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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.