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Fat Acceptance is Bullshit

I’m tired of hearing people equating obesity with race, hence the discrimination.

I can’t carry my 7 year old on my back all day long and still have a good quality day. He’s 50 pounds or so. Many of you “fat acceptance” bloggers have lots more than 50 pounds on you. Stop pretending it’s okay. You are dying and some of you are killing your kids. That has me irate.

It’s got to suck to be morbidly obese. I can’t imagine laboring to get out of bed, oh, wait I can, you see I was HUGE when I was pregnant. It’s not a way to live your life.

Here’s the deal, you stop pretending that 9 year olds with man boobs are in a “phase” and I’ll do everything I can to support you in your new, life affirming lifestyle.

Because fat acceptance is kinda like cancer acceptance. You’re killing yourself and you sound like an asshole when you talk about it.

127 thoughts on “Fat Acceptance is Bullshit”

  1. Fat acceptance IS bullshit! I also believe that parents who allow their children to become obese should be required to take nutrition courses and put on parental probation until they get their start behaving like responsible parents. Just because the drug is shaped like a twinkie and a doughnut, doesn’t mean it isn’t child abuse.

  2. I don’t think any kind of acceptence is bullshit. In this town( los angeles), if not this world I think fat people put up with a lot of hurtful comments, and if they can find a way to better about their appearance, more power to them. The bullshit, to me, is that everyone is suppose to look like a runway model from the craddle to the grave.

  3. I respect your opinion Elise, but have to agree to disagree. There are many types of behaviors that I find unacceptable. For example: if my husband had an affair. That qualifies as not acceptable. My boss wanting a blowjob for me to get a promotion at work, yep unacceptable. My daughter wants her navel pierced. Nope, not ok with me. The meth addict wants the pin number to my atm card, not acceptable. My daughter could ask for beer and pizza for dinner every night, nope not acceptable. A normal teenage boy wants to rent a limo and take my daughter to a school dance. He has been branded unacceptable and will NOT be attending the dance with her. The gay boy in her gay/straight alliance at school will be her date. I approve of him, he is acceptable. It’s NO secret in my home, I prefer my daughter to go to prom with a gay boy. Why? Because I think she has the best chance of NOT having her night ruined with alcohol, condoms and really disappointing first time sex with a drunk teen in a cheap hotel room. She is worthy of WAY better treatment then that. The best part is, she knows she deserves better and wants a really great gay guy that LOVES to dance to take her to the prom. Prom is more fun with a guy who loves to dance! YAY! My husband thinks my idea is crazy, but I am determined to teach my daughter that she can have a blast, stay sober, stay a virgin and enjoy her high school memories forever, because they will be filled with no regrets.

    Crap, I am totally off topic again………. Hang on………….. I have to refocus………………….Here we go…………….Underweight runway/fashion models are no healthier than the obese. They are just on the other end of the spectrum. I have managed to raise a child who (according to her physician) has maintained a HEALTHY body weight for the 10 plus years he has been her doctor. She is bombarded with images of women with very unhealthy body weights. What I like about our doctor, is that he asks her how SHE feels about her body weight before telling her how he views her weight from a medical standpoint. He makes sure she understands what healthy weight and hollywood weight is, and that she is a size 8 and is normal and physically fit for her age. She has ashtma now, which inhibits her desire to run, but she is active. My sister is obese, and by that I mean WAY off the charts by a lot( over 150 lbs too much). It began as the fault of my mother’s inability to appropriately deal with a sick baby/toddler. It grew into a major problem by 1st grade and has continued into adulthood. My sister is 34, never dated, no boyfriends, rents a bedroom from me in my home. Yoyo diets don’t work. She kept repeating that her metabolism was shot from years of yoyo diets. I simply had her eat a breakfast shake( filled with psyillium husk poweder, flax seed oil and fresh fruit and yogurt) instead of starbucks and lo and behold, her metabolism kicked in and she lost 20 lbs without dieting or exercise. She was pretty amazed, but not enough to change I guess, and is back to her comfy habits of binge eating after work at night, hiding away in her room.
    I love my sister. I am sad that she is sad that she is unmarried, still a virgin and not living on her own at age 34. I can’t fix her. She has to make the choice. Put down the fast food and pick up some carrot sticks. I stopped purchasing soda, and would you believe my family didn’t die of thirst? Yep. My teen found out she likes herbal unsweetened iced tea, and ice water, even rice and soy milk.
    I accept that my sister is obese. I love who she is on the inside. I don’t for one second accept that her eating disorder is any different than that of anorexia or bulemia. She binge eats, for a multitude of reasons.
    I don’t find it acceptable that people are literally eating themselves to death and I’m not going to nod my head and pat them on the back and tell them it’s ok. Type 2 diabetes is NOT ok. I should know. I was almost 37 when my doctor told me ” you are overweight and your bloodwork says you have type 2 diabetes”. I was devastated. The big elephant in the room at my family reunions is that 4 out of 5 aunts and uncles have it, so did BOTh grandparents and 2 of my 4 great grandparents. So I took my information and prescriptions for all the testing crap I needed to check blood sugar and went on a frenzied search for how to get rid of it.
    Guess what! Milk, even fat free, has just as much SUGAR as whole milk. I drank a LOT of milk with my latte’s hot or iced and thought fat free meant healthier. It didn’t. Asking for sugar free vanilla didn’t matter either, since the milk had 14 grams of sugar all by itself! I also stopped eating animals. I went vegan. Within the month, my symptoms of diabetes were gone. I am 40 lbs lighter, happier, had my knee surgery and still don’t have ANY signs of type 2. My doctor is happy also.
    I KNOW my sister will either have a stroke, heart atack or get diabetes before she hits 40. Why would I ever think that’s ok? My doctor stated that diabetes is like alcoholism, once you have it you always have it. I am a “diet and exercise controlled diabetic”. Yes, he will forever monitor my blood work. But it’s been 14 months, and I haven’t had a bad test result. So I know fat, I have felt the effects, it’s NOT ACCEPTABLE to hurt yourself and expect the world to stand silently by. Amy Winehouse is a drug addict. Her family is trying to reach her, they in no way accept her addiction to be “ok”. Food can be just as destructive to the human body. You CAN love the person, without loving the addiction. Type 2 diabetes is preventable. We only get one body. I spent the first few years of my daughter’s life getting lectured by MY mom on how strict I was with food. I refused to allow my child any candy for her daily snacks. A piece of candy here or there for halloween/christmas etc. was rare. My 17 yr old WANTED a fruit bouquet instead of a big cake, but I still had cupcakes there. Mostly for the fun visual of her blowing out all the candles. But still, cake. My daughter doesn’t fill her school back pack with crap. She fills it with premade baggies of carrots and sugar snap peas and will even throw caution to the wind and throw in an apple or oranges! When Santa delivers presents to our home, he fills her sock with pomegranates and clementine oranges, NO candy. She is delighted every year when she wakes up to find her favorite fruits in her sock. What I figured out is, that sometimes our parents have good intentions, but are still fallible and make mistakes. My mother didn’t understand what I was trying to accomplish. I intentionally allowed my daughter to eat as much fruits and vegies as she wanted when she was little, praising her for trying new things, and she’ll still make brussel sprouts for lunch sometimes on weekends. I modeled healthy eating habits and she is making healthy choices on her own now without my nagging or needing my guidance. She disliked pizza until junior high. What teen hates pizza? well, mine. Loaded with carbs and cheese and fatty toppings, we didn’t eat it very often.
    Why can’t we all just be truthful. If being fat was healthy and helped you live a longer, more productive happy life, we’d all be doing it. Truth is, the percent of obese adults and children gets larger every year. So do the illnesses associated with it. My high school track teacher caught me with a bag of fries at lunch one day. He threw them in the garbage can, scolded me on poor eating habits and went and bought me a half of a sandwich without mayo and an apple. I missed my fries, but it was the first time an adult had taken the time to teach me that just because it is convenient and tastes great, doesn’t mean I should eat it. Thanks Mr. Turentine. I’ve owed you that thank you for 23 years.
    So now that my post has gone on forever, what I really meant to say is, yes, sometimes acceptance of inappropriate things really IS bullshit. I think that women who don’t shave their legs or arm pits are gross when they wear clothing that exposes the hairy truth. I will not accept their choice. I may not say anything to them, but I won’t be hanging out with them either. They choose not to shave, just as the obese choose not to exercise or eat in a manner that will support a longer life expectancy. We all make hundreds of choices everyday that are big and small. Choosing an apple instead of a doughnut is a positive choice. Choosing a big mac instead of a salad with a healthy dressing is a bad choice. Making bad choices consistently over time makes you fat. Choosing to park further away from the mall entrance is a good thing (exercise). Needing a handicap sign and a motorized wheelchair because your legs are no longer able to support your weight is a bad choice. See where I’m going with this? We can accept that people have food addictions, drug addictions, porn addictions, you name it, someone is addicted. I may be addicted to this blog and can’t stop typing at 2AM.
    I live with the obesity issue in my home every day. I love my sister. My daughter loves her auntie. I grieve for her that she doesn’t have a guy to love her, or children to cuddle with and read bedtime stories to. She knows in her heart she is making poor choices. I can’t fix her, only she can. Do I accept her obesity and love her anyway? I love her, not her choices on exercise or eating. I offer her healthy alternatives, sometimes she humors me, sometimes she doesn’t. She picks up the fork, orders the big mac, frappacino and dips french fries in mayo(gross!). I cannot stop her. I have no more power than if she were an alcoholic. I can dump the vodka down the sink, but they’ll just go get the mouthwash. And pick up more vodka later. If you were faced with someone YOU loved who was intentionally acting in a manner that was dangerous and destructive, you would be supportive and accepting? Separating the addiction and the person is necessary when discussing this issue. If you are obese,it’s simple math. You are taking in more calories than you are burning. I don’t want to go to my sister’s funeral. I don’t like having to see the tears welling up in her eyes when she talks about all her college friends having new babies, hubbies, etc. She is robbing herself of life. Why would I ever be accepting of it? When will it be my turn to be the auntie? Too much touchy feely politically correct bullcrap is infesting our society. We are turning into sheeple. Sometimes, truth is ugly. But just because it’s hard to address, doesn’t mean we should just accept it so we don’t hurt anyone’s feelings. I don’t want to see obese people in magazines wearing bikini’s. No one does. I adore Jamie Lee Curtis. She stood without makeup in her underwear to prove a point. Real women are beautiful, with wrinkles, ugly veins on legs, sagging boobs and cellulite. They don’t have to be a runway model to be beautiful. Just healthy. Seen the ads with the naked women on them? Dove pro age. Not runway skinny models. Just REAL WOMEN with REAL BODIES. Healthy. Beautiful. Obesity is unhealthy. By default, not acceptable, just ask any doctor. The new trendy copout to obesity? Gastric bypass. The next big “diet” trend to ruin the next generation of kids. Eat crap, don’t exercise, get surgery and viola!! you are not fat for 3 years. Then oops! You didn’t stop making bad choices and your fat again! more surgery? what if you die during surgery, like my 34 yr old friend who left behind 5 kids and a husband. Gastric bypass is the new cool thing to do. My sister wants to do it. She had to promise to wait until my daughter was an adult in college before she gets it done. I am hoping I can talk her out of it. I’m making her wait because losing her would devastate my daughter. My daughter does not need devastation in her senior year of high school.
    Sorry Jess, for rambling on and on and on and on……. OK, it’s 2:30am now. I seriously need some sleep.

    Oh, and I love the articles you are writing for the eco friendly website! I will have to send you a reusable grocery bag from our mission team fundraiser(my big idea). We are selling the coolest looking grocery bags for 3 bucks. They are burgundy with amazing 3 color graphics and say “Don’t do life alone”. We are also doing an ewaste fundraiser on the 23rd. We have 2500 grocery bags to sell. I keep praying they get delivered quickly so we can get em sold! I’d love to see more organizations selling eco friendly products to raise money instead of candybars or cookie dough.

    Sorry again for rambling on and on. Crap it’s now 3am. I am leaving I promise!!!!!!!!

    1. You really lost me at the hairy women bit. I mean, you would not even “hang out with” a woman who did not shave. What a hypocrite! What happened to the “REAL WOMEN with REAL BODIES?” LOL!!
      Also, at first you seemed genuine, but then you went on and on and I started to wonder. I suggest you really examine your feelings about your oh so IMPERFECT sister. I think you like to have a fat, ugly, VIRGIN (I mean everyone knows how difficult it is for a woman to get sex. Only the best of us can aspire to that!!) for a sister. If your sister were thin, you’d have no one to feel SO superior to and no one to pity and feel so much better than.I’d hate to be your sister, you self-righteous, self-congratulatory (clementine oranges for Christmas) woman. And no, I’m not fat or ugly or hairy or a virgin, and my kids eat fruit and veges too.

  4. I don’t disagree with any of the health risks to the morbidly obese. My point is only that everyone should be allowed to love themselves. It is only from that place that we can begin to take care of ourselves. I’m glad that you have been able to take care of yourself and family in such a healthy way and hope your sister will find her way soon.
    P.S. My sister went to the prom with a gay friend and I too think its the only way to go. Though it won’t necessarily elliminate alcohol from the evening.

  5. Look, as a fat guy I accept that my lifestyle is unhealthy and unattractive. I further accept that I’m the only person responsible for my actions.

    That being said, I don’t understand why you have to be hurtful about it. Do you think I don’t realize I’m fat? Or is it that I don’t understand the consequences of being fat? I’m reminded of these things every day. Seriously, don’t you have better things to do than to lash out at people over the internet.

    Here’s a suggestion: If you really get off being a bitch to people about the choices they’ve made in their life, why don’t you go down to the cancer ward (in person) and tease some elderly smokers? That way you get all the satisfaction of really twisting the knife and no one can call you a coward.

  6. You’ve got it all wrong.

    What’s hurtful is the “fat acceptance” movement. They’re the ones who cater to your feelings. I’m catering to your health. Get up, move and eat less.

    If you need help, I’d help you. If you want someone to pretend that it’s about looks I’m not your gal.

    And don’t try and tell my kids that obesity doesn’t kill.
    Just don’t.

  7. Great job joining in to the ranks who aren’t buying Fat Acceptance’s cover story.

    When you dig into the movement it really gets ugly. It isn’t about “acceptance” so much as glorification of obesity.

  8. The problem with “fat accepters” is that they lie to themselves and others. The belief of a lot of fat people that they eat very little, has been enshrined into a movement. Nobody is a metabolic miracle who can work out 2 hours/day and eat 800 cals/day and not lose weight! Scientific studies have shown that people who claim things like that are deceiving themselves.
    And they try to pretend that being fat isn’t unhealthy, and they pretend that obesity isn’t increasing, saying that it’s only been redefined too include slimmer people, which is BS.
    You can try to be “fat and fit”, but the extra weight is still putting a lot of stress on your body. Fat is pro-inflammatory, too, and it’s a risk factor for many cancers, like breast cancer. I don’t know of any research that suggests that “fat and fit” people aren’t at extra risk for these cancers.
    The reason for the fat acceptance movement is just that it’s very hard for people to lose weight, we are around food all the time and you have to eat to live. You can’t just quit food, you have to be always restraining yourself. And it’s a lot harder to lose weight than not to gain it in the first place. And, some people are genetically more liable to gain weight.
    I like to tell people who are overweight – just get in shape to the point where you can do a hard aerobic workout for 90 minutes/day. A *hard* aerobic workout, where your heart is going 80% of max, say. At some point, it’s not possible if you do that, to stay fat.
    But it’s also not fun to move a fat body around. A lot of fat people just wouldn’t work out that much because of that.
    I’ve never mooed at anybody in my life and discrimination against fat people isn’t right. But the lies they tell aren’t right, they are harmful.

  9. I take it back about a hard aerobic workout being 80% of your max heartrate, I can go indefinitely with my heartrate about 90% of max. Although that’s after training a lot, you become able to work out at higher heart rates comfortably after training.

  10. Fat Acceptance is not the denial that obesity carries with it health risks.

    It’s just that we think you shouldn’t hate people for dying earlier than you do. Bigoted asshole.

  11. I have to disagree, I do want all of us to be healthy, but health risks does not define one person based on size. There are plenty of considered thin people who are unhealthy and have bad eating habits but since they’re visually not fat they’re visually considered healthy which is biased. Look at Micheal Jackson he’s suffering from lung problems, people with cancer the Tour De France bike rider Lance Armstrong, Natalie Cole is extremely sick. Bernie Mac passed for health reasons and he wasn’t fat, so did alot of other celebs, I haven’t seen any of the so called fat celebs die yet. There’s a difference between being obese and having a little meat on your bones.

    If the world is quote on quote too obese and it can supposedly kill then why aren’t I seeing fat people dropping dead left and right? I see far more reports of cancer killing people who aren’t fat than a few extra sugar packets.

    We live in a world where image is the main resource. I know women and men who aren’t size 0-6’s who are active and eat proportonately. What about the supermodels who under eat and are way underweight for their height and weight? Being extremely thin is just as health risky and pose the same health risk as quote on quote being fat but alot of doctors are biased and they won’t tell you that.

    These weight loss reality shows and infomercials exaggerate things too much and makes it seem as if a person who isn’t chizzled or thin like a model is the worst person in the world. Other countries don’t discriminate like this only in America.

    How come we can’t fight anorexia, and bulimia but we can crack down on fat people? Sometimes it’s not about health it’s about image how many women and men we can get to look like the celebrities, and some of these celebrities when you see them in person they’re way thinner than what pictures assume they’re perfect.

    It’s funny because in the 19th century on back there wasn’t a high percentage of obese people in society because there wasn’t any particular body image that people had to live up too especially women. But yet people was healthier, as time progressed “THIN” and unrealstic skinny women became the ideal beauty and people rebelled against those images therefore sparking high obesity rates.

    Like I said there’s a big difference between obese and having a little meat on your bones. I want to see people crack down on accessive drinking, smoking and usage of bad body chemicals as much as they do a person who’s ribs or isn’t diesel and cut up. Because when the New Years started I heard the praising of acohol drinking on New Years and people giving after booze tips on how to treat hangovers, just so biased.

    It’s not about eating less it’s about eating proportionately, telling people to not eat or not eat enough is what sparks anorexia, there’s unread and unseen articles out there about weight bias that no one ever let’s get into the media because the world is so anti-fat and pro- stick thin.

    There’s a study that showed fat women live longer than they’re smaller counterparts but no one knows it exist because we live in a world that’s anti-fat and pro-stick thin.

    Like I said there’s no study that says body size determines health, even health officials said the BMI scale isn’t accurate 100%. As long as a person stays moving and eat proportinately not less or more they’re good. We’re only suppose to work out 30 minutes a day 3 times a week.

    I’m not a 0-6 but I’m healthy and if fat people or hefty people want to be accepted then let them be accepted, it’s far more people dying quicker from cancer, bullets, and other things than a person with alittle meat on their bones.

    1. I have to pull you up on stating that ‘only America’ discriminates on the basis of weight. That is untrue and makes you come across as ignorant.
      Please travel.

  12. N’s post is the stereotypical bullshit propaganda that fat advocates like to spew. They like to deflect their situation by pointing out other eating disorders and illnesses such as anorexia. However, the amount of people that are dying from anorexia does not even come CLOSE to those that are dying from health related problems to obesity. You’ll also notice that most fat advocates are under the age of 60 – and that their bodies have not yet suffered the effects of obesity. They would rather push the source of the problem under the rug and cover it with a movement about how they are treated unfairly. It’s just very sad is all.

    1. I have noticed that too Aimee. What I do not see is many people that are obese over 60. The reason is obvious: they don’t live past 60. This is a statistic that a lot of overweight people seem to neglect. Their attitude is I would rather be here for a good time, not a long time. Well, what sort of good time could you have if you carrying the weight of 2 or even 3 normal sized people throughout this time till you are 60?

  13. Au contraire dear Aimee. N’s post seems to be the only one with an ounce of reason in here.

    There are no accurate statistics that show a link between “obesity” and death. Just because an obese person has clogged arteries, or get’s diabetes, doesn’t mean his/her weight caused it, but the junk/chemicals/transfats that he/she eats, that incidentally also makes one gain weight.

    Also, the CDC is definitely anti-fat biased. The centers of disease control and presentation has reported 25,814 deaths due to obesity a year in the United states, while the CDC came up with 365,000.

  14. Wow, I can see valid points in both discussions here.
    I agree that we shouldn’t have pressure put on us to be runway models as Elise said — and I also agree that the “fat acceptance movement” tends to gloss over the ill-effects of obesity.

    I wish we could all find the happy medium of this somehow.

  15. I don’t know where I stand on this. I do wear a size 14 in jeans, am not a stick…but do wear my weight well. I can run for as long as I need to, love fruits, the thought of fast food grosses me out, and usually drink water .

    Yet people don’t see that, instead they see the little lonjas (Or “love handles as you call them in English) and then think up of all the negative qualities associated with morbidly obese people.

    *That* is what bothers me. I am very well aware of what is wrong with my health, and all of that, and I can see why the 0-6 jean sized people are grossed out by 6+, I really can and don’t blame them…but at the same time, I do wish people could consider the fact that us on the other side also recognize these facts, and are probably doing something about it.

    I love my curves, I just hate the excess. I’m losing weight not to be a stick (That’s gross), but because I want to.

    Don’t know where I’m going on this, but those are my thoughts on fat acceptance.

  16. Wow…I read your post…and I don’t think you were being a bitch…but it definetly seems like you hit a nerve.

    I am 40lbs overweight…and if I lose that 40lbs I will still not be at my lowest “healthy body weight” according to my dr…I’ll be in the bottom half. My ideal body weight is 125-145…

    My step dad is morbidly obese. I have listened for years about how diabetes is in his family…it has nothing to do with the weight…if only he could walk more but he has bad knees…after “this” surgery I will be more active and lose the weight…I eat a banana for breakfast, and grilled chicken for lunch…

    I have heard it all…even when he tells me about the 2 hot dogs and fries he had on his way over…or the breakfast burritos he at the other day…I hear it.

    I have tried to get him on one of those meal delivery deals, so that he could start to eat heathier…but apparently THAT isn’t his problem..he just needs to walk more….Ugh…So, yes, there is a big problem with delnial, and acceptance that he is fat but it’s really NOT his fault…

    When I call and he doesn’t answer…I get worried…When I tell him I’m worried, he laughs at me…he is doing the best that he can…and then tells me about the ice cream he got when he left my house that last time…Sigh…

    He knows his risk…no one said that this notion of accepting your situation means you dont’ know you have a choice to stop putting BAD food in your mouth, or that you don’t know what you are doing to your body…It IS about not loving yourself enought to STOP doing it…She didn’t say you need to look like runway models to be healthy…I think the SMART one’s know better….

    At 40 lbs of extra weight, I have trouble up the stairs, my knees hurt, I have heartburn, and a few other issues…AT 150+ lbs over you are talking more serious…and the BEST/WORST part is that it IS completely preventable…COMPLETLY within YOUR power to change it…YOU have CONTROL…and you wishywash it all away calling other people insensitive or bitches because they say “acceptance is NOT the answer”…Sigh…

    Tought but firm argument…I wish it could make an impact on my step dad…my kids love him dearly, but I fear he won’t be around long enough to share all the joys of their lives…

  17. Funny, the only asshole I see is you. Do you really think making fun of fat people will help cure the problem? Like you and the rest of the non FA haters on this page, you people are not helping what so ever. In fact your ignorance is only helping the Fat Acceptance movement.

      1. What’s immature is taking time that could be done doing something contructive; ANYTHING constructive, and writing this for no reason at all–it doesn’t help anything. Besides, if people want to like being fat, let them do that. Truth is, plenty of people (that includes overweight folks) hate being fat and feel that it is wrong. They want to change and they’re daily like revolves around it. However, like many things some people have an easy time of it and some don’t. I’d like to believe that I’m fine the way I am but I know that isn’t true and I’m sure many people have that same idea. Fat acceptance and the ‘movement’ behind it, are no where near as strong as the ideas it wants to fight and I highly doubt that’ll be changing any time soon. Even if it does take some hold, before long the same feelings of worthlessness and desire to change will reclaim their hold undoing any hope of self-esteem. So, writing something like that is pretty much pointless and indeed imature. There are more things to be angry about than a movement that isn’t going anywhere.

  18. Fat, but working on it

    Well, this has been a really hot topic. To say now…I think that some parts of the “Fat Acceptance” movement are total crap. However, some of the parts of it are not.

    A little background on me. I messed up my own metabolism when I was in 4th grade by sitting and becoming addicted to television. I never ate bad for me foods as a child, always ate healthy well balanced foods, but because of my genetics, and the fact that I would not go outside and run and play…well, I went to 145lbs in 4th grade. (could also be because I had NO one to play with, I am an only child and we lived out in the boonies with no neighbors around).

    From that point on all I heard from my mother was…you have such a pretty face, if you would only lose some weight. Coupled with many, many other children and peers making fun of “the fat girl”. When I played games in PE, they would say that I was causing an earthquake (I was tall as well as heavy in school). Imagine what that does to a child…and it never stopped. Middle school, high school and early college…all the same. I still hear it…you would be so pretty if…aren’t I pretty now.

    I am 5’5″ tall and weigh 269lbs. Fat..right? Well, guess what…I have lost 12lbs. That is quite a lot to most people. Yes, I have more to lose, but hey, I have lost 12lbs.

    yes, I know that being overweight is unhealthy, and yes, I am doing something about it…but the part of the fat acceptance movement that I support is this..

    MOST (not all) “skinny” people who don’t like fat people, or the fat acceptance movement “make fun” of fat people. Call them names, say hurtful things, etc. Well, take it from a fat person…it hurts. and here is a little tidbit…IT DOES NOT HELP!!!! If anything, it will make the problem worse. When someone hurts me, I will do anything I can to make myself feel better. Now..that is working out, trying a new makeup style, talking a walk with my children…etc., but it used to be eating. Before I was married, I ate when someone hurt me. You wanna know why…because food will never let you down, and it never says hurtful things.

    So to you all who believe that it is OK to say something hurtful to someone because they are fat. To all of you people who think you are “helping” us when you say those things….you are not. You are making it worse. Here are some suggestions

    Make friends with someone who is overweight. Love them for the person on the inside. THEN, live by example. Take them out to eat, instead of ordering a humongous meal just for yourself, ask them if they would like to splis a meal. If you invite them over for dinner…cook something nutritious, low calorie, yet wholesome and filling. When you give them gifts, gift them with simple, low cost recipies that are nutritous and can be made with simple things. Suggest healthy, yummy alternatives to their favorite foods, even making them for them as gifts, ask if they want help losing weight..if THEY bring it up. Lend support, unconditional, loving, support, be there for them, do not be hateful, spiteful, or hurtful.

    Again, saying hurtful things does not help. MOST heavy adults know the risks they are taking, and most will not change until they feel comfortable doing so. Weight is not just about eating and not excercising, it’s about deeper problems rooted in the mind that cause us to hold onto things we do not need. It is an addiction that cannot be helped until we want to help ourselves, it is a disease that has to be cured within ourselves.

    Yes, “acceptance” is not the answer, and yes the majority of overweight adults can do something about it but choose not to…you wanna know what the answer is.

    Get rid of artificial anything in all of our food, put fast food out of business, make healthy good affordable, and most of all…what everyone can do…be supportive of efforts of the “heavy” person that IS trying to make a difference in their lives, don’t assume that all of us are pigs, and don’t make fun of ANY heavy person….as it is liable to make them turn to food more often.

    Obese children…well, don’t make fun of them either..help them as well (if at all possible), don’t blame them…they are a product of their environment most times. Blame the parents.

    Fat Acceptance is a crock in most ways, but being hurtful to a fat person is not acceptable either. Be fair, be friendly, and be supportive of ANY effort that they make.

    C. B.

    1. re: messing up metabolism… damaged metabolisms are a thing, yes… I don’t know if you still struggle with this or if you’ll see this reply, but if you are and do, you might look into Leigh Peel’s metabolism repair manual. (Google it). It’s a very helpful ebook that shows you how to fix a damaged metabolism so that you can eat normal calorie amounts and lose weight. I know people are like “but the point is to accept fat…” I think we should accept PEOPLE but not fat. Fat already indicates something screwed up with metabolism even if it’s being actively and consistently screwed up by daily behavior. But… even damaged metabolisms that don’t respond the same way to food anymore can be healed.

  19. I love those people who try to say that many fat people eat normally. If that were the case, then most people would be fat naturally.

    In France, the obesity rate is 9.4%, in Japan and Korea its 3.2%. Many of these people are obese because they are too sedentary and eat too much.

    So, maybe 1~2% are genetically disposed to be obese in most societies. In the US, it is 30%.

    So, if you want to change your disposition to refuse to be ashamed of being fat, FINE….but being FAT SHOULD NOT BE AN ENDGOAL.

    A healthy lifestyle (eating under 2500 calories) with low sat and trans fats and exercising (and it doesn’t have to mean going to the gym everyday) SHOULD BE THE GOAL.

    If that is your goal, you will eventually reach your ideal weight, and then you can be sad for no longer being apart of the fat acceptance group.

  20. i’ve been fat since a baby except for the 7 years i dieted and excercised and lost 169 pounds. now i am suffering from all kinds of health problems due to this dieting. i was also severely depressed and had suicidal tendencies. the doctors told me the weight loss did me more harm than good. so why don’t you skinny people that can eat whatever you want and not gain weight just shut up. you will die of the same things. heart attack, cancer, diabetes, etc. it’s all in the genes and it’s all hereditary. so worry about yourselves and leave us fat people alone. we are happy.

  21. I recently got to the point where I was considered “obese”. I could not reach my toes without gasping for air. I felt horribly uncomfortable in my clothes. It was awful, but I had gotten to a place in my life where I was just accepting it. Did that help? No. So, I called up a diet program and got back on track. I have only lost about 16 pounds of the weight I want to lose- have another 50-60 to go- but I feel so much better. Physically, I feel better. I can breathe better. I can sleep better. I am more active and have more energy.

    So, yeah, it may seem easier to accept it but anyone who has been there knows it is physically and emotionally harder, even if everyone around you pats you on the back for your weight.

  22. This article is spot on. I am sick of hearing about this bullshit. It’s just another aspect of today’s political correctness.

    I was always skinny myself, so I know personally that some people are predisposed to be heavier than others. However, heavier means maybe borderline between normal weight and overweight, not 50 pounds + beyond the upper weight limit.

    Of the considerable number of overweight people that I know, ALL of them eat excessive amounts of food, and generally unhealthy food at that. I also know that if I were to eat that much, despite predisposition to being skinny, I’d end up like them or close.

    People who yell “fat acceptance” with a donut in one hand and a milk-laden coffee with sugar in the other will get no sympathy from me. Same goes for people who pity themsevles, saying that it’s all hereditary. Genetics only go so far. It’s simple logic. Spend more energy than your intake of calories and you cannot help losing weight. And that doesn’t mean, starve yourself and excercise ’till exhaustion.

    Fat acceptance is refusal to take responsibility. If someone chooses to keep overeating unhealthy foods while not exercising at all, that’s fine. But then, they should not complain about having to pay for 2 airplane tickets because they can’t fit in one seat, sue the fast food companies or feel discriminated because the other sex does not find them attractive.

    1. Spot on Chris. Especially that bit about the airline seats. Make the habit of being obese more difficult and it becomes less attractive. Society spends too much money trying to promote the idea that obesity should be acceptable rather than trying to dissuade it. Make people pay for two seats on a plane but also make them pay more for their overweight clothing options too and restrict the range of choices.

  23. At 5’9″ and 255 pounds, I had weight-loss (gastric bypass) surgery a year ago. I’ve lost 70 pounds and have another 20 or so to go. Best decision I ever made. I was fat but not at all happy about it.

  24. I agree with Jessica on this one. There is a difference between a healthy lifestyle and fat acceptance. I’m sorry, but people who are morbidly obese and claim they cannot change it are in denial. I’m tired of seeing young kids getting gastric bypass because it’s in their “genes”.

    and yes, I’ve been fat. It sucks and it’s hard to lose weight but it can be done. It’s a daily challenge for some people but it CAN BE DONE.

  25. This is good. I can forgive an adult and even myself for my weight, but when I see 100 lb 5 year olds, I see red. Wrong! That is all about the parents. Fat kids don’t shop. fat babies did not acquire a taste for sugar and cheese and never a vegetable, their parents did that. The clean plate club? not their idea. I have friends with obese children that marvel at my kids adventurous eating…because they’ll eat romaine lettuce. Whoo-ey. These kids view spaghtetti sauce with suspicion. Imagine if they knew my kids ate kiwi, onions, squash, quinoa, mushrooms, capers, calamata olives, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, cilantro, pomegranates, … Okay, one thing which is my fault they don’t eat is eggplant because as much as I try, I hate the god-foresaken stuff. :)

  26. It does suck. Believe me it does.

    It also sucks, being conned into believing that you are worthless if you don’t weigh 115lbs and are a size 2.

    It sucks, sticking your finger down your throat after you eat, in order not to add another pound onto your morbidly obese frame.

    It sucks because for the longest time, growing up, I was told I was beautiful…I had the perfect body. I didn’t notice it, didn’t care. It’s just the way I was built. But someone did notice…the man who married my mother.

    Years later, my son died.

    I ate to drown the pain of burying my two year old. Before that I ate to bury the 125lb young woman with the 34D chest and great ass. No one would “admire” her if she were buried in fat.

    And now? Now I’m clawing my way back, desperately and trying to get angry NOW…really angry for the first time in my life that I let someone do the things they did and didn’t get angry THEN.

    This is a miserable way to live. It’s not fun.

    However, let me get one thing patently clear. I don’t want people to accept that the morbidly obese should be loved the way they are and that it’s cool. It’s not cool. We’re a drain on the medical system, our loved ones and ourselves. What is NOT cool is to ostracize women like me – treat us like we’re somehow stupid, unintelligent cows, lesser human beings because we’re fat. It’s not cool to be demeaned and belittled in front of others. It’s not cool to be made fun of and to teach your children to make fun of or belittle the obese.

    Treat us like human beings and perhaps we’ll start to feel like we owe it to ourselves to start taking care of ourselves like we are indeed valued and have a right to be here.

    I understand that not every morbidly obese person has some issue in their background they are trying to “bury.” I do understand that some have metabolic issues, (I have been told I have Hashimoto’s Disease but I don’t believe it and therefore don’t take the medication. It makes me ill anyhow. I’m fat. Hashimoto’s does not cause an otherwise healthy female to gain 175+lbs., and for some it might be genetic or just a simple lack of willpower. It doesn’t mean that their way of life needs to be accepted as normal, but it also doesn’t mean they deserve to be treated as if they are criminals.

  27. Hmmm… Hashimoto/hypothryoidism can make losing weight impossible. I think I started down the hypo hell road at about 10 years old and I started noticing a bulge in my throat.

    My doctor said I “might” become hypo, but, he wasn’t going to do anything about it until it showed up more on the test (technically I WAS… I still have the labs). He said I had Hashimoto Disease.

    My teen years body was was strange. I would gain and lose weight (20 lbs) eating and getting the same amount of exercise. I think my thyroid was dying. It was cycling between hyper and hypo.

    The doctor would do nothing. Just tell me to eat less… I finally stopped cycling and just started to gain. That led to more depression. Mean words from skinny a-holes didn’t make it any better. They made it worse.

    *sarcasm*
    No wonder I was so depressed, losing my hair, cold all the time and so damn tired, doc! I was fat…. *rolls eyes*

  28. Why, oh why has fat-bashing suddenly become the torture du jour? I am tall, overweight by a considerable margin, and in perfect health. Cholestorol: perfect. Blood sugars: perfect. No family history of heart disease or diabetes. We live so long we eventually die of…cancer. Yes, I have been “acceptably thin,” but it took rigorous exercise, starvation, and bulimia. I love my big, luxurious body, I love my curves, I even love my bulges.

    I hate people who make ridiculous generalizations like “Fat Acceptance Is Bullshit.” The author must really despise herself to need to put her argument the way she does. Jessica, which part of your body do you hate the most? Inquiring minds want to know.

  29. Jessica, saying this as a woman who has fought for more than a year working to lose weight, kindly get a stick and pry your head out of your ass.

    Overweight people face more than enough torment without your help. I am 5’0, I was obese, and I am still fighting to change that, and it is the hardest thing I have ever done, and I have faced bullying all my life because of my weight, which for years only made me become heavier, more introverted and more bitter towards society. Last year, I hit a man who had the audacity to call me fat in a public pool. I then called my mother and cried for nearly an hour because I had lost 20 pounds at that point, and until that man called me a whale and called me fat to my face, I was proud of myself. Yes, sometimes the fat chick can stand up to our bullies, but more often than not, we end up back at our addiction (and yes, I consider it an addiction, every day you get up and you are another day into quitting smoking) because when you hurt, you medicate the only way you know how.

    You’re a confidence stealing, anti-inspirational bully. You’re the reason why young girls hate their bodies. You’re the reason why adult women still cry some nights because they’re sick of being treated like they’re lesser beings but just cant muster the strength to endure your stares when they try the treadmill at the gym. You are a blight on humanity. I hope that one day, you call the wrong person fat and they strike back and find the weakness in your armor and drive you to your knees, and I hope that I am there to see it.

    Enjoy your vegetables, cause in your honor tonight, I’m having veal.

    1. Of course you’re having veal. Why not boil up your first born and eat it too. The only blight on humanity are the gluttonous gorgers of excess. Check out your cart the next time you shop and then remove all the processed sugar and fat, you’ll be left with an empty cart and the real reason you are overweight.

  30. If by “acceptance” you mean being an enabler, then I’m with you. However I don’t think that means it’s ok to insult people for their habits or appearance.

    I agree that a balanced diet and regular exercise are important parts of a healthy lifestyle, but this post has me thinking that if you meet me, the health freak who is currently heavier than she should be, you will be judging me for my current size and shape without even knowing me.

    I think it’s important to work on improving ourselves, our health, and take care of ourselves. I also think that mean people calling you fat and judging you isn’t the best motivation and isn’t very different to school bullies.

    1. If obesity was a medical condition….why dont you see morbidly obese people in Somalia or parts of India.  I mean all doctors have to do is give a starving population a drug to slow down the thyroid and walaa…..the starving skinny people become obese.  Then the 40 calories of powdered milk the un gives them can make them blow up like overstuffed baked potatoes.  I have single handidly solved the worlds hunger problems.

  31. I’m almost with you. Fat isn’t a bad word. It’s a descriptive word. Not being able to say it means that no one is allowed to fix it.

    Smokers smell like smoke and people who overeat get fat. It’s a cause and effect. The thing is that it’s tied into morbidity and children are obese at alarming rates.

    Talking about it all very frankly and without insult would be very helpful.

  32. personally i found this message to be very hateful and unnessasary. people are all shapes and sizes, and most can’t help the size that runs in their genes. i agree that morbid obesity is avoidable and that people shouldn’t be that weight… and yet we can still glorify the underweight A-sexual looking models as they walk down runways and pose in magazines. as many have said before, its all the same, just 2 different sides of the spectrum. where do you stand?

    right now, u look like a pompus hating bitch of a person who would spit on the first overweight person you would see. but what will u tell the child whos body structure will never allow her 2 be smaller than a size 12? should she go and hang herself because she’ll never be acceptably thin and perfect. i’m sorry 2 read blogs like yours, because its people like you, that influence people to develope eating disorders – all because their body type is displeasing 2 you and you don’t want them to be proud of who they are.

    1. No Wonder People Have Gotten So Violent...

      I agree with you completely, especially your last paragraph. It is people like this woman here who breed things like low-selfesteem and insecurity. She’s against people supporting being over weight but she might as well be saying that you can’t be happy and fat at all. Fat is the worst thing ever, fat is just as bad as cancer.
      What’s wrong with a little pride anyway huh? I’d really like to know. Considering that society and the people in it say the coldest words they can, do the worst they can, do anything they can to put down the opposing side—no one who accepts and loves themself is bullshit. However, what is bullshit is the fact that you (Gottlieb), who claims to be a mother can contribute to all the hatred, bigotry, and cruelty in the world with no regrets and no shame. No mother, no self respecting person can do that kind of thing to anybody no matter what their issue is.
      There is a way to disagree with something or someone with out being mean to them.
      And lastly, the author said that she was the friend who says stop killing yourself…no friend puts you down, no friend attacks self-esteem. That’s the self-centered wench who lives in a bubble (and had better be as flawless as they come if she’s going to put down ANYBODY).

  33. I’m all for loving yourself. However, we as Americans take this idea and turn it into self-righteous arrogance with a heaping helping of denial and ignorance. The fact is, obesity stems from a lack of self-control and responsibility. You may hate me for saying this, but our society is obsessed with gluttony and overindulgence- generations of “I am special” delusionals who want everything and do nothing. I see a lot of parallels between the obesity epidemic and the financial crisis. In both situations, people are consuming excessively but not wanting to pay the price of their recklessness. It would be all fine and dandy if we lived in a world where one’s actions only affected them and their family. However, society bears much of the costs associated with obesity. Whether it is insurance premiums, costs of medical care, airplane seats, public assistance, etc., we end up paying a lot for someone’s inability to control themselves. Yes, it is psychological, but what the hell isn’t? And don’t get me started on genetics. As experts say ad nauseaum, genetics are the loaded gun, but you pull the trigger. And if you are convinced it is your genetics, stop freakin’ breeding! And how dare people compare fat acceptance to civil rights! No matter which way you spin the donut, obesity is a CHOICE, and a poor one at that. I will tolerate you as a person, but will not accept and glorify your commitment to destroying your health. The only way I will join the fat acceptance movement is if all people who fall in the category of obese and severely overweight take 100% responsibility for the costs of their current and future care, and if they sign their children over to responsible adults. Yep, not gonna happen, cause if people were willing to take responsibility for themselves, they wouldn’t be fat in the first place.

  34. To all the people calling for unquestioning support of obesity and faulting the blogger for calling people on their denial – please reexamine your logic. The people in the Fat Acceptance Movement have wrapped themselves up with one another’s justification, blaming the rest of society for their weight. By your argument that ought to restore a burnished self-image and launch them straight into shape. But over the years all we have seen is their rank swelling. Now the majority of Americans is overweight.

    I am from China, and for most of us it is a pleasure to eat fresh, delicious, balanced and lovingly prepared meals until we are poised happily between craving and satiation. Then we stop. That stopping – cognizant, natural, and sparkling with the beauty of moderation and pure instinct – has no name in this culture. Looking at the above comments, even those who recognize the problems with obesity acknowledge in principle that obesity is harder to kick than other addictions because food is essential and cannot be abstained from. That misses the vital point of food’s sacredness. American society believes that unlimited sugar, fat and salt must be endlessly tempting. Perhaps it’s our legendary poor math skills? We don’t understand the concept of diminishing marginal returns. Or is it our equation of materialism and physical desires with the highest end in life? I am not sure.

    I came to this country as a teenager, and it’s been a quarter-century. Yes, Americans have gotten much fatter. Just look at your own family photos from the fifties to the seventies, if you have any. It’s time that changes. We can’t afford to keep doing this any more.

  35. “Get up, move and eat less”

    I know this is really amazingly shocking to you, but there are some fat people that do those things and are still fat.

    If people are fat because of genetics, eating disorders, liking to just eat, whatever, it doesn’t mean that such people are worthy of being treated like pieces of shit. It’s that simple. Fat people are people first and foremost. How they choose to deal with their fatness is no one’s business but theirs. Fat Acceptance is first and foremost about not dicrminating against people and hating them and calling them disgusting and continuing to see them as flat one dimennsional caricatures. Fat people have a variety of experiences: some of them eat a lot, some of them don’t, some of them have eating disorders, some of them go to the gym, some of them don’t. In short they are just like other people I know it’s amazing!

    I know what’s bullshit: this whole hateful screed against people that you think don’t deserve to exist or live in body sizes, which you don’t find pleasant to look at. It’s patronizing and condescending too as if fat people don’t know they are fat and don’t notice that all of our culture is basiclaly screaming at them, and shaming them to get smaller.

    This is not about health and trying to “help” fatties. This is about your bigoted hateful disgust.

    I suggest you read this, written by a very thin woman, and educate yourself a little about the complexities of fatness before you spout off more hate.

    http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/07/thining_thin.php

    At least get this quote from the above post:

    “…you do not have anything interesting to say to someone who is struggling with obesity. You do not have better willpower than they do. You do not “care about myself” more. You are not more “serious about a healthy lifestyle” because you took off the eight pounds you gained at Christmas. You are no more qualified to lecture the obese on how to lose weight than I am qualified to lecture my short friends on how to become tall. You just have a different environmental and genetic legacy than they do. You’re not superior. You’re just somewhat thinner.”

  36. I typed in “fat acceptance is bullshit” and found your site:) But to add to your points, being a fat adult is a choice. Everyone knows that racism is an ugly reality, so they want to align their “struggle” with race. However, no one chooses his/her race. Being fat is analogous to choosing to take steroids to be hugely muscular, or choosing to tattoo my head. Should I be surprised if some people don’t like that? No. And I shouldn’t press the whole society to accept my choice.

  37. @silentbeep, “This is not about health and trying to “help” fatties. This is about your bigoted hateful disgust.” So? Why can’t people be disgusted when looking at fatties? It’s not like the fat person thought people want to see that; it’s not like fat people even want to see that! Fat people choose their lifestyle which results in them being fat (minus the .01% with actual thyroid issues). If I chose to not bathe, groom myself and ate from the garbage you wouldn’t call it bigoted hateful disgust when you covered your nose from my body odor.

  38. Fat acceptance is bullshit and pathetic too. I have seen the sites and they create a dream world for these morbidly obese, socially isolated women (and its mostly women on the sites). The women enable each other by denying that there’s anything unhealthy about hauling around an extra one hundred pounds of fat and that their bodies are curvy and womanly (even though some of them are so big that their only noticeable curve is their bulging stomach). Meanwhile, in the real world, many will die in middle age, alone. Maybe men are shallow for not being interested in women who look like Jabba the Hut, but that’s the way it is. My language may be harsh, but sorry, the truth is harsh sometimes. If you’re overweight, find the willpower to address your problem and don’t make your health even worse by buying into the cozy lies and denial of fat acceptance.

    1. Are you actually stupid enough to believe there are no fat men on those sites? And what about women who get called “shallow bitches” for rejecting a fat man, an ugly man, or a nerdy man? WE are the ones forced to have sex with people we find undesirable. Why is it socially acceptable for men to be shallow, but not women? Imagine if fat women threatened to kill you, or stalked you if rejected their advances. Well, that is what I personally have been experiencing with FAT MEN. Stop the sexism! Hate ALL FATTIES, not just the females.

      1. If you are being forced to have sex with someone you find undesirable, that’s called rape. Otherwise you aren’t being forced.

      2. Fat men are the worst. Sweaty smelly pigs with piggy eyes. I asked one fat guy when the last time he saw his penis without standing on a mirror and lifting that large fat area above his penis out of the way. Oh and when you reject those guys they nearly always call you a bitch. Seriously, they have no shame and are vile.

        I keep myself in great shape so I expect the same out of date.

    2. I want nothing to do with a fat guy. Are you kidding me? Why would I want that heaving mass laying all over me sweating and grunting. I find it comical when a fat man approaches me with the intent of asking me out. I simply say go away and come back when you have a six pack and not a keg hanging over your belt.

  39. “You are no more qualified to lecture the obese on how to lose weight than I am qualified to lecture my short friends on how to become tall. You just have a different environmental and genetic legacy than they do.”

    More bullshit. There may be a small number of fat people who are like that because of an illness, but the vast majority are huge because they eat too much and move too little. How come 50 years ago the percentage of obese people in the US was very low? Did everyone’s genetics change so drastically in the past 5 decades? How come most of Europe (except for England) is thin? Are Europeans’ metabolism so different than ours? No, it’s just that 50 years ago in the US and in Europe now people don’t enhale junk food 24 hours a day, driving their car two blocks to the nearest convenience store to buy it. Whining about mean people who call names is missing the main point that being obese is in fact extremely unhealthy.

  40. The fact is fat people want special benefits because they’re fat. I don’t care if you’re hurting yourself, do whatever, you can still be my friend. But unless your fatness is due to thyroid or hormonal problems you do not have a disability, you are a lazy shit and deserve no special treatment (take the fucking stairs, etc.). If you are a fat person and you are sitting next to me on a plain or train and encroaching on my seat I will elbow you and probably ask you to try to get the fuck out of my seat, afterall, the fat acceptance movement should seek equality not special preferential treatment (because that’s not fair to those of us that aren’t fat.)

  41. Ok, I usually don’t even bother trying to argue with people over the internet but this is too much. Accepting yourself, fine. But everyone needs to realize that their body is still their own creation. EVERYONE can lead a healthy lifestyle if they want, most people don’t because they’re lazy and love food. Period. Difference is that some people become fat, other don’t. Quit blaming it on genetics, failing diets, and discrimination that leads you to eat your feelings. Nobody said you should look like victoria beckham, so stop using the evils of anorexia as an excuse, they’re not part of the discussion. It’s about being healthy and raising your children in a healthy way (which is the most important lesson here). I hope you guys realize that half the world is starving to death, while this country gives birth to fat pride groups left and right. Something should tell you that you’re off. I read about this movement on a German news website, which is my final point. The rest of the world is shaking its head at you.

  42. @Kane

    I am of the belief that all people, small thin or fat are deserving of baseline dignity and respect – this is not about “approving of lifestyles” this is about basic human rights. You cannot hate people for their own good and enjoying the humiliation and shaming of others and most of all nannying and bullying grown adults “for their health!!” doesn't really do much good at best and damages people psychologically at worse. If you love a fat person, there are plenty of non-shaming ways to discuss health with them in a mindful, calm manner (and that means listening to them if they agree or don't agree with you, cut the bullying out). If you don't love and/or care about a fat person in your life, than it's really none of your damn business – the idea that our bodies should be policed by perfect strangers is bullshit. If that person “keeps stuffing their face” perhaps consider the fact that they may be a compulsive binge eater and screaming at them to “just stop eating” is about as helpful as telling an anorexic to “just eat already.” It is important to note however: just like all thin peole are not bulimics and/or anorexics (even if they are really skinny) not all fat people eat compulsively. Fat people are just like thin people only bigger.

    The idea that grown adult fat people need to be told in condescending and patronizing ways that they are fat is ridiculous. Fat people are not stupid just because they are fat – just because you may be thin does not mean you are smart either.

    1. fatacceptanceacrock

      I also believe that human beings whatever they look like are divine beings and are entitled to equal dignity. However, I also think fat acceptance is BULLS* and that those who espouse it are playing a silly, delusional game but I understand where its coming from: a place of hopeless and dispair of anger and frustration. NOBODY should be bullied or teased or screamed at because they are overweight. People should be accepted. But fat should not be accepted. When I was obese (not morbidly so) what I accepted was that at the moment I was overweight but it was a temporary disadvantage that I would work to overcome.

      That’s how I view ovese people. As having a temporary disadvantage but always as a fellow humabeing with dignity. ALWAYS. I do not tolerate people making fun of the obese or discriminating against obese persons. That’s just wrong isn’t it? And its equally wrong for these fat acceptance people to spread their lies about being fat and fit and saying obesity it normal and healthy. They are fooling know one. I’ve been there, and I know the truth.

      If we want to rail against fatness, let’s rail against our culture that creates it. That discourages physical activity, works people into the ground, doesn’t provide pedestrian friendly public spaces, pushes cheap marginally nutritious fast food at us 24/7, and encourages eating disorders and crash diets with a 30 billion dollar diet business. Now wonder this country just keeps getting fatter and sicker every year.
      Fat acceptance is really accepting all of that, imho.

      1. Exactly. I have nothing against if someone’s fat only if they realise it’s a problem and try to fix it. Even if they can’t succeed, if they’re trying to eat good foods I can still respect them. But for the ones who eat chips and drink soda, sit on the couch, and demand that they don’t pay more for taking up airline seats because it’s discriminatory, that’s the things I hate.
        They shouldn’t be harassed for being fat either, just helped.

        And I -really- hate when they compare being fat to LGBT. Not even f*cking close.

    2. “The idea that grown adult fat people need to be told in condescending and patronizing ways that they are fat is ridiculous. Fat people are not stupid just because they are fat – just because you may be thin does not mean you are smart either.”
      It’s not because healthy people think they’re stupid, it’s because they kick up sh*tstorms if you tell them they’re eating too much so we have to be overly polite.

      1. Nope. Not true. People who do “eat too much” experience a variety of causations for doing so (ex. depression, grief, binge eating disorders, etc.) for doing so and the false belief that all fat people “eat too much” is destructive. It erases the experience of those that suffer from binge eating disorders, and it erases the experience of fat people that eat in ways that are not disordered.The idea that people are “overly polite” to fat people would be laughable if it wasn’t so noxious. It is a delusional belief that telling a fat person “you eat too much” is actually original – it’s a complete erasure of what fat people’s lives are already like. Believe me – there is no shortage of people lining up to tell fat people how wrong and disgusting they are. Look up the research by Rebecca Puhl at the Yale Center for Obesity – the work there on weight stigma is quite good. If you are a perfect stranger, it is none of your business what the medical history is or isn’t of that person. Unless someone is coming to you for a binge eating disorder and you have some expertise in the matter, it isn’t your business to opine away about someone else’s eating habits, disorder or not.

        Fat acceptance is the idea that fat people, should not be treated like social pariahs, that’s it! Why this concept is so hard to understand I’ll never know. Medical issues and eating is a total distraction. What people do with their bodies is their business. Treating ALL people with some base level minimum of respect and dignity is the issue, NOTHING else.

        1. Ya know, high heels and boob jobs are bad for your health too. Funny how nobody calls those women aside and calmly informs them of the damage they are doing to their bodies. Hmmm… could all of this “health” talk be a ruse? Could this be more about pleasing men (cause I don’t see anyone attacking fat dudes) than actual concern over women’s health?

          Nah.

          1. You’re comparing milk shakes to donuts. High heels and boob jobs are completely different from being fat. I agree that eating too little is dangerous as well, but being proud of being fat is ridiculous. America has a really bad obesity problem and we need to deal with it.

          2. I actually have less respect for fat men. Why? They have the muscle building hormones and more lean muscle mass to begin with. When I see grown men with boobs, big enough to fill a D cup i am revolted.

  43. I agree 100% – while it is definitely wrong to discriminate or harass anyone- for any reason.

    However, being told that you need to lose weight because it’s bad for your health is NOT discriminatory, sorry! Just because it’s something you don’t want to hear (or do anything about) is not a form of discrimination. Hate to break it to you.

    No, you cannot be both obese and healthy. Sorry if that offends people but facts are facts. If you are severely overweight (or underweight for that matter) you are endangering your health. Period. And there are mountains of scientific evidence that attest this.

  44. I agree 100% – it is definitely wrong to discriminate or harass anyone- for any reason.

    However, being told that you need to lose weight because it’s bad for your health is NOT discriminatory, sorry! Just because it’s something you don’t want to hear (or do anything about) is not a form of discrimination. Hate to break it to you.

    No, you cannot be both obese and healthy. Sorry if that offends people but facts are facts. If you are severely overweight (or underweight for that matter) you are endangering your health. Period. And there are mountains of scientific evidence that attest this.

  45. Thank you for this. I understood what you were getting at completely. A lot of people are tired of celebrating obesity but few will say it.

    Being a normal human being means not bullying or harassing anyone for any reason, but it can’t be so black and white that the only other choice is celebrating fatness. We don’t need to give our children an excuse to be unhealthy just so it doesn’t hurt someone else’s feelings.

  46. ok, so I’m not sure that anyone here who is against the fat acceptance movement is really GETTING what it is about. It’s not the “excuse to let yourself be a lazy slob” movement. It is an attempt to show the U.S. and the world that the degradation, condescension, and general disrespect towards overweight people is NOT HELPING THE ISSUE. Seriously, are people still not getting this? Fat Acceptance isn’t about fat people accepting that they’re fat, they already know it. It’s about making other people accept that dealing with weight issues isn’t a simple thing.

    Look at the uproar created by having plus sized models, or god forbid fat people on Television (new show Mike and Molly). People get all in a tither when there are fat people represented in roles that are not the typical fast food munching couch potatoes. Seriously, I’ve read all over the internet the amazing number of people who think that “normalizing” obesity in the media is a “dangerous” action, because it tells people that being fat is ok. So instead, all fat people in the media, and in any sort of public forum must be shown in only a shameful manner? How is that helping? Being ashamed of my weight hasn’t helped my diet and exercise struggle so far in life, and I’ve been around for 35 years now.

    So really, fat acceptance isn’t about just accepting fat people as human beings. It’s about accepting that the current system is not working. It’s about fat people being able to feel comfortable making good decisions for their body for themselves and for their health, not because they want to look like Megan Foxx. And what it’s really, really about is being happy with ourselves. Because even if I don’t lose weight, I’d still rather live a fulfilling and happy life, without the constant feeling of doom, gloom, and guilt because I didn’t succeed at reaching a “normal” BMI.

    One of the most difficult things about weight loss is that, if you have to struggle, it’s a DAILY struggle. Imagine that for a minute. Imagine adding on to your already overtaxed day a constant struggle to always make that right decision. Losing weight is not easy folks, and losing weight and keeping it off is even harder. And fucking accept that fat people know that they are fat, and being made to feel like they are bad human beings for trying to have a life instead of focusing only on losing weight is kind of fucked up.

    1. It sure helped Asia. I don’t know if you know what it’s like over there, but society pressures girls to be in the double digits in pounds. a bmi of 23 is considered overweight, and 25 is obese (but mostly due to the smaller body frame of Asians as compared to Caucasians or people of African descent). if you ever see a heavy person on tv, it’s showcasing their weight loss. Obviously, pressure has some effect, because Asian people are considered some of the healthiest of the world, in their diets as well. In the western world, if you can’t fit in a desk, the facility will accomodate you. If you were in Asia, they would definitely be less friendly. I’m not saying that this is a good thing that’s occuring in Asia, since ostracizing is common towards overweight children in school… however, the opposite end isn’t that great either. How overweight women view underweight women should go both ways. Neither are healthy lifestyles to live. Of course, a few pounds could benefit, but not 100+ extra pounds, like some supporters of FA that I’ve seen.

      However, if what the FA’s goal is, that is, truly making good choices for their bodies and health, I’ve not seen mch of it. Dieting is difficult, I’ve been there. Actually, I’m sure most people have tried it before, no matter their size. But if someone truly wants to keep the weight off, they need to permenantly change what they eat. However, they should not be forcefeeding themselves fruits every day. It’s a matter of weaning oneself off of certain foods and adjusting the body to new ones. Many people think they’ll be able to change in a week, but it’s not like that. It’s never like that.

  47. Actually, you CAN be overweight and healthy. What you cannot do is OVEREAT and be healthy. Studies show that you can eat healthy and have a non-sedentary lifestyle and still be fat, and, if you do eat healthy and have a non-sedentary lifestyle and are still fat, you actually live LONGER than skinny people and are more likely to survive a cardiac arrest.

    1. No, you cannot be, otherwise you wouldn’t be “overweight” you’d be a “normal weight”.

      I understand that underweight is dangerous too, but by it’s very definition “overweight” means you weigh too much. It doesn’t make you a bad person, but it is a problem.

      1. Um, actually, the reason i posted the comment is because its true. or else, what would be the point? You can have a thyroid condition or your body retains too much water or even just have the wrong body type.

        1. Huh? What a crock of crap!

          First of all, thyroid conditions are rare, REALLY rare. As in 1% rare, meaning stubborn fatties cannot continue to cling to the “it’s my thyroid!” excuse, and be taken seriously in any debate regarding obesity.

          Secondly, are you trying to say that 400 pound fatties are just retaining water??? Who in the HELL retains 200+ lbs of water??!!!! NOBODY, that’s who.

          Third, WTF is “the wrong body type”? There’s no such thing! You’re just pulling random crap out of the air, with no scientific basis what-so-ever.

          Oh, and “healthy overweight” is an oxymoron…but mostly moron, like YOU.

    2. Yeah I’ve read that article and they said SLIGHTLY overweight. All the Fat Acceptance groups take it as “100+ pounds overweight? Great! It means I live longer.” No. 10 pounds, maybe 15 max is what they’re talking about and you wouldn’t be considered fat. I have no problem with chubby people (Having a little extra weight), I actually think they’re more attractive. It’s the huge people who are almost waddling and breathing hard after climbing a flight of stairs. That’s what I don’t like.

  48. This is directed to no one, in particular, but a lot of ‘someone’s’ as a whole…

    The story: You see Bobbi Jo walking to the local country market on a cold Winter’s afternoon. She’s obviously over-weight. She’s wearing less than flattering clothes, but carries a smile upon her face that is contagious. You don’t know Bobbi Jo, but you feel justified your in your opinion of her and her weight. Once inside, you see Bobbi Jo in the chip aisle and think to yourself, “OMGosh, she’s buying chips!” as you look at her in disgust. How could she ever allow herself to think that eating a fattening food is acceptable? Doesn’t she realize that she looks grotesque and doesn’t live up to my standards? Perhaps if I show her via facial expressions or perhaps telling her that I feel her choice of food is wrong… she’ll buy a bag of baby carrots instead.

    Possibilities:

    1. Bobbi Jo has a thyroid disease. She has been consuming an 800 calorie a day diet because she doesn’t want to be fat. She wants to be thin. Yet, she has the weight of the world (no pun intended) lying on her shoulders as she fights a medical condition that makes it next to impossible to shed that weight. So she’s celebrating that she lost the weight and just wants to consume some chips; not the entire bag — a serving. It’s a reward for conquering such a humongous feat. Something of which her own Doctor told her not to get her hopes up for, but she didn’t give up hope. However, you don’t know about Bobbi Jo’s struggle because all you see is fat. She see’s you staring and feels the disgust you have for her. She now feels shame and as if she’s not worthy of enjoying a snack that she has resisted consuming for the last six months. Six months. That’s how long it took her to lose that 20lbs.

    2. Bobbi Jo has Type 2 diabetes. She would love nothing more than to eat that bag of chips that she just so happens to be purchasing for a BBQ that she’s attending with her children — they’re not for her. She knows she has to watch every single bite she consumes because no matter how hard she tries, she struggles every day, on making the right choices. Yet, the weight either stays or it yo-yo’s. Interesting enough, the insulin that she takes to keep her blood sugars within range is the precise thing that is causing her ability to lose weight, compared to a person who doesn’t have the chronic disease, next to impossible. But there you are, standing in the aisle with her and showing your sign of disgust and dismay that she is buying those bag of chips. Bobbi Jo is used to it. She’s seen that look before and realizes your opinion doesn’t matter because you, in fact, don’t know her or what she’s been dealing with. So, she ignores it, attends the party, and enjoys her life. Thankfully, she’s long forgotten about the look on your face and focuses on those people who have nothing, but empathy for what she has to endure. Life goes on…

    3. Bobbi Jo has an eating disorder. Much like an alcoholic or drug addict she can’t get help until she seeks help. In order to seek help we must be able to admit that we have a problem and that it doesn’t make us a lesser person; we’re all different. We all have issues and deal with things in various methods. Her’s just so happens to be food. Bobbi Jo finds comfort in it. She used to be a looker. Women envied her and men craved her attention. One man, in particular, couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was a mere 16 years old with the world as her oyster and he, a 40 year old man who believed he was entitled to take what ever he wanted. He took Bobbi Jo — against her will. Yes, he raped her; continually. He was her step-father. Through his abuse Bobbi Jo realized that the more weight she gained, the less attention he paid to her. So she started consuming as much food as she could. Due to this she found great comfort in food, the safety it provided her, and slowly learned to believe that as long as she was over-weight no one would ever desire her again. She see’s your disgust with her as she reaches for the bag of chips, and it doesn’t phase her. She goes home, alone once more, eating the entire bag of chips as a replacement dinner. Bobbi Jo lives alone in her Section 8 apartment, she’s unemployed, and living on food stamps. She’s filing for disability as the years of sexual abuse tortured her soul beyond all repair. She’s on medication to help her make it through just one more day. She wants to be happy, but the look of disgust that others give her when she’s in public reminds her of how little her self-worth is. Bobbi Jo believes that with all of her heart. She has convinced herself that she isn’t allowed to be respected and treated like a human being. He taught her that years ago… you’ve just convinced her, once again, that he was right.

    4. Bobbi Jo has both thyroid and Type 2 diabetes. She hates it. It harbors her from living an even semi-normal life. The medicine that she has to take make her feel toxic. She was always under the impression that medication was suppose to help assist or heal; not make her feel as if she’s a walking zombie for the rest of her days. Who knows how long she has left? With her Endocrine system slowly falling apart (she has diabetic nephropathy — a more progressive kidney disease that stems from Type 2 diabetes) on her, she’s doesn’t know if she’ll live very long. She was a healthy weight before; not ideal, but healthy. Only 20lbs overweight. However, her medication has caused a massive weight gain. She felt grotesque. Between being over-weight and the toxic medications she has to take — she made a decision to quit taking her medication with hopes that she could rid the weight, feel attractive again, and rid herself of Type 2 Diabetes. It’s that damn stigma that people with Type 2 Diabetes are all over-weight. She laughs to herself when she realizes how a lot of people generalize in that regard. How, if they only knew that she put on over 50lbs simply by taking prescription drugs to maintain the diabetes, they wouldn’t be so quick to judge. Or perhaps that if you knew she stopped taking the medication and has been losing weight, in a less than safe method, simply by not taking insulin. Extreme weight loss is a symptom of uncontrolled diabetes. That’s when she see’s you looking at her reaching for the bag of chips. She rolls her eyes, resists the urge to educate you on diabetes and walks away reminding herself that not everyone is so smug and judgmental.

    I have 5, 6 and so on if I need to share them. The names have been changed, but having previously worked in a field where I took the time to get to know each client, I learned something from each of those above mentioned ladies… never judge a book by it’s cover. Don’t automatically assume that each over-weight person is lazy with an enormous appetite for food. Oh sure, they exist, but it’s not as common as people like to pretend it is.

    Being obese is an epidemic that is plaguing our country, but for various reasons. What is an even bigger epidemic… ignorance, judgments and lack of human compassion. I’ll take fat and jolly over ever “being cynical of someone who I know nothing about any day” for $1000, please.

    And if they WANT to be fat than no reason other than to be fat… that is their right to do so. Contrary to seemingly popular belief it’s not about YOU.

    With all of that said, I accepted Santa as fat (suppose that makes me an enabler to fat acceptance; shucks!) when I was a child, and I’m perfectly content in saying that I hope Jolly Old St. Nick (yes, I’m aware he’s a fictional character, but I dig the concept of the joy he brings once a year) doesn’t change who he is. I’ll leave him all the cookies and milk I can spare as long as he continues to spread his never-ending happiness to all the little children (fat & skinny alike) around the world. Some things are just more important than the ideal of what the “non-fat acceptance group’ believe he should be, after all. I just want the big guy to be happy. If he’s not, I trust that he’ll take care of it when he see’s fit and turn to me if he needs my support. Until then… it’s none of my business. I’ve got my own backyard to focus on.

    I’m just saying…

    1. I call bullshit on the thyroid disorder.

      My thyroid is gone. Dust. Dead. Necrosis. Gone.

      The most I have ever gained from the thyroid being off has been six pounds. Let’s say that you’re an extreme case and you gained three times as much weight, that’s still just 18 pounds. The rest is potato chips.

      The thyroid argument simply won’t work with me, I’m living it.

      1. Wow, your anecdata is so much more persuasive than other people’s anecdata and now I’m so totally convinced! Or not.

        It only takes a simple Google search to find that, despite your better knowledge of All Things Thyroid, weight gain is a well documented symptom of hypothyroidism. But hey, you’d know better than, like, people with medical training, right? Your symptoms are, after all, representative of all women’s sypmto.. wait, they aren’t? O RLY? Who’da thunk it?

        I guess at least if you pretend to care about people’s health then you can make a pass for the people in your life, neighbors, friends, colleagues and family, who are fat, you know, cause you care so much, there is some tangible reason for their fat and it’s not like when some random person on the internet claims to have thyroid problems (CAN YOU BELIEVE! WHAT A LOAD OF CROCK!), and it gives them a pass for you, cause it’s not like you go around hating random people on the street for their physical appearance, I mean, that would just make you a shitty person, no, it’s cause you *really care*. You just have a funny way of showing it.

        So, wow, too bad the “thyroid argument simply won’t work with you”, it works within the medical community, which is the only community where it should matter in the first place. Other people’s fat is not of your concern, no matter how they acquired it, whether they like it or hate it, whether they’re sick or healthy. You’ve managed to demonstrate quite well exactly why we need something like fat acceptance in the first place.

        1. On the street is a different issue. No one has the right to violate another liberty. There is a difference between employment and the street. As I said it costs more for an obese unhealthy persons insurance compared to a health person. It is an obvious DUH why it costs more for an obese persons insurance compared to a healthy ones. A employer has to factor in all costs of a potential employee.

        2. As a medical professional I just wanted to tell you that the likeliness of the fat woman in your story have a thyroid condition is slim to none. Most (80%) of the thyroid disease I see is in young people, prepubescent to young adults (under 30) and there usually is a dramatic weight gain with the onset of symptoms, lets say 20lbs in two months with no change in diet/exercise, and then that weight gain is sustained until treatment despite weight loss attempts. Being 20 lbs overweight is a cosmetic issue – for some, not a medical problem, you wouldn’t have rolls and ill-fitting clothing and be seen as grotesquely large. In my entire professional career I have yet to see a morbidly obese patient who was obese because of an untreated glandular problem. I can only think of two cases in my personal history where obesity was caused by any underlying medical issue that was not a impairment of motor function (I do have several overweight patients who are confined to wheel chairs for a variety of reasons, but the immobility does not account for obesity, rather a lack of reaction in calories to offset the immobility .
          With a completely absent thyroid, a woman eating 800 calories a day would lose weight, and mostly likely would be a on a complex drug regimen, as thyroid disease would giver her a long set of other problems that could not go undressed. Even someone with Prader Willi’s will loose weight on a such a drastically reduced calorie diet, though they would literally feel the sensations of starving to death. Even Prader Wili’s whle being a rare disease, is the leading genetic cause of obesity in the world and only around 17,000-22,000 people in America actually have it any given time. That leaves millions of obese individuals unaccounted for. I think some of the back lash for the fat acceptance movement is that it capitalizes on a few rare conditions as the explanation for nearly all obesity while ignoring the fact that rampant obesity (growing as a percent of the population every day) is becoming worse because of diet and lifestyle, not an increase in rare metabolic disease.

          My opinion on the health of obese patients is obviously skewed, healthy people usually don’t come to the doctor, but most CLINICALLY OBESE patient have at least 1 or more condition related to their weight.Some conditions you don’t even think of are aggravated if not caused by excessive weight: shark foot (where the small bones of the feet are smashed to bits just by pressure of your body weight) gout and infertility for examples. Yes thin people get heart attacks just like fat people but nonsmokers also get lung cancer. That is not more reason to smoke anyways, because the increased incidence makes it a silly risk to take, though anecdotal evidence has smokers living to be 121,its the exception not the rule, as is healthy obese patients, you have to pick what risks you are willing to live with.

          1. I just need to say THANK YOU for this. Fat Acceptance supports continually argue with me that there is ZERO (!!) scientific evidence to support that MOST people should be within their medical chart weight range. They refuse to believe “exception not the rule” and I am ready to tear my hair out.

            I have watched 4 uncles and both my grandparents on only one side of my family die from heart disease or complications stemming from Type 2 diabetes due to excessive weight gain and/or unhealthy habits and it is infuriating to hear people say that it can’t possibly be true. Really? Navy officers dying of a heart attack in their 20’s is normal? Nope.

            I am one of the few people in my family who takes weight gain seriously. THANK YOU

        3. 60% of Americans are overweight. If 60% of Americans have thyroid problems, that’s not normal and cause for great concern. Let’s look at how we get thyroid problems: from the processed, chemical-riddeled, and genetically modified food we eat. You know, frozen tater tots, corn syrup, frozen dinners, hormone-addled meats and dairy, etc. It does all go back to food. It’s not enough to not eat whipped cream straight out of the can. You have to make sure you’re eating food that is WHOLE and PURE. Not processed crap that messes with your thyroid and metabolism.

    2. Anonymous_Fat_Food_Addict

      I am number 3. I have an eating disorder. I am a Food Addict. I was physically and verbally abused as a child. I was abandoned by my mother when I was only 3 years old. I went to live with my father who beat the shit out of me as a kid, and constantly said nasty things to kill my fragile self esteem. My dad was a compulsive overeater, and he force fed me. When I got a bit older and was a latch key kid, food was the only friend I had. No one in school liked me-from my teachers to the other students. So I found comfort in the peanut butter jar and Oreos. As I got older, I developed bulimia. I found that vomiting all of the shit I gorged on helped a tiny bit. But not much. I went from 245 lbs to 158 pounds, back to 245 lbs again and then to 175 lbs as a teenager. In my early twenties my weight went up to 195. By my mid twenties my weight shot up to 296 lbs. Then when I was 27 I started counting my calories, and excercising in the evenings at the gym. Now I am 28. I weigh 202 lbs. I was 196 only a week ago-but then last week I had one night of extreme binging and put on a few lbs. The weight will come off again..but it isn’t healthy. I very much want to not have any binge days. I think I should allow myself one day of eating up to 2200 calories, and having a cheat day once a week…but no excessive binging and eating everything in sight. That has to stop. I know one thing-I will ALWAYS deal with having this eating disorder. And it can get worst as I grow older and my metabolism slows down. I am almost 29…I am not getting any younger and I know that my food addiction is a life long thing. Maybe I may develop health issues also later on. Who knows. I really want to keep my weight at a healthy range and to not binge so much. It is just so hard because after a while the addiction takes over for a bit. Then I get lost and gain all of the weight back. I know I should go to Over Eaters Anonymous meetings…but I fucking hate those weirdos there. And the meetings are always at some out of the way place. There are online and phone meetings…but I don’t want to hear their fucking issues. Maybe counseling can help to a degree…but at the end of the day, I think nothing can cure me of my food addiction. The only thing I can keep doing is trying to just fight another day. I have to fight very hard on the days I break down and feel I have to binge. If I can fight harder and maybe get more support, then maybe I have a better chance to keep my weight down. Thanks for listening.

  49. Dependent upon the thyroid levels will decide on how it effects a person. I don’t know much about it other than what I’ve heard from medical professionals (those who are Endocrinologists) , but it’s safe to say that each of them state that every person is affected differently. Some, with extremely high numbers can go into a coma; albeit I can’t think of the specific name of the coma, off-hand.

    It all comes back to generalizing again. “Just because it effects ME this way means it shouldn’t treat you any different” mindset; which simply isn’t true. Some people beat cancer, some people die from it. It’s relative to the patient, degree of severity, other medical issues, underlying problems, etc.

    But I won’t deny potato chips are high fat content and quite frankly… taste like shit.

  50. This idea that you can be born “Obese” or “Overweight” is absurd. Yes it is possible in a very few RARE cases. (Genetic Conditions) However for the majority 99% it is a lifestyle. It is not healthy and counter productive. Obesity should be attacked by the public (not the government) because it is dangerous to health. Obesity is not normal. It is abnormal. Obesity should be factored in jobs. Because now with Obama-care Employers are forced to pay for insurance. However Obesity is not like skin color or sex. It is wrong to insult any person. However Obesity is a medical condition and not related to a “person”. It will and often already costs more dollars as an average to care for obese workers compared to a physically fit worker. The government should have no control on who you can hire. You are responsible for your self and by that extension you are responsible to the best of your ability your health. You have the right to choose to be obese but obesity should be discouraged and it already is. Once people wake up and realize that obesity is a major factor in health and being a healthy body mass “if possible” is a good choice and will improve desirable traits that are important. There is nothing to gain from obesity after all.

  51. That institutions such as the military, hospitals, schools, mental institutions, or
    prisons provide adequate food and not force anyone to diet against their will.
    -http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/about/Policies/DIETING.pdf

    Those that are Obese and Unfit are not allowed to join the military. Is that discrimination?

  52. It makes me sad how little control the human race tends to have over food. People who make the change and see there is a problem then good on them. They are doing something positive about there health. I don’t feel as though fat people should be lambasted in public but fat acceptance is beyond me why say that being obese/morbidly obese is ok because its not, its dangerous to your health. Its also harmful to the young generation and is creating a sick society. We do not need these high fat, high sugar, high crap foods.

  53. Being an asshole in your own right is bullshit too, but that hasn’t stopped you yet.

    The original intent of FA was HAES (Health at Every Size), and it HAS morphed somewhat into “love me, shut up and leave me alone, no matter what.” Folks with that particular attitude are fucking it up for those who truly want to advocate for a healthy lifestyle.

    But lemme tell you this, oh Blogger Whose Blog Title Deceptively Implies That You Won’t Be Taking Personal Shots at Fat people: you’re not the only woman in America who gained a butt load of weight while pregnant. It IS hard to carry it around, yes. It’s also difficult to not have the energy to get out of bed while being underweight. I’ve been on both sides of that coin. Will you be shaming and discounting that experience next?

    Don’t take personal pot-shots at people from your place of obvious perceived and enjoyed privilege if you don’t  like getting any flack in return.

    My next blog will be titled “Asshole Parents Raise Asshole Kids” and will discuss your  seeming new movement, the Asshole Acceptance Movement. I’ll be sure to discuss your moral compass (or lack thereof) while shaming you for raising kids who see the example of a mother ostentatiously presenting judgements veiled as “wishing good health for others.” I’ll also be sure to ponder why it is that bullying reports have reached all-time highs in the last ten years. I’ll promptly blame it on parents like you, who apparently marry their arrogance with their pride. Come on by and read it while raising your own kids. get the hint?

  54. OH what glory, I’m not a fat whale and no one loves me, you might think that this could be a bad thing but NOOO. I have now so many fat rolls that I can make my own butter from my sweat and I’m finally independent because I now own my own butter factory. It kind of sucks that butter is now my primary food, being unemployed because I am to fat to move, but hey I am fat so I love butter because well it’s fat , like me 

    (That’s pretty much how they talk. I mean go to a site like for example this and check: 
    http://www.bigfatandhealthy.com
    )

  55. daaaaaamn you compared them to cancer. lol. im definitely moving away from the fat acceptance people. i find them to be willfully ignorant.

  56. Jessica: My sister suffered from hyperthyroidism for a decade, that had been misdiagnosed as bi-polar disorder. She tried to kill herself multiple times, and would call me in the middle of the night in the middle of severe anxiety attacks. At no time during the course of her (rather ineffective) treatment for bi-polar disorder, even when she was in the hospital after trying to kill herself, did they ever check her for thyroid problems. It wasn’t until she walked into a new doctor’s office with her eyes bulging out of her head and her heart beating irregularly did anyone realize she had thyroid problems. So I can completely understand how someone with hypothyroidism can gain a significant amount of weight before being diagnosed and treated. The same with Cushing’s Disease.

  57. My sister finally had her thyroid gland removed and became a mentally stable person again about 5 years ago. She has been fine since with the exception of the fact that she gained about 30lbs while they struggled to get her medication levels adjusted. 15 of that is weight she needed, and 15 is excess. She just switched from synthroid and synthetic T3 to Armour so we’ll see how that goes.

  58. adisgustingworldweeffinlivein

    I am so tired of this stupid generation and your dog shit. Love people for who they are. Gosh is that hard to do. Ok Jessica (blogger) don’t know if you know but FAT People especially fat women WANT TO BE LEFT THE FLYING FUCK ALONE!!!!!!!!! IF ANYTHING WE ISOLATE OURSELVES TO BE LEFT THE FUCK ALONE!!!!!
    you have some fat women who feel the need to put down other women with a little more weight. It is called insecurity and you skinny women don’t help.
    You bitch to your boyfriends / husbands about how your body’s look and get plastic surgery to fill the void. What you don’t know is that other people have to suffer the consequences to your actions.
    LEAVE FAT WOMEN IN AMERICA THE FUCK ALONE.
    God is good and just leave me and my veggie loving, wheat bread spanking, water drinking , oh boy I feel good because I exercised.
    life the FUCK ALONE.
    & to those who eat twinkies do so but leave me and my 20 lb overweight stomach and 30 lb boobs the fuck alone!
    Comprendhe.
    p.s – and if you can stop whispering and talking behind *no pun my back and mind at the breakroom i would really appreciate it.
    I HATE AND LOOOOOOATHE YOUR TYPES. & oh and when I was skinnier (size 10 to my now size 16/14) that’s fat to stupid mental patients like you. I HATED MY SKINNY GAL PALS AND THEIR SHIT TALKING ABOUT OTHER GIRLS OF ALL SIZE PORPORTIONS.
    AND YOU MEN AREN’T ANY EFFIN’ BETTER~! BITCHES!

  59. The discrimination is hurtful, no matter to whom and where it happens. However, FA and HAES are in my opinion dangerous.

    I have gotten more discrimination from a so-called friend who is a member of the FAS/HAES movement and others like her than I have ever gotten from anybody else. Don’t try to lose weight around these people or they will get vicious. I learned that from experience when I started working out and changing my eating habits and I dropped from the Plus Sizes down into the regular women’s section. (For the record, my spare tires were due to stress and the bad habits that followed; they were my fault and I accept that but I don’t ask for ‘special treatment’ because of it.)

    I’ve heard their lecture and observed their flawed science; according to them the Mayo Clinic research science that helped me is ‘flawed’. I somehow think the flawed research is the other way around.

  60. It’s got to suck to be so hateful. You sound like an asshole when you talk about it. What do you see in fat people, that you hate so much about yourself? Why is “fat acceptance” so threatening to you?

  61. It’s none of your business, dollface- none at all. You’re spreading hatred, you’re making other people’s bodies your business. Your body, whether or not I perceive it as “normal” or “threatening” or “unnatural” is not mine to pass judgement on, and neither is mine yours. My life is mine to live however I can, or will. Stay on your side of the fence, please, and don’t scream hate speech into the street- it teaches all of our kids to be judgmental assholes.

    1. You are morbidly obese, that’s why you are upset. I actually know you, and yes, your body is grotesque. Stop complaining and start changing, you cow.

    2. Katie,
      You can get as big as a double wide and I don;t care about you or your health BUT when your gluttony and slothfulness add to my monthly healthcare premiums, I do have a say.

      Those obese parents with children so fat their eyes a mere slits should be charged with child abuse and the kids removed.

      I see what obese people buy and what they eat. I did an experiment 10 years ago and decided to eat like a fat person and guess what…I gained 35 pounds in 3 months and looked and felt terrible. Then I changed my eating habits and got off my fat ass and took it all off in 3 months. I PROVED it is food related.

      Do you have as much sympathy for the drug addict hooked on heroin or the smoker? Sure let’s let junkies shoot up on a plane, I mean can’t they live their lives just as they want, spreading Hepatitis C and HIV with sharing needles. Hell don’t they have rights too.

      If your gorging and did not effect me in any way shape or form I could give a hoot what you ate, when you ate it and how much. Drop dead from a stroke or a heart attack. I just feel bad for the people that have to lift you off the floor. No wait, forklifts will work. A new cottage industry to move fat people from place to place when they can’t walk.

      And since when is obesity a handicap? Again, why not give handicap stickers to drug addicts and alcoholics too messed up to walk to the store.

      NOTHING that is self inflicted should be my issue. I do my bit to stay healthy and fit and not be a burden on the healthcare system. All the while you, you selfish person, just want to able to shovel sugar and fat in your pie hole and not have to answer for the consequences thrust on those of us that give a damn
      and don’t give in to every craving.

    3. No, YOU’RE making other people’s bodies your business when you spread the dangerous lies that being fat is healthy – and you do this just so you can feel better about yourself. If you’re so happy with being fat, why all this hullabaloo with the fat acceptance movement?? Me thinks you doth protest too much. And how can you claim that fat people are the discriminated minority? 60% of Americans are fat.

  62. Wow. Look at all the angry fatties. Don’t get your honey buns in a twist ladies, I’m sure she’s just a “privileged” twig of skin and bones that’s just jealous that you all have “curves”. Sure, maybe you had to pay for those curves with high blood pressure and diabetes, but “real” men prefer that, right? Right?

  63. I dont care if a person is overweight..I dont have any sympathy for a person thats overweight either (how the fuck am I susposed to care if your dying from heart disease or diabetes. you dont care enough to stop the behavior that causes it so why should I care. its like if I died from illegal drug use knowing the effects of drugs what kind of sympathy or acceptance does this warrent )…I hate the fat fucks that complain about being overweight…I used to be overweight when I was a kid and stayed that way late into my teens…then I put down the fork ….for all those that think its discrimination tell that bullshit to a black man or a gay person and lets see how quick they walk away from that bullshit. I dont have to accept anyone for whatever reason but I accept almost everyone with the exception of grown people that never work (with or without money) those that steal from people (not busineses(cause turnabout is fair play))Fat fucks that cry about being fat (cause its something you can change)and those that tell me I have to accept them (thats a real undue sense of entitlement) ….if they want to start charging fat people for two seats on the plane im for it. For those that think its unfair Ill tell you whats not fair is the other guy who couldnt fly because some fat fuck is rolling over his seat…yeah that shit isnt fair …why do you get a pass give me one good reason…dont give me that genetics bullshit either… I rarely see a fat fuck in the 5k run theres a reason for it…a lot of those guys live a lifestyle that keeps the fat off…i dont run but I try not to sit on my ass all day I may even lift some weights cause I know what I used to be (a fat lazy fuck) thank god I joined the service at 18 cause I would probably still be a fat lazy fuck if I hadnt

  64. It tends to be other people’s business when you sit on someone’s chair and break it, and when you hog up the scooters at Walmart so that people recovering from ankle surgery or have an otherwise LEGITIMATE need for them can’t use them. Not to mention exceeding the weight limit on said scooters and burning out the motors! (Yes, I’ve had ankle surgery, due to a club foot. One time at Lowe’s, while on crutches, some fat woman SAW me and took the last scooter anyway. But at least there was the wheelchair, and my husband put my crutches in the shopping cart.)

    It’s disgusting to see people’s rear ends spilling over the scooter seats, as well. Why won’t you WALK the weight off? Break that cycle!

    And no one wants to smell you, either, because you’re too blasted fat to wipe!

  65. Thank you for posting this article. Someone on facebook posted a comment saying they know they’re fat and they’re still proud. I personally found that comment disgusting. Fat people should be accepted as human beings, but their weight shouldn’t be. We also have a problem with people not eating enough. I just wish that more people could find a happy medium. Having a few extra pounds is all right, but being morbidly obese is uncalled for. There’s no excuse for it.

    1. Fat people can be fat and proud. I don’t care about that. What pisses me off is their rabid ranting that everyone else should be attracted to them and act like being fat is ok and attractive and healthy and the best thing since sliced bread. I just saw a youtube video from LoeyLane where she spent 13 minutes talking about how she doesn’t care AT ALL about the small percentage of comments she gets that are “hating on her.” LOL ok.

  66. It’s funny when people say “discrimination” when discrimination is based on the way you were born and not your choices. We can discriminate against smokers, drug users, etc. but not fat people? Fat people choose to eat mountains of junk food (or just outrageous amounts of “healthy food”) not because they were born that way. Also it does become our business when you take up twice the space of a normal human and consume twice the calories and resources. Also, obesity is causing airline ticket prices to go up even further because of the increase in weight so yes your weight is affecting me and many other people. Also I’m sick of the fat consumerism that’s driving big chains like walmart and mcdonalds while bankrupting places like farmer’s markets that actually sell REAL FOOD.

    Oh yeah, and then there’s the paradox that America spends billions on diet products and fitness, while all these fat people say “I’m comfortable in my own body.” Yeah, that’s complete horse shit. You’re just following the trend of people who say that as a self-justification method for why you’re too lazy to cook a meal of real whole foods or get off your ass and stop being in front of the TV. Obviously if more people were comfortable in their bodies then we wouldn’t have everyone following stupid ass diet plans and bashing dietitians and sports nutritionists in favor of crappy naturopathic doctors who send you on some gluten free, dairy free, whatever else free crap to lose weight. If you actually PREPARE your foods from scratch then you won’t have an obesity problem because you’re not shoveling processed crap down your throat.

    And then there’s the “I don’t have time to exercise and eat healthy.” I call bullshit on that too. I work AND go to school OVER FULL TIME while maintaining a relationship, friends, and exercise 5-6 days a week. Just because exercise and cooking cut into your TV time doesn’t mean you don’t have the time. Get outside and off your ass for once and quit making excuses.

  67. I think you did a wonderful job on this. People are seriously eating their life away. According to health line. .Org heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. If you are obese and reading this, you need to change yourself. You have to get up and move and stop feeding yourself with complete shit. It might be hard but what in life isn’t. People just cannot handle the cold hard truth. Like grow up and handle it or you could die sooner than you imagine.

  68. I think that the real problem here is that the term is so loosely defined. Fat acceptance? What is that? How much fat is acceptable? It is one thing to put on a few extra kilos and say ok, I am a little bit fat but the vast majority of what I see here is mammoth proportions. Obese and morbidly obese are two entirely different classes of weight, neither of which is healthy. It is wrong to fat shame definitely but what is fat shaming? Is it fat shaming to say to somebody that you care about them and you think they would be better off if they lost weight? I don’t think so! It is completely different to say you look like you have put on weight and you should lose it. That is definitely shaming. Why are we so concerned about offending overweight people with simple helpful suggestions. Why don’t we stop attacking smokers for smoking? Why is it not smoke-shaming to tell somebody to quit smoking. The point is all this is political correctness bs gone mad and people are too easily offended these days We live in a snowflake culture. The vast majority of people I see promoting this so called fat acceptance bs are not just slightly fat they are obese, morbidly obese or super morbidly obese. So why not call it for what it is ; obesity acceptance. It doesn’t sound so inviting when you rephrase the title but ultimately that is what it is!

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