in sticky, sugary tablet and hedonistic indulgence; in eight big bars of chocolate, at least, each night. The sweet tastes soothed whatever drama I was going through at the time.

What I am trying to say is that no one wants to be fat, and I certainly could not quite understand how on earth it had happened to me.

Now that I have lost weight, I can see that people who are overweight are treated very differently. And it is a political issue.

I compensated for my weight as the class clown, or the fat angry person – I would twist myself between both.

I used to say that if putting on weight was an Olympic sport, I would be a gold medallist.

The bigger I was, the easier it was to be funny. I wasn’t doing this for kicks; I was telling the jokes to survive in a world where fat people are seen as a problem.

Louise Glen outside a tent. — Louise was a size 32 at her heaviest. Image: James MacCulloch

People who are overweight are constantly compensating for what they believe thin people will be thinking of them. That can be in any situation, from a job interview to a flight.

A friend from Liverpool was asked: “Who wanted to do that to you?” by a GP who confirmed her pregnancy.

You never get the seat in the window, or the starring role in a promo video if you are fat.

And, yet, many of us would say we identify as overweight. We are no less human because of our weight.

I have no off button when it comes to food

Food is such an intrinsic part of every single day. Enjoying food with my partner James – a former chef – is a key element of my life.

As humans, we celebrate eating. We reward children with sweeties, we make people finish their plate of food. And, when it all goes wrong, we condemn those same people.

Over the last 40 years, since the age of 12, I have worried about every single thing I have eaten – and it did not stop me from getting to my peak as a size 32

I have never known when to stop with food. If I cut a cake, a second slice tidies it up. If I open a packet of biscuits, I need to finish them. I have no off button when it comes to food.

Over the last 40 years, since the age of 12, I have worried about every single thing I have eaten – and it did not stop me from getting to my peak as a size 32. I am now a size 16.

I always believed I would start the diet tomorrow, or that I could not lose weight. Menopause, weak bones, a slow metabolic rate… You name it, I would consider it a valid reason for my groaning weight. I thought I had maybe three years to live.

Everyone has an opinion on your weight

After I lost the first of the 11 stones I would go on to lose last year, I was shouted and sworn at in the street by a gang of around 12 young people.

One boy said: “How does your wee bike carry your big, fat body?” I stopped cycling at lunchtime after that.

It wasn’t that I disagreed with them; in fact, when you are fat, you are programmed to believe the pedagogy that fat is bad, fat people are lazy, fat people sit on the couch and do nothing but gorge themselves.

Louise Glen cycling up a hill on a bike. — Louise Glen continued to be active, even at her biggest. Image: James MacCulloch

Women stop you in the street to tell you: “You need to lose a bit weight.” Men make fun of your breast size, people wobble your fat for you.

Everyone has an opinion on how you should cope with your weight. It becomes draining, and there is no escape.

I remained active, even at my largest size – but it was becoming increasingly difficult to get to places. For one, bus and aeroplane seats seemed small, making it difficult to sit down. It was a horror to me on the West Highland train line if there was only a table seat left, as I could not fit into it.

Being fat does not give anyone the right to be unkind to you

Anyone who feels fat will tell you – you are fat because you want to hide, not because you want to be seen.

Eight months after starting a nutrition plan given to me by NHS Highland, I feel differently. The staff who advised me saved my life.

I have lost my girth and grown in confidence. But that does not change the fact that many thousands of people in Scotland, including me, have suffered in silence because of their size.

Being fat does not give anyone the right to be unkind to you, or to treat you as a lesser human being. Incredible that it needs to be said, really.

Being treated unfairly or unkindly as a result of your weight is an infringement of your human rights. Be fat, be thin – but always remember you are fabulous.