I'm conflicted about "Fat Acceptance" morally.. I find

Warchortle

everyone beautiful in their own way. I think being content and happy with who you are is important, but self improvement is also healthy for a person to grow and mature...

When I see

I don't know what to think... I really want to be like "YOU GO GIRL!" but the other half of me is going.. hmmmmmmmmmmm

veganstein

I work in healthcare and am also conflicted about this. People say "It's nobody else's business if I get fat."
Except it is.
When you (general "you") get sick or injured, I have to manually move you from bed to stretcher to commode,etc.
Even with great lifting technique and help from others, I will continue to get hurt. It will be harder us to find an IV site to give you the medications you need and chest tubes and needles are not long enough.
You will be more likely to get a wound infection. Your blood sugar may be more difficult to manage, even if you are not diabetic. If you are a short, round person, we may not be able to fit you into the scanner. It will be difficult to obtain a decent X-ray because of the increased soft tissue.
It will be more difficult for you to walk and move after surgery, so your healing process will be longer.
So my workload will be very increased, and the patient's outcomes will be worse.
I'm not trying to "shame" anyone, I'm just not sure that people realize the consequences of their actions.

thecakelocker

My problem with them is that they try to discourage obese people from losing weight.

SueInAz

I personally see nothing wrong with a few extra pounds on a person. But when a few extra pounds becomes a health issue, i.e. morbidly obese, it's a problem and no one should be encouraged to remain in that state.

khall86790

My problem with them is that they try to discourage obese people from losing weight.

I agree.
When I was overweight I had SO MANY people saying "oh you just have a curvy figure". Like that made it ok I was overweight because now it gets labelled as being "curvy" which simply isn't the case. Beyonce is curvy, but she is not overweight. I am curvy because now I am not overweight... back then I was just fat.
There is nothing wrong with it if you are happy with your body that way but I don't agree with all of this "I would rather be fat and happy", "I don't want to eat rabbit food so I will stay this size" mentality.
I ate a McDonalds yesterday, I ate pizza hut 3 times in the last 2 weeks, but I have maintained my frame because I eat everything in moderation and make smart choices the rest of the time.
I just want to shake people who say they don't like salads, etc. so they can't go on a diet. It's ridiculous.

gracielynn1011

I work in healthcare and am also conflicted about this. People say "It's nobody else's business if I get fat."
Except it is.
When you (general "you") get sick or injured, I have to manually move you from bed to stretcher to commode,etc.
Even with great lifting technique and help from others, I will continue to get hurt. It will be harder us to find an IV site to give you the medications you need and chest tubes and needles are not long enough.
You will be more likely to get a wound infection. Your blood sugar may be more difficult to manage, even if you are not diabetic. If you are a short, round person, we may not be able to fit you into the scanner. It will be difficult to obtain a decent X-ray because of the increased soft tissue.
It will be more difficult for you to walk and move after surgery, so your healing process will be longer.
So my workload will be very increased, and the patient's outcomes will be worse.
I'm not trying to "shame" anyone, I'm just not sure that people realize the consequences of their actions.

My mother is a critical care nurse. She has been injured several times because of the exact scenario that you described here. I want all people to have the confidence to be who they are, but there is nothing wrong with being who you are while reducing your overall size and improving your health.

RunDoozer

Denial is not sexy.

nokanjaijo

My problem with them is that they try to discourage obese people from losing weight.

Or even discussing the health problems and dangers of overweight/obesity.

Lupercalia

My problem with them is that they try to discourage obese people from losing weight.

^^Yep, this. I also don't find it empowering to encourage unhealthiness, in general.

niki87lewis

I'm in the UK and there was a program on this a while ago, and a woman around 300-350lb was trying to say she was healthy because at that moment in time she was. Anyone who says they are happy at that size are lying to themselves

jzammetti

I think it is a cop-out. We know it isn't healthy. Period. And we know we have all the power to do something about it. Period.

thecakelocker

Yeah I really don't feel that anyone of any size should be belittled or discriminated against or humiliated - but they try to make people feel better about themselves by insisting that they are genetically doomed to be obese and that losing weight is physically impossible. As a former morbidly obese person I found it greatly disheartening and a bit ridiculous.

They try to empower people by convincing them that they are powerless, and that ain't cool.

ninerbuff

I accept the person inside, not the behavior that got them fat.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

MonicaT1972

I used to tell myself I was happy with who I was but in retrospect I sure was not....I made poor choices in all aspects of my life not just in diet and exercise as a result.

Now nearly 80lbs lighter I am so much more confident in who I am and don't need validation from those around me as I did before. I have learned that I can do anything I want to in life.

It is really hard to put into words but I really don't buy into plus sized women saying they are happy with who they are......how can you be happy when you can't even do the simplest thing...but clothes that are pretty for yourself!!!

Just my 2 cents....I wish it were easier to express to people how easy it really is to change yourself if you want it badly enough and are willing to sacrifice to get it.

sisterlilbunny

I"ll toss out something here as an thought.

How many of us are/were caught in the cycle of self hatred where you eat, feel guilt, look at your self, feel hate, then eat more, et al. (Hopefully you know what I"m talking about here). Part of fat acceptance is accepting yourself, seeing your beauty/worth. By encouraging that, you encourage breaking the cycle of self hatred/guilt and therefore over eating.

Like I said, it's just a thought. Then again I'm all for thinking that there should be size acceptance, period. *shrugs*

Just 2 cents from a fat gal trying to find her inner beauty.

krithsai

I accept the person inside, not the behavior that got them fat.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Well said!

fitfreakymom

My hubby finds that attractive.

grrrlface

I cannot understand how these people can say they are truely happy. They must be lying to themselves all the time!

I was never morbidly obese but I was in the obese range for my height before I started losing. I was MISERABLE, everyday. I can't believe how much my mentality changed when I lost weight!

I cannot agree with what they do to encourage obesity in any form. It's not healthy, plain and simple.

quirkytizzy

I saw that on Voluptuous Vixens last night. (I love them) Posted on my friend's list that I am SO JEALOUS of her confidence. I weigh easily 200+ pounds less than her and would not feel comfortable in those clothes.

Fat or not, that's beautiful.

loosesealbluth

On here, I'm pretty much the unpopular opinion when it comes to issues like this, but I appreciate the fat acceptance movement (which is ultimately part of a larger movement that promotes being body-positive in general). I don't think it's encouraging anybody to be fat or stay fat or get fatter or whatever. I think what it does is it helps people who are fat and are constantly belittled about their weight feel better about themselves. I was (and still am) fat, and the movement has helped me come to understand that whether or not I lose weight SHOULDN'T determine my worth as a human being – although it sadly does. We tend to correlate a person's size with their worth (something losing weight has made me become painfully aware of). You should be able to be fat and still be awesome and look pretty and feel good about yourself.

Fat people are reminded constantly, in even the subtlest ways, that they don't belong. I don't thing it's wrong to remind them that they do and encourage them to embrace themselves, fat or not. It doesn't make fat people suddenly love their bodies and the idea that they mindlessly believe that fat is beautiful and they're healthy the way they are is ridiculous. Fat people who are a part of the FA movement still tend to feel pretty crappy about themselves, because outside of the movement, which is a fairly small community compared to the general public, they are still reminded that they should feel like crap.

KenosFeoh

Truth be told, pictures like that make me feel a little sick. I don't believe it's right to persecute people or deny them rights because of getting fat; our culture encourages it, and there are far worse things. But ewwwwwwwwwwww! and I include myself here.

Vailara

Well, there is a difference between fat acceptance and fat promotion. You can accept fat people, including yourself, while still aiming to be healthy and even leaner if you wish. Fat acceptance doesn't mean that you have to put on weight or encourage others to do so.

Ramberta

Okay, first off-- I am obscenely jealous of that woman's self-confidence. I wish I had even a quarter of what she has.

But replying to the topic at hand... it's a hard line to draw between self-confidence and encouraging unhealthy behavior. It's unfortunate that being fat isn't frowned upon the way that being a smoker/drinker/other drug user is, because really, it should be. Overeating food is a vice just like using another substance, and once I recognized that I began to stop "accepting" my behavior as learned or inevitable. It still took me years to even want to change, but I knew what I was doing was my choice and there was no one to blame it on but me.

People don't 'inevitably' succumb to drugs, they choose them. It's true that certain substances are highly addictive, but addictions are mostly psychological. The same can be said for food, and eating disorders on all points of the spectrum. An unhealthy relationship with food is like an unhealthy relationship with a substance-- damaging to your health.

And while that woman is flawless for someone at her weight, it still makes me sad for her. My ex-fiancee is about 400 pounds, and I worry about her almost daily. The "morbid" in "morbidly obese" is there for a reason...

liliawodna

I was overweight for a long time when I was a teenager and developed an eating disorder around the time I turned 17. I lost a lot of weight and still didn't feel right. I have been in recovery for a while and gained a LOT of weight back. I am losing weight now but with the help of my doctor and it is slow but healthy. I WISH I had the self confidence that many of these men and women have at any of my previous weights, However, I don't like the mindset that many people have that they are healthy and they CAN'T change their habits. It is not healthy to be too thin and it is not healthy to be obese. It's not and there is clear science behind it obviously. Yes, you should be happy with who you are but there is not reason you can't improve your life and longevity while feeling good about yourself.

groversa

I think this is complicated.. I feel like we need to accept the person, but not the behavior if they are inflicting it on to others. Sure, its awesome that they are proud. I think people have the right to be proud, those curvy girls with rocking bods. But only to an certain extent. When curvy, becomes unhealthy or obese, thats not sexy and proud, its in denial and making excuses. I'm sure they are wonderful people, but if they are proud of their bodies, those bodies should be striving to be healthy.

Ramberta

On here, I'm pretty much the unpopular opinion when it comes to issues like this, but I appreciate the fat acceptance movement (which is ultimately part of a larger movement that promotes being body-positive in general). I don't think it's encouraging anybody to be fat or stay fat or get fatter or whatever. I think what it does is it helps people who are fat and are constantly belittled about their weight feel better about themselves. I was (and still am) fat, and the movement has helped me come to understand that whether or not I lose weight SHOULDN'T determine my worth as a human being – although it sadly does. We tend to correlate a person's size with their worth (something losing weight has made me become painfully aware of). You should be able to be fat and still be awesome and look pretty and feel good about yourself.

Fat people are reminded constantly, in even the subtlest ways, that they don't belong. I don't thing it's wrong to remind them that they do and encourage them to embrace themselves, fat or not. It doesn't make fat people suddenly love their bodies and the idea that they mindlessly believe that fat is beautiful and they're healthy the way they are is ridiculous. Fat people who are a part of the FA movement still tend to feel pretty crappy about themselves, because outside of the movement, which is a fairly small community compared to the general public, they are still reminded that they should feel like crap.

Just curious (and no, I am not trying to be argumentative)-- do you feel the same way about smokers, drinkers, and drug users? Should they be embraced for who they are, or is it acceptable for society to put negative pressures on them so that they will stop their behaviors, even if they are only hurting themselves by continuing to use? Just because the parallels between being fat and being hooked on another substance--whatever it is-- are a bit too close to ignore... I would like to hear your personal thoughts on this.

carolstartingover

It is kind of like smoking cigarettes acceptance with Emphesema patients. They complain because they can't breathe and keep on puffing. I wanna scream. I quit because of Ashtma when I was 36. My mother was 300 pounds when she died. Before that the workers could not help her much because of her weight. I lift weights so I could do some of it. Obese people and I mean really obese, brake chairs, have trouble with getting help from health care workers. The biggest thing is that there are more people with Cirhossis of the LIver due to obesity than to alcohol. So, it is not about looks to me. You are on the clock for illness and possible death from it. I don't get grossed out from seeing my daughter being heavy.I get upset that she may leave me before her time. You have to admit if your daughter was that big and she had health problems you would worry too about losing her. And she does not seem to care. I hope I am not offensive. I myself gained 45 pounds after hub died in 2011 and I am trying to get the weight off. My knees are taking a hit from it. Good luck. You be proud, but take care of you.

ereach4731

Just like in any addiction, depression, etc, when someone is fat, they might say they are confident on the outside, but really deep down inside, or perhaps subconsciously, there is an underlying issue.

heyyoudontgiveup

If your morals make you say "ew" about other people's bodies or even judge other people's bodies, I suggest you rethink them and get back to worrying about you.

highervibes

I take the live and let live approach. I would want that person to get healthy in the same way I would want someone to quit smoking, or quit being an alcoholic etc. but I would never make anyone feel bad for their choices. Ever. Period.

zonah

Acceptance of who you are and love for yourself no matter what you look like. Is one of the most important things you can have for the motivation to get healthy. A good heart shines through no matter what you look like. Ugly hearts are the same way, it does not matter how pretty you are on the outside the ugliness will shine through.