"The thing is, health is never a guaranteed thing in life.  Every human being, at some point in their life will face illness, and almost all, bar being taken by a horrible sudden accident at the prime of their lives, will be disabled at some point, if nothing else in old age.  Besides, you cannot eat yourself to diabetes.  The only concrete deciding factor for diabetes (and most other diseases blamed on fatness) is genetics.  There is no shame in being unhealthy, because health is so subjective and personal, that what is healthy for one person, is unhealthy for the next.  Not to mention that every human being, even those who are fat and/or have illness/disability, deserves respect, dignity and the peace to live their lives without stigmatisation."

Seriously, check it out!

I know that's easier said than done, especially in cultures where thinness seems to be valued above all else.  A few things that you can do:

1.  If something is making you feel bad about yourself, ask if it's coming from a source that is trying to sell you something, or trying to make you feel bad about yourself so that they can feel better about themselves. Come up with a little catch phrase to dismiss it.  Mine is "That's not about me, you can keep it."

2.  Find ways to appreciate your body and all the things it does for you.  If you're struggling with this, here's something that might help.

3.  Stop body snarking.  It's no better to say "she's too thin and needs to eat a sandwich" than it is to say "she's too fat and needs to put down the sandwich"  Every body is beautiful and worthy of respect.

4.  Seek out pictures of a variety of bodies and look for their beauty.  Try to appreciate your own body at least as much as you appreciate other peoples!  Some places to look are:

Athletes at Every Size Flickr Pool  

This post (check the comments for lots of amazing pictures and videos of cool people doing awesome stuff from belly dancing to hammer throwing).

The Adipositivity Project (NSFW, and the only situation in which I think a headless fatty is ok)

Works of Peter Paul Rubens (NSFW)

Corvetta Curves (NSFW)

Plush Cat Club (NSFW)