Opinion on fat acceptance?

JustScrap · 01-05-2009, 11:38 AM

I found this blog a few days ago http://kateharding.net/but-dont-you-...-is-unhealthy/ and would like to hear other people's opinions. I personally almost stopped reading after this gem
"Now, I?m not saying we should all go out and get fat for our health (which we wouldn?t be able to do anyway, because no one knows how to make a naturally thin person fat any more than they know how to make a naturally fat person thin; see point "

Theenforcer1 · 01-05-2009, 11:41 AM

Nice steal from T-Nation. Anyway I posted this there, and I will post it here.

I am sorry, but I just cannot accept the whole "I am who I am" excuse. I have heard enough of that. These are the same people who pound big macs, or say they dont have enough time to excersize. I used to be 240 of pure fat. King sized McDonalds meal every night, followed by a huge bowl of ice cream...and whatever else I wanted. Was I a clown in class? sure. Was I dying inside? yeah.

What did I do? I GOT UP AT 6AM every morning, dragged my ass to the gym and lost the weight. I did aqcuire an eating disorder, but instead of caving to that I FOUGHT THAT OFF TOO. now I am in pursuit of making myself who I want to be. How? Learning proper nutrition, FINDING TIME for the gym, whether its before class, after class, before practice, after practice, between classes or work. If I can find the time, ANYONE can. I dont accept people who give up, or are content. THERE IS NO PERFECTION. There is always an improvement or change someone can make.

I push people around me, and I hang out with only go-getters. Know why? Because I cannot stand people who settle for mediocrity. It may make me sound elitist, but I have been to the depths of hell and back...the only way I survived was by sheer willpower.

Lemonzest · 01-05-2009, 11:59 AM

I see it getting worse and worse in england, the more we "accept" fat and pander to the "i am who i am" (which is just quitter/lazy talk) brigade, the fatter people will get.

I decided i had enough, and got off my ass.

SinewySam · 01-05-2009, 12:27 PM

She tries to claim that fat people live longer than skinny people by referencing to that junkfood science page.

All that page says is that cardiac patients that are obese have better chances of surviving than thin ones.

That is quite the logical fallacy

There is nothing okay about being fat, its just another potential personal weakness people need to find a way to overcome if they wish to.

IGF-WON · 01-05-2009, 12:59 PM

hasnt calorie restriction been thought of as a way to increase longevity? not that it would be worth it in my opinion

Mr.Runner · 01-05-2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IGF-WON

hasnt calorie restriction been thought of as a way to increase longevity? not that it would be worth it in my opinion

One comfortable way calorie restriction is achieved is by eating one main meal a day, akin to the warrior diet or intermittent fasting. I'm not saying it's for everybody, but calorie restriction doesn't necessarily mean you're eating less calories then you need, it means altering your metabolism to subsist on less.

But that's just the theory, I personally can't give more info than that.

Fat2trim2010 · 01-05-2009, 02:02 PM

Ok so I'm a fat guy who is trying to lose the fat. I think that she is absolutely right that fat people who hate themselves because they are fat need to accept themselves as being fat. I know for me personally, when I started to care about my body despite the fact that I was very fat, I was able to take measures to change it. I had to start caring about myself. It's been hard for me but I don't plan on giving up. It's hard to unlearn years and years of habit and upbringing but I have to do it to be healthy.

However, I do know some people who have this mentality who choose to continue to remain obese. This is often at the risk of health issues which they develop as time goes on. I think she is really off base when she says being fat is healthier.

I think that if folks would like to help fat people lose weight, then they need to be encouraging rather than critical. It makes sense that if some one is surrounded by people who are supportive, they will be more likely to succeed. Sometimes people need a kick in the pants but it needs to be a supportive one.

Lastly, I think there is a difference between "a woman with curves" and an obese person. The whole "women with curves" is a description a lot of women in this movement use. I hear women who have a little bit of meat on their bones advocate for fat acceptance. I end up having discussions with them about how hard it is on the body to carry a lot of weight. Many of them are size 10-14. I guess what I'm saying is that there are varying degrees of "fat" out there. There comes a point when your body reaches a certain weight and it becomes sick. You feel run down and start becoming ill. Once you reach that point, even if you love your fat body, you need to change it if you want to live a healthy life.

hickpuff · 01-05-2009, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat2trim2010

Ok so I'm a fat guy who is trying to lose the fat. I think that she is absolutely right that fat people who hate themselves because they are fat need to accept themselves as being fat. I know for me personally, when I started to care about my body despite the fact that I was very fat, I was able to take measures to change it. I had to start caring about myself. It's been hard for me but I don't plan on giving up. It's hard to unlearn years and years of habit and upbringing but I have to do it to be healthy.

However, I do know some people who have this mentality who choose to continue to remain obese. This is often at the risk of health issues which they develop as time goes on. I think she is really off base when she says being fat is healthier.

I think that if folks would like to help fat people lose weight, then they need to be encouraging rather than critical. It makes sense that if some one is surrounded by people who are supportive, they will be more likely to succeed. Sometimes people need a kick in the pants but it needs to be a supportive one.

Lastly, I think there is a difference between "a woman with curves" and an obese person. The whole "women with curves" is a description a lot of women in this movement use. I hear women who have a little bit of meat on their bones advocate for fat acceptance. I end up having discussions with them about how hard it is on the body to carry a lot of weight. Many of them are size 10-14. I guess what I'm saying is that there are varying degrees of "fat" out there. There comes a point when your body reaches a certain weight and it becomes sick. You feel run down and start becoming ill. Once you reach that point, even if you love your fat body, you need to change it if you want to live a healthy life.

I remember my friend who was once overweight said to me "I knew I was fat when I couldn't see my d**k anymore".

Anyways, a woman with curves has those curves due to her hip structure. Wide hips doesn't equal fat, you can't change the way the hips are. However, you can CERTAINLY control how much weight you carry on the hips!

RachelBringIt · 01-05-2009, 02:25 PM

I think the whole "I need to accept my fat body" theory is for lazy people who want to just use acceptance as an excuse. I don't think there is anything wrong with liking who you are, but if you are doing things that aren't healthy for your body, i don't think anyone should accept that. (i hate the whole Mo-nique, being 300+lbs is healthy movement)

I used to be really fat, but me being fat wasn't why I didnt have any self confidence, it was a symptom of bigger confidence issues that I had, and I was filling that emotional hole with food.

I do feel for people who have medical issues and they cannot loose the weight but that only accounts for a very small percentage of the population who is overweight.

hickpuff · 01-05-2009, 02:29 PM

I have nothing wrong with people being comfortable with themselves. If that's they way they want to be, then so be it. But when an overweight person claims that a skinny person is being "arrogant" because the skinny person thinks they "one up" the overweight person that's crap. In my opinion, that's where the self-consciousness comes in. Is an overweight person truly COMFORTABLE with themself if they believe this?!

Fat2trim2010 · 01-05-2009, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hickpuff

I remember my friend who was once overweight said to me "I knew I was fat when I couldn't see my d**k anymore".

Anyways, a woman with curves has those curves due to her hip structure. Wide hips doesn't equal fat, you can't change the way the hips are. However, you can CERTAINLY control how much weight you carry on the hips!

Right, that's what I tell them. Some women have different hip structure that give them those curves. Most of the women who I have had these conversations with are active, eat well etc. They just have natural curves. This is a different beast than having so much fat on your body that it's harder to walk. Or being overweight because you eat unhealthy foods or are not active. I can see how they feel the way they do.

Dom_88 · 01-05-2009, 04:29 PM

I always laugh at "a fat person will always be fat, you can't change it" arguments. My mother is 50, I asked her the other day to think back to how many boys had boobs when she was growing up. She couldn't remember. I asked my 60 year old lecturer in NZ the same thing; he said 2.

This "fat gene" business, that somehow fat people are destined to always be fat, does not fly whatsoever with moi.

It's fine if someone is comfortable with being fat, but making blogs like this is very misleading. Being overweight to a great degree is not good for your body. The "I knew someone who was fat and lived to 80, but a skinny guy who died at 65 years of age" garbage annoys the hell out of me. I know a guy who smoked like a chimney and is still cancer free, but my mother has told me about dozens more she knows who have gotten all kinds of cancers from lighting up.

As for "real women having real curves" .....no. You ever see a curvy woman with her clothes off? She's got hips but doesn't have flab folds reminiscent of the Michelin man.

RandallH19891 · 01-05-2009, 07:49 PM

Sweet! My country gets lazier.

hickpuff · 01-05-2009, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dom_88

I always laugh at "a fat person will always be fat, you can't change it" arguments. My mother is 50, I asked her the other day to think back to how many boys had boobs when she was growing up. She couldn't remember. I asked my 60 year old lecturer in NZ the same thing; he said 2.

This "fat gene" business, that somehow fat people are destined to always be fat, does not fly whatsoever with moi.

It's fine if someone is comfortable with being fat, but making blogs like this is very misleading. Being overweight to a great degree is not good for your body. The "I knew someone who was fat and lived to 80, but a skinny guy who died at 65 years of age" garbage annoys the hell out of me. I know a guy who smoked like a chimney and is still cancer free, but my mother has told me about dozens more she knows who have gotten all kinds of cancers from lighting up.

As for "real women having real curves" .....no. You ever see a curvy woman with her clothes off? She's got hips but doesn't have flab folds reminiscent of the Michelin man.

Hips are hips. Fat + hips = different story!