Chiharu
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- Feb 22, 2011
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This is a loaded topic for a lot of people. Let's try to keep this on an even keel. I'd like everyone to express their honest opinions and I encourage you all to read views you don't agree with or may find offensive with an open mind.
That being said, what are your thoughts about this current trend?
Everything that follows is said in regards to people who do not have disorders and are not on medication that causes weight gain.
For me, while I agree that body-positive messages are essential for the well-being of everyone, I have many bones to pick with this movement. In my own life, these messages prevented me from realizing that I had a problem with my weight and talk of size diversity made me think that I could never change my weight or size. In the long run, it did me much more harm than fat shaming did (which is saying A LOT).
The misuse of of size diversity in general annoys me. I have larger bones compared to most women of a similar height, so my healthy weight range is a bit higher than, say, BMI allows. But my healthy body fat percentage is the same. The number on the scale or the size tag on your clothes should not be indicators of health within reason. But the mitigating effects of size diversity does not extend to 250 lb+ people at 40%+ body fat.
Moreover, many perpetuators of this movement cite that 95% of people who lose weight through diet gain it all back within 3-5 years. However, it is never stated that these continue with the same eating habits. To me, this is like saying that 95% of alcoholics fall off the wagon when they start drinking again. Well, duh. How many people site negative statistics when they talk about people quitting smoking or drinking or doing drugs? The evidence is there that most addicts fail to quit, but you wouldn't tell someone not to quit these vices. Why is overeating, or eating very unhealthy, processed food, any different?
And despite all of the vague allusions that fat acceptance speakers make, will someone please find me the person of average height who weighs 300 lbs (at 30%+ body fat) and only eats proper portions of healthy, whole foods. Find me the 300 lb person who becomes a 150 lb person over an appropriate span of time through a healthy diet and exercise, continues eating the same way with enough food to maintain their weight, and continues to exercise and still gains all of that weight back.
Fat acceptance speakers say that stigma attached to obesity is not a concern for health, but one of appearance. There is some truth to this, but a layman's concerns do not overrule the actual medical risks of obesity, from the strain on joints to the increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. Moreover, I do not think that fat people are unhappy solely because of society. And most the really outspoken people about body positivity achieve that by putting down thin people, glorifying dependence on sugary, processed foods, and are still depressed, anyway.
The flaws I see in the Fat Acceptance Movement do not negate the validity of the issues it raises, but I'm troubled by the rise of this trend. think the focus should be educating the public on nutrition and healthy weight ranges (not just BMI) and encouraging an end to sedentary lifestyles whenever possible. We owe it to ourself to create a healthy nation with all of the resources we are fortunate enough to possess.
That being said, what are your thoughts about this current trend?
Everything that follows is said in regards to people who do not have disorders and are not on medication that causes weight gain.
For me, while I agree that body-positive messages are essential for the well-being of everyone, I have many bones to pick with this movement. In my own life, these messages prevented me from realizing that I had a problem with my weight and talk of size diversity made me think that I could never change my weight or size. In the long run, it did me much more harm than fat shaming did (which is saying A LOT).
The misuse of of size diversity in general annoys me. I have larger bones compared to most women of a similar height, so my healthy weight range is a bit higher than, say, BMI allows. But my healthy body fat percentage is the same. The number on the scale or the size tag on your clothes should not be indicators of health within reason. But the mitigating effects of size diversity does not extend to 250 lb+ people at 40%+ body fat.
Moreover, many perpetuators of this movement cite that 95% of people who lose weight through diet gain it all back within 3-5 years. However, it is never stated that these continue with the same eating habits. To me, this is like saying that 95% of alcoholics fall off the wagon when they start drinking again. Well, duh. How many people site negative statistics when they talk about people quitting smoking or drinking or doing drugs? The evidence is there that most addicts fail to quit, but you wouldn't tell someone not to quit these vices. Why is overeating, or eating very unhealthy, processed food, any different?
And despite all of the vague allusions that fat acceptance speakers make, will someone please find me the person of average height who weighs 300 lbs (at 30%+ body fat) and only eats proper portions of healthy, whole foods. Find me the 300 lb person who becomes a 150 lb person over an appropriate span of time through a healthy diet and exercise, continues eating the same way with enough food to maintain their weight, and continues to exercise and still gains all of that weight back.
Fat acceptance speakers say that stigma attached to obesity is not a concern for health, but one of appearance. There is some truth to this, but a layman's concerns do not overrule the actual medical risks of obesity, from the strain on joints to the increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. Moreover, I do not think that fat people are unhappy solely because of society. And most the really outspoken people about body positivity achieve that by putting down thin people, glorifying dependence on sugary, processed foods, and are still depressed, anyway.
The flaws I see in the Fat Acceptance Movement do not negate the validity of the issues it raises, but I'm troubled by the rise of this trend. think the focus should be educating the public on nutrition and healthy weight ranges (not just BMI) and encouraging an end to sedentary lifestyles whenever possible. We owe it to ourself to create a healthy nation with all of the resources we are fortunate enough to possess.