the stress of been fat!!!!

whatsthedeal

Are you stressed out by the pressures of been fat and trying to lose weight?

What do people think of accepting body size diversity in ireland? Like which is actually more damaging for our health quick fix diets or maintaing your weight even if that weight is overweight?

Surely if the diversity of body size was accepted we would have a happier and less stressed out nation??

Please give your opinions on this I would love to know what people think

BraziliaNZ

You just need to accept yourself as "been fat", I doubt anyone else really cares how fat you are!

FionnB

Fat and semi-literate

Stark

whatsthedeal wrote: »

Surely if the diversity of body size was accepted we would have a happier and less stressed out nation??

Please give your opinions on this I would love to know what people think

I'm sure we'd have much more incidence of obesity related illness, that's what I think.

Fitseeker

Are you stressed out by the pressures of been fat and trying to lose weight?

- It used to frustrate me and I felt pretty powerless until I began reading a little about nutrition (starting with the stickies in this forum and then later on bodybuilding.com). Within a couple of hours I knew exactly how to lose weight, and within a couple of weeks I knew that it worked when I saw my number on the scales moving down.

What do people think of accepting body size diversity in ireland? Like which is actually more damaging for our health quick fix diets or maintaing your weight even if that weight is overweight?

- Personally I cannot stand quick fix diets.. two people in my immediate family have been going on and off of lipotrim for a couple of years, shedding a tonne of weight, then not having any idea how to be a skinny person at the end and putting it all back on and more. It's clear to see with my older brother than he lost muscle along with the fat, and now that he's putting weight back on he'll soon look worse than he did before. All of that said I still feel maintaining a heavily overweight physique is pretty damaging.. and since losing over 4 stone myself over the past year I kind of feel like there's no real excuse for staying XL for a long period of time. There isn't some magic formula or trick to losing weight, it really is as easy as consuming less calories per day than you burn.

Surely if the diversity of body size was accepted we would have a happier and less stressed out nation??

- Happier for the overweight people, perhaps. Having reached the end of my weight loss journey I can honestly say I've never been happier as a person. Each overweight person I see no serves as a reminder of where I used to be. Having been where they are I accept that it can happen.. I generally just hope they get the motivation they need to make a change, before it creates health/psychological problems for them.

Old Tom

whatsthedeal wrote: »

Are you stressed out by the pressures of been fat and trying to lose weight?

What do people think of accepting body size diversity in ireland? Like which is actually more damaging for our health quick fix diets or maintaing your weight even if that weight is overweight?

Surely if the diversity of body size was accepted we would have a happier and less stressed out nation??

Please give your opinions on this I would love to know what people think

Well I personally don't give a damn how fat somebody is, as long as I'm not being crushed on the plane/bus/cinema seat.

I used to be overweight, didn't like it, started eating properly an exercise and I've no weight problem anymore.

In fairness whining on the Internet won't help anyone lose a bit fat. Better get up and do a few sit ups. Seriously.

Medicine333

whatsthedeal wrote: »

Are you stressed out by the pressures of been fat and trying to lose weight?

What do people think of accepting body size diversity in ireland? Like which is actually more damaging for our health quick fix diets or maintaing your weight even if that weight is overweight?

Surely if the diversity of body size was accepted we would have a happier and less stressed out nation??

Please give your opinions on this I would love to know what people think

It really is nobody's personal business about somebody else's weight. However, if a person is overweight, they need to accept that they require to lose weight to become healthier and live a much better lifestyle.

However, this notion that society needs to accept people who are an unhealthy weight, underweight people included, grinds on me to be honest. If you are an unhealthy weight, lose/gain weight. Both for your own mental state, but also the treatment of individuals who are overweight is estimated to be costing our country €3 billion a year!

Overweight/Obese people are high-risk candidates for developing heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, sleep apnoea and so many other illnesses. It is no wonder our health services are over-stretched right now(that coupled with alcohol, but that's another story!).

It is wrong for people to judge another person based on their weight, but in saying that, society should not accept the growing number of cases of obesity. It is costing our state a great deal.

whatsthedeal

Thanks for all your opinions I would however like to make a few arguments,

for example @fitseeker you say that your brother is going to end up worse than when he started, is this not an indication that diets do not work? I am all about eating healthy and regular exercise and I know that doing these is the only way to lose weight healthily, but people are been forced to diet in order to fit in with social norms in society and they feel pressured to do so quickly.

People like @Medicine333 are constantly using the "cost of the state" arguments to make overweight people even more of a burden on society.

My argument here is unlike @stark "I'm sure we'd have much more incidence of obesity related illness" I believe that if body size diversity was accepted, people would be happy in their bodies regardless of their size and with the stigma and prejudice of been fat erased, then in the long run there would be less obese people in the country as health would be then main aim for people to control and look after, not their weight, not the need to be accepted and not the need to remove themselves as an unwanted burden on society!!

Medicine333

whatsthedeal wrote: »

Thanks for all your opinions I would however like to make a few arguments,

for example @fitseeker you say that your brother is going to end up worse than when he started, is this not an indication that diets do not work? I am all about eating healthy and regular exercise and I know that doing these is the only way to lose weight healthily, but people are been forced to diet in order to fit in with social norms in society and they feel pressured to do so quickly.

People like @Medicine333 are constantly using the "cost of the state" arguments to make overweight people even more of a burden on society.

My argument here is unlike @stark "I'm sure we'd have much more incidence of obesity related illness" I believe that if body size diversity was accepted, people would be happy in their bodies regardless of their size and with the stigma and prejudice of been fat erased, then in the long run there would be less obese people in the country as health would be then main aim for people to control and look after, not their weight, not the need to be accepted and not the need to remove themselves as an unwanted burden on society!!

First of all, people like 'me' are not saying that just to make people who are obese 'even more of a burden on society.' It is fact that obesity is costing this state billions. However, I would never, ever judge somebody who is overweight or obese. It is not up to me or anybody else for obese and overweight people to lose weight. It should be their own responsibility to look after their own health.

Also, your notion that 'if society was more accepting of body diversity, less people would be overweight/obese', is quite frankly naive.

If society was more accepting of people with weight issues, over-eating and unhealthy lifestyles would become more normal and we would have an even bigger crisis than normal. The U.S.A. has become a place where obesity is more or less acceptable. Their obesity rates are the highest in the world.

Your reasoning is deeply flawed.

Oryx

whatsthedeal wrote: »

Are you stressed out by the pressures of been fat and trying to lose weight?

No.

What do people think of accepting body size diversity in ireland? Like which is actually more damaging for our health quick fix diets or maintaing your weight even if that weight is overweight?

I dont think anyone should accept an unhealthy lifestyle. Like it or not, being obese is unhealthy. So is being underweight.
Quick fix diets don't fix anything. Being overweight and accepting it as 'just your lot' wont fix any weight related problems you might have either. So where is your third option: lose weight sensibly by education and understanding of good nutrition?

Surely if the diversity of body size was accepted we would have a happier and less stressed out nation??

So instead of tackling a problem which is increasing (obesity) you think telling everyone its ok to be large is better?

I dont think anyone should be stigmatised for being overweight. We live in a society where unhealthy food options are normal, plentiful and cheap. Eating is seen as a pleasure and a treat and is advertised EVERYWHERE. You also get people with emotional attachments to food. Its not a simple thing. But the answer is not to pretend this is not a problem. It is. Allowing 'weight diversity' (by which you mean big being accepted, you dont mention being overly skinny and stressed by it) will only encourage people to see being unhealthily overweight as ok, and something that need not be changed. But being overweight IS unhealthy and I dont think it should become polically incorrect to say so.

rocky

whatsthedeal wrote: »

What do people think of accepting body size diversity in ireland?

How would that work? The government will communicate that 'From now on, people should be accepting of body size diversity'. It won't change my opinion on it anyway.

whatsthedeal

I am not saying that people should disregard their health and stay or become fat!! or skinny for that matter and I have only been referring to fat as it is the size which is most stigmatized and frowned upon in society!

Have any of you heard of the HAES (Health At Every Size)?

The HAES paradigm is to create an environment of respect for body size diversity and to support lifestyle behaviours and attitudes that can improve health and well-being for people of all sizes rather than focusing on weight loss/gain.

If concern for health is truly the primary motivator, then reducing fat stigma would be at the top of the list for health activism. Instead research has identified weight bias in virtually all health professionals!!

Fat people can be healthy too, and there are many overweight people that are far healthier than most average weight people.

whatsthedeal

it may not change your opinion rocky but maybe it might change the opinion of the next generation!!

Stark

whatsthedeal wrote: »

Fat people can be healthy too, and there are many overweight people that are far healthier than most average weight people.

I know smokers who are healthier than non-smokers. Let's de-stigmatise smoking!

whatsthedeal

studies have shown that obesity is a hereditary condition whereby it is in somewhat unavoidable for a person as it has been passed onto the through their genes, i accept that this not the only case, but also doctors and medical associations have defined obesity as a disease! smoking is not a disease, it is not hereditary and therefore it is completely different...

Stench Blossoms

whatsthedeal wrote: »

studies have shown that obesity is a hereditary condition whereby it is in somewhat unavoidable for a person as it has been passed onto the through their genes, i accept that this not the only case, but also doctors and medical associations have defined obesity as a disease! smoking is not a disease, it is not hereditary and therefore it is completely different...

Show me an example of these studies?

Saying its an hereditary condition is a bit of a cop out IMO.

People usually take on their parents traits because of the eating habits they've been brought up with. That's why you see fat parents with fat kids.

Newaglish

whatsthedeal wrote: »

I am not saying that people should disregard their health and stay or become fat!! or skinny for that matter and I have only been referring to fat as it is the size which is most stigmatized and frowned upon in society!

Have any of you heard of the HAES (Health At Every Size)?

The HAES paradigm is to create an environment of respect for body size diversity and to support lifestyle behaviours and attitudes that can improve health and well-being for people of all sizes rather than focusing on weight loss/gain.

If concern for health is truly the primary motivator, then reducing fat stigma would be at the top of the list for health activism. Instead research has identified weight bias in virtually all health professionals!!

Fat people can be healthy too, and there are many overweight people that are far healthier than most average weight people.

What in the nine hells are you on about? Health professionals telling obese people to lose weight is not "weight bias". It's common bloody sense. Being overweight or obese is correlated (using statistics which are somewhat absent from your hilarious posts) with so many health issues people have to be made aware that living outside of the normal healthy weight ranges (including being underweight) is not a good thing.

What are you talking about when you say that HAES "support lifestyle behaviours and attitudes that can improve health and well-being for people of all sizes rather than focusing on weight loss/gain." Would those behaviours include eating balanced healthy nutritious foods, avoiding processed junk foods and getting exercise? Guess what, that will make you lose weight.

Having looked up a little about HAES is that I can see that they encourage long term lifestyle changes as opposed to short-term dieting. I don't disagree with that but it looks to me just like a bit of marketing wrapped around common sense and is, in effect, another type of diet. The ultimate goal is couched in the loose term of "health improvements" but I would imagine that those health improvements are going to significantly consist of fat loss.

Newaglish

whatsthedeal wrote: »

studies have shown that obesity is a hereditary condition whereby it is in somewhat unavoidable for a person as it has been passed onto the through their genes, i accept that this not the only case, but also doctors and medical associations have defined obesity as a disease! smoking is not a disease, it is not hereditary and therefore it is completely different...

Weight gain is a pretty simple and scientifically measurable process. Food (energy) is consumed and the energy is either used in various chemical processes (body function, exercise). If you consume more energy than you use, the remainder is stored as fat. If you consume less energy than you use, the balance is burned from your fat reserves.

Anyone who has a "hereditary condition" that makes them gain weight that I've ever met also had some sort of "hereditary condition" that makes them shovel Big Macs into their faces.

rocky

Newaglish wrote: »

Anyone who has a "hereditary condition" that makes them gain weight that I've ever met also had some sort of "hereditary condition" that makes them shovel Big Macs into their faces.

Heyy, corelation is not causation!!!









:pac:

Oryx

fat stigma

What exactly is this fat stigma that you talk about anyway?

Sappa

It's not so easy to shed the extra load but it all cones down to iron discipline and good genes.
Some people have no problem losing weight others struggle,but you need to be solid with your quest if you really want to lose weight.
No has to mean no and that sneaky cream egg is damage.
I remember in my teens and early to mid twenties it was no problem losing weight and I seldom put on any extra,but once you hit 30-31 it's just not as easy and you got to be strict.
I cut out all refined sugar and wheat,I eat veg and fish like a horse but never have a piece of cake or desert since the start of the year,I'm lucky thecother half hates sweet things as if they are in the house they are going down so you just got to limit exposure and be very strict.
Yes at times it's boring but I'm only overweight by 6 kilo and I intend to get that bloody six pack by September.
I exercise every day but if I lapsed back on wheat and sugar my face puffs up and stomach bloats so all the hard work is for nothing.
I intend to keep this diet for the future as my energy is balanced and thinking clearly.
Best of luck to the op and feck what others think r don't think,do it for yourself.

Medicine333

whatsthedeal wrote: »

studies have shown that obesity is a hereditary condition whereby it is in somewhat unavoidable for a person as it has been passed onto the through their genes, i accept that this not the only case, but also doctors and medical associations have defined obesity as a disease! smoking is not a disease, it is not hereditary and therefore it is completely different...

No, no, no!!!!
Obesity is 99% environment, 1% genetics(note: figures may be exaggerated). Obesity is an inability on a person's part to control their diet and live a healthy lifestyle. It is not, was not, nor will ever be just down to 'the genes.'

What a cop-out attitude to have. I'm sorry, but it really annoys me when people make excuses, pretty poor ones at that, for being obese.

This is the reason:

Calories taken in>calories used

It is not a difficult concept.

And no, you cannot be overweight and healthy.

People who are overweight/obese need to lose weight. Stop making excuses.

Gaz

To be honest, it sounds like you are fat and you want society to change and think of fat as normal and or healthy.

Obesity carrys many health risks, these are well documented. You need to eat less and move more ... or dont, no one else really cares.

anamaria

Your argument that obesity is genetic and that smoking is not doesn't really hold water. You can have a genetic 'pre-disposition' to being overweight, or to have an addiction problem. Pre-disposed does not mean that you are genetically doomed to be obese, it just means that if you make the wrong choices/have an unhealthy lifestyle it will probably impact on you quicker than it will for someone else who isn't 'genetically' programmed that way.

It is not a disease. A huge problem and very distressing for a lot of people yes, but not a disease.

Susie_Q

Bah. I take the approach that obesity is a choice. I'm not fat because I eat well and get some exercise; my sister is fat because she eats terrible food (and bloody loads of it) and drives everywhere. It's pretty simple really.

Medicine333

anamaria wrote: »

Your argument that obesity is genetic and that smoking is not doesn't really hold water. You can have a genetic 'pre-disposition' to being overweight, or to have an addiction problem. Pre-disposed does not mean that you are genetically doomed to be obese, it just means that if you make the wrong choices/have an unhealthy lifestyle it will probably impact on you quicker than it will for someone else who isn't 'genetically' programmed that way.

It is not a disease. A huge problem and very distressing for a lot of people yes, but not a disease.

That is something that people who are an unhealthy weight have been insisting and it is simply wrong. A disease is something you have no control of personally. With obesity, it is a choice: Stop eating unhealthily and control your diet, or eat more.

Yet people try to justify it by saying it is a disease which gets on my nerves.

HardyEustace

Sappa wrote: »

It's not so easy to shed the extra load but it all cones down to iron discipline and good genes.

I think you have to be disciplined but I think if you are sufficiently motivated, it doesn't seem like such a chore. You need to get to a point where the end goal is more important than a bun!

Zagato

anamaria wrote: »

It is not a disease. A huge problem and very distressing for a lot of people yes, but not a disease.

Obesity is not a disease, but a lot of obese people have elevated markers of inflammation in their body which are felt to then correlate with their likelihood of developing chronic diseases (Heart disease etc.), so their body seems to be in a chronically inflamed state - which is a bit like a diseased state. If they can lose the weight (not easy) these inflammatory markers return to normal levels.

Medicine333 wrote: »

....And no, you cannot be overweight and healthy. .....

~10% of obese people (from memory) do not have elevated inflammatory markers and do not appear to have the same risks of developing heart disease etc as the other 90%, so in a sense they are the healthy obese.


I do think that there would be no harm in having a sugar/fat tax. As stated above obesity is a huge cost to the state and projected to increase. People seem to see it as making certain foods more expensive, whereas I would see it as encouraging people to eat the more healthy foods.

Medicine333

Zagato wrote: »

Obesity is not a disease, but a lot of obese people have elevated markers of inflammation in their body which are felt to then correlate with their likelihood of developing chronic diseases (Heart disease etc.), so their body seems to be in a chronically inflamed state - which is a bit like a diseased state. If they can lose the weight (not easy) these inflammatory markers return to normal levels.




~10% of obese people (from memory) do not have elevated inflammatory markers and do not appear to have the same risks of developing heart disease etc as the other 90%, so in a sense they are the healthy obese.


I do think that there would be no harm in having a sugar/fat tax. As stated above obesity is a huge cost to the state and projected to increase. People seem to see it as making certain foods more expensive, whereas I would see it as encouraging people to eat the more healthy foods.

Certainly, they would be healthier than the obese who have elevated inflammatory markers, but they are still not healthy. They are still at risk for CHD, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea....I could go on. They are not healthy.

Zamboni

Zagato wrote: »

I do think that there would be no harm in having a sugar/fat tax.

It would be very harmful to increase the cost of calories that there is nothing inherently wrong with.
There are plenty of normal healthy people who could do without having a stupid fat tax on their mackerel, salmon, avacado, nuts etc. shopping bill.

rocky

Stop stuffing your fat face you fat fattie !!

See, this kind of vocalization is not acceptable in today's society, what more do you (OP) want?