fat bashing and body acceptance

[Saya]

Again, depends on what we're talking about in terms of excessive weight. Obese, or pudgy?

[AshleyO]

I'll be real. I don't find fat people attractive. Then again, that depends on what we consider fat I guess.

I'm not down with the stocky farmboy build where the guy may have a bit of a solid upper body, but his stomach sticks out as far as his chest or a little bit beyond that. Nope. No thanks.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Grausamkeit

Being fat is unhealthy, period.

What constitutes "being fat" and what do you say to people who are twenty or thirty pounds heavier than their ideal weight and yet manage to tolerate more physical strain than people who have their ideal weight?

[CptSternn]

There is a reason they call it 'morbidly obese'. The word 'morbid' alone should signal it is not a pretty thing to look at. As many have said, being fat is not healthy. There is a plethora of health problems associated with being overweight. I know the crowd you are on about though. In the US/UK and even in Ireland there has been a weight explosion. America has been hit the worst, current statistics show 80% of all Americans are overweight. Instead of fixing the issue you see more and more people getting defensive about it and claiming it is their 'right' and then doubling down on that idea and saying it is their choice because they find it attractive.

It is true due to glandular problems some people can't control their weight, but what we are seeing in society today is sheer laziness mixed with very unhealthy eating choices and is totally avoidable.

Hows that saying go? Everyone in America (and other 1st world nations these days) would go on a diet tomorrow if it didn't involve them having to change the way they eat or exercise.

I personally think a little fat bashing is in order now and then, as it shouldn't be accepted in society because of the health concerns. 90% of the time it is a choice made by lazy people and not a medical condition. Even when it is a medical condition these days it can be dealt with so there is no reason to be that large other than sheer laziness.

Children shouldn't think it is ok to go through life in that manner, as I think it is child abuse allowing your child to be obese without a medical condition. Ever watch those episodes of Maury with parents that have morbidly obese kids (under 5) that they feed like horses?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v5ZyNV6MSs

This is a problem. This mentality needs to be stopped and if the only way to do it is to get society to shame them into the realisation, then I say a good bashing here and there is in order.

[honeythorn]

Originally Posted by Alan

What constitutes "being fat" and what do you say to people who are twenty or thirty pounds heavier than their ideal weight and yet manage to tolerate more physical strain than people who have their ideal weight?

It actually depends on how much of that weight is muscle . Muscle which may be covered by perhaps a little too much fat than is perhaps healthy or normal - though nothing hugely excessive - thereby making them seem to the eyes, very large or "fat" . Also their ideal bodyweight will almost certainly have been deduced from the BMI scale, which isn't well known for it's accuracy.

As I said in a previous post, two people can weigh the same, but one go to the gym and do weights, and have low body fat, and the other sit on the couch and have high body fat. The one who goes to the gym will be able to take more physical strain, and be stronger than the other. Yet both weigh the same on a scale.


The number on the scales is no indication of how fat someone is. That is determined by observing how they look, and most accurately, with a body composition test to see what percentage of the body is made up of fat.

I'm still trying to find somewhere in my area that does that test. I won't bother aking anyone at my Doctors surgery, as they still think the BMI scale is actually valid or useful.

[Alan]

And you're repeating yourself for the twentieth time because...?

[BlacKat]

Being obese isn't healthy. I don't think anyone's disputing that. I do wonder at the amount of attention that weight gets, as opposed to the million other things that we do that are unhealthy. And I think at least for women it's all tied up in the societal expectation that women are to look attractive to men at all times. I've had people who were going on about the obesity epidemic and whatnot turn around and ask why on earth a skinny girl like me would want to take up weightlifting because it might make me look fatter.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but there are also societal standards that affect what we consider beautiful.

[Murder.Of.Crows]

Originally Posted by Alan

What constitutes "being fat" and what do you say to people who are twenty or thirty pounds heavier than their ideal weight and yet manage to tolerate more physical strain than people who have their ideal weight?

This reminds of a scene from The Onion Movie.

[Grausamkeit]

Originally Posted by Alan

What constitutes "being fat" and what do you say to people who are twenty or thirty pounds heavier than their ideal weight and yet manage to tolerate more physical strain than people who have their ideal weight?

When I say "being fat" I'm normally talking about the morbidly obese people in my family who always have derogatory things to say about people who exercise and don't eat huge portions. Most of the people in my family are 50lbs or more in excess of their 'ideal weight'.

It would depend on the physical fitness of the person at their ideal weight. If you are talking about someone who is 'skinny-fat'(skinny or ideal weight, but doesn't exercise, thus having more fat on their body than muscle) then it's a no-brainer that someone who might lift weights(making their muscle tissue more dense and therefore taking them over their ideal weight, but still fit) would be able to take more physical strain than them.

If you are talking about someone who is at their ideal weight who runs and lifts weights, then they would naturally be able to out perform someone who has 20-30lbs more of fatty tissue on their body that leads a sedentary life.

Even if someone is technically 'active' if they over eat they will put on excess weight. That excess weight will cause strain on their joints and cause them to tire more easily than someone who weighs less than they do who is used to doing the same activities.

[Grausamkeit]

Originally Posted by BlacKat

Being obese isn't healthy. I don't think anyone's disputing that. I do wonder at the amount of attention that weight gets, as opposed to the million other things that we do that are unhealthy. And I think at least for women it's all tied up in the societal expectation that women are to look attractive to men at all times. I've had people who were going on about the obesity epidemic and whatnot turn around and ask why on earth a skinny girl like me would want to take up weightlifting because it might make me look fatter.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but there are also societal standards that affect what we consider beautiful.

I've never heard of people thinking that lifting weights will make you look fat. Women normally think for some reason that a little weight-lifting will automatically make them look like a man. It's very hard for us to get ripped without taking steroids. Enjoy your workout and just roll your eyes at the people who spout ignorant BS.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by Grausamkeit

When I say "being fat" I'm normally talking about the morbidly obese people in my family who always have derogatory things to say about people who exercise and don't eat huge portions. Most of the people in my family are 50lbs or more in excess of their 'ideal weight'.

You base your social opinions too much on your immediate anecdotes.
"Fat" does not simply mean "my obese family members"
So you can't just say "being fat is unhealthy, period."

[Grausamkeit]

Originally Posted by Alan

You base your social opinions too much on your immediate anecdotes.
"Fat" does not simply mean "my obese family members"
So you can't just say "being fat is unhealthy, period."

You cannot prove definitively that it is not unhealthy. There are quite a few people in my family who have developed diabetes due to their weight.

I base my opinions on my life experience. There's nothing wrong with it.

[MissCheyenne]

I'm a uk size 12. I exercise daily, I eat healthy foods in moderation, I don't stuff my face or sit on my arse all day, I'm not visibly fat and by that I mean I don't have a double chin or excess rolls of flab yet according to the BMI scale, I'm OBESE. Not overweight, OBESE. I've been trying for months to lose weight at the insistence of my doctor but my body refuses to give up a single pound. BMI is fucked up.

[Alan]

Yeah, there is. If someone had had only bad experiences with gay people and from there he condemns all gay people (And I'm thinking of a particular member you were here to witness) he is WRONG.
You are NOT going to be the one that decides what the definition of 'fat' is. You are not a dictionary, and if there are fat people that are more fit than normal-weighed people, it is clear that being fat by itself is not "unhealthy, period"

There goes your whole argument.

[Grausamkeit]

Originally Posted by MissCheyenne

I'm a uk size 12. I exercise daily, I eat healthy foods in moderation, I don't stuff my face or sit on my arse all day, I'm not visibly fat and by that I mean I don't have a double chin or excess rolls of flab yet according to the BMI scale, I'm OBESE. Not overweight, OBESE. I've been trying for months to lose weight at the insistence of my doctor but my body refuses to give up a single pound. BMI is fucked up.

A UK 12 is what a US 10? That is not even fat.

[MissCheyenne]

Graus, according to BMI, I seriously am OBESE. I have honestly tried to shift some weight but I have had zero luck. I don't think I'm fat, untoned sure but not fat. If I was fat, surely I'd have some tits

EDIT: Yeah, as far as I know, a UK 12 is between a US 8 and 10. As far as I can work out, it depends on the particular store the clothes are from.

[Grausamkeit]

Originally Posted by Alan

Yeah, there is. If someone had had only bad experiences with gay people and from there he condemns all gay people (And I'm thinking of a particular member you were here to witness) he is WRONG.
You are NOT going to be the one that decides what the definition of 'fat' is. You are not a dictionary, and if there are fat people that are more fit than normal-weighed people, it is clear that being fat by itself is not "unhealthy, period"

There goes your whole argument.

I didn't even put forth an 'argument' about it in the first place. You just take issue with people making statements for themselves. In my opinion, being fat is just unhealthy and no amount of debate from you is going to change my opinion.

Maybe I should have put in 'in my opinion' in my first post. That would've made it clear that I wasn't attempting to speak for the whole world.

Quit finding shit to argue with me about, Jill. I don't come on here hoping to get drawn into debates about every little thing I post.

I'm not trying to sound like a bitch, but I am tired of arguing with people all of the time. I just want to log in here and discuss shit without people assuming that I'm trying to be some elitist cunt.

[Alan]

Then you're just a genuine fat basher. You say any fat person, by virtue of being fat, are unhealthy, which is patently false.
That means you have a level of prejudice so high to fat people that FACTS do not even matter to you. Well done.

[Grausamkeit]

Originally Posted by Alan

Then you're just a genuine fat basher. You say any fat person, by virtue of being fat, are unhealthy, which is patently false.
That means you have a level of prejudice so high to fat people that FACTS do not even matter to you. Well done.

There are no facts that back up your argument that being fat is healthy.


ETA~ Being a 'fat basher' would mean taunting or teasing people who are fat.

[Alan]

I bet you Miss Cheyenne can run a hell lot more than I can, and she's fat while I'm slim. Not even anorexic skinny; I exercise daily and am well shaped, and she will still outrun me.
You're confusing being fat with being MORBIDLY OBESE and that is downright prejudiced.

[JCC]

Opinions on weight, a physical health issue, are not analogous to views of homosexuality. You can't just throw around analogies which you think will make people feel bad about their opinions. If Grausamkeit says that all fat people are unhealthy then that is nothing to do with her views on sexuality, race, or anything else, and it's inappropriate and frankly tedious to be like 'well your view on that is like if somebody thought this....' all the time.

[MissCheyenne]

Dude, I'm NOT fat. I'm obese

[Saya]

Originally Posted by MissCheyenne

I'm a uk size 12. I exercise daily, I eat healthy foods in moderation, I don't stuff my face or sit on my arse all day, I'm not visibly fat and by that I mean I don't have a double chin or excess rolls of flab yet according to the BMI scale, I'm OBESE. Not overweight, OBESE. I've been trying for months to lose weight at the insistence of my doctor but my body refuses to give up a single pound. BMI is fucked up.

BMI just isn't reliable. I fluctuate between one and five pounds underweight for the last two years, but my BMI is 17 point something.

BMI like honey said doesn't taken into account muscle weight, you're working out lately so you're gaining muscle, so you're not going to lose weight.

[Grausamkeit]

Originally Posted by Alan

I bet you Miss Cheyenne can run a hell lot more than I can, and she's fat while I'm slim. Not even anorexic skinny; I exercise daily and am well shaped, and she will still outrun me.
You're confusing being fat with being MORBIDLY OBESE and that is downright prejudiced.

MissC is not fat, dude. Did you see what she posted? She's only a size 10. I'm a size 10 and I don't consider myself 'fat' at 5'7". I find that more than a bit insulting.

[Alan]

You only find it insulting because of your own prejudiced views of being fat.
If you're size 10, you ARE fat. It's not my fault you believe that being fat and being morbidly obese are synonymous.