If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, their peanut butter cups are WAY better than Reese’s! More peanut butter and chocolate flavor, less overpowering sweetness.

Hmm, favorite Halloween candy… mainstream chocolate has been getting worse over the years, so I gravitate towards the non-chocolate options. Payday bars, Airheads, Nerds, and the fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls. Those only show up this time of year so I make sure to stock up!

Keep it clean and keep it dry! I make my own body powder with zinc oxide in the formula. This both fights odor and soothes the skin. I shower at night so I can lay under the ceiling fan afterwards and hold my belly up to make sure it’s completely dry underneath. Towels always leave me a bit damp.

Thunder Thighs and Belly Bounce, both by Miss Eaves! The music videos for both are fun.

Yup. I had an extremely close call in my early twenties, the kind where the hospital told my parents to get my sister home on the next flight to say goodbye because I might not make it to morning. That was part of what spurred me to reevaluate my obsession with dieting and weight loss. Lying there in the hospital bed and reflecting on my life, I remember thinking "I don't remember the last time I ate cheesecake. I would have died hungry, miserable, and without the joy of cheesecake."

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die. That's not to say I don't pay attention to my health, I managed to reverse high cholesterol by eating less fatty meat and more vegetables. (The key is to load those veggies up with intense flavors that hide the taste.) But I also eat cheesecake when I feel the urge.

As a fat woman, it’s really fucking hard to find doctors who will take me seriously and not just chalk up any health issues to obesity. People die that way from diseases that could have been detected and treated early, but weren’t because the doctor blew the patient off.

I travel over an hour one way to see my primary care doctor because he is one of the few who actually listens to me. He’s an absolute treasure and I will do whatever it takes to keep him.

No kidding? How do you cook them, in the oven? I don't have an air fryer.

Hmm, I'm not a huge fast food person. I do have a few favorites though.

1. Krispy Krunchy Chicken, the finest of fried chicken

2. Shake Shack, the burgers are only there so I can say I had lunch instead of just a delicious shake

3. Arby's. Don't look at me like that! The curly fries and strawberry lemonade are bomb AF! And the chicken cordon bleu sandwich is actually pretty good. Get it without mayo and slather it with horsey sauce instead.

I'm going in for a colonoscopy on Wednesday, here's hoping the hospital has a gown big enough to go around my hips and belly. That's not always the case. And I hope the nurses and anesthesiologist are nice or at least professional, sometimes you get nasty people who don't want anything to do with fat patients.

At least I know the gastroenterologist performing the actual procedure and he's a good guy. He did bring up my weight at the initial consult, but it was more "we have to do this at the hospital instead of the clinic for safety reasons due to your BMI". Didn't shame me at all, which was great. Then again, part of his job is convincing high risk patients to do a procedure with a notoriously unpleasant prep. Probably didn't want to scare me away!

See, I love roller coasters and carnival rides! Or at least I did. There's nothing like a good adrenaline rush. It would make me sad to go to a theme park and have to watch everyone else enjoying the rides that I can't fit on.