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I bet that's what the people who fat shamed me due to my weight gain DURING CANCER TREATMENT told themselves to feel better about themselves as well.
I'm very sorry about all you've been through with your health and wish you all the best in the future.
That being said, the vast majority of overweight people do not have such a compelling medical reason for weight gain or the limitations on losing weight.
For many it is simple math - calories in vs calories out through exercise and activity. Never a reason to 'shame' people, but entirely different issues in play.
I realize that while the math may be simple, losing weight (and keeping it off) is by any standard extremely difficult.
So is quitting smoking. However, if someone close to us was smoking with an underlying lung issue, most people would do whatever they could to ensure that our loved one didn't smoke if it was statistically likely to drastically shorten their lives. We are hesitant to do the same with weight. We don't see all the same "Smoke shaming" complaints.
Oh please, are you talking about that incredibly small minority of fat people that are fat because of factors outside of their control? People still use this argument? Not counting those .01%, fat people are fat because they eat too much and move too little, stop making bs excuses.
Posts like this are a reminder that some people use their mouth (or in this case fingers) too much and brain too little.
My wife has struggled with weight ever since our first child. During pregnancy with our second child her thyroid was rendered essentially useless. It takes an immense amount of effort for her to lose weight and keep it off. It has been years of effort, setback, renewed effort and more setbacks. Judging by your post, if you saw her you'd assume she ate too much and moved too little. What you don't know is her margin for error (1 meal can erase weeks of discipline) or the effort she puts into her training. I'd love to see how much weight you would put on and how fast you'd give up on yourself if those two conditions could be replicated and applied to you. If you had her margin for error and had to exert the amount of effort she has to in order to shed a few pounds it would definitely change your perspective.
It is not simply a matter of "eat less, move more." For many it is a total change of lifestyle. If you want to go on assuming they are just making "bs excuses" that's fine. Some people are willing and able to think critically about the matter, and so to them I ask that they consider the complete lifestyle change comment. Think about what that really means and how it may apply to someone who struggles with a weight problem. They may be putting in far more effort than you've ever had to.
Bottom line is, when we go out in the world and come in contact with other people, we have a choice: We can make a stranger's day better, or we can make it worse.
If you're looking for reasons to justify why you would want to make a stranger's day worse, you need to spend more time worrying about what's wrong with YOU than concerning yourself with them.
I feel like fat shaming is the last socially accepted form of prejudice.
There are many reasons why people are fat. Some of it is within their control. Sometimes it isn't.
I have Lupus and I gained 70 lbs on prednisone...you know, the stuff I took to save my life. I am sure to everyone else I was just a poor, uneducated, lazy slob that didn't care about their health.
As a nation we are all getting fatter (hell, the whole WORLD is getting fatter). Teaching people to hate themselves and to view themselves as disgusting, worthless human beings, is not the way to solve the obesity crisis.
Posts like this are a reminder that some people use their mouth (or in this case fingers) too much and brain too little.
My wife has struggled with weight ever since our first child. During pregnancy with our second child her thyroid was rendered essentially useless. It takes an immense amount of effort for her to lose weight and keep it off. It has been years of effort, setback, renewed effort and more setbacks. Judging by your post, if you saw her you'd assume she ate too much and moved too little. What you don't know is her margin for error (1 meal can erase weeks of discipline) or the effort she puts into her training. I'd love to see how much weight you would put on and how fast you'd give up on yourself if those two conditions could be replicated and applied to you. If you had her margin for error and had to exert the amount of effort she has to in order to shed a few pounds it would definitely change your perspective.
It is not simply a matter of "eat less, move more." For many it is a total change of lifestyle. If you want to go on assuming they are just making "bs excuses" that's fine. Some people are willing and able to think critically about the matter, and so to them I ask that they consider the complete lifestyle change comment. Think about what that really means and how it may apply to someone who struggles with a weight problem. They may be putting in far more effort than you've ever had to.
The Mayo Clinic and other reputable medical sources agree that :
"Obesity can sometimes be traced to a medical cause, such as Prader-Willi syndrome, Cushing's syndrome, and other diseases and conditions. However, these disorders are rare and, in general, the principal causes of obesity are: Inactivity and Unhealthy diet and eating habits."
It would never enter my mind to 'fat-shame' anyone. Mean, counter-productive, risky to the shamer, and basically none of my business. otoh, it's far more likely than not that the obese person overeats and doesn't exercise than suffers from a medical condition.
So, is it OK to shame someone who is dangerously thin or anorexic? That's every bit as unhealthy, destructive and life-threatening as morbid obesity. Funny I don't see a lot of that going on. People seem to sympathize with folks on the other end of the spectrum - they have a mental disorder or disease. Well, guess what? So do the morbidly obese people that are shamed. Both are using food as a means to harm themselves. But instead of sympathy, obese people just get told they're gross and lazy.
So, is it OK to shame someone who is dangerously thin or anorexic? That's every bit as unhealthy, destructive and life-threatening as morbid obesity. Funny I don't see a lot of that going on. People seem to sympathize with folks on the other end of the spectrum - they have a mental disorder or disease. Well, guess what? So do the morbidly obese people that are shamed. Both are using food as a means to harm themselves. But instead of sympathy, obese people just get told they're gross and lazy.
Anorexia is an eating disorder. Obese people now join 'fat pride' groups, so clearly don't agree with your view that they have a disorder, disease, or are harming themselves.
Shaming anyone, for their weight or anything else is despicable. Who gives someone the right to criticize another person? To intentionally hurt someone is bullying and unacceptable.
So, is it OK to shame someone who is dangerously thin or anorexic? That's every bit as unhealthy, destructive and life-threatening as morbid obesity. Funny I don't see a lot of that going on. People seem to sympathize with folks on the other end of the spectrum - they have a mental disorder or disease. Well, guess what? So do the morbidly obese people that are shamed. Both are using food as a means to harm themselves. But instead of sympathy, obese people just get told they're gross and lazy.
OMG I was just going to post this exact same comment.
I'll bet you 99% of the "fat shamers" would tell an anorexic she looks great.
I'm watching a program on HBO called "Thin". It's about a clinic in Florida for people who struggle with eating disorders, mostly anorexia and bulimia. The irony is many of these women with anorexia started out as chubby girls who were put on diets at a very young age and basically "fat shamed" by friends and family. Clearly, that isn't the answer to promote healthy living.
Just the fact that there are threads on this forum and blogs on the internet attempting to justify fat shaming shows that this country has a very unhealthy attitude toward weight. There are lots of ways to promote healthy eating and exercise for anyone genuinely so concerned with obesity that they feel they need to do something about it. Fat shaming strangers is NOT one of them.
Anorexia is an eating disorder. Obese people now join 'fat pride' groups, so clearly don't agree with your view that they have a disorder, disease, or are harming themselves.
Look up some of the "pro ana" groups around. They feel like they're on the right path, too. Disordered thinking is disordered thinking.
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