About

Hello, I’m Annabel aka “The Cranky One” and I’m based in Long Beach, CA.

I began this blog three years ago to chronicle my weight-loss, however, as I have transformed, so too has this blog. My interests and passions now center upon size-acceptance, food- and obesity-politics, Health at Every Size (R), vegan food, feminism, and, most importantly, prioritizing who I am over what I look like.

I can’t and don’t want to erase the past; this blog really captures my evolution from weight-loss-obsessed (which led to my eventual eating disorder) to passionate about rectifying what I see is a social injustice: our obsession with policing other people’s bodies in the name of a purported health goal (obesity crisis!). The truth of the matter is: we need to give up the ghost of body homogenization and focus on creating an equitable society where healthful behaviors are encouraged, not because they might promote weight loss, but because when we are optimally healthy, we may do good things in, and for, the world.

Part of my past is that I used to be what society deems “diseased.” My twin brother and I used to be “morbidly obese” by BMI standards. When I started Feed Me, I’m Cranky to document my progress in losing my “final pounds” and maintaining the bulk of a 150-pound weight loss, I didn’t envision that I’d go from omnivore to vegetarian to vegan, battle and conquer bulimia, and find a community of support from strangers

Over the years, I’ve been featured in iVillage, Crazy Sexy Life, Betty Confidential Magazine, AOL’s ‘That’s Fit,’ and Fitness Magazine.

In my professional life, I am a full-time PR manager. Prior to this, I worked as a ghostwriter for a health-focused celebrity, as a fact-checker for NY Times Best-Selling author Lisa “Hungry Girl” Lillien, and in marketing/PR for various companies and organizations. I hold an M.A. in English and am in the beginning writing stages for a book on food & identity politics. In addition to being a blogger, I’m also the lead singer in The Antique Toys (check out our release here) and a featured singer in Pristina.

I hope to hear about your health journeys — where you’ve been and where you’re headed — and hope we can learn from each other.

<3,

The Cranky One