Glad you posted this for 2 reasons - one is that going into the holidays is always a heightened concern for anyone who was overweight and trying to not be. Having been fat and not-fat, I completely understand what you are saying. When I was fat, I was truly FAT for my height and build and boy did my feet and back, and overall health suffer. It was not healthy and had to be addressed - not accepted.
When I'm overweight, ie. slightly above the top weight for my height, I fit into a size 10/12 US. Now, some people would say 'wow, you're below the US Average!'. But I knew that weight was still too much - it prohibited me from doing the outdoor activities I wanted to do because at that weight I was still out of shape! It was embarrassing to be huffing and puffing while my other friends waited for me to get myself together. So even at that weight, I often shunned participating in events or activities I knew I physically couldn't handle.
When I'm at the right weight for me, I'm not thin. I have curves and not all in the right places. I still have my lovely cellulite thighs so swimsuits mock me but healthwise, I'm so much better that it is worth every damn salad, sacrifice, and the endless treadmill.
Fatness is predominant on my Dad's side of the family. There are genes involved here obviously. All of my cousins are outgoing, energetic forces that don't let life slow them down. But all of them are struggling every day to get healthlier. Fighting your own body sucks! But it's important for your health and that's the piece she's skimming over too lightly. We have a history of disease all related to fatness - you can't put your head in the sand and pretend about that.
I do know that mentally when I gain weight, I get depressed. I know how hard it is to get that weight back off. I would beat myself up about why I let it happen again. I have been known to avoid seeing certain people until I'm back at my ideal weight (stupid I know but I'm human and vain, lol).
Maybe for her, being overweight did make her inhibited from doing the things she craved doing. So yes, accepting that you shouldn't let weight stop you is a good thing. But blithely acting like it's okay that we should all accept being obese is ridiculous. And the other piece she's missing is this very important concept - even thinner people have to watch their weight and work on it. My size 4 sister is just as careful to cut back calories and work out more when she has to. There's no blissful 'you're just naturally thin' thing going on, but loads of hard work. Realizing that made me stop pitying myself for having to diet. Everyone over 40 is on a diet for their health, that's what we have to accept!
Exactly. [nod] I think there's a difference between someone who's a healthy and active size fourteen, who feels good and has a full life, wanting to not be harassed about her weight (which is where I can get into the "fat acceptance" thing -- when it's about other people not being assholes), and someone who's like me, with major health and quality-of-life issues being told that she should be just as happy and cool with her weight as the previously-mentioned happy size fourteen woman.
There are plenty of people, especially women, who are thought of as "fat" by modern society who are actually no such thing. Too many people think that if you can't count your ribs in the mirror, you're fat. That's an unhealthy attitude and needs to be countered. But taking it this far, with the idea that anyone who's fat should be able to just let go and be happy about it is ridiculous. And if that's not what she actually meant, then she should've rewritten it until it actually said what she meant, before she posted. :/
Glad you posted this for 2 reasons - one is that going into the holidays is always a heightened concern for anyone who was overweight and trying to not be. Having been fat and not-fat, I completely understand what you are saying. When I was fat, I was truly FAT for my height and build and boy did my feet and back, and overall health suffer. It was not healthy and had to be addressed - not accepted.
When I'm overweight, ie. slightly above the top weight for my height, I fit into a size 10/12 US. Now, some people would say 'wow, you're below the US Average!'. But I knew that weight was still too much - it prohibited me from doing the outdoor activities I wanted to do because at that weight I was still out of shape! It was embarrassing to be huffing and puffing while my other friends waited for me to get myself together. So even at that weight, I often shunned participating in events or activities I knew I physically couldn't handle.
When I'm at the right weight for me, I'm not thin. I have curves and not all in the right places. I still have my lovely cellulite thighs so swimsuits mock me but healthwise, I'm so much better that it is worth every damn salad, sacrifice, and the endless treadmill.
Fatness is predominant on my Dad's side of the family. There are genes involved here obviously. All of my cousins are outgoing, energetic forces that don't let life slow them down. But all of them are struggling every day to get healthlier. Fighting your own body sucks! But it's important for your health and that's the piece she's skimming over too lightly. We have a history of disease all related to fatness - you can't put your head in the sand and pretend about that.
I do know that mentally when I gain weight, I get depressed. I know how hard it is to get that weight back off. I would beat myself up about why I let it happen again. I have been known to avoid seeing certain people until I'm back at my ideal weight (stupid I know but I'm human and vain, lol).
Maybe for her, being overweight did make her inhibited from doing the things she craved doing. So yes, accepting that you shouldn't let weight stop you is a good thing. But blithely acting like it's okay that we should all accept being obese is ridiculous. And the other piece she's missing is this very important concept - even thinner people have to watch their weight and work on it. My size 4 sister is just as careful to cut back calories and work out more when she has to. There's no blissful 'you're just naturally thin' thing going on, but loads of hard work. Realizing that made me stop pitying myself for having to diet. Everyone over 40 is on a diet for their health, that's what we have to accept!
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Exactly. [nod] I think there's a difference between someone who's a healthy and active size fourteen, who feels good and has a full life, wanting to not be harassed about her weight (which is where I can get into the "fat acceptance" thing -- when it's about other people not being assholes), and someone who's like me, with major health and quality-of-life issues being told that she should be just as happy and cool with her weight as the previously-mentioned happy size fourteen woman.
There are plenty of people, especially women, who are thought of as "fat" by modern society who are actually no such thing. Too many people think that if you can't count your ribs in the mirror, you're fat. That's an unhealthy attitude and needs to be countered. But taking it this far, with the idea that anyone who's fat should be able to just let go and be happy about it is ridiculous. And if that's not what she actually meant, then she should've rewritten it until it actually said what she meant, before she posted. :/
Angie
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