posted
If I'm sitting on a train and someone who can't fit into a single seat sits down next to me and squooshes me, I resent that person. I resent the fact that it's not socially acceptable for me to say, "Will you get the hell off of me". And yes, I think poorly of such a person, and would probably be hostile to them. And it's happened too many times for me to feel very tolerant about it.
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While we're on the subject of seat size, I wish that amusement parks had a display outside of their rides that said "Your butt must be this narrow to ride this ride." Then everyone could see if their rear fit the display. It sure would save embarrassment after standing in line for a few hours.
I'm just sayin... There's a huge difference in how big the seats are. It varies from ride to ride. It sure would help to know before waiting in line.
ETA: Come to think of it, this would be very useful in airports and train stations, too.
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I'm just waiting for the first lawsuit claiming that narrow seats are an infringement of someone's rights.
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I HATE flying in anything other than business/first class because I have increasingly found myself in a situation where the "spillage" from another person turns my flight into an extremely uncomfortable trip. I shouldn't be made to suffer because of someone else's weight problems, just as I wouldn't expect the person in front of me to be crushed forward because I'm tall.
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quote:No, it's not okay to hate them. Help them, if you can, but don't hate. Treat them the same as anyone else.
I don't hate fat people, but neither am I going to treat them like anyone else. Because they are different.
I find them unpleasant to look at. As someone who plays sports 4 or 5 days out of a week, I am less likely to be interested in developing a friendship with them. While this is by no means a set thing, I have found that the fat people I know tend to be lazier, mentally and physically, and less up for going out and doing things. Also, I don't like listening to people tell me how hard it is to watch what they eat and exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
This is not to say that I shun fat people, nor do I heap scorn on them. But I see being fat, in many cases, as less attractive in itself and often indicative of underlying things that I also find less attractive. It's much the same as with smokers. I don't date and am less likely to develop friendships with either. If I were looking to hire someone for a job and two candidates had equal credentials, I'd give the job to the person who wasn't fat or didn't smoke.
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I believe that overweight people should be treated with respect and dignity. I believe that in circumstances where their weight does not affect their job performance, that they should not be discriminated against.
However,
1) I think someone in the process of becoming obese should see this as a bad thing. Perhaps a very bad thing.
2) If someone is already obese, I would hope that a person sees losing weight as an important goal.
Perhaps I am wrong in thinking 1 and 2, and feel free to attempt to persuade me otherwise. The reasons I believe 1 and 2 are largely based on the health problems associated with being obese. Attempting to lamely downplay these health problems like the article did is doing nothing good for the discussion.
So how do we as a society preserve both 1 and 2 if we pretend that being obese is A-Okay?
I don't want my children to be obese. I plan on teaching them the importance of avoiding sugary drinks. The importance of eating lots of fruit. The importance of not overeating. Of not eating in order to relieve emotional stress. To exercise on a regular basis.
Why? In large part to maintain a weight which is healthy. (Admittedly, partly to maintain an attractive appearance. You can try and tell me that last one is unimportant, but we'd just have to agree to disagree there.)
How could I not encourage them to maintain a healthy weight unless if I also tell them there is nothing wrong with being overweight? Wouldn't those two values be in contradiction?
I'd teach them to treat overweight people the same, but never to think of the condition as being one which is just fine for them to be in.
Edit:
Someone liked my analogy, so I figured I would put it back:
quote: I'd compare my feelings on obesity to what my feelings would be about people who smoke cigarettes, taking second hand smoke out of the equation. Though to make the analogy more apt, I'd add in the fact that most people who smoked these smokeless cigarettes have been given them by their parents since they were very young, and that they were extremely addicted to them long before they had the personal responsiblity to choose to smoke them. To strain my analogy even more (perhaps to the point of breaking it), I would add in the fact that a small percentage of these smokers could not help the fact that they smoke, because of some genetic or medical condition.
I wouldn't treat these people any differently, but I would still never say that smoking is "okay". I certainly would not teach my children that smoking was okay either.
quote:'I know ... that when a thin person looks at a fat person, the thin person considers the fat person less virtuous than he,' writes Judith Moore in her memoir, Fat Girl.
I'm skinny and I don't do this. I'm not skinny because of some sort of "virtue," I'm skinny because I can't gain significant amounts of weight regardless of my diet or exercise regimen. Even when I make small gains, I can't maintain them, and if I'm not careful about my diet and exercise it's easy for me to lose weight that I can't afford to lose. Because I know how hard it is for me to gain weight -- and at 6'3" and 150 lbs, you can bet your bottom dollar that I want to add some muscle mass -- I have empathy for the reverse situation. My weight has been down in the low 140s before, and it took conscious diet changes to bring it back up. When I see a large person eating a large and/or unhealthy meal, I don't think much of anything, other than maybe that the meal looks tasty if that happens to be the case (or the reverse, if it looks doubleplusuntasty).
Going by the article's premise, then: since there's one counterexample, obese people are clearly never discriminated against. That's obviously untrue, but given the quote above I can't help wondering how stray glances that I might throw at obese people are generally interpreted. I mean, should I just never look at them, if disdain is going to be perceived where none is intended? But wouldn't "looking the other way" be perceived in the same manner? Having read this thread, I'm starting to wonder how I, as a skinny person, should be acting to avoid giving offence -- and to what extent any changes would make a difference.
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Katarian -- I've actually seen several amusement park rides that have a "test seat" outside the queue, so you can make sure you fit before you wait in line. The first one I saw I believe it was because of the restraints that came down over your head, that they had been having problems with them not being able to come down far enough to click in and secure some people. But they're becoming more common.
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It is worth noting that in the last 20-30 years, airplane seats have not only lost significant legroom, but have also become narrower (as the airlines squeeze more seats into each row). Aisles have become narrower as well.
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I'll be brutally honest, even if it's not very complimentary of myself. Although I don't hate obese people, I do find myself digusted at an almost subliminal level. I've come up with justifications for these feelings, but it's really all they are.
If I were single, there would be zero chance of me dating an obese person. I'll probably be called shallow, but physical appearance is extremely important to me. Not just weight, but grooming and hygene. How someone presents themself tells me a lot about them.
However, that being said, I can't really say that I treat them derision. I don't roll my eyes at the 400 lb woman at Walmart with a cart full of chips and soda. I don't look pointedly at the large man consuming the double cheeseburgers, large fries, and 44 oz drink. So I can't say I don't discriminate because I do. However, I do also treat everyone politely.
Edit: Squicky said it much better than me. I've gotta be quicker at giving words to my thoughts.
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ElJay, that's really cool. The Great American Scream Machine at the Six Flags in Georgia is a pretty old ride, and has plastic dividers in between the two seats in a car. The seats are pretty narrow--I think because it's an older ride. The last time I rode on it, I had to force myself into the seat, and it was embarrassing, because if I had known, I would have just skipped the ride (I think I was a size 16 or 18 at the time). I didn't have the courage to get up and leave anyway. A test seat would have been great.
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quote:Oh, and while we're clarifying what people have NOT said, I don't think anyone on Hatrack said that being fat should be a legally protected status. Simply that the vilification is not useful or appropriate.
This statement most closely echoes my own sentiments on the matter, except that I find generalized vilification to not be useful or appropriate. There are too many causes for obesity, with varying degrees of personal responsibility. In general, though, I'm much more comfortable with vilifying fat people who got there because they're weak minded or have simply chosen to ignore the requirements of health. Then again, I have no problems vilifying skinny weak minded people, either.
I hope we never see legislation regarding equal opportunity for fat people. We already have way too many equal opportunity employment laws as it is.
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quote:Originally posted by BaoQingTian: I'll be brutally honest, even if it's not very complimentary of myself. Although I don't hate obese people, I do find myself digusted at an almost subliminal level. I've come up with justifications for these feelings, but it's really all they are.
If I were single, there would be zero chance of me dating an obese person. I'll probably be called shallow, but physical appearance is extremely important to me. Not just weight, but grooming and hygene. How someone presents themself tells me a lot about them.
However, that being said, I can't really say that I treat them derision. I don't roll my eyes at the 400 lb woman at Walmart with a cart full of chips and soda. I don't look pointedly at the large man consuming the double cheeseburgers, large fries, and 44 oz drink. So I can't say I don't discriminate because I do. However, I do also treat everyone politely.
posted
One thing I want to add on to what I said above is that obesity (or smoking) is one aspect of a person. Even if I regard it as a negative aspect, I don't treat people as if that is their only aspect. And I do see that obese people get treated that way a lot, which I consider wrong.
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I have to wonder, though... There are people who say that they can't lose weight, and that they're naturally fat (I'm not one of them). People don't believe them, and say it's a matter of diet and exercise. If that's true, maybe the reverse is true, that you're not really naturally skinny, you can gain weight with proper diet and exercise. (Whatever "proper" is in that case.)
I don't know that that's true... it's probably not. But why are we so quick to believe a thin person who says they can't gain weight, rather than a fat person who says they can't lose it? Those opinions are based on their own personal experience--what makes one more valid than the other? We can think that the fat person has simply not tried the right things or been diligent enough--but why don't we think that about the thin person?
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quote:Originally posted by Katarain: I have to wonder, though... There are people who say that they can't lose weight, and that they're naturally fat (I'm not one of them). People don't believe them, and say it's a matter of diet and exercise. If that's true, maybe the reverse is true, that you're not really naturally skinny, you can gain weight with proper diet and exercise. (Whatever "proper" is in that case.)
I don't know that that's true... it's probably not. But why are we so quick to believe a thin person who says they can't gain weight, rather than a fat person who says they can't lose it? Those opinions are based on their own personal experience--what makes one more valid than the other? We can think that the fat person has simply not tried the right things or been diligent enough--but why don't we think that about the thin person?
I wasn't aware that there was a different stigma for thin people who can't gain weight; I'm equally disinclined to believe them. Do people commonly believe people who claim they can't gain weight more than people who claim they can't lose it?
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I used to be 30 pounds overweight, and fooled myself for a while, saying it was okay. But, living in Colorado (second thinnest state in the USA) in a town full of rabid athletes, that didn't last long. No one was mean about it or anything, I was just able to tell I was fat. Instread of pushing for my rights, I just began pushing away the plate while there was still food on it, and pushing myself out the door to walk 5 miles, and to work out. I'm right in the middle of a growth spurt right now, so I can't read my loss accurately on the scale (because of the addition of lean and bone mass), but I can tell a difference in how I look and feel.
So my advise to the Obese and Overweight, lose the extra, not to conform to 'skinny america', but to feel better. It may take years for some, but think about it, those years will pass anyway.
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I had a personal trainer who had been the "naturally skinny" type, and devised a diet and weight lifting program that allowed him to pack on muscle. He was still slim, but no longer skeleton-like. (I saw the before pictures.)
That said, I've met and ate with twinky. He eats at least 3 times as much as I do. I'm 20 - 30 pounds overweight, eat relatively well and get a decent amount of exercise. So while I have no doubt he could gain weight, with effort and training, I wouldn't want to foot the food bill for the massive amounts of calories he'd need to consume.
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quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: I wasn't aware that there was a different stigma for thin people who can't gain weight; I'm equally disinclined to believe them. Do people commonly believe people who claim they can't gain weight more than people who claim they can't lose it?
I thought there was. Maybe I'm wrong.
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True Squicky. However, it's not really an isolated aspect. For example smoking and obesity seem to be the results of other attributes of a person that I find less than desirable.
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Regardless of where we all fall in the fat/skinny world, most of us are there because of the choices we made and the choices we continue to make. Case in point, I'm off to the gym in about 15 minutes. I have 30 minutes to run 5 miles, and somedays I hate doing it, but I'm making the choice to be healthy. No one else can take the responsibility away from me.
Posts: 1480 | Registered: Dec 2004
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quote:Originally posted by ElJay: I had a personal trainer who had been the "naturally skinny" type, and devised a diet and weight lifting program that allowed him to pack on muscle. He was still slim, but no longer skeleton-like. (I saw the before pictures.)
That said, I've met and ate with twinky. He eats at least 3 times as much as I do. I'm 20 - 30 pounds overweight, eat relatively well and get a decent amount of exercise. So while I have no doubt he could gain weight, with effort and training, I wouldn't want to foot the food bill for the massive amounts of calories he'd need to consume.
Yeah, I agree with that, while the naturaly skeletal may seem enviable at first, if you think about it, it's not that great. They're raginf furnace of a metabolism eats muscle, too. So while people like me may have to worl to lose some baggage, at least I know the muscle I build, will stay, at least for a while.
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quote:I have to wonder, though... There are people who say that they can't lose weight, and that they're naturally fat (I'm not one of them). People don't believe them, and say it's a matter of diet and exercise. If that's true, maybe the reverse is true, that you're not really naturally skinny, you can gain weight with proper diet and exercise. (Whatever "proper" is in that case.)
I don't know that that's true... it's probably not. But why are we so quick to believe a thin person who says they can't gain weight, rather than a fat person who says they can't lose it? Those opinions are based on their own personal experience--what makes one more valid than the other? We can think that the fat person has simply not tried the right things or been diligent enough--but why don't we think that about the thin person?
Because that's something that a lot of fat people say. And most of those people eat a whole lot of food and don't exercise. I think fat people are held to a higher standard of truth regarding the futility of their efforts to lose weight than skinny people on trying to gain weight.
No doubt part of it is that being skinny is more socially acceptable than being fat. I think part of it is also hearing the "I'm just genetically fat" from people who eat McDonalds and watch 6 hours of TV a day a lot more than "I'm just genetically skinny" from people who have never set foot in a gym.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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quote:Originally posted by ElJay: I had a personal trainer who had been the "naturally skinny" type, and devised a diet and weight lifting program that allowed him to pack on muscle. He was still slim, but no longer skeleton-like. (I saw the before pictures.)
That said, I've met and ate with twinky. He eats at least 3 times as much as I do. I'm 20 - 30 pounds overweight, eat relatively well and get a decent amount of exercise. So while I have no doubt he could gain weight, with effort and training, I wouldn't want to foot the food bill for the massive amounts of calories he'd need to consume.
That's kind of an important point. Thin people trying to gain weight may actually be limited by the amount of money they have to spend on food.
Then again, I'm sure there are some fat/unhealthy people that got that way because they work two jobs that don't pay them well and can't seem to advance, because they're also raising three kids and literally do NOT have the time to cook every day, so fast food becomes the cheapest, most attractive option.
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Oh, hey, I'm not saying it's not that great. I love to eat, I'd trade metabolisms in a heartbeat. I'm just saying that I don't question that it's difficult for some people to gain weight. I don't believe it's impossible, but I believe it takes just as much effort and discipline as it does for overweight people to lose weight.
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One of the interesting things I've picked up from a friend of mine who sort of works in this area is that, for low income families, food is one of the most common treats. They're going to spend money on food anyway, so if you want to treat yourself (or your kids), a trip to a fast food restaurant makes more econmoic sense than say going to the movies or some other luxury.
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quote:I have to wonder, though... There are people who say that they can't lose weight, and that they're naturally fat (I'm not one of them). People don't believe them, and say it's a matter of diet and exercise. If that's true, maybe the reverse is true, that you're not really naturally skinny, you can gain weight with proper diet and exercise. (Whatever "proper" is in that case.)
I think a lot of people don't realize how slowly most people lose weight. Half a pound to a pound a week for someone who is doing everything they've been told to do lies entirely in the normal rate for weight loss. People setting unrealistic goals and then losing hope and/or declaring that they just can't shed the weight happens an awful lot, I'd imagine.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Chocolate really IS the best flavor of slim-fast. I'm sipping on the vanilla variety right now. Ick. It's not as icky as the Strawberry, though. That stuff is VILE.
I'm sipping down this awful stuff. So nobody better give me grief for being overweight today.
Not that they ever do. But I have limited contact with strangers, who are unpredictable.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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I was just wondering, concerning those of you who feel that it is all right to discriminate against fat people because they "have a choice"...do you also think it is all right to discriminate against people based on the religion they choose to follow? Because religion is a choice, you know. People choose to go from not being religious to being religious all the time, or they go from being religious to not being religious, or they change the denomination or the religion that they choose to follow. It isn't genetically determined, like, say race or gender.
Just wondering, you know. And waiting for the chorus of, "Oh, but that's different..."
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I think that people who are overweight are spending their time elsewhere than a gym. That elsewhere could be raising four kids and working full-time, being a student and working, commuting three hours a day, or watching five hours of television a day. I don't know, but I know the people I have known who were overweight and concientious about it usually also had great demands on their time that precluded devoting an hour+ a day to exercise. Less than that is good for health, but doesn't lead to dramatic weight loss.
Keeping fit takes a great deal of work, work that is often expensive and boring. It's still worth it, but I can' completely understand when it's hard to get to. When I see someone who is gorgeously fit, I automatically assume that they have plenty of discretionary income (produce and gyms can get very expensive) and time (fixing food and working out take time). That's great for them, and I wish everyone could have those, and we'd all be better off if that time and money were spent that way. I do not, however, assume virtue. I don't think it has anything to do with how decent of a human being they are.
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quote:Originally posted by ElJay: ETA: To Ereneth.
Oh, hey, I'm not saying it's not that great. I love to eat, I'd trade metabolisms in a heartbeat. I'm just saying that I don't question that it's difficult for some people to gain weight. I don't believe it's impossible, but I believe it takes just as much effort and discipline as it does for overweight people to lose weight.
Exactly, I have 2 friends like that, and all I ever hear out of them is: "Oh no, I'm all scrawny, aah! It's horrible." You start to believe them after a while.
But then again, I have a build that puts fat on pretty fast, but puts on muscle even faster, so it's a matter of doing less of one thing and more of another.
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Who's said that it's all right to discriminate against fat people?
If you're talking about what I've said, I've got no problem with seeing people's religion as a positive or negative aspect of who they are, in a similar way to obesity or smoking.
Posts: 10177 | Registered: Apr 2001
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quote:Originally posted by littlemissattitude: I was just wondering, concerning those of you who feel that it is all right to discriminate against fat people because they "have a choice"...do you also think it is all right to discriminate against people based on the religion they choose to follow? Because religion is a choice, you know. People choose to go from not being religious to being religious all the time, or they go from being religious to not being religious, or they change the denomination or the religion that they choose to follow. It isn't genetically determined, like, say race or gender.
Just wondering, you know. And waiting for the chorus of, "Oh, but that's different..."
I discriminate based on religion, race, appearance, gender, and whatever I darn well please. I think anyone who claims not to is either in denial or a flat out liar.
Edit to add: or has a definition of "discrimination" that I don't agree with.
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I should say that I don't mean that everyone who says they can't lose the weight/put on the weight is lying. There are going to be outliers in the healthy weight range. But I don't think there are as many outliers as people on either side of the spectrum would have us believe. The only way to really know is to make the lifestyle change and keep at it for several months (it can take a while for your metabolism to change). I don't think most people who say they're outliers have actually done this.
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That's why I used the "significant" qualifier. I've been up to 155 or so when I exercised more and boosted my protein intake on one of my school terms back when I was in university. I also ate a lot more fat, so I imagine some of that gain was fatty in nature. I'm about 150 now because most of the exercise I do (by preference; swimming and tennis are a lot more fun than weights) is cardio.
Added: Also, I eat a lot less fat and very little red meat nowadays. I do get protein, but in some ways I'm still in the process of rebalancing my diet. Because of my (hereditary) cholesterol concerns, I try to eat healthily.
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quote:Originally posted by twinky: I mean, should I just never look at them, if disdain is going to be perceived where none is intended? But wouldn't "looking the other way" be perceived in the same manner? Having read this thread, I'm starting to wonder how I, as a skinny person, should be acting to avoid giving offence -- and to what extent any changes would make a difference.
As I never once felt "disdain" in your presence, whatever you are doing to avoid giving the impression is probably just fine. Any disdain felt is unlikely to be caused by anything you do.
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quote:Originally posted by starLisa: I'm just waiting for the first lawsuit claiming that narrow seats are an infringement of someone's rights.
You don't have to wait at all, Lisa. It has already happened in the airline industry, where a man was told he had to pay for two seats because that is how many seats he needed.
Tom, I know you are overweight. So am I, although not to the same extent, and my wife is overweight as well. I plan on teaching our children to be more active and to try to maintain a lower weight, but not because I hate or discriminate against overweight people. I will do it because it is a healthier lifestyle and I want the best for my children.
There is nothing wrong with that. I will also teach them to judge the whole person rather than just their appearance.
Belle, I am with you as far as hiring others, to a point. If someone doesn't care enough to dress up for an important interview I believe that tells me more than just their taste in clothing, and that would affect my attitude toward hiring them.
I don't think that is wrong though.
How the dress, their personal appearance and grooming, and how they interview is far more important to me than their weight though, as long as they meet/exceed the job requirements.
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quote:Originally posted by kmbboots: As I never once felt "disdain" in your presence, whatever you are doing to avoid giving the impression is probably just fine. Any disdain felt is unlikely to be caused by anything you do.
Since I'm not actively doing anything, that's good to know. Reading that quote concerned me a bit -- I'm glad it isn't true in the general case for people who are even slightly overweight.
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quote:Originally posted by twinky: I mean, should I just never look at them, if disdain is going to be perceived where none is intended? But wouldn't "looking the other way" be perceived in the same manner? Having read this thread, I'm starting to wonder how I, as a skinny person, should be acting to avoid giving offence -- and to what extent any changes would make a difference.
As I never once felt "disdain" in your presence, whatever you are doing to avoid giving the impression is probably just fine.
quote:Fat people don't have a right to be thought of in any given way.
I'm not saying that fat people have any rights at all. I'm saying that if you teach your kids that being fat is wrong, you are in fact -- almost by definition -- discriminating against fat people.
quote:Maybe he would have been an oddity when I was a kid, but nowadays I see morbidly obese people every day.
I think it's exactly this reality which is leading to articles like these. You don't see anyone calling for an end to ANY sort of discrimination in the media until a critical mass of subgroup members has been reached.
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I see it cropping up in this thread, so I just want to dispel this myth that the most important factor in successful weight loss is how much time you have to devote to exercise. I've used this excuse many times myself in the past, and see it come up over and over again in discussions about losing weight, and it's just flat-out not true. Yes, exercise is excellent for you and will significantly speed up your weight loss, but it is NOT the most important factor. You lose weight by limiting your calorie and fat intake, which is someone anyone, with any schedule, can do TODAY.
If you have the time and money to spend an hour a day in a fancy gym with a personal trainer, or even half an hour to spend pounding the pavement around your house, that's fantastic, and you'll see great results from it. But if your body is used to eating 4000 calories of fast food a day, and you suddenly spend a month eating 1500 calories of nutritious food a day, you'll lose weight even if the most exercise you get is getting up from the computer to use the bathroom every few hours.
Exercise is very important and very beneficial, but not having the time or money to do it every day is NOT an excuse for being extremely overweight.
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Zeugma, that only works if you are going from 4000 to 1500 calories a day. If you're going from 2500 to 1600 a day (much more likely), then it won't do much of anything without exercise, and it definitely won't produce dramatic results.
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However, I'd have to disagree with #4. I know in Latin America and in China being fat is a bad thing. However, it is ironic being fat historically often meant that you were weathly, and now in this country it's often a sign of being less economically advantaged, as someone mentioned above. I'd actually be interested in seeing some income brackets with associated obesity percentages.
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Oh now, I didn't say anything about dramatic results. I see these commercials that advertise losing 30 pounds in a month or something insane like that.... but losing more than 2 pounds a week is considered unrealistic and dangerous. I'd consider 8 pounds in a month a really awesome accomplishment from anyone, and that's not exactly dramatically fast. But like someone said earlier, the month is going to pass anyhow, and wouldn't you rather be 5-8 pounds lighter than the reverse?
And, actually, I think going from 2500 to 1600 calories a day would make a HUGE difference. Most women my age with my level of activity (almost none most days) burn 1900 calories a day just by existing. The difference between getting 600 more calories than I need and 300 less than I need would be the difference between gaining 4 pounds a month or losing 3 a month. And lemme tell you, losing 3 pounds a month for 6 months would make me look gooooood.
If I were to add a decent exercise program to these numbers, I'd be adding about 300 or 400 burned calories a day, which is a significant amount, but not nearly as much as cutting out 900 calories from my food intake.
Of course, exercise has other benefits, like building muscle mass that increases the amount of calories you burn just by "existing", but when we're talking about the single biggest factor most people need to change to lose weight, limiting calorie intake is the winner, hands-down.
Posts: 1681 | Registered: Jun 2004
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quote:Originally posted by littlemissattitude: I was just wondering, concerning those of you who feel that it is all right to discriminate against fat people because they "have a choice"...do you also think it is all right to discriminate against people based on the religion they choose to follow?
I don't think it's okay, but I don't think it's something that should be an issue of law, other than simple contract law. In other words, if someone hires me without saying they have a problem with my religion, I don't expect the terms of my employment to change in that regard. But if they don't want to hire me because I'm Jewish, that's their right. It's also my right to try and create a boycott against them, if I choose to do so, but that's all an issue of voluntary behavior. It's when you get the government involved that I think it's gone too far.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Launchywiggin: Being fat has it's advantages (me = 5'8, 285)
1. I'm practically impervious to cold weather compared to thin people.
There is something to be said for that. I was sitting across from my little sister at my parents' house a few weeks ago, and they had the air conditioning up fairly high. My sister is a toothpick, and she was shivering. I said something like, "You should try being fat." I didn't realize until after I'd said it how silly it sounded, but it did get a laugh.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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