Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.

Can you both desire to lose weight and be body positive?

Options
189101113

Replies

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I really with the "HAAS" movement was framed differently.

    I firmly believe that Attractive At Any Weight is an achievable and realistic ideology. There are plenty of women that are gorgeous despite being heavy.

    But trying to warp that into saying you can be HEALTHY at any weight is disgusting and dangerous.

    And being attractive is REALLY what it's all about anyways. People want to feel attractive, beautiful, and they have every right to. But we play mind-games to convince ourselves it's really about health, because society looks down on vanity, which I also think is stupid, but that's a point for another day.

    Society looks down on vanity?? Seems to me it thrives on vanity.
  • jdlobb
    jdlobb Posts: 1,232 Member
    Options
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I really with the "HAAS" movement was framed differently.

    I firmly believe that Attractive At Any Weight is an achievable and realistic ideology. There are plenty of women that are gorgeous despite being heavy.

    But trying to warp that into saying you can be HEALTHY at any weight is disgusting and dangerous.

    And being attractive is REALLY what it's all about anyways. People want to feel attractive, beautiful, and they have every right to. But we play mind-games to convince ourselves it's really about health, because society looks down on vanity, which I also think is stupid, but that's a point for another day.

    Society looks down on vanity?? Seems to me it thrives on vanity.

    Openly accepting vanity and admitting to it is looked down on. Instead we have to pretend we do things for other reasons, and people are admired for “not caring what other people think”
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    Options
    jdlobb wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I really with the "HAAS" movement was framed differently.

    I firmly believe that Attractive At Any Weight is an achievable and realistic ideology. There are plenty of women that are gorgeous despite being heavy.

    But trying to warp that into saying you can be HEALTHY at any weight is disgusting and dangerous.

    And being attractive is REALLY what it's all about anyways. People want to feel attractive, beautiful, and they have every right to. But we play mind-games to convince ourselves it's really about health, because society looks down on vanity, which I also think is stupid, but that's a point for another day.

    Society looks down on vanity?? Seems to me it thrives on vanity.

    Openly accepting vanity and admitting to it is looked down on. Instead we have to pretend we do things for other reasons, and people are admired for “not caring what other people think”

    agreed.

    I lost the weight due to health reasons and vanity...I was sick and tire of being sick and tired and I hated being the fat friend...hated shopping etc.

    mind you I don't care what others think...it was more about my thoughts.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    jdlobb wrote: »
    jdlobb wrote: »
    I really with the "HAAS" movement was framed differently.

    I firmly believe that Attractive At Any Weight is an achievable and realistic ideology. There are plenty of women that are gorgeous despite being heavy.

    But trying to warp that into saying you can be HEALTHY at any weight is disgusting and dangerous.

    And being attractive is REALLY what it's all about anyways. People want to feel attractive, beautiful, and they have every right to. But we play mind-games to convince ourselves it's really about health, because society looks down on vanity, which I also think is stupid, but that's a point for another day.

    Society looks down on vanity?? Seems to me it thrives on vanity.

    Openly accepting vanity and admitting to it is looked down on. Instead we have to pretend we do things for other reasons, and people are admired for “not caring what other people think”

    If openly accepting vanity was looked down on we wouldn't have so many popular "here's how you can look like me' YouTube videos.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited November 2017
    Options
    I stand behind my original statement, which you didn't quote - If you love yourself you take care of yourself. You can't be body positive and celebrate unhealthy practices. The two just don't equate.

    dunno where this interjection is going to go in terms of the thread's actual content, but . . . i think the impact of statements like this hinges on how doctrinaire the speaker is being about their definitions of the soft terms 'love' and 'take care of'. if you define working out every other day as THE definition of 'taking care' then when you plug that into your equation you'll come to the conclusion that someone who doesn't do that does not 'love' themselves. they're not meeting your specific criteria for what 'loving themselves' means.

    but i think that's amazingly limited and imperceptive. you're assuming an agreed-upon perspective that i don't think is the case.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited November 2017
    Options
    3 pages of unread posts... mostly the same people arguing about who said what.

    Someone needs a bike. Actually, someones need a bike.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
    Options
    Weight loss for health is totally unnecessary? Please. I don't see many obese 80 year olds. Or any, that's just a fact. No study needed, just go to any retirement home and look around you. Not a single one over 75 even is obese.

    I see this posted on this site all the time and I wonder where these people live. I know at least a dozen obese people over age 75 who are obese. In fact, I know more obese people in that age group than at a normal weight. They aren't healthy, but most aren't invalids either.

    Do you think they have taken care of their bodies? Are they happy with their ability to navigate the world? Are they as pain free as someone who was active and ate reasonably their whole lives? The answer is no.

    I stand behind my original statement, which you didn't quote - If you love yourself you take care of yourself. You can't be body positive and celebrate unhealthy practices. The two just don't equate.



    I love my body. I train it and I feed it.

    Neither is unhealthy. Sometimes I train too much and get hurt. Sometimes I eat too much and get thicker.

    It doesn't mean I don't love myself or my body. Granted, I'm only 42, but I fully expect that should I live to 75, I'll still be able to recreate my profile picture, and I wouldn't be surprised if my weight stays in the overweight BMI category. Since I have no burning urge to cut much below 220(240 right now.. 255 when the photo was taken)
  • whosshe
    whosshe Posts: 597 Member
    Options
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    3 pages of unread posts... mostly the same people arguing about who said what.

    Someone needs a bike. Actually, someones need a bike.

    Bikes hurt my butt.
  • whosshe
    whosshe Posts: 597 Member
    Options
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    3 pages of unread posts... mostly the same people arguing about who said what.

    Someone needs a bike. Actually, someones need a bike.

    Bikes hurt my butt.

    So does most of this thread, apparently.

    lol fell right into that one
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    Options
    In my opinion, sure you can be body-positive and desire to lose weight. Some people who are overweight (or even obese) like how they look and how they feel, and yet work at losing weight for health reasons, even if they know will be less satisfied with how they look at a lower weight.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Options
    mph323 wrote: »
    In my opinion, sure you can be body-positive and desire to lose weight. Some people who are overweight (or even obese) like how they look and how they feel, and yet work at losing weight for health reasons, even if they know will be less satisfied with how they look at a lower weight.

    This is exactly my case, and one of the reason my goal weight is in the overweight category. Lower risk, but still hopefully not too thin for my liking.
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
    Options
    I care about my body/health because I only get one. For me caring about my health = body positivity.

    I count calories to keep from eating to excess, causing fat gain which will hurt my health. I exercise to keep my heart and muscles strong. I don't smoke because cigarettes are poison. I eat lots of fruits/veggies to lower my risk of developing chronic diseases.

  • asviles
    asviles Posts: 56 Member
    Options
    I find there is a pretty big difference between "body positivity" and self love. Loving someone requires honesty, especially tough honesty, the kind they may not want to hear. I may have attempted to view my obesity as "not that bad" but I never got to the point where I genuinely thought it was a good thing. If you truly practice self love, then you practice self care as well, you seek to improve yourself and become more "you" and less the product of defeatism, food addiction, and lethargy. You are not upset with yourself because society has convinced you that your are not worthy, you are upset with yourself because you are not living up to your potential. You know who you are, you know what you are supposed to look and feel like, your future potential self is screaming at you to get up and GROW! EVOLVE! ADAPT! It's so much easier to mug someone and steal their money than it is to work for money, just as it is easier to lash out against society for your insecurities than to work on yourself. Stop fighting for change and start WORKING for change. You'll be amazed at how amazing you are and will be and will FEEL once you start making the right choices and seeing results. People struggle with self love, but it's not for lack of psychological tricks and mantras and hopeful imagery on the internet, it's for lack of effort. You'll love yourself without having to try if you start accomplishing things and showing how powerful you truly are.
  • twobyflor
    twobyflor Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    Long answer short: yes.

    I feel that people who say it’s not possible are foisting their insecurities on you. They see changes others want to make as a challenge to their own self-worth and try to put a stop to it. It’s the childish mentality that if I can make you do what I’m doing, then I’m right.
  • kakaovanilya
    kakaovanilya Posts: 647 Member
    edited November 2017
    Options
    I believe that if someone loves their body, loves how it looks, they wouldn't try to lose weight, they would try to maintain their weight. So my answer is no. And I also don't find it sincere when a plus-sized one pushes body positivity. I believe it is an act.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    Options
    I believe that if someone loves their body, loves how it looks, they wouldn't try to lose weight, they would try to maintain their weight. So my answer is no. And I also don't find it sincere when a plus-sized one pushes body positivity. I believe it is an act.

    I loved my body and how it looked...no issue...I was over 200lbs.

    That is called confidence....doesn't mean I didn't understand that the extra weight was causing health issues...

    That is called perspective and reality.

    I lost my weight to be healthier...less achy and get my blood work in line...didn't change how I felt about my body or how it looked.