Have people's concepts of normal become too fat?
Replies
-
I know what you mean. On my last trip to Disney World I felt great because I had lost weight and was able to wear some shorts from a previous summer. I was also trying to stick to my healthy eating so I'm sure I was more aware of others due to my circumstances. Let me say, I am not skinny so have no room to judge others because I need to lose another 30 pounds but I was shocked to see so many YOUNG people that weren't just 20 or 30 pounds overweight but extremely obsese. The riding carts were everywhere and although some of the larger people may have legitimate health issues, it just looked like they were too big to walk around the parks.
It seems sad to see a bunch of teenagers and folks in their early teens that need to lose at leaset 100 pounds. We need to find the right balance for motivating people to want to get healthy. Let's face it, if losing weight were easy we would all be skinny. It is not easy and most of the time people that over eat have emotional issues. That is why so many people lose weight only to gain it back again. It's not as simple as just not eating.0 -
It's definitely true that a woman with a BMI of 19.4 which is what yours would be at 135 pounds and 5'10" can look too thin depending on how her body is composed (not only body fat percentage but also fat placement)... It's just as true that a woman with a BMI of 24.8 might look too fat depending on how HER body is composed.. both are considered in the normal range, but it might not be the BEST weight for her. ...... Anyway.. if you are happy, healthy, and comfortable with your weight then who cares what everyone else thinks anyway.0
-
*I don't believe in children
I just wanted to let you know....the verdict is in and children are real.
:laugh: 0 -
I do think that people's concepts of size have changed. In some stores an extra small is too big for me, in my opinion that should be labeled a medium and not an xs. In some stores the size small fits me, that's more reasonable to me. Also, the ways people complain that "the clothes in that store are only for people that don't eat" is wrong. They see disorder when it is completely not the case at all. Also, while I am here, I think it is odd when people put people down for being fit and caring about their physique. I don't see what is so wrong with having an effective fitness program that helps a person maintain a youthful level of fitness in an incredibly healthy way that will actually lay the groundwork to a long and healthy life with mobility for a long time.0
-
Yes... there is a difference between healthy and fat. Anorexia is not healthy, obesity is not healthy. A size 12 isn't the same on 2 different people, nor is 120lbs the same on 2 different people. It's not to say that models for clothes should be fitness models, but a more healthy (realistic!) ideal would be better.0
-
Who cares if being fat is more acceptable? Are fat people making you fat? Making your kid fat? Eating all your food? Stealing your jobs or otherwise inhibiting your life in some manner beyond making you look upon their overweight forms? As far a I'm concerned it just means more clothes available in my size; sounds like a win to me.
I care, NO, YES, as they think it is perfectly fine to be a size 16+ now(it's not, it's not healthy), NO,( I eat healthy foods)YES, they are raising my health premiums higher than they have ever been. As the burden of cost of health care for obese people skyrockets, as you and everyone else thinks it is okay to be obese these days. It is not, it is not good for ANYONE.
I suggest you find something else to care about
If people being bigger is making your kids bigger I'd say a breakdown In communication and/or some manner of parenting failure has taken place. Teach your kid about proper nutrition and fitness and stop letting the media/Joe blow on the street build their self image.
Well thank God you eat healthy food or else those obese slobs might yank it right out if your hands.
My healthcare costs remains the same. Maybe you have crap healthcare? And its not like other non-obesity health issues are on the rise or anything. It's not like people are living longer than ever and thus require more healthcare for longer; it's all about fat people.
I suggest what I care about is not your problem. It's what I choose to care about.
My kids do know all about healthy eating and habits. But when they go to school, their friends want to try and make fun of them for what they eat, and tease them for trying to eat healthy, and not just wolfing down pizza,chips and soda for lunch. Because being a size 16+ is now "acceptable". It's okay if they can't run the entire fitness run, they let them walk it now... because it's ok to be obese..... I have a complete home gym, elliptical, stairmaster, bikes,weights, squat rack, ect ...you name it .....and my kids know how to use it. My son is a personal trainer, my kids jog around my 12 acres almost daily. What about yours?? TV and video games I bet ... GREAT parenting!! We don't even own video games in my house.....And I have a great job, with awesome benefits....but the rates went up this year do to the overall fitness of the people on the plan...ie..obesity. Being obese is unhealthy, you have no facts to argue any different .... SO, it is not okay to make believe it is okay to be obese, it is not ......You are in la la land ....
Sigh. Where to begin.
You can care about whatever floats your tiny angry boat sir, but the people you spend so much time fretting over don't care in return.
If your kids eat well and engage in proper fitness then you don't have to worry about A) Them sometimes unhealthy snack food (No one has ever become obese by occasionally eating chips, my goodness.) i'm glad your kids are active and fit and such (Sounds like they need better friends though. What kind of friends mock your good choices, how gross.) I myself don't have children,* but it sounds like if I did you'd wish them all kinds of ill will/hope I was a bad parent.
I didn't say being obese was healthy, I said it's none of your business Angry Internet Man, and it's none of mine either (I'm, after all, not obese. I'm on high end of normal, assuming you give BMI any credence.*)
*I don't believe in children
*I also don't believe in BMI
*I do believe in concern trolls. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=concern+troll (It's not that I have a problem with fat people, but they really aren't healthy and....)
I am far from an angry internet man, and I really spend no time fretting over obesity in general. This is really the most time or effort I have ever given it. ...LOL... I am actually sitting here laughing about all this, and you arguing with everyone on here that has a different view than yours ..... it is amusing to me ...you are the one that is oh so concerned about every one's OPINION ......LMAO .... I would wish you or your children no ill will, if you ever did have any. Just the opposite, actually.And by my children's "friends" I more meant just school mates really ... The friends they have don't treat them like that. They have more self worth than to allow that. But it is still peer pressure, and that is tough on them...And they get it, because it is now accepted to be like that everywhere .
Trying to claim I'm the one who is angry or overly concerned with other people's opinions doesn't change the fact that your comments come off as hostile and that, at the vest least, you presumed I must be an awful parent simply because I think that a child's nutrition and fitness knowledge should be taught at home, not influenced by the media or what they see on the street .
More than that I would say that my posts here are mildly mocking, but full of humor, at best and a touch condescending at worse, where as yours come off as a man very focused on overweight/obese people and how they're ruining your life/why you should care about them.
I believe I've taken a 'Who cares' stance this entire time, actually.
*I don't believe in children
I just wanted to let you know....the verdict is in and children are real.:laugh:
Nope. Just tiny sticky fingered often mean-spirited adults I'm afraid. I work in a kindergarten, so I'm an 'expert'.0 -
ive noticed that too...when people see i am eating a salad instead of a burger and they automatically think I am self conscious or that I am trying to lose weight ....but in fact its the opposite. I dont want to gain weight, and I dont want to become another statistic. People are people. I dont like to call people fat because everyones body is different...but what I can say is that people have chosen pleasure over health, and it will be the downfall of our society.0
-
Yes and no. I think it depends on your body shape. I'm 5 foot 11 and I'm the classic big hips small boobs shape (ie pear shaped) I've got some weight to loose and i need to tone up, but if i lost too much I'd look too skinny and i do think there is such thing as too skinny. If you've got a tiny "boyish" shape then you can't help being too thin and you can't help looking skinny.0
-
yeah. here north i weigh a healthy BMI .. 7st 4 and 5 ft1 .. yet i am called too thin by family and friends.. well at a size 6 and 5ft1 thats normal for me.. each to their own i guess.0
-
If I stand up straight, my belly is perfectly in line with my chest. It's a straight shot down. I am working on having visible abs. I lift heavy and can run a 5k in a half hour without breaking a sweat.
Yet I am borderline "Obese" by medical standards.
I'm in fantastic shape, but since it's a lot of muscle, I am considered "overweight" by medical standards. Don't go by those, go by how happy you are with your body.0 -
*I don't believe in children
I just wanted to let you know....the verdict is in and children are real.:laugh:
I've read most of this topic and this is what I enjoyed most, hehe0 -
so many angry people! eesh!
to the OP original comment:
yes, the concepts are changing. it is easier to buy bulk in overly processed "food." it is easier to not get up and move around. it is easier to just buy a larger shirt than to strive for the ones that don't fit anymore. it is easier to ignore rolls of fat because "it is what is on the inside that matters."
don't get me wrong...it IS what is on the inside that matters. sadly, humanity takes people at face value. we are more accepting of larger people to a point, but at what cost? so many people now are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, breathing conditions...it just goes on and on.
i have no delusions of how i looked at my largest. i tried to IGNORE it, but i was fully aware. that isn't self love. that is denial. some people need a wake-up call. i got mine. i'll never go back, and i'm going to help as many people find health as i can!0 -
This ^^My favorite kind of fat shaming is "concerned fat shaming". You know, when random folks comment on overweight people but insist it's not how they look that upsets them, it's genuine concern for their health. How dare they try to learn to accept and be happy as they are at a UK 16/US 12; what about their health?
Oh and one time someone told m to eat a burger and it hurt my feelings. How dare these overweight people lash out with even a fraction of the venom the world has heaped on to them; they're not allowed to be bitter and mean; after all I'm slim/athletic/skinny and they should aspire to be more like me because I am closer to the ideal.
Who cares if being fat is more acceptable? Are fat people making you fat? Making your kid fat? Eating all your food? Stealing your jobs or otherwise inhibiting your life in some manner beyond making you look upon their overweight forms? As far a I'm concerned it just means more clothes available in my size; sounds like a win to me.0 -
yes really.. she has no waist .
This is such an ignorant post. Body shape differences =/= fat. If two people are the same height and weight, one is a pear and the other an apple... one will have a noticeable waist and the other won't.0 -
And this is exactly why having plus size models, clothing stores & the like have got to go. People now complain if they get charged more on a plane cause they are fat. They complain if there is no 'flattering' clothing to fit them in their size. They complain then when exercise equipment is not built for their weight.
It's become a world of fat people, an nobody bats an eye at it.
Should overweight people go naked? C'mon. And I haven't met one clinically fat person who has complained because exercise equipment is not built for their weight. I guess maybe you have, but I haven't. What a silly statement!0 -
And this is exactly why having plus size models, clothing stores & the like have got to go. People now complain if they get charged more on a plane cause they are fat. They complain if there is no 'flattering' clothing to fit them in their size. They complain then when exercise equipment is not built for their weight.
It's become a world of fat people, an nobody bats an eye at it.
Should overweight people go naked? C'mon. And I haven't met one clinically fat person who has complained because exercise equipment is not built for their weight. I guess maybe you have, but I haven't. What a silly statement!
Yeah, I agree with you. Not having clothing availability is an issue for everyone on either end of the spectrum. Yes, they should have plus sized clothing stores. Just as there is a need for smaller sized clothing stores that actually sell small sized clothing, and not just larger clothing that has an xs label on it.0 -
I rather suspect it's actually that our idea of 'ideal weight/body shape' has become too thin. The 'ideal' displayed by Hollywood, the music and print media industries is actually representative of an underweight or very-low-range 'normal' BMI*, in most cases (I'm speaking predominantly of females here), with a very low body fat percentage (unhealthily low for women of childbearing age in many cases) and reflects (again, in general) a physique that is only physically-achievable by less than 5% of the population.
The 'ideal' figures of most of the last century were much, much closer to the 'average' female form, and were achievable or at least emulatable in a healthy way by more women, thus the contrast between 'ideal' and 'realistic' was much less startling. Compare celebrities of the past such as Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren, Jayne Russell, Doris Day or Marilyn Monroe to Reese Witherspoon, Kristen Stewart, Anne Hathaway et al, and this becomes evident very quickly. Even a young Meryl Streep or Diane Keaton was much closer to 'average' in size than the current crop of ultra-thin actresses.
*Which is not a good measure of individual health, but this isn't the place to go into that!
I completely agree with you. I think it's the other way around - people now see thin as normal thanks to what the media shows us.
Agreed!!0 -
Perfect example, the show Mike & Molly. They would lose their jobs if they lost weight, in fact it looks like they have gained weight since the show started. When in reality they are not healthy at all, and at a high risk of having a stroke or heart attack. But yet they are glamarized.0
-
The girl in the ad certainly is not 'fat'. Indeed she 'should' have a BMI of over 25 because when you read the small print on boxes of Special K, they only recommend their diet plans for people of BMI over 25. But I very much doubt the girl in the ad is.
Likewise 'plus size' models are not a bad thing either - most are usually a UK size 12 or 14 and usually within the 'normal', i.e. healthy, BMI brackets.
There is a huge difference between promoting people of a healthy weight and the normalisation of obesity which in most cases results in chronic health problems.
This! ^^0 -
I rather suspect it's actually that our idea of 'ideal weight/body shape' has become too thin. The 'ideal' displayed by Hollywood, the music and print media industries is actually representative of an underweight or very-low-range 'normal' BMI*, in most cases (I'm speaking predominantly of females here), with a very low body fat percentage (unhealthily low for women of childbearing age in many cases) and reflects (again, in general) a physique that is only physically-achievable by less than 5% of the population.
The 'ideal' figures of most of the last century were much, much closer to the 'average' female form, and were achievable or at least emulatable in a healthy way by more women, thus the contrast between 'ideal' and 'realistic' was much less startling. Compare celebrities of the past such as Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren, Jayne Russell, Doris Day or Marilyn Monroe to Reese Witherspoon, Kristen Stewart, Anne Hathaway et al, and this becomes evident very quickly. Even a young Meryl Streep or Diane Keaton was much closer to 'average' in size than the current crop of ultra-thin actresses.
*Which is not a good measure of individual health, but this isn't the place to go into that!
I completely agree with you. I think it's the other way around - people now see thin as normal thanks to what the media shows us.
I agree. It was never okay for me to be even 30 lbs overweight. I always had issues in social situations, with guys and with self esteem even being a little overweight. I always considered it a problem. I don't know who thinks it is really okay to be even a little heavy. If you look at popular media sites they start attacking people for being heavy even when they are just in the middle to upper range of the normal BMI. I really don't think people now think it is normal to be fat. The ideal is to be skinny in the low to medium BMI range. Everyday people may be heavier but I don't think most are okay with it. Everyone I know who is even a little heavy wants to change it.0 -
so many angry people! eesh!
to the OP original comment:
yes, the concepts are changing. it is easier to buy bulk in overly processed "food." it is easier to not get up and move around. it is easier to just buy a larger shirt than to strive for the ones that don't fit anymore. it is easier to ignore rolls of fat because "it is what is on the inside that matters."
don't get me wrong...it IS what is on the inside that matters. sadly, humanity takes people at face value. we are more accepting of larger people to a point, but at what cost? so many people now are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, breathing conditions...it just goes on and on.
i have no delusions of how i looked at my largest. i tried to IGNORE it, but i was fully aware. that isn't self love. that is denial. some people need a wake-up call. i got mine. i'll never go back, and i'm going to help as many people find health as i can!
I don't think people are more accepting of larger people. That is not what I or the larger people I have known have experienced. Life is a lot harder when you are heavy. You are not treated as well when you are heavier. It is harder to make friends. It is harder to get a job. You get called fat. You can't get insurance. It is hard to buy nice clothes. The list goes on and on.0 -
Sigh. Where to begin.
You can care about whatever floats your tiny angry boat sir, but the people you spend so much time fretting over don't care in return.
If your kids eat well and engage in proper fitness then you don't have to worry about A) Them sometimes unhealthy snack food (No one has ever become obese by occasionally eating chips, my goodness.) i'm glad your kids are active and fit and such (Sounds like they need better friends though. What kind of friends mock your good choices, how gross.) I myself don't have children,* but it sounds like if I did you'd wish them all kinds of ill will/hope I was a bad parent.
I didn't say being obese was healthy, I said it's none of your business Angry Internet Man, and it's none of mine either (I'm, after all, not obese. I'm on high end of normal, assuming you give BMI any credence.*)
*I don't believe in children
*I also don't believe in BMI
*I do believe in concern trolls. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=concern+troll (It's not that I have a problem with fat people, but they really aren't healthy and....)
Tangent:
How does one "not believe in children"? I mean, they exist. I can prove they exist without even trying. The hell?
LOL! I was wondering the same thing!! I teach a classroom full of kids 5 days a week. If they don't exist what the hell am I doing??!!! :huh: Hopefully I'm not the only one who sees them! :laugh:0 -
I'm 5'1" and when I got below 115 lbs (22 BMI) at 11% bodyfat (measured on Withings scale) there was a chorus of "you're too thin" from everyone EXCEPT my doctor! Almost everyone I know has told me that I've "taken it too far" and need to regain some weight. I wish they'd shut up and leave me alone. I like the way my body moves and feels at 110 lbs (10% BF, 21 BMI) but the never-ending chorus has made me doubt my own perceptions.0
-
I would say that I think it is ridiculous to compare today's society to previous generations. Yes we have more obese people but it is my belief we also have more problems regarding anorexia/bulimia. We also are taller than we were previously. I'm 5 foot 11 and even though I'm still seen as very tall I would have dwarfed say my great great grandmother.
Also, around the issues of women's weight problems - it has been part of the experience of moving into the work force, becoming economically and socially mobile that there is not always "the woman" to cook a balanced meal at home everyday. Add this to increased stress in society in general and it is no wonder but I do think it is a small price to pay for moving towards women's equality.
Also, having lived in both the UK and US, a notable difference is transport. In the UK I walk, take the bus and train. In the US everything is so far away from everything else you have to drive. I put on 15 lb in my first 3 months in the US because of the lack of walking and I reckon that is definitely something everyone is society has seen change over the years.0 -
Okay, hold the phone for a second here. Someone said the UK Special K girl is fat. That would be THIS girl?
Really? Again, THIS girl?
Fat?0 -
Okay, hold the phone for a second here. Someone said the UK Special K girl is fat. That would be THIS girl?
Really? Again, THIS girl?
Fat?
Definitely not fat!0 -
Okay, hold the phone for a second here. Someone said the UK Special K girl is fat. That would be THIS girl?
Really? Again, THIS girl?
Fat?
Definitely not fat!
Thank you, I thought perhaps I had gone insane for a moment there.0 -
And this is exactly why having plus size models, clothing stores & the like have got to go. People now complain if they get charged more on a plane cause they are fat. They complain if there is no 'flattering' clothing to fit them in their size. They complain then when exercise equipment is not built for their weight.
It's become a world of fat people, an nobody bats an eye at it.
I agree. Its A harsh reality but it IS REALITY. We have create a culture of coddling that allows people to continue with unhealthy habits.
Really because the last time I checked there aren't that many plus sized stores and the sections in department stores are rare and at a minimum.
I think this post is a "fat" shaming post. While I am obese fat, I can tell you there is NO SYMPATHY at all for fat people.
And calling a size 6, 8, or 12, fat is just plain disgusting to me as a true FAT person. I don't like being fat, I don't like looking at fat people, I don't like shopping in the fat lady's section, and I don't think the world has accepted it as normal at all. This post being the best example of that.
I agree. I was raised to be healthy as well. My mom and dad tried to get me to exercise and I did while I was with them. We had a lot of land and a pool and exercise machines so I was able to get a lot of exercise. My mom was a very healthy cook. The only problem she had was making desserts like once or twice a week. Sometimes I would pig out on them. I was still overweight though not obese like I am now. I have never really believed that I could be healthy and that I could reign in my eating over the long term. It really is my fault for having problems with overeating and exercising enough. I always like exercising when I do it but I am not good at sticking with it. Oh, and it is my problem area, because my sisters are both thin. I think they are both around 130 lbs. It is funny because I am great at reigning in a lot of things like TV and alcohol but eating and exercise I am so bad at.0 -
Considering I can't go shopping in most "normal" department stores (Macy's, JC Penney, Kohl's, etc.) because their smallest misses size is too big for me and junior's is too young for me....yes, I'd say fat is the new normal. I'm 5'6", 120 lbs, and there's no way in hell I'm a size 0. That's not even a real number!
Ok, my sister was 5'4'' and 115 lbs and she found clothes just fine. My other sister was 5'10'' and 120 lbs and she also found clothes, except that her limbs were longer which made it more difficult. I don't think it is your weight it may be how you are built that causes the problems.0 -
I know when I'm where I'm to be (BMI / Hgt-wght) I am told I need to eat! I've been called fit - when I know I'm not! I gained 65 pounds being here caring for my daughter and everyone thinks I'm nuts for trying to take it off. I do believe we have 'learned to accept' the new skinny. I find it frustrating when I watch videos from the 60's & 70's Heck they gave Mama Cass a rough time for being 'fat' but today she would be average. The people during that time (footage from the street - not celebs) were thin / more fit but something happened. Yes, mentality has changed.
The only time I have seen people in my family tell someone to eat was when my sister was around 120 and 5'10''. That is a 17 BMI. Underweight is a problem just like being overweight. My other sister looked great at that weight but she was only 5'4''. I really don't think most people consider people of a normal weight to be too skinny. Online, even in this thread, I have seen people who are a healthy bmi called fat, which is wrong and very damaging.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions