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No one is "celebrating" obesity. If they were we would not have all these young girls with eating disorders. The epitome of beauty in our country is to be thin as a rail. Obesity is just a thing we all have to deal with.
50 is pretty old anyway and you are bound to die of something. Chances are at around 60 you will be in a nursing home rotting away. Life expectancy is still around 70 years old.
I really suggest you get out more. 50 is not "pretty old." Most 50-ish people are at the prime of their working careers. Their kids are in high school or college, and nowhere close to retirement.
Visit a nursing home and you won't see many people that are 60. More like 70+.
My mother is 83, my father is 80, and my father in law is 82. Only my FIL has meaningful health issues. My father still works on his 7 acre homesite outdoors every day. My mother keeps books for a volunteer organization. Their health is excellent and they are generally fit.
As for the epitome of beauty - I do not think the American view is rail thin. I think most American men think of women like Angelina Jolie or Halle Berry as more attractive than super-thin supermodels.
With such a focus on nice bodies, why are so many people so fat?
No one is "celebrating" obesity. If they were we would not have all these young girls with eating disorders. The epitome of beauty in our country is to be thin as a rail. Obesity is just a thing we all have to deal with.
50 is pretty old anyway and you are bound to die of something. Chances are at around 60 you will be in a nursing home rotting away. Life expectancy is still around 70 years old.
Well obesity is an eating disorder as well. The books I read on eating disorders had chapters about over-eating. And you are correct that rail-thin is often unhealthy and often unattractive.
Your statement on age just sounds like a continuation of your personal battle with motivation and the struggle you seem to have with getting thinner and fit vs. staying obese and unhealthy. There are some high performing cyclists in their 60's and a few in their 70's that would work my a$# off to stay in the paceline with them. And I'm a fairly decent rider.
In my late teens and 20's I thought similar to you regarding age. It was my excuse to party like a mad man and abuse my body.
Then as I aged perspectives changed.
I really suggest you get out more. 50 is not "pretty old." Most 50-ish people are at the prime of their working careers. Their kids are in high school or college, and nowhere close to retirement.
Visit a nursing home and you won't see many people that are 60. More like 70+.
My mother is 83, my father is 80, and my father in law is 82. Only my FIL has meaningful health issues. My father still works on his 7 acre homesite outdoors every day. My mother keeps books for a volunteer organization. Their health is excellent and they are generally fit.
As for the epitome of beauty - I do not think the American view is rail thin. I think most American men think of women like Angelina Jolie or Halle Berry as more attractive than super-thin supermodels.
With such a focus on nice bodies, why are so many people so fat?
What you say maybe true, but that is around the age where you start developing wrinkles and getting health issues. They will soon replace you with a younger, energetic candidate. One of my grandmothers (in her 60s most likely) is in a nursing home, I love her, but she was just starting to become a burden on the family with her health problems. Thats great that you can say that for your parents but I am not old enough for my parents to be in their 80s, if they even live to be that old.
I was just referring to the comment that obesity is celebrated. She does not even live in the usa. If that was true then a lot of fat people would not have be to be going through all the crap we get on a daily basis.
No one is "celebrating" obesity. If they were we would not have all these young girls with eating disorders. The epitome of beauty in our country is to be thin as a rail. Obesity is just a thing we all have to deal with.
50 is pretty old anyway and you are bound to die of something. Chances are at around 60 you will be in a nursing home rotting away. Life expectancy is still around 70 years old.
Huh? I'm 42 and have a toddler..... I don't feel "pretty old". The older generation of my family (60's and 70's). They are all living full independant lives in their own homes, most are still working by choice. They travel, garden, exercise, dance etc....
Huh? I'm 42 and have a toddler..... I don't feel "pretty old". The older generation of my family (60's and 70's). They are all living full independant lives in their own homes, most are still working by choice. They travel, garden, exercise, dance etc....
That great but I think 42 is a bit too old to be having kids. Most of the old people I know are living with their families, dependent on others to take care of them, or are immobile. Some are living pretty well by themselves but we will see how long that lasts. The older people who are cops usually just sit in the office and if they patrol the community they usually don't run very far if at all. They are always looking for newer younger recruits to replace the older ones. Or they get their 20 something sons to do the job.
Since there is a thread on fat acceptance here, I thought I'd start one on weight discrimination as I searched on that and came up with nothing. I have the impression most people are pretty in shape in this forum, but maybe some aren't or maybe some weren't.
At any rate, I'd like to have a discussion of weight discrimination. Since I've been every size of the rainbow, I think I'm in a perfect position to comment. My weight of 122 four years ago is far removed from my current weight of 193 four years later, but my basic looks are not. I still have no gray hair, same hair, no changes, etc. Just more fat. Well, recently I dealt with a contractor. Upon arriving at my house he guessed I used to work in banking. Hmm, he was right! He guessed I was a teller. Hmmm, he was wrong. I actually had a very good job and made good money. In fact, only those with MBAs and PhDs had the type of job I did in the departments where I worked.
So then issues came up and he condescendingly tells me he understands my view of the world has been shaped from my being an "employee" as if he is better than me in some way. Now, you may wonder what this has to do with weight discrimination. First, why assume I had a lower level position in a bank? Two, why assume I was some uneducated worker bee whose world view was shaped like some drone? I say had I been 70 lbs thinner and he had walked in my door he would have guessed a different profession and would not have been nearly so condescending to me. Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe most contractors are just jerks. But certainly contractors know there are women who work in higher level positions at banks.
And it happened in another situation too I vaguely remember. In fact, I was ready to say "I know she's cuter than me, but I was here first" to a service person, but the other customer knew enough to let me go first.
Well, I'd like to hear any examples you've experienced due to your weight that you feel were discrimination.
I don't follow, how the hell does this even relate to your weight? or weight discrimination for that matter?
That great but I think 42 is a bit too old to be having kids. Most of the old people I know are living with their families, dependent on others to take care of them, or are immobile. Some are living pretty well by themselves but we will see how long that lasts. The older people who are cops usually just sit in the office and if they patrol the community they usually don't run very far if at all. They are always looking for newer younger recruits to replace the older ones. Or they get their 20 something sons to do the job.
This should be a big motivation for your weight loss lifestyle. Being immobile and dependent in your 60s is not inevitable, if you're healthy. My parents are in their 70s and while they have slowed down, they're still walking, swimming, and being active.
This should be a big motivation for your weight loss lifestyle. Being immobile and dependent in your 60s is not inevitable, if you're healthy. My parents are in their 70s and while they have slowed down, they're still walking, swimming, and being active.
Absolutely. Naturally there will be diseases, injuries etc. that may prevent people from being active well into their 60s and 70s, but then again that's another motivation to stay healthy, because a healthy person can better cope with disease and injury.
That great but I think 42 is a bit too old to be having kids. Most of the old people I know are living with their families, dependent on others to take care of them, or are immobile. Some are living pretty well by themselves but we will see how long that lasts. The older people who are cops usually just sit in the office and if they patrol the community they usually don't run very far if at all. They are always looking for newer younger recruits to replace the older ones. Or they get their 20 something sons to do the job.
You DO need to get out more. Maybe what you see every day is related to life in Alabama.
One of my good friends is 52, and has two daughters - 1 and 5 years old. His wife is younger. He will be 70 when his youngest graduates from high school. I think it is a bit crazy because I would not want the stress of raising kids through high school at that age. But he and his wife are more than capable of doing this.
Your image of what it means to be old is not at all what it should be. 70-somethings today are commonly very active and productive people. They travel, play sports, and even use the internet (!).
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four years later, but my basic looks are not. I still have no gray hair, same hair, no changes, etc. Just more fat. Well, recently I dealt with a contractor. Upon arriving at my house he guessed I used to work in banking. Hmm, he was right! He guessed I was a teller. Hmmm, he was wrong. I actually had a very good job and made good money. In fact, only those with MBAs and PhDs had the type of job I did in the departments where I worked. 
