"You're beautiful, you don't need to watch calories."
Options
Replies
-
"You're ugly, you do need to watch calories."
Just checking if the statement makes sense backwards.
You completely captured my point. :laugh: Thank you.
Also, nah, I don't think it works. Lol!0 -
But, for the most part, Americans have an extremely skewed view of what overweight really is. I see it here all the time. And. some people, even after all the tests and finding out they are overweight, will still argue that they are not. It's crazy.
Weird. I must not be from the USA. Lemme check...Born in LA, CA moved to FW, TX in my mid-30's never lived anywhere else...I'm 44, 5'9" tall and weigh a tad under 145lbs (working on gaining right now) So, how is that I'm lanky, have been lanky my WHOLE life even after 2 ten lb babies but I'm a "fat American"? I hate to burst the bubble of the outside the US crowd but I'm more slender that the vast majority of internationals I ran into living in one of the most international cities (LA, CA) in the world. Sometimes I think the number of "fat Americans" is greatly over guesstimated by folks from other countries. Unless, of course, you have actual numbers to back up your claim.
Also, I eat processed food and sugars. It's not "poison" that's straight up silly. Eat some rat killer you'll know the difference right away.
I'm also a intermediate, full contact/point kick boxer. I'm quite fast and can hold my own against higher ranking, larger males in the ring. So I guess being a in- denial-and-fat-"poisoned" middle aged American has ruined my heath. It's really annoying and always has been when people act like they are better than an entire freaking country. California ALONE has 39 million people. Do you really want to try to paint that many people with your brush? Get real!0 -
:drinker:Sometimes I think the number of "fat Americans" is greatly over guesstimated by folks from other countries. Unless, of course, you have actual numbers to back up your claim.
It really is. It's become this really bad stereotype, that people from other countries cling to the way some people cling to the stereotype that all french men wear black and white stripped shirts. Both seem harmless at first, but are actually harmful when you really stop to think about it.
That aside, in reply to the OP, here here! I get told all the time that it must be nice to not worry about what I eat. Yeah. Okay. :huh:0 -
I think it's funny that three random strangers complimented you and this led you to rant.
IN to see what happens when OP gets insulted.
For some, it's not a compliment. And honestly, it shouldn't be given as a compliment.
I'm recovering from an eating disorder and if someone said that to me, I would likely not finish my meal. It's crucial to remember we all have different lives, and just because you would see it as a compliment doesn't mean everyone else would.
I long for the day when people give us compliments based on more than our physical appearance. Honestly, getting 'compliments' based on that gets tiring.0 -
one more thing...americans in general dont understand what a normal weight even looks like on a person because EVERYONE is overweight. Even the people they think look good are overweight so it becomes the norm.
The people that are actually the appropriate weight are viewed as crazy Gym fitness nuts who are obsessed.
Can't say I agree with this at all. If anything, popular culture (i.e. TV, movies, magazines, ads, internet, etc) has skewed our perception of 'healthy' to the super thin, super low body fat body style.
Agreed.
I think we all just have different opinions about what looks skinny and what doesn't.
I strongly disagree. Americans, in general, think fat is healthy. They think people that are healthy are too skinny. This is generally speaking. It's not that the thin people are wrong, it's that the fat people are wrong. The fat people are used to looking at themselves, and they think it's fine. Medically speaking, it's not fine at all. They are on hypertension medicine and probably a whole host of others. And, if they are not, they will be eventually. It is just an absolute fact that being fat is not good for your health in any way. And, no matter how hard you try to rationalize that it is, you're wrong. It's not. You don't see old folks home filled with fat people. Because they pass away before getting there. Maybe that's a good thing. LOL. But, this isn't about that.
There are lots and lots and lots of ways to determine of you are healthy. You can use BMI to figure out, in general, where you should be. It's not absolute, and for some people, it's way off. But, by and large, for the vast majority of people, BMI is pretty dang close, which is why medical doctors still use it. Yes, I understand that there are some people that just don't fit into the BMI scale. And, that's fine. I'm just saying, mostly, it's a good indicator of where you should be.
There are other ways to determine your health. Visit your doctor and get an exam. See what he/she says. Jump into a fat test thingy, and see what it says, then look at charts on Google and determine where you should be based on your body type.
But, for the most part, Americans have an extremely skewed view of what overweight really is. I see it here all the time. And. some people, even after all the tests and finding out they are overweight, will still argue that they are not. It's crazy.
I feel like this is incredibly and overly generalized. I'm not sure who you are talking to or where you are finding all of this information; maybe it's because you're in a different part of the US than I am but I haven't ran into someone that has said being fat was healthy. Nor have I talked with someone who is overweight and said that healthy is too skinny. I know someone who is considered "overweight" from the BMI scale but is active, has great check ups and the doctor has not mentioned weight loss. It depends on each person individually. And being overweight does not necessarily equate to eating a whole bunch of processed foods/fast food/high calorie foods; yes, as a whole that is a huge problem and it is the main contributor, however, underlying medical issues can cause weight gain as well.
The judgment that seeps through your wording of what you're saying is quite evident. You may not mean to come across that way, or you might. However, it's this kind of judgment that needs to stop. You can state things without sounding offensive. I'm not even overweight and I became offended because I know people who are and would feel absolutely terrible reading this. The people I know try so hard to watch what they eat and get exercise in and sometimes it doesn't work because of the mentality behind it, or emotional things that could be the base of where their weight stemmed. Not everyone who is overweight fits into what you described above, and I find it unfair to make such general statements. Not everyone is on the same path, not everyone has the same education about nutrition so therefore not everyone understands. Instead of laughing about it, why not try helping by educating/motivating in a non-condescending way.
No, I'm not always this *****y, however reading things like this aggravate me and I feel the need to speak up.
I know a lot, A LOT, of overweight people that think I'm skinny and they're healthy.
I'm at the very top of my BMI, sometimes I push over. I am not skinny. They are large, and they think they are normal. And they think anyone that is smaller than them is unhealthy and skinny.
You can take my words any way you want. I don't care. I'm not here to blow sunshine up peoples butts. I think overweight is a huge American epidemic. I have traveled quite a bit, and no where do you see so many over weight people. I have talked to lots of overweight people that think they are fine, or that they have big bones, LOL. No, they are just overweight. And, they are not healthy. Other countries are not like this. Other countries tend to think that what we think is healthy, they think is fat.
I'm sorry you are offended. But, I'm not your friend. So, it doesn't matter. The truth hurts.
Well I must admit that I don't have friends who are judgmental like this and I couldn't be happier. I guess that where I'm from people understand nutrition and if they're overweight. My point was that you can't broadly generalize the things you hear from people. Well, I guess you can, but that's being quite ignorant when creating general assumptions about overweight people. That being said, I hope your kids don't end up overweight or with an eating disorder. Yikes.0 -
I agree larger is seen as normal in the US. I lived in the US for several years and my husbands side is American. When I get clothing from the US, I'm always a size small. I am not a small at home, I am a medium and sometimes even a large in tops. Same with pant sizes (which are supposed to be the same in Canada, it's not like an England/US sizing difference) I am about a 5/6 pants but if I just got a pair from the US and I am swimming in them. I think they are about an 8 here, comparatively.
lol...
American clothes for women vary even in America. I can be a size 7 at one store, a size 5 at another. Sometimes an xsmall shirt fits me, sometimes I have to wear a small. That's why I never understood this argument.0 -
one more thing...americans in general dont understand what a normal weight even looks like on a person because EVERYONE is overweight. Even the people they think look good are overweight so it becomes the norm.
The people that are actually the appropriate weight are viewed as crazy Gym fitness nuts who are obsessed.
Can't say I agree with this at all. If anything, popular culture (i.e. TV, movies, magazines, ads, internet, etc) has skewed our perception of 'healthy' to the super thin, super low body fat body style.
Agreed.
I think we all just have different opinions about what looks skinny and what doesn't.
I strongly disagree. Americans, in general, think fat is healthy. They think people that are healthy are too skinny. This is generally speaking. It's not that the thin people are wrong, it's that the fat people are wrong. The fat people are used to looking at themselves, and they think it's fine. Medically speaking, it's not fine at all. They are on hypertension medicine and probably a whole host of others. And, if they are not, they will be eventually. It is just an absolute fact that being fat is not good for your health in any way. And, no matter how hard you try to rationalize that it is, you're wrong. It's not. You don't see old folks home filled with fat people. Because they pass away before getting there. Maybe that's a good thing. LOL. But, this isn't about that.
There are lots and lots and lots of ways to determine of you are healthy. You can use BMI to figure out, in general, where you should be. It's not absolute, and for some people, it's way off. But, by and large, for the vast majority of people, BMI is pretty dang close, which is why medical doctors still use it. Yes, I understand that there are some people that just don't fit into the BMI scale. And, that's fine. I'm just saying, mostly, it's a good indicator of where you should be.
There are other ways to determine your health. Visit your doctor and get an exam. See what he/she says. Jump into a fat test thingy, and see what it says, then look at charts on Google and determine where you should be based on your body type.
But, for the most part, Americans have an extremely skewed view of what overweight really is. I see it here all the time. And. some people, even after all the tests and finding out they are overweight, will still argue that they are not. It's crazy.
I feel like this is incredibly and overly generalized. I'm not sure who you are talking to or where you are finding all of this information; maybe it's because you're in a different part of the US than I am but I haven't ran into someone that has said being fat was healthy. Nor have I talked with someone who is overweight and said that healthy is too skinny. I know someone who is considered "overweight" from the BMI scale but is active, has great check ups and the doctor has not mentioned weight loss. It depends on each person individually. And being overweight does not necessarily equate to eating a whole bunch of processed foods/fast food/high calorie foods; yes, as a whole that is a huge problem and it is the main contributor, however, underlying medical issues can cause weight gain as well.
The judgment that seeps through your wording of what you're saying is quite evident. You may not mean to come across that way, or you might. However, it's this kind of judgment that needs to stop. You can state things without sounding offensive. I'm not even overweight and I became offended because I know people who are and would feel absolutely terrible reading this. The people I know try so hard to watch what they eat and get exercise in and sometimes it doesn't work because of the mentality behind it, or emotional things that could be the base of where their weight stemmed. Not everyone who is overweight fits into what you described above, and I find it unfair to make such general statements. Not everyone is on the same path, not everyone has the same education about nutrition so therefore not everyone understands. Instead of laughing about it, why not try helping by educating/motivating in a non-condescending way.
No, I'm not always this *****y, however reading things like this aggravate me and I feel the need to speak up.
I know a lot, A LOT, of overweight people that think I'm skinny and they're healthy.
I'm at the very top of my BMI, sometimes I push over. I am not skinny. They are large, and they think they are normal. And they think anyone that is smaller than them is unhealthy and skinny.
You can take my words any way you want. I don't care. I'm not here to blow sunshine up peoples butts. I think overweight is a huge American epidemic. I have traveled quite a bit, and no where do you see so many over weight people. I have talked to lots of overweight people that think they are fine, or that they have big bones, LOL. No, they are just overweight. And, they are not healthy. Other countries are not like this. Other countries tend to think that what we think is healthy, they think is fat.
I'm sorry you are offended. But, I'm not your friend. So, it doesn't matter. The truth hurts.
Well I must admit that I don't have friends who are judgmental like this and I couldn't be happier. I guess that where I'm from people understand nutrition and if they're overweight. My point was that you can't broadly generalize the things you hear from people. Well, I guess you can, but that's being quite ignorant when creating general assumptions about overweight people. That being said, I hope your kids don't end up overweight or with an eating disorder. Yikes.
Oh, ps...there's actually quite a few countries that think being overweight is a good thing. I could list them off for you if you want.0 -
I think the title is the problem. Three times in the last week people have noticed me logging food on my phone at a restaurant or on a plane. Yesterday I was recommending this awesome carrot cake to my mother-in-law and mentioned that I always split it with my husband because it has literally half the calories I get for the day.
All three times strangers have turned to me and said 'you don't need to watch your calories, you look great'.
Flattering. But that's the problem. I look fine because I do watch what I eat. If we did it right, we'd never have to 'lose' weight because we'd watch what we ate our whole life and just maintained.
For me, I did that fine until I got older and my metabolism slowed down faster than my eating.
Watching what you eat/calories shouldn't be associated with dieting. They should be associated with living - it's a prevention activity, not an intervention. Just like brushing your teeth prevents calories, it's not something you just do after you get cavities to make them go away.
End of rant.
Ughhhhh so much. What you eat is nobody else's business. I hate it when people make my food or lifestyle choices their business.
Also, a single slice of carrot cake has 1/2 your daily calories? HOLY *kitten*. That must be mass-produced cake. If you make your cake at home I promise it will not be that calorie-dense. I remember when NYC mandated that all fast-food restaurants post their calorie contents directly on the menu. While I don't eat McD's and all that, I did have Starbucks sometimes and I about crapped myself when I saw that a tiny Starbucks donut had 400 calories. How is it even physically possible to pack that many calories into such a tiny space? Is it made out of pure lard, or perhaps dark matter? I've noticed that all mass-produced cakes and pastries seem to have more fat in them than a homemade equivalent would have. Not that we should all be stuffing our pie holes with um, pie, all the time, but if you're gonna, then it's a good incentive to have homemade!
Some people manage to maintain without counting calories because they don't tend to eat foods which would be very calorie-dense. Or they are extremely active. Still, even if you're not counting calories it is important to choose healthy foods and limit unhealthy ones. But once healthy food choices, portion control, and activity becomes part of a lifestyle, it's more of a habit and you find you don't need to log all the calories all the time, it just happens naturally. Which is good, because logging all the time is a pain in the *kitten* and I think may contribute in some people to an unhealthy relationship with their food.0 -
one more thing...americans in general dont understand what a normal weight even looks like on a person because EVERYONE is overweight. Even the people they think look good are overweight so it becomes the norm.
The people that are actually the appropriate weight are viewed as crazy Gym fitness nuts who are obsessed.
Can't say I agree with this at all. If anything, popular culture (i.e. TV, movies, magazines, ads, internet, etc) has skewed our perception of 'healthy' to the super thin, super low body fat body style.
Agreed.
I think we all just have different opinions about what looks skinny and what doesn't.
I strongly disagree. Americans, in general, think fat is healthy. They think people that are healthy are too skinny. This is generally speaking. It's not that the thin people are wrong, it's that the fat people are wrong. The fat people are used to looking at themselves, and they think it's fine. Medically speaking, it's not fine at all. They are on hypertension medicine and probably a whole host of others. And, if they are not, they will be eventually. It is just an absolute fact that being fat is not good for your health in any way. And, no matter how hard you try to rationalize that it is, you're wrong. It's not. You don't see old folks home filled with fat people. Because they pass away before getting there. Maybe that's a good thing. LOL. But, this isn't about that.
There are lots and lots and lots of ways to determine of you are healthy. You can use BMI to figure out, in general, where you should be. It's not absolute, and for some people, it's way off. But, by and large, for the vast majority of people, BMI is pretty dang close, which is why medical doctors still use it. Yes, I understand that there are some people that just don't fit into the BMI scale. And, that's fine. I'm just saying, mostly, it's a good indicator of where you should be.
There are other ways to determine your health. Visit your doctor and get an exam. See what he/she says. Jump into a fat test thingy, and see what it says, then look at charts on Google and determine where you should be based on your body type.
But, for the most part, Americans have an extremely skewed view of what overweight really is. I see it here all the time. And. some people, even after all the tests and finding out they are overweight, will still argue that they are not. It's crazy.
I feel like this is incredibly and overly generalized. I'm not sure who you are talking to or where you are finding all of this information; maybe it's because you're in a different part of the US than I am but I haven't ran into someone that has said being fat was healthy. Nor have I talked with someone who is overweight and said that healthy is too skinny. I know someone who is considered "overweight" from the BMI scale but is active, has great check ups and the doctor has not mentioned weight loss. It depends on each person individually. And being overweight does not necessarily equate to eating a whole bunch of processed foods/fast food/high calorie foods; yes, as a whole that is a huge problem and it is the main contributor, however, underlying medical issues can cause weight gain as well.
The judgment that seeps through your wording of what you're saying is quite evident. You may not mean to come across that way, or you might. However, it's this kind of judgment that needs to stop. You can state things without sounding offensive. I'm not even overweight and I became offended because I know people who are and would feel absolutely terrible reading this. The people I know try so hard to watch what they eat and get exercise in and sometimes it doesn't work because of the mentality behind it, or emotional things that could be the base of where their weight stemmed. Not everyone who is overweight fits into what you described above, and I find it unfair to make such general statements. Not everyone is on the same path, not everyone has the same education about nutrition so therefore not everyone understands. Instead of laughing about it, why not try helping by educating/motivating in a non-condescending way.
No, I'm not always this *****y, however reading things like this aggravate me and I feel the need to speak up.
I know a lot, A LOT, of overweight people that think I'm skinny and they're healthy.
I'm at the very top of my BMI, sometimes I push over. I am not skinny. They are large, and they think they are normal. And they think anyone that is smaller than them is unhealthy and skinny.
You can take my words any way you want. I don't care. I'm not here to blow sunshine up peoples butts. I think overweight is a huge American epidemic. I have traveled quite a bit, and no where do you see so many over weight people. I have talked to lots of overweight people that think they are fine, or that they have big bones, LOL. No, they are just overweight. And, they are not healthy. Other countries are not like this. Other countries tend to think that what we think is healthy, they think is fat.
I'm sorry you are offended. But, I'm not your friend. So, it doesn't matter. The truth hurts.
Well I must admit that I don't have friends who are judgmental like this and I couldn't be happier. I guess that where I'm from people understand nutrition and if they're overweight. My point was that you can't broadly generalize the things you hear from people. Well, I guess you can, but that's being quite ignorant when creating general assumptions about overweight people. That being said, I hope your kids don't end up overweight or with an eating disorder. Yikes.
Wow low blow going for the guys kids... not really taking the moral high ground after giving him a hard time about making generalisations :laugh:0 -
one more thing...americans in general dont understand what a normal weight even looks like on a person because EVERYONE is overweight. Even the people they think look good are overweight so it becomes the norm.
The people that are actually the appropriate weight are viewed as crazy Gym fitness nuts who are obsessed.
Can't say I agree with this at all. If anything, popular culture (i.e. TV, movies, magazines, ads, internet, etc) has skewed our perception of 'healthy' to the super thin, super low body fat body style.
Agreed.
I think we all just have different opinions about what looks skinny and what doesn't.
I strongly disagree. Americans, in general, think fat is healthy. They think people that are healthy are too skinny. This is generally speaking. It's not that the thin people are wrong, it's that the fat people are wrong. The fat people are used to looking at themselves, and they think it's fine. Medically speaking, it's not fine at all. They are on hypertension medicine and probably a whole host of others. And, if they are not, they will be eventually. It is just an absolute fact that being fat is not good for your health in any way. And, no matter how hard you try to rationalize that it is, you're wrong. It's not. You don't see old folks home filled with fat people. Because they pass away before getting there. Maybe that's a good thing. LOL. But, this isn't about that.
There are lots and lots and lots of ways to determine of you are healthy. You can use BMI to figure out, in general, where you should be. It's not absolute, and for some people, it's way off. But, by and large, for the vast majority of people, BMI is pretty dang close, which is why medical doctors still use it. Yes, I understand that there are some people that just don't fit into the BMI scale. And, that's fine. I'm just saying, mostly, it's a good indicator of where you should be.
There are other ways to determine your health. Visit your doctor and get an exam. See what he/she says. Jump into a fat test thingy, and see what it says, then look at charts on Google and determine where you should be based on your body type.
But, for the most part, Americans have an extremely skewed view of what overweight really is. I see it here all the time. And. some people, even after all the tests and finding out they are overweight, will still argue that they are not. It's crazy.
I feel like this is incredibly and overly generalized. I'm not sure who you are talking to or where you are finding all of this information; maybe it's because you're in a different part of the US than I am but I haven't ran into someone that has said being fat was healthy. Nor have I talked with someone who is overweight and said that healthy is too skinny. I know someone who is considered "overweight" from the BMI scale but is active, has great check ups and the doctor has not mentioned weight loss. It depends on each person individually. And being overweight does not necessarily equate to eating a whole bunch of processed foods/fast food/high calorie foods; yes, as a whole that is a huge problem and it is the main contributor, however, underlying medical issues can cause weight gain as well.
The judgment that seeps through your wording of what you're saying is quite evident. You may not mean to come across that way, or you might. However, it's this kind of judgment that needs to stop. You can state things without sounding offensive. I'm not even overweight and I became offended because I know people who are and would feel absolutely terrible reading this. The people I know try so hard to watch what they eat and get exercise in and sometimes it doesn't work because of the mentality behind it, or emotional things that could be the base of where their weight stemmed. Not everyone who is overweight fits into what you described above, and I find it unfair to make such general statements. Not everyone is on the same path, not everyone has the same education about nutrition so therefore not everyone understands. Instead of laughing about it, why not try helping by educating/motivating in a non-condescending way.
No, I'm not always this *****y, however reading things like this aggravate me and I feel the need to speak up.
I know a lot, A LOT, of overweight people that think I'm skinny and they're healthy.
I'm at the very top of my BMI, sometimes I push over. I am not skinny. They are large, and they think they are normal. And they think anyone that is smaller than them is unhealthy and skinny.
You can take my words any way you want. I don't care. I'm not here to blow sunshine up peoples butts. I think overweight is a huge American epidemic. I have traveled quite a bit, and no where do you see so many over weight people. I have talked to lots of overweight people that think they are fine, or that they have big bones, LOL. No, they are just overweight. And, they are not healthy. Other countries are not like this. Other countries tend to think that what we think is healthy, they think is fat.
I'm sorry you are offended. But, I'm not your friend. So, it doesn't matter. The truth hurts.
Well I must admit that I don't have friends who are judgmental like this and I couldn't be happier. I guess that where I'm from people understand nutrition and if they're overweight. My point was that you can't broadly generalize the things you hear from people. Well, I guess you can, but that's being quite ignorant when creating general assumptions about overweight people. That being said, I hope your kids don't end up overweight or with an eating disorder. Yikes.
Wow low blow going for the guys kids... not really taking the moral high ground after giving him a hard time about making generalisations :laugh:
Yeah, I know. Usually I would feel bad but I don't this time, odd. Maybe it's that TOM for me lol. But in all reality, I have been in so many treatment centers and had seen how messed up that mentality can make people. I've had ex's with that mentality. Horrible.0 -
I think people are just being kind, and... that they just don't know what calorie counting really means for you.
I must say though, I don't get the correlation between watching calories and being beautiful.
Yep, don't get this either. I guess I don't understand people moaning about being complimented about their looks. But then, as a woman who is fit but not beautiful/attractive and won't be at any weight, I'm just envious of all the beautiful people. I'm drawn to faces and I find that attractive ones are attached to bodies of a range of sizes.
I do agree that there's no such thing as cutting yourself slack even when at a normal weight. I've been in maintenance for 3 years with an active workout schedule, yet I managed to acquire an extra 10lbs over a 6 month period simply from letting things go when life stresses got out of hand. Lesson learned and I'm back on track.0 -
for sure!! im a type2 diabetic. my closest friends goal weight is my weight. they don't understand what this extra 20lbs on me does to my body. everyone has their comfort or panic weight. good luck to all!0
-
:drinker:Sometimes I think the number of "fat Americans" is greatly over guesstimated by folks from other countries. Unless, of course, you have actual numbers to back up your claim.
It really is. It's become this really bad stereotype, that people from other countries cling to the way some people cling to the stereotype that all french men wear black and white stripped shirts. Both seem harmless at first, but are actually harmful when you really stop to think about it.
After spending my first year in Asia, I returned to the US for a visit, and after stepping off the plane my jaw about hit the floor. I hadn't really noticed it before, because it seemed normal, but Americans are FAT. Not just a bit overweight, chubby, or whatever, but straight-up shockingly obese, and in huge numbers. You can see it with your two eyes.
Now, if *I* was so shocked (and I lived in the US for so many years), imagine how it seems to international visitors. I distinctly remember going to Target with my mom and while waiting for her, just people-watching. When she returned, I asked her if she could find a single person who did not appear to be overweight... we looked and looked and it took us forever to find someone of a normal size. EVERY SINGLE PERSON THERE was visibly overweight. You can understand why the stereotype exists. In four years of living in China, I can count on one hand how many obese people I've seen. So coming from that frame of reference to a country where the majority is overweight is absolutely stunning. And when you live in it, your frame of reference really *does* change.
That said, I don't think it's helpful to anyone to make fun of Americans for being fat, and I certainly don't appreciate the cruelty with which people from other countries mock Americans. I think many Americans are fat for a multitude of reasons, including diet, lifestyle, culture, education, medical care, etc., but I don't think ANY of them are laziness or stupidity. It's straight-up NOT OKAY to make fun of other people for being fat.
Not to say that Americans should be absolved of the responsibility for their own health and fitness, but I do think the issue is far more complex than most people realize. Plus, a lot of Americans are really struggling to be healthy, trying to eat properly, trying to exercise, and are having a hard time losing weight. Many people already feel like crap about themselves because of their bodies. They don't need other people to pile it on. We all have our problems, it's just that in the US our problems are often visible. People in China, for example, may not have weight issues, but they do smoke like goddamn chimneys and can't stop running over each other with cars. So nobody's perfect. Take a good long look at yourself before you start casting stones.
TL;DR - Yes, Americans may have problems with being overweight, but no, that doesn't mean it's okay for other people to use that as ammo against them. Let's be kind to each other.0 -
Also, a single slice of carrot cake has 1/2 your daily calories? HOLY *kitten*. That must be mass-produced cake. If you make your cake at home I promise it will not be that calorie-dense. I remember when NYC mandated that all fast-food restaurants post their calorie contents directly on the menu. While I don't eat McD's and all that, I did have Starbucks sometimes and I about crapped myself when I saw that a tiny Starbucks donut had 400 calories. How is it even physically possible to pack that many calories into such a tiny space? Is it made out of pure lard, or perhaps dark matter? I've noticed that all mass-produced cakes and pastries seem to have more fat in them than a homemade equivalent would have. Not that we should all be stuffing our pie holes with um, pie, all the time, but if you're gonna, then it's a good incentive to have homemade!
I remember when Starbucks started posting calorie counts and I learned that my beloved treat...the iced lemon pound cake had 480 calories. I haven't been able to bring myself to order it since.
I do think many Americans have become so accustomed to seeing overweight people that it has become the new normal. Not long ago, I was caught a few scenes from the old (1980) Dom Deluise movie "Fatso" on television...of course the whole story centered around the fact that his character was overweight. Fact is, if I walked into Walmart today, three out of five people would be bigger than he was in that movie. Even I looked at him and thought, he isn't THAT big.
And then there is vanity sizing. Which I am convinced exists partly so people can say they wear the same size they did in high school. That may be true, but the clothes have gotten bigger. When I was in high school (way back in the 1980s) size zero didn't exist. I wore a size 5 (juniors) and sometimes a 4 or 6 in misses sizes. Today I am the same size was in high school. After a quarter of a century and three babies, things may have shifted a bit, but overall I am probably in better shape now than then. And instead of wearing a 4/5/6 I am a 0...sometimes a 00. Yes I am small, but I am not "skinny" which makes me wonder where the really tiny girls shop.0 -
And then there is vanity sizing. Which I am convinced exists partly so people can say they wear the same size they did in high school. That may be true, but the clothes have gotten bigger. When I was in high school (way back in the 1980s) size zero didn't exist. I wore a size 5 (juniors) and sometimes a 4 or 6 in misses sizes. Today I am the same size was in high school. After a quarter of a century and three babies, things may have shifted a bit, but overall I am probably in better shape now than then. And instead of wearing a 4/5/6 I am a 0...sometimes a 00. Yes I am small, but I am not "skinny" which makes me wonder where the really tiny girls shop.
Yeah, the sizes are all over the place, there doesn't even seem to be a standard anymore. For this reason, I prefer sizing that goes by measurements instead of dress sizes. Jeans with a waist/leg measurement instead of a size, for example. I buy a lot of clothes online and I'm sure to double-check the measurements of everything before I just assume that I'm a "medium" or whatever - "medium" seems to mean any size whatsoever these days.
Very petite people are out of luck. My mom is 5'4" and quite slender. In the old days she was considered more of an average size, now she is considered very small. Even the smallest sizes at some shops don't fit her and she has to have clothes taken in. She laughs because in the 1970s when she was quite fit and slim, she took a size 10! I know because she still has some of her old clothes, and they are tiny, what we might consider about a 2 or 4 now, but the label is a size 10! Amazing. I have a friend who is quite petite, about 5'0" and slender, and she often has to shop in the children's section.
I'm 5'8" and well-built, with muscles, thick legs, broad shoulders, and so on, and I take a size 6, even though I'm taller and larger than what should be considered average. Thirty years ago I think I'd have been a 10 or 12. But here in China where I live I cannot for the life of me find clothing that fits. I'm gargantuan compared with Chinese women, haha.0 -
You said it perfect!! :drinker:0
-
great rant0
-
I have had strangers say this to me. They become very concerned and think I must have body dysmorphia. I tell them I lift weights and work on gaining muscle because I don't know how else to quickly explain it. And then they are like, "Whoa, but you are so small."0
-
I am morbidly obese. Though I may just be obese now, I need to check my BMI again and check, but I have heard this same thing. "You are beautiful!" or "YOu carry your weight so well!" or "You don't need to lose weight, you are beautiful just the way you are". Which is all good and dandy and it's nice to know that I can be moderately attractive despite my unhealthy weight.
The thing a lot of people don't realize is that this whole weightloss thing, getting healthy, exercising, taking care of ourselves. We don't do it for everyone else. At least, I don't. Sure, I enjoy hearing that I am attractive but what good is it for other people to find me attractive if I am not comfortable with how I look?
Furthermore, we should take pride in ourselves and respect our bodies enough to take care of them because this is the only body we have and if we want it for the long haul then we need to take care of it... I mean, we are stuck with these bodies!
So all in all, our bodies, what we do to take care of them, it's no one elses concern really? You think I look great? Awesome, that's great to hear but other people opinions have no weight in my personal aspirations for myself. Just keep reminding yourself of that. They don't know your body or what you really want for yourself. You keep doing what you want and need to do for yourself and just smile and nod at the comments of others.
Spot on!! This drives me crazy too. And I heartily agree with the OP.
And now I want carrot cake. Damn...0 -
I have just serously got down into business to loose weight. I have just started and today is day 5. I see no difference in my scale. still 222.8. Is that normal? aND i RELIGIOUSLY key in my calories daily and sometime I don''t know which one to choose. Like for example a bowl of salad that I eat, how much calories are in there? How do I count the calories accurately? My whole calories per day sums up to 900 - 1000. But my quota is 1600. Is that okay? I worry I'm not loosing anything!0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.5K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 392 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 926 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions