Insulting the Overweight

Yes, I should have made a narrow statement about outliving, not going beyond that.

I love sugar too.....I can always taste the difference between sugar and other sweeteners. However, buy a small bottle of agave nectar and give it a try. It tastes just like sugar...I can't tell a difference. It has virtually no calories and it doesn't cause diabetic sugar spikes. It's about 1/3 sweeter than sugar so you'll have to experiment with how much to use, and it can be used in all baking and recipes once you figure out the amount to substitute.

I will chime in.

Yes, gaining weight on meds is one of the about hundert reasons I don't take any. Now, before you go about how society made me self-judgemental... It's my choice. I like to be able to carry my body around without problems. I don't think there's fat and happy... if your metabolism is out of balance so much... I don't think that is road to happiness in long term. It's bad for the body... and what's bad for the body is bad for the mind.

again, it's not only societal attitude only (honestly I did not make my decision over anonymous comment on the internet), it's that... many people value their body. Obese is not healthy.

I don't think that not taking meds is stricly negative.

Now you are judging people who don't fall for the "fat but stable" mantra.

Actually, I agree with this. I'm not sure that everyone has to like everyone else. Or agree with their habits. We're all different.

I don't think people should go out their way to say "I don't like you because...." but we're humans and different.

There IS a lot of conflicting information about what to eat, when to eat it etc....

There is also a tremendous pressure to be thin, but everywhere you look things are supersized and portions are just out of control.

I mean a "happy meal" at McDonalds is just sad for kids IMO, but whatever.

There is one fact that is not disputed. Muscle burns more calories than fat and is a better sink for glucose.

If you want to lose weight and moderate blood sugar spikes, build muscle early and often.

You don't have to lift weights or run a marathon. Moving your major muscle groups (legs, arms, abdomen) is the key.

Believe it or not Yoga is a great way to build muscle, relieve stress, and improve health. It promotes healing actually.

We all have our reasons for being the way we are. We all may or may not be happy with those reasons.

We do have some measure of control over our happiness though.

To be fair, that's coming from the bias that's pro meds. Side effects in general are a large reason why I don't take psychiatric medication, and weight gain is definitely a big factor in that, but it has very very little to do with what society thinks, especially when I'm already known to be rather unorthodox. I really wouldn't be so fast to assume that that's the reason people don't take meds.

As for people who "denigrate" the obese...well, maybe some of those who choose to criticize are attempting to help. For example, it became pretty acceptable to heckle smokers, and many smokers have probably at some point been told by a stranger or someone they didn't know that they shouldn't smoke, and how they should know that smoking has a huge negative impact on their health, etc. While this is often annoying, and often quite self righteous, the criticizer has a point, and probably has (relatively) good intentions.

Society is slowly moving towards a direction where heckling the obese isn't unheard of, and at this point in time, it's really just a debate in whether it's socially acceptable. I'm just going to toss this quote out there -

"I was at this meal, and it came up that one of the people was a smoker. And somebody else at the table started hectoring them about 'what's the matter with you, don't you know how bad it is for you, it'll do this, that, and the other to you and you really should stop.' And the smoker, rather than saying 'f**k you!' you know, 'mind your business!' Which I think is the appropriate response, was abashed and defensive. 'Oh I tried to quit and yeah, I'm gonna try again and yeah you're right,' and so on. At that same table there was a quite large woman, and I was wondering, what if this guy, instead of confronting the smoker had said to the large woman, 'what's the matter with you, you fat pig? Don't you know how dangerous it is to be overweight? Stop eating, and don't you dare get dessert! and what's the matter with you?' right? Same logic; I'd be hard-pressed to find a distinction between the two. So now one is socially acceptable (to hector smokers) but the other isn't quite, yet. So the question is, at what point will it become acceptable to publicly hector fat people in the way that the smokers are publicly hectored?" - Jacob Sullum

And yes, I know that many here are going to say, but it's because of the medications I'm on, but to that I say, it's still the minority, and regardless of your reason, you do play a part in how your body develops.

Venus, you remind me of my mother, who is emotionally abusive. She can't read signs either.

Because she doesn't agree with you?

What signs?

I am not the only one who disagrees with you either in some aspects...

it's okay to be who ever you are. Unless you are Venus.

I really wish I could blame it on meds or something. Sadly, I am responsible for being somewhat *****y and open. I am not judging anybody for being overweight... but let's be honest, it's not okay healthwise.

I didn't start this thread to be lectured about my weight. I didn't start it as a venue for anti-obesity critics to tell other members how they should live their lives and why.

I should have titled it something else but I can't edit the title now.

I started it for those of us who are overweight as a thread where we could discuss amongst ourselves the issue of how people abuse us in the public domain.

Well...at the end of the day it's a forum where different people with different ideas offer different input, regardless of the topic. Everyone who isn't overweight and responding to the thread is just giving their opinions on the topic.

I much prefer to see people at their healthy weight (like chubby babies & meaty adults)... and dislike all the propaganda pushed towards the youngsters about being thin!!!!! Did anyone here in US see the latest Gap add!!! The girls look like they are going to pass out from lack of food.... Also understand people have medical issues such as medications, injuries and such which makes it very difficult for them to keep their weight in check, and have learned not to judge anyone on their appearance! ps. from EU.... originally

Let me expand on the point about half-and-half.

It is not only OK to put half-and-half into your coffee. If you use sugar, adding half-and-half or whole milk is preferred, because the presence of fat blunts the rise in blood glucose level caused by sugar.

If you want to start a thread specifically for people who are overweight there is always the eatig disorders forum, which also has sub groups for specific disorders. But these forums are also open to all members and other people can post.

PC does not resrict which members can offer input except for the womens/mens forum that I am aware of.

I agree. Sometimes I see models and wonder who stretched peach-colored plastic over that skeleton...

Same here it's just unsettling. It's just contributing to the overall psychopathy over weight and appearance.

Healthy seems to have gotten lost in there somewhere.

Oh I don't know. I think part of being okay with who we are is accepting that others may not necessarily share our views and that's alright. We're good any way.

It doesn't make it okay for people to come up and insult others, but disagreement can foster understanding - which is what we all want - if we are open to it.

As few days ago as the thread started I felt unbareably sad an I couldnt post anything but now I just want to add my own view, my own perspective. It doesnt not reflect on anybody but myself and what I think.

As for me, and me only, I am overweight for lots of reasons. I also do not care. The sooner I have a massive stroke or heart attack the better. Then I will stop being a burden on society. And you lot can stop staring at me.

You dont see the real me. Nor do you give a toss of what has led me to this place. You dont know who I am or even want to care about me because I disgust you so much.

You think you are so much better but your narrow mindedness leaves you worse off for never getting to know others who feel isolated enough as it is. And who would want to open themselves up to critics who think they are so much better.

Now have you heard the one about the biatch/alcoholic/smoker/pot head/junkie/mentally ill person?

When it all boils down we are all just people doing the best we know how to survive..... no matter what shape.

It would be nice to accept every body shape, from that of the morbidly obese to that of the GAP models.

I hear you, possum. Take care.

This thread is a trigger for me so I have been trying not to visit it, but I thought I would let you know that I support you and I do think you have been bullied here, and I don't doubt if weight is an issue for you, you've experienced discrimination and bullying about it in real life, too.

This thread is a trigger for me because my mother, who had an eating disorder among many other woes, used to abuse me about my weight (among many, many other faults she found in me). I was never thin enough. I grew up feeling enormously fat and worthless, guilty about every bite of food I took in. Not too long ago I came across some photos from those years and was shocked to see that I wasn't fat as a kid, not by a long shot.

I've learned that some people are not nice people. Some people are bullies. Some people will cast around desperately to find a weapon to use to wound others. And weight is (still) an acceptable weapon, much to the shame of anyone who uses it against other people. Here where I live it is no longer acceptable to torment someone for being non-white, foreign-born, of a different or no religion, gay, lesbian, transgendered, or disabled.

Maybe you are thinking "but no one should torment anyone over those things!"

No one should be tormented, not even slyly, by quoting statistics about mortality or morbidity, or the latest thinking about portions and exercise, about their weight.

I think Permanent had a good idea with this thread.

Well, I seen judgement towards skinny people right here in this thread. Although it may be metabolism, or that skinny chick you see and call her a crackhead could be dying of some horrible disease and just trying to keep on appearance, cause there's nothing else to do?

So isn't it kinda the same? So much talk of "acceptance of all shapes"... but then the talk doesn't add up.

Models and not my cup of coffee,but I knew few local models personally (and went to school with Tatana Kucharova, Miss World)... and to be honest, some are just that skinny naturally. I sat next to a model in High school and she ate my food sometimes Plus we should remember they are young girls,and young girls have boyish bodies.

It's not right it's passed off as ideal beauty, but model bashing is kinda lame. And it really doesn't work on making you more confident in your body.

I do like watching old shows and movies where the women were more womanly, but *shrugs*. In hips and boobs times skinny women probably had huge self-confidence issues too, I bet.

Guilty.

However, I should clarify that I was only referring to fashion models who starve themselves by choice (assuming that they can find other careers if they wanted). Not only that, but the idea that the fashion industry tries to make this stick-thin figure the epitome of beauty.

Regarding older times in which the epitome of beauty involved larger hips and breasts, that's still considered more attractive to most men in modern times, and this has a lot to do with evolutionary psychology and health (read: ability to bear and raise children). Why the fashion industry insists otherwise is beyond me...