Mom Critizied for photo on Facebook

[HEMI6point1]

For me, the photo is basically saying that just because you have kids doesn't give you an excuse to let yourself go.

But the real question is.... Doesn't this woman know what birth control is?! Three kids in around 3 years time is a bit much!

[Boozy]

How to get rid of the fat though? I run, do the cross-trainer, stair climber, arc trainer, recumbant bike, yoga, and lift a ittle. The rest of me slimmed down after a year but that damned stomach fat...

Cut calories and increase cardio until you've cut the fat. It's the only way, and not fun.

Realistically, six-pack abs are difficult to maintain. I cut only during bikini season, and relax my diet slightly the rest of the year. It's too difficult to maintain <15% body fat (the percentage at which my abs tend to "pop"). It means no simple sugars, no bread, and very little salt (lest I bloat). I usually throw in the towel around Labour Day.

[violiav]

It wasn't the picture, it was the caption that was pissing people off.
I know people who are in great shape and eat right, and they still can't get all the weight off. Since when do they need an "excuse" to be the way they are?

I noticed that the caption is fairly common on fitness photos. The photos usually have an elderly person lifting a massive weight or a body builder without legs.

[Hyena Dandy]

I noticed that the caption is fairly common on fitness photos. The photos usually have an elderly person lifting a massive weight or a body builder without legs.

Yeah, honestly, the caption didn't seem, to me, to be as aggressive as some people are putting on. I think the implication wasn't "People who don't look like this are bad" it was "With enough sacrifices, you can look like this if you want to." Still not true in all cases, but if you're happy not being incredibly toned and thin, then... You don't need to be. It wasn't for you.

[siead_lietrathua]

rant
i think we have to keep the society-influence factor in the reactions of the people as well. speaking as someone who is fat, who overall is content with myself, and has no desire to look like that woman, this stuff annoys the ever loving hell outta me.

society is obsessed with weight and youth. looking old (or hell even your age), or fat is an automatic "ugly" and some people honestly fear being seen that way by society. images like the one in the op is just one more person putting out that mentality that people should look like them. that we should all be toned, strong, fit etc. And if you don't, REGARDLESS of reason? well it's just an excuse.

shit like this also pisses me off because it's passive-aggressive bullying. if this woman was honestly proud of her appearance for her own self, she could have captioned it with "all my hard work paid off!" or "8 months later, i'm back baby!" or other, SELF positive comments. but by taking that image and making it a negative comment about the viewer "what's YOUR excuse?" instead of a comment about herself "look what I did, i am so proud!" it makes it bullshit taunting.

i'm aware i don't need to look like women like that. it doesn't mean i like the third-grade 'neenerneener, i'm awesome, what's your excuse for not looking like me' bullshit in my face.

/rant

[Hyena Dandy]

Like I said, I really didn't interpret it as being aimed at someone like you. I figured it was only aimed at someone who wanted to look like her. "I don't want to look like that" is a damn fine excuse.

[BlaqueKatt]

Really? Do you have any suggestions? Everyone I ask (including my doctor) said sit-ups and push-ups were the way to go.

I feel betrayed.

My personal trainer hardly ever had me doing sit ups.

V-sits
russian twists
pull ins on a TRX
"Jelly rolls"(her name for them-they were awful)
Planks...oh god the planks....-_-
a ton of stuff with the "yoga balls"

I did so many things my abs are just about 6 pack(though I still have a "pouch" of loose skin), and I have very well defined obliques, took 2x a week for 8 months though. mainly strength training to add lean muscle mass which boosts metabolism to burn the fat(also 30-60 minutes cardio 2x/week) so around 4 hours a week.

[Boozy]

Like I said, I really didn't interpret it as being aimed at someone like you. I figured it was only aimed at someone who wanted to look like her. "I don't want to look like that" is a damn fine excuse.

That's exactly how I see it.

Her blog is meant for an audience of people who prioritize fitness in their lives. This particular photo was picked up by some "fat acceptance/health at any size" blogs and as a result, it reached a broader audience. This broader audience obviously includes people for whom fitness is not a priority. I really don't think that Ms. Kang saw that as a possibility when she posted that photo. I think she was trying to inspire her readers, many of whom want to look like that after having kids, and needed a bit of inspiration.

I think the photo is inspirational for these women. It shows that their fitness goals are achievable even for someone who has given birth fairly recently and busy with young children.

If looking like Maria Kang is not a goal of yours, no big deal. I don't think she was trying to imply that everyone should want what she wants.

My personal trainer hardly ever had me doing sit ups.

V-sits
russian twists
pull ins on a TRX
"Jelly rolls"(her name for them-they were awful)
Planks...oh god the planks....-_-
a ton of stuff with the "yoga balls"

Those are all good exercises for core strength, but I believe that anakhouri is more concerned with belly fat, which can only be lost by maintaining a calorie deficit through a combination of reduced diet and increased exercise. (Apologies if I'm misinterpreting here, anakhouri).

You can be twenty pounds overweight and still have great abdominal muscles, but the only way to turn that into a "six-pack" is to lose the layer of fat covering them.

[anakhouri]

No, I just want to get rid of this post-baby tummy fat! You're right.

Thanks for the informaiton everyone!

[Titi]

I found the caption offensive because I have been there when my overweight aunts walk 2 miles to local wendy's and when they get a frosty, I have heard people saying mean things like, they should get a diet soda. they drove here and they are out of breath (the only one panting was me) . I work out, why don't they? people like this should be not allowed to live. All my thin self was thinking was I have to walk back?

[hinakiba777]

I feel like everyone has said what I wanted to say about the "What's your excuse" thing being the truly offensive thing. I would like to add that I am fat and out of shape. I used to be overweight and in good shape otherwise but the past couple years I haven't been able to maintain a workout regime for numerous reasons. I'm at the point where I can't run a block (which is something i want and need to be able to do). However, I find that most work out programs people suggest for me require a base level of fitness I haven't achieved. I won't get into the details about what those are, but it feels like most workouts are to get cut or to get marathon ready. I need to get to base level at least before I can start on that. It's not that I'm unwilling to do rockclimber pushups, i just literally don't have the upper body strength yet. I feel like it might easier to get "back in shape" than to do so initially.

Also the muscle building exercises in the world won't make you looked jacked if it's hidden under fat. I used to do tons and tons of situps, crunches, weighted situp/crunches, etc. I had pretty damn strong abs. Couldn't see them under the belly fat though.

My brother is the same way. His abs are ROCK HARD, but they are under a heavy layer of belly fat. If he could burn off all the excess fat, he's be jacked.

rant
fat is an automatic "ugly"

It's true. I have been told by so many people I'd be "prettier if I lost weight." It bugs me because I like the way I look, or I used to. Looking in the mirror is confusing. On the list of things that will happen is I lost weight the top four most frequent are; Prettier, Happier, More Friends, men will like me.

Oddly enough I thought I was pretty and happy before people pointed this all out to me. Just wanted to comment on your rant.

[siead_lietrathua]

That's exactly how I see it.

Her blog is meant for an audience of people who prioritize fitness in their lives. This particular photo was picked up by some "fat acceptance/health at any size" blogs and as a result, it reached a broader audience. This broader audience obviously includes people for whom fitness is not a priority. I really don't think that Ms. Kang saw that as a possibility when she posted that photo. I think she was trying to inspire her readers, many of whom want to look like that after having kids, and needed a bit of inspiration.

while i dig that, that doesn't make the caption less negative.
the wording she chose still is disparaging the viewer instead of talking up her own accomplishments. if this was about diffrent achievements, say about her obtaining some crazy-high results on an intelligence test, and captioned it the same way, people would still be getting pissed.
you can inspire people without being negative to them, it's not hard. you can talk about your accomplishments and the hard work you did to achieve them, in ANY field, and not have to antagonize people with the "what's your excuse" line.
if it had been captioned differently, it never would have gotten passed around to those other blogs and never generated any backlash. hell it may have been passed around as a positive source to other people who enjoy fitness blogs, and given her good feedback and more long-term viewers instead of random, angry posters that won't stick around.

[Rapscallion]

This particular photo was picked up by some "fat acceptance/health at any size" blogs and as a result, it reached a broader audience.

I see what you did there!

Rapscallion

[Boozy]

I honestly hadn't intended that.

[Canarr]

you can inspire people without being negative to them, it's not hard. you can talk about your accomplishments and the hard work you did to achieve them, in ANY field, and not have to antagonize people with the "what's your excuse" line.
if it had been captioned differently, it never would have gotten passed around to those other blogs and never generated any backlash. hell it may have been passed around as a positive source to other people who enjoy fitness blogs, and given her good feedback and more long-term viewers instead of random, angry posters that won't stick around.

Or she might have been accused of bragging, making herself look better, more accomplished etc. than others. People are pretty easy to antagonize, especially on the internet; some people just *want* to be offended, I think.