Response to "why it's okay to be fat."

29forever

I loved what I read and thought I would share it. I think it's important to be able to love yourself.

http://fitmamatraining.com/response-to-why-its-okay-to-be-fat/

nyboer

Good read

ItsCasey

I spent most of my 20s being really fat. And the only reason I'm not fat anymore is because I stopped trying to convince myself that being fat is okay. It isn't. It's perfectly fine to acknowledge the fact that being fat doesn't make you a horrible person, and certainly bullying people because of their weight (be they fat or thin) is not okay. But for me, accepting my body at any level of "fat" would mean accepting mediocrity. I can't and won't ever, EVER do that again. I deserve better. Loving yourself and accepting your body when your body represents years of mistreatment are not the same thing.

da_bears10089

I spent most of my 20s being really fat. And the only reason I'm not fat anymore is because I stopped trying to convince myself that being fat is okay. It isn't. It's perfectly fine to acknowledge the fact that being fat doesn't make you a horrible person, and certainly bullying people because of their weight (be they fat or thin) is not okay. But for me, accepting my body at any level of "fat" would mean accepting mediocrity. I can't and won't ever, EVER do that again. I deserve better. Loving yourself and accepting your body when your body represents years of mistreatment are not the same thing.

well said!

csuhar

I think the article brings up an interesting point: semantics can be a big thing.

Even with just the title, we can have different takes on the same six words of "why it's okay to be fat".

If we take "okay to be fat" as meaning "you don't need to worry about being fat" or "you're just fine being fat", most of us would disagree on physiological grounds. As far as the physical human body goes, it is not "just fine" to be fat because it can cause problems that could be avoided. Most of us have come to the conclusion that we need to reduce or control the amount of fat in our bodies.

However, if we take it to mean "you aren't a bad person becuse you're fat", I think most of us would agree. One's value as a human being on the psychological / spiritual / social realm is not dictated by their body fat percentage, so we shouldn't value others within those realms based on it, either.

A challenge is that we often tie them together and, when people hear "it is bad to be fat", many take it to mean it is bad on physical AND personal grounds. Instead of saying "it is bad for my body to be fat", they rope their psychological / spiritual self into it and say "as a person, I am bad because I'm fat".

Personally, I have found peace and discipline by recognizing my psychological / spiritual / social identity as being a separate entity from my body, even though one is contained within the other. My non-physical identity is where my worth is. But I pay attention to my body fat and phsyiology because I still need to maintain the physical body that encapsulates the non-physical elements.

That is, however, where I do find my primary disagreement with the article. The author says it's okay "Even if and when that might mean it damages your health." Well, it's not really. Because the non-physical elements where our value as people come from rely on the survival of the physical body. You can be a great person, but if you die because you fail to take maintenance seriously, you limit your ability to contribute to society because you're dead.

29forever

Personally, I have found peace and discipline by recognizing my psychological / spiritual / social identity as being a separate entity from my body, even though one is contained within the other. My non-physical identity is where my worth is. But I pay attention to my body fat and phsyiology because I still need to maintain the physical body that encapsulates the non-physical elements.

That is, however, where I do find my primary disagreement with the article. The author says it's okay "Even if and when that might mean it damages your health." Well, it's not really. Because the non-physical elements where our value as people come from rely on the survival of the physical body. You can be a great person, but if you die because you fail to take maintenance seriously, you limit your ability to contribute to society because you're dead.

I completely agree. I think what she is trying to say that is that it doesn't reduce your self worth because you are fat. I also agree that it isn't ok to risk our health. I knew when I posted this it would be a controversial topic but I thought it had some interesting points that I think you hit them on the head.

LoraF83

I spent most of my 20s being really fat. And the only reason I'm not fat anymore is because I stopped trying to convince myself that being fat is okay. It isn't. It's perfectly fine to acknowledge the fact that being fat doesn't make you a horrible person, and certainly bullying people because of their weight (be they fat or thin) is not okay. But for me, accepting my body at any level of "fat" would mean accepting mediocrity. I can't and won't ever, EVER do that again. I deserve better. Loving yourself and accepting your body when your body represents years of mistreatment are not the same thing.

Agreed.

Buddhasmiracle

I think the article brings up an interesting point: semantics can be a big thing.

Even with just the title, we can have different takes on the same six words of "why it's okay to be fat".

If we take "okay to be fat" as meaning "you don't need to worry about being fat" or "you're just fine being fat", most of us would disagree on physiological grounds. As far as the physical human body goes, it is not "just fine" to be fat because it can cause problems that could be avoided. Most of us have come to the conclusion that we need to reduce or control the amount of fat in our bodies.

However, if we take it to mean "you aren't a bad person becuse you're fat", I think most of us would agree. One's value as a human being on the psychological / spiritual / social realm is not dictated by their body fat percentage, so we shouldn't value others within those realms based on it, either.

A challenge is that we often tie them together and, when people hear "it is bad to be fat", many take it to mean it is bad on physical AND personal grounds. Instead of saying "it is bad for my body to be fat", they rope their psychological / spiritual self into it and say "as a person, I am bad because I'm fat".

Personally, I have found peace and discipline by recognizing my psychological / spiritual / social identity as being a separate entity from my body, even though one is contained within the other. My non-physical identity is where my worth is. But I pay attention to my body fat and phsyiology because I still need to maintain the physical body that encapsulates the non-physical elements.

That is, however, where I do find my primary disagreement with the article. The author says it's okay "Even if and when that might mean it damages your health." Well, it's not really. Because the non-physical elements where our value as people come from rely on the survival of the physical body. You can be a great person, but if you die because you fail to take maintenance seriously, you limit your ability to contribute to society because you're dead.

Eloquently stated.

Jen800

I spent most of my 20s being really fat. And the only reason I'm not fat anymore is because I stopped trying to convince myself that being fat is okay. It isn't. It's perfectly fine to acknowledge the fact that being fat doesn't make you a horrible person, and certainly bullying people because of their weight (be they fat or thin) is not okay. But for me, accepting my body at any level of "fat" would mean accepting mediocrity. I can't and won't ever, EVER do that again. I deserve better. Loving yourself and accepting your body when your body represents years of mistreatment are not the same thing.

Very well put! Exactly how I feel. People should not make excuses to be unhealthy, but they should also know it's what's on the inside that counts the most!

IamUndrCnstruction

In to read later. Looks like some interesting points....

Sedna_51

"I think the fact that almost every woman I know hates her body so much that it interferes with her life is a bigger concern.

I think the fact that the overwhelming response to a woman saying “it’s okay to be fat” (and really, “it’s okay to look like me.”) is to make fun of, belittle and call her stupid is much, much, much more appalling than the statistics about obesity in this country."

I just want to wrap my arms around this statement and never let go. Perfect. Just perfect.

Ce87girl

I spent most of my 20s being really fat. And the only reason I'm not fat anymore is because I stopped trying to convince myself that being fat is okay. It isn't. It's perfectly fine to acknowledge the fact that being fat doesn't make you a horrible person, and certainly bullying people because of their weight (be they fat or thin) is not okay. But for me, accepting my body at any level of "fat" would mean accepting mediocrity. I can't and won't ever, EVER do that again. I deserve better. Loving yourself and accepting your body when your body represents years of mistreatment are not the same thing.

Agree completely. This is my motivation right now - I deserve better.

pfgaytriot

I spent most of my 20s being really fat. And the only reason I'm not fat anymore is because I stopped trying to convince myself that being fat is okay. It isn't. It's perfectly fine to acknowledge the fact that being fat doesn't make you a horrible person, and certainly bullying people because of their weight (be they fat or thin) is not okay. But for me, accepting my body at any level of "fat" would mean accepting mediocrity. I can't and won't ever, EVER do that again. I deserve better. Loving yourself and accepting your body when your body represents years of mistreatment are not the same thing.

My thoughts exactly!

Calliope610

"I think the fact that almost every woman I know hates her body so much that it interferes with her life is a bigger concern.

I think the fact that the overwhelming response to a woman saying “it’s okay to be fat” (and really, “it’s okay to look like me.”) is to make fun of, belittle and call her stupid is much, much, much more appalling than the statistics about obesity in this country."

I just want to wrap my arms around this statement and never let go. Perfect. Just perfect.

I haven't read the article, so I don't know if I am taking the bolded statement in the correct context, but for me, I didn't like my body (I don't "hate" any of my body) because my size in and of itself interfered with my life and the way I wanted to live it. It is the size of my body that interferes with my life, not my feelings toward my body.

kairisika

Better than 'accepting my body' no matter how fat it is and how poorly it works, I think it is more important to think about simply not judging your self-worth by your body.
I can say my body looks like crap and that is not okay, but that doesn't mean *I am* crap in any way. I am not my body, and I can work to improve my body because it needs it just as I can work to improve on a personality flaw.

Accepting as is is lazy. We should not strive to accept ourselves as though every part of us just magically appeared and is now immutable.
We should strive to become the best versions of ourselves that we can be - and enjoy the process of getting there.

pfgaytriot

I think the article brings up an interesting point: semantics can be a big thing.

Even with just the title, we can have different takes on the same six words of "why it's okay to be fat".

If we take "okay to be fat" as meaning "you don't need to worry about being fat" or "you're just fine being fat", most of us would disagree on physiological grounds. As far as the physical human body goes, it is not "just fine" to be fat because it can cause problems that could be avoided. Most of us have come to the conclusion that we need to reduce or control the amount of fat in our bodies.

However, if we take it to mean "you aren't a bad person becuse you're fat", I think most of us would agree. One's value as a human being on the psychological / spiritual / social realm is not dictated by their body fat percentage, so we shouldn't value others within those realms based on it, either.

A challenge is that we often tie them together and, when people hear "it is bad to be fat", many take it to mean it is bad on physical AND personal grounds. Instead of saying "it is bad for my body to be fat", they rope their psychological / spiritual self into it and say "as a person, I am bad because I'm fat".

Personally, I have found peace and discipline by recognizing my psychological / spiritual / social identity as being a separate entity from my body, even though one is contained within the other. My non-physical identity is where my worth is. But I pay attention to my body fat and phsyiology because I still need to maintain the physical body that encapsulates the non-physical elements.

That is, however, where I do find my primary disagreement with the article. The author says it's okay "Even if and when that might mean it damages your health." Well, it's not really. Because the non-physical elements where our value as people come from rely on the survival of the physical body. You can be a great person, but if you die because you fail to take maintenance seriously, you limit your ability to contribute to society because you're dead.

Love this, too!

Briko3

Someone being fat doesn't bother me. Telling others that it's OK does. It send the wrong message to people that are out looking for answers. On a separate but somewhat unrelated note, it also bothers me when people complain about being fat but then come up with excuses like this to not do anything about it. I don't think anyone WANTS to be fat, and this seems like another excuse to not do anything about it.

susannamarie

Honestly, it seemed more like "why it's okay to be a bit overweight."

Yes, it is true that there is a recent study showing that people in the overweight category do not suffer the same risks as people who are in the obese category. As a matter of fact, this is still hotly disputed, but many studies do not show an increase in mortality with being overweight, especially in older people (while some do, or otherwise there would be no dispute).

But there is no real argument that being obese carries health risks, and it would be much better to at least drop into the overweight category. It doesn't make you a bad person, a lazy person, a disgusting person -- but it does make you a less healthy person.

pluckabee

My main problem with people saying it isn't ok to be fat is that a person has to continue being fat while they lose weight.

It can be really difficult and discouraging to look after yourself in this way while still being in a body that "isn't okay" by society's standards for whatever reason.

IamUndrCnstruction

" Shaming people does not encourage positive changes.
Bullying others does not exemplify a passion for health or even an inkling of understanding of mental health.
People are more likely to make positive lifestyle changes from a place of loving and accepting their bodies as they are as opposed to being ashamed and hating themselves.
Overweight people liking themselves does not pose a threat to anyone. At all."


This, I think, is the main point she was trying to get across. At least, I know my weight loss journey didn't really "click: until I started doing it for my own health and wellness, not because people told me I was fat and disgusting and lazy, or society told me I was ugly because I wasn't a size two. My self worth is not determined by my pants size, but my health is. Bullying me about it won't cause me to change.

Briko3

My main problem with people saying it isn't ok to be fat is that a person has to continue being fat while they lose weight.

It can be really difficult and discouraging to look after yourself in this way while still being in a body that "isn't okay" by society's standards for whatever reason.

There is also no doubt that at the end of a show like Biggest Loser, that there are some overweight people in better cardiovascular shape and with more strength than people that are much thinner. It just sends the wrong message to make it sound like there's no reason to try to lose weight because it's "ok".