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[cicipsychobunny]

Okay, so this week is developing a theme, and I want to put some things out there.

I know you all know me, and love me, and care about me, and think I'm awesome and hot and all that jazz.

Comments

[poor_toms_acold]

I agree with you on this (as you know), but there is one thing that bothers me - the 'noone can keep off significant weight loss for more than 5 years'. I'm sure that's true in general (and certainly true when discussing fad diet crap), and I'm sure even the authors of the articles would be quick to jump in with a "there are always the exceptions", but when I read those articles/comments I feel really demotivated, like why did I bother, I'm never going to keep it off, the article says so. And I know that's bullshit, because at this point it would take a significant change in lifestyle for it to all go back on, but even so it's really demoralising to read 'you did it all for nothing' in the middle of an article that is about building up my confidence with hard scientific fact. I'm reading the article going "yes! Yes! Finally someone is making sense! Ye... oh. Guess I'm just fighting against the inevitable." That feels really awfulI think the authors of those articles could break that statement down a little more, because as a blanket

[cicipsychobunny]

You know, I get that it's a downer. But it's true. And it sucks, because we are thoroughly conditioned to hate our bodies and ignore the fact that they change over time and don't match up to the "ideal".

I'm feeling cranky, so apologies for bluntness: fuck "motivation". If you (editorial) are doing what feels good for your body, eating foods that make you feel vital and energized, having a level of activity you enjoy and doing things that you find fun and fulfilling, wearing clothes you love, a number on a scale should not be the focus of your attention, because it's totally meaningless. It's a number, and it's a number probably no one else would ever guess or think about.

[syn_abounds]

WARNING, WALL O' TEXT AHEAD:

Look, you know, you're right, diets don't work when you are cutting out an entire food group or doing faddy things like the Atkins diet or chugging a bottle of vinegar a week to "speed up your metabolism" or whatever. You're right, they don't work because once you've reached the goal weight or whatever, or even before then, you go back to your old eating habits.

But when you change your eating habits and make this a permanent change, in the way that both Taryn and I have, this is not unhealthy and it does work. It is not a fad diet. It is not some bullshit depriving-yourself-of-everything-nice thing. This is eating healthy and eating better and eating less. This is eating your recommended daily intake. This is figuring out what ratios of proteins to carbs to vegetables works best for your body. And that DOES work

[megapope]

Pretty much what Syn said, though I should add that my own perspective is that of a guy who got diabetes from being overweight, and who knows what being miserable in his own body is like.

I don't doubt for a second that part of my misery came from social pressures and all that jazz, but at the same time, as I keep the weight loss going, I just feel better, and it's not any kind of self righteous 'not one of the fattys any more' thing going on.

[poor_toms_acold]

Thanks for being more eloquent than I was! This is what I meant, but I got tangled up in words :-S

[jessikast]

Hear hear! Your reasons are pretty much exactly the same as mine for losing weight, and I know that a lot of what I am doing is changing habits - habits about having snacks (even though I wasn't hungry), habits about if I decide to exercise or not. And it does work long term.

I know that I'm never going to be skinny - I can't actually imagine what I would look like should I achieve my "goal weight", which seems hilariously low. I like having boobs and hips and a butt. And I like having those hips and butt fit into my favourite jeans so I don't need to go and spend money on more!

[cicipsychobunny]

I refuse to "agree to disagree" when I've provided factual information and you've chosen to read it a certain way.

But right now I'm frankly feeling fat and ugly and grotesque and being surrounded by people who are frankly telling me that despite everything being fat is still *my* fault and *I'm* the one who won't just face reality is not fucking helping.

[morbane]

I think a relevant point is that it may be possible to change.

But the reason to change is highly personal, may or may not be mandated by health reasons (surely not in your case) and is being pushed by society in an irrational fashion.

Why the damn should you change if you don't have to? Well. You can change. But you don't have to.

In other news, I went and checked my bra size today, and have put on enough weight in the last few months to go up a cup size AND a clothing size, and feel depressed.

Let's all agree that the cause of my distress is based on no logical fact yet analysed by the SSar.