VA: The Fat Acceptance Movement is a Bunch of Hogwash
Jan 9th, 2008
(20 votes, average: 3.6 out of 5)
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Original post: The Fat Acceptance Movement is a Bunch of Hogwash
I’m one of those strange people who also have lost weight (80+ pounds). I made a lifestyle change. It wasn’t rocket science. It was adding execrcise to my life and eating less. I didn’t even change WHAT I was eating, I just eat less of it. I’d say most anyone could figure that one out. But not everyone is diciplined enough to stick with that for more than a week. Even I wasn’t even able to do it until I passed 200 pounds and got disgusted with myself.
What I did notice is that each step along the way people would say I was looking great and I should just stop where I was I looked fine, that I didn’t NEED to loose more. I always thought that was a bizarre compliment. Almost as if they wanted me to stop losing weight, maybe so they wouldn’t feel like they should start.
Articles like these are why I love V. She’ll come right out and say what needs said with an extra powerful kick to your reproductive organs to make sure you understand. The real V probably isn’t much compared to the legendary V we see here, but damn it I wish she’d have my children (or at least have a hand in raising them).
I have worked in a fitness facility for many years and I have seen many people come in heavy, lose weight, AND keep it off. It can be done. But I have also seen many people come in heavy and stay that way. Maybe they aren’t making the complete lifestyle change and maybe they are. But the ones that keep at it do have a very noticeable, positive change in fitness. Some people will probably always be built larger (Joy might be one of them; she certainly seems to be entirely too defeatist for that…) but I have nothing but respect for the folks that continue to stay active and make healthy decisions.
I agree with VA with a couple caveats… the first being that what is considered ‘fit’ in this country is completely skewed. Study after study… MEDICAL studies, have repeatedly shown that if you go by the American weight charts, you are putting yourself more at risk healthwise being the ‘ideal’ weight than if you are 10-20 pounds over weight. Which translates to what the european charts consider ‘ideal’ weights.
I do not think it is a coincident that ‘we’ of the unrealistic (and flat out unhealthy) weight ‘expectations’ is the nation with the biggest obesity problem. If you have spectacularly unrealistic goals can only lead to spectacular failure in the long run.
So… as long as VA is talking about someone being fit based on HEALTHY levels of ‘fit’ and not some barbie doll version of ‘fat’ then I completely agree. A healthy lifestyle is possible for anyone.
My two ‘fat/fit’ pet peeves are at opposite sides of the spectrum and are exhibited by two friends of mine who are identical twins…
One of them is about 20 pounds heavier than what she THINKS she should weigh and is always trying (and failing) to loose it. She is in terrific shape, runs a day care with 12 kids, deals with her own teenagers, etc. Always on the go, healthy as a horse and looks great as far as I am concerned, but is ALWAYS talking about how it is just impossible to loose the weight… it just can not be done… the defeatist attitude that VA is mentioning.. except it is NOT a failure… she simply is where her body is happy and healthy… what she is bitching about is not being able to starve her body into an unhealthy state, but she does not see it that way.
Then her sister who really IS 40 pounds over weight … who ALSO is always bitching about not being able to loose weight… but because she has her sister always reinforcing that belief, she does not recognize that it is NOT the same situation… instead of looking at the junk food crap she eats, she listens to her sister and uses that as an excuse.
This culture is so tied up in weight and the distorted views of it that we are shooting each other in the foot.
Maybe if people would quit using ‘diet’ as a verb and concentrate on using it as it SHOULD be used, some of that would go away… your DIET is what you eat… a three McD meal a day is a diet… it is just a poor one.
Anther of my ‘favorites’ is how people talk about how they can not exercise because they do not have ‘time’. When did exercise become a ‘chore’ and a ‘goal’ instead of just a normal part of a fun and healthy lifestyle?
Damn… did not realize I was so verbose today… I apologize for being longwinded…
Kate Harding is right in that people who are overweight shouldn’t be ridiculed and should be treated with respect. However, she is completely wrong in perpetuating that it might even be healthier to be overweight. She states that they could even have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, based on what that woman who writes the Junkfood Science blog says. That woman didn’t even provide any data for that statement. That is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard - its a well established fact that obesity if a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, and even modest reduction in weight can lead to improvements.
Here is a link to a reputable source:
http://www.eatlas.idf.org/Obesity_and_type_2_diabetes/
V wasn’t kidding when she said referred to kate as “I’m not a scientist but play one on the interent.” Using false information to prove your point is harmful.
I think the bottom line is that the bigots who criticize the fat-acceptance “movement” are missing the point. Fat acceptance isn’t about accepting fat people; it’s about accepting and living with FAULTS, visible or otherwise.
So, to all of the bigots, hypocrites, money addicts, power-mongers, child molesters, sodomists, bible-bangers, racists, prescription-pill poppers, alcoholics, womanizers, drug users, homophobes, anonymous coward blog registered through a proxy-having a-tards, jerkwaters, sex addicts, bankruptcy filers, polluting SUV driving while I’m single and drive a Honda Civic parents, buy things made by brown/Asian 9-year olds consumers, Americans, and, most importantly, loan officers…or whatever other categorieS you happen to fall into…
Your dum.
Not that it’s all your fault. Some people are dumb because they have dumb parents and live in an uneducated society.
Kind of like how some people are fat because they have fat parents and live in a selfish, overindulgent society.
Should I find it hilarious that he misspelled dumb?
Anyways, the point is not that we should not accept faults. If you want to sit on your couch and not achieve anything, be my guest. Just don’t go telling other people that it’s wonderful if they do so. They should have to deal with the decision themselves. If they feel guilty about it, well, they should. It is essentially failure.
Also, being American is a fault now? I know we’re disliked, but I should hope that it isn’t automatically assumed that we’re bad.
Although, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure if I’m disagreeing with him. His comment was rather confusing without really stating an opinion other than that the people on his list are “dum”.
P.S.: It is their fault. Despite their upbringing, humanity has free will. Every damn one of us.
Excellent post again.
I’m sure some people may have physical issues (It’s glandular and I’m just big-boned.) that make them gain weight. But in most cases fat is a choice. At least for me it is.
After getting tired of having a toothpick for a neck and two strings for arms I started to go to the gym. Felt good when I grew bigger. I don’t wish to run anyways. I want to be able to carry heavy stuff, such as a rack of 24 half a litre beers on my shoulder with one arm. (Or four racks in hands, two per each hand - hard for fingers, by the way.) Then I moved to a country where deep-frying is a national sport and gyms were hard to find. And those three gyms in the whole country were very expensive. Cutting gym completely upon the move was a bad idea. After 3 months of beer, deep-fried food and the appetite of a gym-goer without excercise made it’s toll. Got a beer belly.
In few years there muscles turned into fat, and I got that size I didn’t enjoy meself. Took “a weight loss program”. Um… how shall I put it? Dancing every week from friday to sunday did the trick. Didn’t want to be skinny again, but I got back to comfortable size. A beer belly stayed.
Still got it. Why? Haven’t done anything to remove it. Like V is trying to point out, fat is optional. After I got to the size I wanted, it has stayed there for… what year is it anyways? Since somewhere late 2002, early 2003 or so without changing my habits at all.
Last week I made a decision to get rid of that piece of skin that is going to be a second chin if I don’t do anything about it, that’s the only change. A would-be-double-chin. Instead of taking a train to home from work I planned to walk home more often. That should do it. But as for my beer belly. No way. I’m agile enough and maybe I’ll concider doing something about it on that day when it’s no longer comfortable to sit on the floor legs crossed, like I mostly do. Me no like chairs. Floor better. (Whatchamacallit? Lotus position?)
I don’t care about speed, I care more about strength. Therefore, no diet, no weight loss program for me. And beer belly is a status symbol for me. I like cooking, food, beer and whiskey (Irish, single malt, teenager.). Other than music, movie techniques, movies, politics and everything computer related my only other interests are what I can consume orally. My passion is cooking, and my motto is “never trust a skinny chef”. It would be hypocritical, even, to lose my beer belly. (Who wants a six-pack when you can have the whole keg?)
That being said, I still think there’s no intelligence behind fat acceptance… That’s plain just silly. “I’m fat, I don’t like it, but I accept it.” No, you’re fat and lazy. I want to have my belly, but not double-chin, no extra wings hanging from my arms, no thighs sized like a treetrunk. If any of those starts to grow (like there is a chance my chin will develop a twin) I won’t accept it no matter how many fat bastards are saying “inner beauty is more important”. The only question that matters is what you want. Do you want to have a massive load that bothers you in every turn? Why the heck should you accept it then? Never underestimate the power of denial.
All in all…
Yes, I do have slight overweight.
No, it’s not impossible to lose weight and keep it.
No, I don’t want to get rid of my beer-belly, I’m actually proud of it.
Yes, if anything else starts to hang, I won’t accept it and I take action.
= Fat is optional.
Do you want to get thin? No? Quit whining. Yes? Do something, and not only talk about it. (This last question should be answered in inner monologue, not in any fat-bastard-support group. To prevent peer pressure.)
The only thing I’ve come away with is “V really, really hates breasts, doesn’t she?” Calling Joy Nash a “fucking liar” for daring to be happy about her breasts is really weird and creepy.
Also, V, you can stop with this “you’re a warrior!” crap any time now, because you sound like a mix between a middle-school self-esteem motivational speaker and Dr. Goebbels.
The major cause of diets ‘not working’ in the long term is that people get to their goal weight, and then stop dieting and go back to the lifestyle that got them fat in the first place. Getting the weight off takes willpower and self-denial. Keeping it off takes a lifestyle change. If you eat healthy, exercise, and monitor your weight, adjusting your diet and exersize levels when necessary, you can maintain a healthy weight. (excepting, of course, some relatively rare medical conditions).
That said, some people like being fat. In some cultures and times being fat has been considered a sign of prestige and prosperity, and the standard for physical attractiveness. If the fat acceptance movement is about people saying that they like their bodies the way they are, and fighting against discrimination on the grounds of weight, then more power to them.
My younger sister plays rugby for her local womans team, dances, does martial arts, and recently walked from one end of England to the other. She’s popular, active, and happy. She weighs over 100kg (220lb). Being fat doesn’t have to mean you are unhappy in your body, or that you are a ‘failure’.
Me, I’m basically a glutton and a counch potato. The only reason I’m not the size of Pluto is that diets work. I monitor my weight, and when I hit the top of the ‘Healthy’ range, I diet till I’m back at my target weight. Then I go back to my perferred lifestyle. When I gain weight, it doesn’t mean the diet didn’t work, it means that I didn’t do maintenance, so I have to go on another diet.
#10 Erra: Your sister plays rugby, does martial arts, dances and has recently walked across England* and she has fat instead of muscles? I find that hard to believe. Over 100kg can have low body fat. Weight does not mean fat.
Actually, muscles weight more than fat. (It’s easier for an obese person to float in the sea than for a weightlifter.)
…but I’m only speculating here, since I haven’t met your sister.
* England or Great Britain? Length or width?
oh my! 5 points to this just for attention. I Do Hate Fat People! Period.
You can have excellent character, you can be smart, joyful, funny, have a pretty face, whatever. If you`re fat, you`re disgusting. It`s so simple! And your sex is not even important.
And Mika is gay, so shut up on “big girls”.
I really admire people that have enough patience to drop weight, its like having a big depression and then coming back to life! And they do it because they understand that fat is disgusting!