I'm not a big fan of labels but the idea of being 'plus-sized' has been a part of my identity for over a decade. This phrase has helped me to accept my body at different sizes, be happy with myself and find clothes that I feel fabulous in. I made it a part of who I am and it has remained so throughout the last year following my gastric band operation. I am now a size 16, still plus-sized, but this is dipping to a 14-16 and will soon be a 14.
At this point, you're probably thinking 'why doesn't she just stop losing weight and maintain where she is?'. The reason that I am still working to lose weight is that I still need to work to become that medical 'ideal' weight to help with treatments that are in the pipeline. In truth, I thought I would be closer to that point when I did reach a size 16, but building muscle has meant that I've toned areas of my body more, losing inches but not shifting much weight in the last month.