As a United Methodist Minister there are quiet a few hoops we must jump through on the path towards ordination. One of these hoops is called "Personal Growth and Development". It was in this area that I "failed" for lack of a better word. This was due to my being overweight. I must add that this was never mentioned as a possible factor on the previous steps of the journey. I was to do several things and return in a year for follow-up with "The Board". I arrived the next year a slightly smaller but still overweight person who done all that was asked and a bit more. This was only to hear comments such as "Don't you think you came back too soon?" and "You're still morbidly obese". Ahh, Christian love. So that was five years ago and I am still fighting the battle and will personally and LOUDLY proclaim that this experience did nothing to inspire me to change but rather made me feel like a total failure, even more self-conscious about my weight (like I didn't know I was fat, I'm the one who spends the most time with me!), especially since I am still doing the work of a pastor but was turned from being commissioned (a step in our ordination process). Nothing like feeling as though your colleagues said "Fatty McChubbypants, you can't join our club" because of your weight to make you feel like a complete loser because that has never drove a person headfirst into a quart of ice-cream before.
I am thankful for your work in this study as you have actually given me hope and validated a suspicion I've had all along, that being they did more to harm my effort than to help.