maybe you donât notice at first.
donât notice the way you struggle a bit more to button up your jeans before work.
donât notice the way your shirt feels a lot tighter, how itâs practically become a second skin for you.
donât notice the way you breathe heavier just walking from your house to your car, sitting in the front seat for a moment just to catch your breath.
donât notice the way you had to move your seat back this morning, too, because the steering wheel has started to press uncomfortably into your stomach and thighs.
donât notice the way your first meal of the day has more calories than you should be eating for half the day.
donât notice the way you stop and get donuts on the way to work more frequently now, so you have something to snack on during work.
donât notice the way your co-workers are staring more and more often at you, the way your clothes cling to your body, every new pound on full display.
donât notice the way your shirt has started to roll up while you eat, exposing that soft underbelly for the world to see.
donât notice the way you eat three times as much as your friends do when you all go out, ordering more and more and finishing off their plates for them, too.
maybe you donât notice how fat youâre getting, but youâre going to notice soon.
youâll notice when you try to pull your old favorite jeans on, and they get stuck on your thighs. youâll fight and pull and try to get them on, but even if you manage to slide them up your legs, theyâll never button across that belly.
youâll notice when all of your shirts have suddenly become crop tops, sliding up to rest above the top of your belly.
youâll notice when you get out of breath just walking from your bedroom to the kitchen to stuff your face even more. how a simple few steps make you have to pause.
youâll notice when the seatbelt cuts into your belly and chest when you move too far in your seat, when itâs a struggle to fit yourself in behind the steering wheel.
youâll notice when your breakfast order comes out and thereâs enough plates to feed a family of 4, and the waitress asks if youâre sure you can finish all that.
(you know you can, youâve done it before.)
youâll notice when your two, three, four donuts a day becomes 7, 8, 9, a dozen a day, until the workers know your name and order by heart.
youâll notice when your co-workers start to whisper when you walk by, asking what happened to you, how could you let yourself go like that?
youâll notice when your clothes are tight before you even eat, but they become unbearable once youâve shoved all that food into your face. when you have to unbutton your jeans mid meal, as to not risk losing a button.
youâll notice when your friends start asking if you need that 3rd, 4th, 5th plate, if you really need dessert after all that food. when they say hey, weâre going to the gym after lunch, do you want to come?
youâre getting fat, and you love it.