Obesity Epidemic and Fat Acceptance

[E-Man]

I don't think that anyone is condoning being fat, but it's rather a case that some people just accept that people are fat and that it's not going to change. What are you really going to do to an obese person besides putting a gun to their head and forcing them to eat healthy and exercise? They are responsible for their own decisions, and it's going to be hard to positively influence them. As Silvermoth just said before me, it's really nobody's business if someone is fat or not. Unless fat people start going around rubbing their bellies in people's faces then it's not really a problem. It is a personal problem to the person and their family, but society as a whole is not endangered because some people are just fat. In fact, I'd bet that more fat people are representative of a prosperous society because we have access to more food. Obesity is not a problem in third world countries at all, poverty and malnourishment is.

Now that's not to say that we don't live in a Western society that has loads of unhealthy food available. In my area there are tons of fast food chains and restaurants that I can grub at whenever I'm hungry. In the grocery stores there are plenty of dessert choices for me as well. Getting fat is no problem because there is so much food around me that is unhealthy. But is that really an issue? Why take away business from a strong organization just to keep my personal health choices in check? They're not responsible for my well being, I am. Their goal is to sell a product that people like in order to make money. You can't blame them for giving the people what they want.

Where is the line when it comes to health anyway? Obesity is unhealthy, but so is alcohol and cigarettes. Hell I bet the people complaining about obesity drink quite often, and/or maybe smoke. They're destroying their lungs and liver, so do we have to have an intervention with tobacco and liquor companies to alter these people's unhealthy choices? No. They should be allowed to make money as long as people are willing to buy their product. We just need to learn to accept responsibility for our own choices instead of pointing the finger at society. Yes there are plenty of things to blame on society, but being fat is not one of them.

And yeah, I'm fat. There are no psychological reasons for me to be a big guy. I just like food, and I have a big appetite. No one forced me to do anything. I did it to myself, and the consequence is my stomach. Hell I work out quite often, and I'm pretty muscular. *flexes Brock Lesnar style shoulders* But apparently that's not enough yet to get rid of my belly. Maybe in time it'll come, but until then I'm a fat guy with no one to blame but myself. Society didn't do this to me, I did.

I have perfectly straight teeth though, so it balances out.

 

[E-Man]

Oops. Sorry for that long ass rant.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

I'm just trying to cut down on the amount of meat I ingest daily. I don't really want 60% of my diet to be meat products, but that's just my goal. It's moreso an experiment of sorts, to see how it will affect my body/energy levels and whether I will crave it or not. My craving is leaning toward not missing it so much and I'm seeing positive results so far energy-wise. But there are Japanese dishes that are comprised primarily of meat... I'm just cooking and eating the ones that don't.

I can dig it. For me, I tweak my carb intake and my energy fluctuates. The amount of protein I ingest is directly proportional to the amount of heavy s**t I can pick up though. As for cravings, there isn't a second that goes by that I wouldn't tear into a chicken breast or 16oz sirloin.

What does weight have to do with a person's character...

Well if a person is overweight and you seem them eating unhealthily, it's often indicative of a lack of willpower and discipline.

 

[Sam Fisher]

I'm fat. And guess what? I don't give a crap what other people think

 

[Eggyman]

Who am I to condone when I can eat what I want when I want and never gain a pound?

Almost anything can make your life worse or kill you. You can eat junk and die. You can stick your Mr in a guy's arse who has HIV without using protection. You can Base-jump without a chute. Me judging will not solve this. The best we can do is live and let live and have help available for those that want it.

The fat guy in my office.... If I said to Fat Guy, 'Hey, you're fat!' what would happen? He'd probably feel bad and go eat a few animals. That comment I made to Fat Guy didn't help. It helped me deal with his fat by externalising my thoughts and showing my hate of his situation. But I probably could've lived without it. Just like the fatty eating the junk food, or the gay wearing a condom, or the thrillseeker wearing a parachute. Life goes around and I'm not the guy to judge.

How do I feel when someone says, 'You'll die from smoking,' or 'One day you'll be assassinated because you're so awesome'? It can piss me off.

I'm not into the bible. It's a bit rubbish. If they made it into a film I'd want del Torro to do it. BUT, it has its moments. Do onto others as you would have them do onto you. So I don't judge the fat, the gay, the Base-jumper. I let them live their lives how they want just as I live mine. If you want to change then do so. If not, have a nice day.

 

[knowsbleed]

Well said Eggs, but I think we all know that it's okay to judge the Anime Watchers... it must be okay to judge them.

 

[TheFuture]

I'd go along with Manic, people being cruel will never help the issue. I actually came across that Marie Claire article elsewhere a week or so back. In regards to the actual article: there's nothing in it that suggests to me that the writer has genuine concerns over obesity and the health risks that are attached. Indeed, comments like this one:

I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room

Suggest to me that the writers problem is purely a superficial one. It "offends" her eyes. It has no value or substance IMO.

Now, in regards to actually losing weight. It's a tough tough nut to crack, especially if you were overweight all your life like me. I didn't take action until I was 19 and it took an insane amount of mental strength to lose the weight I was carrying. It's not like The Biggest Loser where you have aides on hand to help you, personal trainers, chefs cooking your meals, being surrounded by peers and no-one else. Most of all, it's not a perfect world where you'll lose the pounds every week. You will have weeks where you lose nothing and it can be infuriating and soul destroying if you've really put the effort in. It's a long, constant struggle of frustration, heartache and disillusionment.

That's why I'd never dump on overweight people. I've been there, I understand them, I know how hard it is.

 

[doih]

Overweight is not necessarily unhealthy, especially if people are using BMI to judge, which is probably the worst, most useless index ever invented. I say all of this as a lean guy.

That being said, it's way too easy to get bad food and little exercise. I disagree that healthy stuff is more expensive per se, but the effort required in cooking, cleaning, etc. is higher than grabbing something from the Macdonalds down the street or getting the conveniently placed crap at the grocery store.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

For those of you who are overweight and would like to drop some lbs, assuming you're seeking extrinsic motivation, what would you need to get started/keep going? Do you need a boot camp style personal trainer yelling at you, a calm partner to diet and exercise with you, etc. I'm always curious to find out why people can never seem to get the ball rolling on weight loss.

 

[Sam Fisher]

For those of you who are overweight and would like to drop some lbs, assuming you're seeking extrinsic motivation, what would you need to get started/keep going? Do you need a boot camp style personal trainer yelling at you, a calm partner to diet and exercise with you, etc. I'm always curious to find out why people can never seem to get the ball rolling on weight loss.

I chalk that all down to laziness. God knows I am.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Yeah, you sound like you're content being overweight but I know some people would love to lose the weight but need to be nudged.

 

[Lantern Venom]

There are numerous sides to this issue. It's pretty obvious that many people don't exercise and eat horrible diets. That's their choice but there are likely going to be ramifications for you should you choose to live that way. Thus, I approve of *positive* encouragement techniques to get people to live in healthier ways.

That being said, I'm met countless people, often at my gym, who struggle with their weight despite living healthy lifestyles. Factors such as age, medications, diseases, injuries, and genetics all play a role in weight. Thus, I don't lump all overweight/obese people into groups of "food addicts" and "lazy people". I certainly don't think people should endure teasing and insults. There very well might be more to the situation than is on the surface.

 

[Star]

Star's crusade is like a wildfire lol

www.bigguts.com

Okay that was sooo not the reason I started this thread. I started it because honestly, it seems like lately this is a really heated topic in the news. That Marie Claire article really made me think. Although I am not going to deny that I have said horrible things towards overweight people (or at least in regards to them) and on some level I can't say that I can ever see myself just 'accepting' obesity as being normal, it kind of made me realize that saying those things to people does more harm than good.

The MC article kind of hit close to home too, because like I said, it felt like I might as well could have written it. I don't know if you read the whole thing but in the 'apology' section of the article the writer said that she herself has struggled with a body image her entire life (albeit on the opposite end of the scale, anorexia) and she believes that is why she wrote such a harsh article. When I read that I kind of thought the same thing about myself- probably not surprising to some, but through high school I had an eating disorder and was honestly probably just as unhealthy as the obese people. I think one of the main reasons that I consider obesity to be such a horrifying thing is that to me, it honestly is my worst nightmare.

I brought up this article and made this thread NOT to call out anyone, especially since lately I've kind of realized that I've been basically a giant *******- and although I don't really think I am fat at this point if I were overweight and I saw someone say things about me it would devastate me- but I made it so I could discuss the topic of obesity and accepting 'fat' as being more of a norm with people who probably have a better grasp on body image than I do.

 

[Eggyman]

You are not a giant *******! You have a good figure and great boobs.

 

[Danalys]

i think as a counteraction to some peoples hate there has been a whole big is beautiful or funny or nice push. i don't think losing weight to be at a more healthy weight would make these people less beautiful, funny or nice, to those that find them such. how many TV shows have the big fat nice guy with the hot curvy wife. mike and molly is the exception in that they are both supposed to be big fat nice people. so art has pushed so show people in a good light so they will be treated better, but then life imitates art.

 

[Carcharodon]

I still think that this is more of a personal problem that individuals need to deal with than a societal problem or "epidemic" (which it's not).

Yeah, it's not like it costs money to solve health problems brought on by obesity.

 

[SuperFerret]

Isn't that money provided by the fat people themselves? Still sounds personal to me.

 

[Carcharodon]

Isn't that money provided by the fat people themselves? Still sounds personal to me.

Do you pay taxes?

 

[amazingfantasy15]

It goes on to essentially re-iterate the fact that although it is OBVIOUSLY unhealthy to be obese, people shouldn't judge the overweight because it's always such a daunting task to become in shape. Although I agree with this (and do feel bad about things I have said in the past), I think that SOCIETY as a whole is to blame - making fast food so available, no healthy choices, people having to pay money to become fit.....

Truthfully, I completely disagree with this paragraph. It's not society's fault, it's the person's fault. Just as an early disclaimer, I realize there are people that are just bigger than normal through their genetic makeup, this isn't about them. That said, there are many more people that are just lazy and not don't care about their diet.

In terms of getting in shape, it is tough, but it's also not impossible, a few years ago I started training for a marathon and had an accident where I severly injured my achilles tendon. After surgery and a month and a half in a cast, in a different way I was in the same circumstance as a bigger person starting to get in shape. I had absolutely no muscle in my right leg, I worked my butt off to first be able to gain the muscle to walk, then jog and eventually run again. It would've been much easier to just say "screw it" I can't run anymore, but I didn't, I had something to prove to myself and did finish my first marathon ten months after my injury, probably earlier than I should have. It takes motivation and knowing your initial limits and to slowly work your way up.

As for fast food, I find it cheaper to make my food than to buy fast food, a McDonalds meal costs $6-7, I can make a meal that'll feed me twice for that amount. Almost every Wednesday my girlfriend and I cook dinner together, we like doing it, it's time spent together and costs a fraction of what it'd cost to go out someplace. What's even better is experimenting with new dishes, fast food never changes, but cooking together we can mess around with recipes and try to make something new. Another benefit, often cheaper and a new food to try, what's not to like.

Finally, it really doesn't cost much to exercise, my base exercise costs are $100-200/year, the cost of 2-3 pairs of running shoes, which is 1-2 more pairs than most people would need, I just run alot more. Although if you count race fees it's more, but that's just fun and not going out the night before saves me that money anyway. Plus for me runnning is my destresser, for some people a horrible experience will make them eat, I run, makes all those horrible feelings melt away, much healthier than when I used to just plant myself in front of the TV and play video games when I was upset.

Becoming healthier is tough and needs to be a total lifestyle change, not just starting a new fad diet and quiting just because you didn't lose all the weight within the first month. You've got to have the willpower to get through the first few weeks and get to a point where it's not just this new thing you're trying, but your lifestyle. What's even better is my running has inspired some family and friends to change their life as well, one of my sister has always been on the bigger side, after convincing her to run an 8k race with me, she got hooked and looks skinnier and healthier than ever, she's got more confidence too. It's incredible to see the positive change in someone's life when they choose to live healthier.

 

[SuperFerret]

Do you pay taxes?

Yes. I pay them to not go to jail, I don't care what happens to the money after that considering that it's likely lining the pocket of some *****ebag who doesn't deserve the position they have.

I'm sick of this "let's solve other people's problems" attitude. News flash, some people are going to be fat/poor/sick/hungry/smoking/drinking/dead/etc. Why does it automatically have to be my problem?

 

[Carcharodon]

Yes. I pay them to not go to jail, I don't care what happens to the money after that considering that it's likely lining the pocket of some *****ebag who doesn't deserve the position they have.

I'm sick of this "let's solve other people's problems" attitude. News flash, some people are going to be fat/poor/sick/hungry/smoking/drinking/dead/etc. Why does it automatically have to be my problem?

The system makes it your problem, whether you choose to ignore it or not.

 

[SuperFerret]

Eh, not really. After all, I'm not stressing over the existence of fat people.

 

[Carcharodon]

Eh, not really. After all, I'm not stressing over the existence of fat people.

No, you're just paying for their quadruple bypasses.

 

[Kane52630]

[YT]t2mU6USTBRE[/YT]

 

[SuperFerret]

No, you're just paying for their quadruple bypasses.

When I buy a sandwich, am I actually paying for the sandwich maker's daughter's dollhouse?


EDIT: Look, I see what you're getting at Carch, and I know that in a round about way, I am paying for that, but all in all, that doesn't make much of an impact on me. I'm still not able to use that money for myself or the people I know, regardless of what it's being used for by the people I send it to. If I wanted to reference your sig (which I really like by the way, as I tend to look to how things are in nature for guidance on how I feel things should be), my payment is just a consequence of me being part of a socially communal species.

I just prefer to keep my direct interest in those who are within 2 social degrees of myself (people I know and people who know people I know). Anything outside that is outside my direct influence and I see no point wasting time worrying about it when I have my own concerns.