promote healthy, not fat
sassymeow:
randomlancila:
atchka:
By now you’ve seen these posters:
[snip]
i am sick of seeing this all over tumblr. yes, it is bad to make kids feel bad about themselves, because its not good to grow up feeling you’re fat and ugly etc. but its also not okay to tell them that its okay to be obese forever. its known fact that being overweight/obese leaves you vulnerable diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and so many other health issues. yes it’s true that at one point in your life you can be overweight and not have any of these health issues. but if you are morbidly obese that is going to catch up with you. there is a reason that life expectancy in americans has gone down.
You’re sick of seeing this all over Tumblr? You and me both, kid. As far as diseases go, simply saying “its known fact” doesn’t excuse you from having to actually back up your claims with, you know, facts. I have already taken the time to post an exhaustively cited explanation of why stigmatizing fat kids with billboards will only lead to worse health problems, as well as explain in detail that the diseases frequently called “obesity-related diseases” are more accurately called Insulin Resistance-related diseases because it is the body’s inability to copy with excess insulin, NOT EXCESS FATNESS, that leads to all of the metabolic disorders we want to prevent. And issuing a Vague Future Health Threat doesn’t mean jack shit when you consider the fact that morbidity and mortality are more related to lifestyle choices than actual weight. As far as the “known fact” that the life expectancy of Americans has gone down… um… what?
That chart above is the life expectancy of the United States from the World Bank, which tracks life expectancy. See how that line keeps going up? Yeah, that’s because our life expectancy has never dropped. Ever. Not once.
not to mention, obesity is more than physical; its mental. people become obese because food has taken on a meaning in their life more than something to survive. and that doesn’t just mean oh, cupcakes are fun to eat. it means that food is literally a part of their life. an obese person can’t just eat a tiny amount of bland food that has whatever nutrients are necessary to survive. they have mental compulsions and needs to eat whatever food they want.
Just for the record, I am 5’7”, 265 pounds, and a BMI of 41.5, making me morbidly obese. I must also confess something that I am completely ashamed of, and which the OP has forced me to admit by way of her science-based reasoning and potent skills of deduction: food has become, for me, literally a part of my life. Oh, it’s not just cupcakes are fun to eat. I eat food at least three times a day, every day, and have since I was a baby. For years I have fought against this sick and twisted compulsion, but I cannot help myself. I feel hunger and rather than do something healthy like not eat, I give in and eat, sometimes an entire meal. And as much as I love eating tiny amounts of bland food that are necessary for survival, I am guilty of enjoying foods with flavor and aroma and substance, foods that taste good and satisfy my cravings. And, dare I say it, rather than ration my food into three, modest bites, I eat these delicious foods until my hunger is satiated. I have a serious mental compulsion and I need help because clearly this is not the way humans were designed to exist.
have you ever seen that video of that overweight little boy who says he loves chicken nuggets and ”chicken nuggets is my family”. thats not just a kid being cute, thats no joke. thats an obese child who is ‘addicted’ to food, and eating chicken nuggets is comfort to him, the way other children find comfort in a parent.
Have you ever seen that article of that 17-year-old girl who collapsed after eating nothing but chicken nuggets for 15 years and who says, “My main meal is always chicken nuggets every day. McDonald’s chicken nuggets are my favourite. But I also like KFC and supermarket brands.” That’s no joke. That’s an obese…
Oh wait, nevermind.
think i’m full of bullshit? [ed. note: yes] the proof is everywhere. its even in my own family. my own grandmother is obese because food has taken over her life. her husband died and she doesnt want leave the house so she filled the void with food. she’s paranoid and has major anxiety, so she calms and comforts herself with food. at one point in her life, she went on anti depressants, and lost 100 pounts. not because it was a side effect or appetite suppressant. she lost the weight because she was no longer depressed, so she was no longer eating to fill a void. of course she doesnt believe in medication and convinced herself that she lost the weight on her own willpower. when she went off the medication, she gained it all back and more. not to mention all of the health problems she has been having. shes had diabetes for five years and she refuses to take her medication because she thinks that her weight has no effect on her health. that is exactly what she has said to us on multiple occasions. she also has a partially clogged artery. which she is in complete denial about, of course. among other things, she also has sky high blood pressure and cholesterol.
First of all, I’m sorry your grandmother is ill, but in terms of losing weight after taking anti-depressants, that is an anomaly. Weight gain is a well-known and widely-documented side effect of all anti-depressants. Think I’m full of bullshit? Ask the Mayo Clinic. And yes, I and my fellow fatties, are saying that our weight has little effect on our health. But to say that we are in denial about our health is just plain wrong. We don’t believe that our weight has a significant impact on our health, but we absolutely believe that what you eat and how active you are DOES. As I outlined in this open letter to Dan Savage, the overwhelming evidence demonstrates that it is what you do, not what you weight, which determines your metabolic health. There are ample citations from renowned medical journals in that post, but suffice it to say, it’s known fact.
i know this is an extreme case. but my grandma got to this point, and isn’t going to live much longer (yet she is only 62) because she has based her life around what you guys are saying; her weight has no effect on her health. she refused to see the reality of her situation. she has been obese for a very long time, and many years ago, when it first started, she denied it would hurt her. but look how far gone she is now, its going to take her life.
Your grandmother is not living her life according to our beliefs. She’s living the life of a 62-year-old who has clearly been through a lot, and she does not need her grandchild who has no idea about the breadth and depth of her life experiences, to be speculating on her death publicly in order to use her as proof that fat people are psychologically deficient and in need of your patronizing altruism.
Likewise, I don’t need some clueless schmuck lecturing me on health when she has clearly never read a single relevant study on the subject and uses “its known fact” to defend her position.
yes, its bad to shame fat children. i agree that this ad went a little too far, and could hurt kids feelings. but an ad that promotes exercise and healthy eating in moderation and ads promoting healthy lifestyles can give the best of both worlds. kids can feel empowered and better about themselves for making good healthy choices without shaming them. but please dont promote a life consuming disease.
Nobody is a “life consuming disease.” Nobody is protesting ads that promote exercise and healthy eating in moderation. And there is more at stake than hurt feelings.
The negative health effects of stigma and shame are well-documented and accepted by the medical community. But instead of blathering on with condescending lectures on how fat people need to be like you, how about you ask a fat person about their experience growing up. Ask them how times they have attempted to lose weight in the pursuit of health. Ask them how the cruelty of their peers drove them to attempt reckless and dangerous weight-loss approaches. Ask them about making healthy lifestyle changes and the promises of thinness that sticking to a “reasonable” diet and exercise plan that never materialized.
You have absolutely no idea what it is like to be a fat child who wants nothing more than to be thin and “normal” like their peers. You have absolutely no idea what it is like to be told that “eat less/move more” will eventually grant them the body of their dreams, only to meet the reality of homeostasis. You have absolutely no idea how insulting you have been with your assumptions on my eating habits, and the eating habits of all fat people.
Stop treating us like orphans in need of rescue and start listening to our experiences. We don’t need you to dole out advice and tough love. We need you to understand what the hell we’ve gone through and why we refuse to go through it again. So shut up and listen.
