"I am not fat I am (insert excuse here)

[jackfaire]

I am fat. I am obese and I need to work on it. The problem isn't that I need to improve my self esteem and realize I am beautiful even though I am unhealthy. No I do not just need to brag to everyone that I am gorgeous and that the ones that jog every day and eat right are the unhealthy ugly ones.

Guess what if your fine with being fat and unhealthy okay fine whatever. I am not. When I talk about losing weight don't just say, "Well really you just need to learn to accept yourself"

Uhm no that won't suddenly magically make me healthier or making me a physically attractive person. I was a healthy size as a kid and I want to be back to that size because it was healthy. So if you want to give me tips on getting healthy great I welcome them. If you want to tell me how to live in denial please politely fuck off.

[Gravekeeper]

....<slow clap>

I must admit I tire of said excuses and likewise question the wisdom of arguing acceptance over health. Its especially aggravating when you have a friend or aquantance that bitches about it half the time, then makes excuse the other half. But isn't willing to even give up McDonalds to do something about it. -.-

Though I would extend that thought to many things in life: If you're not willing to do something well within your power to change what you're complaining about all the time, then stop whining to me about it. You'll find my rivers are quite shallow for sympathy fishing and there may or may not be alligators.

[Rapscallion]

Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the word 'delusion'.

I don't deride anyone for being overweight. Fek - I could lose a third of my body mass (i'd be gaunt, but I could do it). I'm pragmatic about it. I'm at a far higher risk of diabetes, heart conditions, and other illnesses. Losing the weight will only skew the odds more towards my favour rather than a guarantee. However, I'm doing that at the moment.

However, the acceptance movement really does make me wonder what they're smoking. They're not ugly because they're fat, but they're not beautiful for it either.

Rapscallion

[Gravekeeper]

They're not ugly because they're fat, but they're not beautiful for it either.

That's really kind of it in a nutshell isn't it? Obviously, idealizing the supermodel Skeletor look is quite damaging. But how would flipping it around to the other extreme be any better?

[anakhouri]

Reminds me of an episode I saw ages ago of Ricki Lake (shut up I used to like junky talk shows) titled something like "Fat and All That". One woman's boyfriend was saying how he worried for his woman's health because she was quite obese, but the poor man was drowned out by a screeching chorus of "WE'RE BIG AND BEAUTIFUL YOU EVIL PIG". None of the women on the show had a medical condition that caused their weight problems, they all admitted they just liked to eat too much junk food and not exercise.

People may be happy with who they are but they have to accept there will most likely be health consequences because of it. Obviously it's wrong to make fun of people for not looking like a model, but most people don't look like models, that has nothing to do with being overweight. And before anyone accuses me of not understanding, I was ovreweight most of my life, was bullied and teased for it, and only recently got down to my pre-baby weight after 2 years, having gained 60 pounds (6 pounds still to go for my goal weight).

(one of my pet peeves is when people- usually on the Net- say they're 'fluffy' when they mean overweight. You're not a goddamn Persian cat, stupid euphenisms drive me crazy).

[BlaqueKatt]

I don't deride anyone for being overweight. Fek - I could lose a third of my body mass (i'd be gaunt, but I could do it). I'm pragmatic about it. I'm at a far higher risk of diabetes, heart conditions, and other illnesses. Losing the weight will only skew the odds more towards my favour rather than a guarantee. However, I'm doing that at the moment.

However, the acceptance movement really does make me wonder what they're smoking.

What gets me is the out and out lies they tell to delude themselves of the health issues they are at risk for.

Yes some people are perfectly healthy being over average weight, some people continue to be healthy for years, I'm all for people living how they want to, provided they're comfortable, but I cannot abide lying to make yourself feel better, it's wrong. It's one thing if you really don't give a rat's patootie about being at risk for type II diabetes, or heart disease, but to out and out say it's a medical conspiracy against overweight people, if someone that doesn't know better reads that, and believes it, they've just made a life-affecting decision based on horrible information.

[Rapscallion]

What gets me is the out and out lies they tell to delude themselves of the health issues they are at risk for.

I got thinking about this some more on the drive home tonight, and I came to realise that the things that really makes me think that someone is ugly or otherwise are intellect and honesty.

That page fails on both counts. The authors fail.

Rapscallion

[HYHYBT]

This is a very different sort of thread than I'd thought from the title. People *bringing up the subject of their own weight* in order then to make excuses for it? That's downright bizarre.

I've very nearly never heard someone defend their weight without provocation: someone pointing out how fat they are. And that's just rude.

[fireheart17]

None of the women on the show had a medical condition that caused their weight problems, they all admitted they just liked to eat too much junk food and not exercise.

Unfortunately, those women seem to fit the stereotype that obese people are just lazy and lack discipline.

What gets me is the out and out lies they tell to delude themselves of the health issues they are at risk for.

Yes some people are perfectly healthy being over average weight, some people continue to be healthy for years, I'm all for people living how they want to, provided they're comfortable, but I cannot abide lying to make yourself feel better, it's wrong. It's one thing if you really don't give a rat's patootie about being at risk for type II diabetes, or heart disease, but to out and out say it's a medical conspiracy against overweight people, if someone that doesn't know better reads that, and believes it, they've just made a life-affecting decision based on horrible information.

I read through that. If anything, the website seems to confuse risk factor with sole cause. Obesity puts you at greater RISK for it, it doesn't mean that if you're obese, you're guaranteed to get <insert disease here>. There are breast cancer survivors out there who are skinny as a rake and that was BEFORE they went through therapy (Kylie Minogue for example). My friends dad has Type II diabetes and isn't overweight at all. If anything, his wife is encouraging the family to eat healthily.

As for me, I'm overweight. However, I'm also aiming to lose that weight. Yes I'm a size 18 in clothing (American dress sizes are about 2 sizes down from Australians, so I'm roughly a Size 14 in american clothing). Yes that makes me plus-size in a lot of stores. Clothing shopping for me can vary from upsetting to somewhat OK at times. It all depends on whether I can find something not so daggy. I'm not comfortable with my weight, I just try and make the best of it NOW. I swim-up to at least twice a week. I climb a LOT of stairs around campus. I'll park the car far away from a shopping centre and walk there. I tend to be huge on unintentional exercise, since the motivation is already there: I WANT to go to the shopping centre, so I'll walk there instead of driving there. I WANT to go into the city, so I'll catch the train and walk from the train station. And so on.

I seriously doubt that I will end up being a size 8 (American size 4), if anything, my goal dress size is around a size 12-14 (so dropping around 2-3 dress sizes. For you US folk, that's around a US 8-10). The reason why is that I have broad shoulders and I seem to be pear shaped regardless of what size I'm in, so I know that realistically, a size 8 will never fit.

Websites like that scare me with the amount of misinformation that they put out there.

[BlaqueKatt]

This is a very different sort of thread than I'd thought from the title. People *bringing up the subject of their own weight* in order then to make excuses for it? That's downright bizarre.
I've very nearly never heard someone defend their weight without provocation

I have several friends on FB that post stuff 5-6 times a day about how larger people are able to hold more awesomeness, more intelligence, etc.

I am not going to deride anyone about their weight, but the backlash against people that are "average" weight is horrifying. I've been called some truly horrible names because of my weight(I have been on both extremes), and while when I was heavier it was "OMG HORRIBLE" that anyone would say anything about my weight(my nickname was moose), when I lost the weight I apparently automatically lost my feelings because it became 100% ok to call me "toothpick, beanpole, poster child for anorexia, bag of antlers, etc. I've also been told "real women have curves", "anyone under this weight or this size can't possibly have curves", or this company makes clothes for real women-somehow implying that someone under size x is not real

Weight is not an acceptable thing to discuss unless you are a medical professional discussing it with your patient during a visit.

I've known thin people that could barely walk a mile, and people that would be classified as overweight bordering on obese that could bike 75 miles without breaking a sweat. As long as a person is happy and healthy, fine, if not and they want to change it, that's their choice and no one should tell someone their choice is wrong.

My sister was over 300 pounds at one point(she's 5'2"), and was told in a BBW chatroom she was "too skinny", she was happy with her weight, then my mom was diagnosed with heart disease, my sister decided to lose some weight, she's now just over 200, and happy with her current weight, she chose to lose over 100 pounds for her health, and people were trying to tell her she was "giving in to society's ideal of beauty", no she chose to work on her health. She is aware she's still at risk for some health problems, but she wanted the risk lowered to a level she was ok with. And that is all that matters.

[fireheart17]

I've known thin people that could barely walk a mile, and people that would be classified as overweight bordering on obese that could bike 75 miles without breaking a sweat. As long as a person is happy and healthy, fine, if not and they want to change it, that's their choice and no one should tell someone their choice is wrong.

My tutor for my Health and PE topic at uni (part of my teaching curriculum studies) mentioned something about there being different classifications of physically fit.
For instance, I swim in my spare time. I'm getting close to being able to swim 400m without breaking a sweat so to speak (I can swim the length, but I always stop at each end for a few reasons: one, I can't tumble turn, two, I need to be aware of the lifeguards instructions, three, there is a chance that a little kid could've jumped into the lane unintentionally and four, if someone wants to share the lane, I need to adapt accordingly because I drift like crazy during backstroke). I'm aiming on building this up towards a 1km swim.
On the other hand I can't sprint more than a few metres. Someone can be physically fit in one form of fitness, but not so much in another. I can walk 3km no problem, but I can't run.

So there are different levels of physical fitness and how fun someone can run or jump is not a sole indicator.

(And yes, my teacher is a PE teacher at a private school. She's also quite skinny)

[anakhouri]

Unfortunately, those women seem to fit the stereotype that obese people are just lazy and lack discipline.

Oh certainly, it was Ricki Lake after all so the show was geared to extremes in order to provoke maximum reaction. I'm not sure whether it was meant to promote the 'big and beautiful' attitude or make the audience angry at these women (the studio audience seemed to agree with the guests).

I can't run. My husband runs and told me anyone can run, they just have to work up to it. After a solid year I was still puking after a mile so he had to admit he was incorrect. I can walk for miles and miles though. I could never get rid of my stomach either, even doing 200 situps a day for months on end. Since the baby it's worse than ever, it just won't go away. Ah well, this is what Spanx are for, right?

[fireheart17]

I can't run. My husband runs and told me anyone can run, they just have to work up to it. After a solid year I was still puking after a mile so he had to admit he was incorrect. I can walk for miles and miles though. I could never get rid of my stomach either, even doing 200 situps a day for months on end. Since the baby it's worse than ever, it just won't go away. Ah well, this is what Spanx are for, right?

I swim. I can't run. So he's definitely incorrect .

(I swim and if you get me involved in a pick-up game of soccer, volleyball or basketball I'm fine)

[HYHYBT]

Yes I'm a size 18 in clothing (American dress sizes are about 2 sizes down from Australians, so I'm roughly a Size 14 in american clothing).

Not that it much matters, but *somebody* has to point out that 18 - 2 ≠ 14 :P

[Andara Bledin]

Not that it much matters, but *somebody* has to point out that 18 - 2 ≠ 14 :P

And now, *somebody* has to point out that integers are not the same as sizes.

13/14 are the same size, but different fits. The same for 15/16 and 17/18, so while there are 4 integers from 14 to 18, there are only 2 sizes.

^-.-^