'I'm fat and happy' article. Thoughts?
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Francl27
Posts: 26,371 Member
http://www.scarymommy.com/im-fat-and-happy/?utm_source=FB
Found this this morning. Ok I never got as thin as her and never ate 1000 calories a day but man does she nail the 'it's hard to be thin' part on the head!
Obviously not arguing with the fact that it's ok to be obese though... she's a mom. She needs to be healthy for them. I don't believe that you can be obese and stay healthy.
Anyway, curious about what people think about it.
Found this this morning. Ok I never got as thin as her and never ate 1000 calories a day but man does she nail the 'it's hard to be thin' part on the head!
Obviously not arguing with the fact that it's ok to be obese though... she's a mom. She needs to be healthy for them. I don't believe that you can be obese and stay healthy.
Anyway, curious about what people think about it.
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Replies
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I stopped reading anything from that page after their article about a mom who was "grieving" because her child was born in a hospital instead of at home. (Yes is was as ridiculous as it sounds).16
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I found the article to be the proverbial Curate's Egg - only good in parts.
It may be the writer's reality but there is a false dichotomy going on which doesn't apply to many people - thin and miserable or fat and happy. Being in good shape does not require extreme sacrifice or misery but rather consistency and building solid habits. If you want to maintain cover model physique year round the situation may be different but that is not most people.
And this bit.
This bit wants me to hit my head against the nearest wall:I’m the one who looks like the mother.21 -
Oh yeah, I read that some time ago. I love it. Its a whole world I wish I could belong to.
I looked like that throughout my 30's and 40's, (the thin version of her) without dieting and just doing normal walking and errands, looking after my kids and getting to work by bus. Where she had to suffer, undereat and obsess on caloiries, for me it was genetic and natural.
IMO if you start restricitng calories and over excersizing when you are young, you pay for it later in life.
I'm glad she is happy and has such a lovely family. Who could be negative about such a person as her?4 -
It's a good article. It was more about being happy with yourself than being thin or fat. The author had disordered eating patterns, and a mental disorder also, that she got help for.6
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I'm not sure why people develop a false sense of concern about the obese.
Why do you feel she can't be healthy and why do you think this is your concern?
Do you tell people that don't get enough sleep to go to bed?22 -
Really, that article is less about weight and more about finding contentment within yourself regardless of how you're physically packaged. Something we should all aspire to.
I've been content with my physical appearance when fat and am still now that I'm less fat. I hope to be content when I get to goal too.
So yeah, this about finding inner peace and not being reliant on external factors. It could easily apply to jobs, partners, money etc. It just so happens her measure is her weight.21 -
Franci, this is a topic that intrests many people these days.
Good you posted it imo.
I like it that she talked about her eating disorder and how she found peace with that and it seems, much more in her life.2 -
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I agree with her on this point: Happiness does not require thinness. Fatness does not presume sadness.
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VintageFeline wrote: »Really, that article is less about weight and more about finding contentment within yourself regardless of how you're physically packaged. Something we should all aspire to.
I've been content with my physical appearance when fat and am still now that I'm less fat. I hope to be content when I get to goal too.
So yeah, this about finding inner peace and not being reliant on external factors. It could easily apply to jobs, partners, money etc. It just so happens her measure is her weight.
If you are content with your physical appearance what drives to try and lose weight?
(Genuine question, not trying to be snarky)3 -
EvgeniZyntx wrote: »I'm not sure why people develop a false sense of concern about the obese.
Why do you feel she can't be healthy and why do you think this is your concern?
Do you tell people that don't get enough sleep to go to bed?
Actually yeah... if people don't sleep enough I tell them to get more sleep!
I have no concern about the obese. It's their life. I just dislike it when they claim that you can be obese and healthy.8 -
I like the message that one can be happy without conforming to society's standards. I also like the message that being thin doesn't equate to being happy or healthy. I wish she would have at least mentioned that her experience of getting and staying thin is not necessarily the typical experience. I wish she would have rethought saying, "You want to really blow people’s minds? Try this at home: Be fat and happy." I know she isn't advocating being fat just to get a reaction out of people, but the phrasing still just doesn't sit very well with me.1
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VintageFeline wrote: »Really, that article is less about weight and more about finding contentment within yourself regardless of how you're physically packaged. Something we should all aspire to.
I've been content with my physical appearance when fat and am still now that I'm less fat. I hope to be content when I get to goal too.
So yeah, this about finding inner peace and not being reliant on external factors. It could easily apply to jobs, partners, money etc. It just so happens her measure is her weight.
If you are content with your physical appearance what drives to try and lose weight?
(Genuine question, not trying to be snarky)
I'm not answering for VintageFeline, but in my case I'm driven by health. I'm never going to be fit, but I'd rather not have diabetes.6 -
VintageFeline wrote: »Really, that article is less about weight and more about finding contentment within yourself regardless of how you're physically packaged. Something we should all aspire to.
I've been content with my physical appearance when fat and am still now that I'm less fat. I hope to be content when I get to goal too.
So yeah, this about finding inner peace and not being reliant on external factors. It could easily apply to jobs, partners, money etc. It just so happens her measure is her weight.
If you are content with your physical appearance what drives to try and lose weight?
(Genuine question, not trying to be snarky)
Health problems is the number one motivator in my case. Happiness or lack thereof have very little to do with my quest for a lower number on the scale. It also helps that I'm finally able to buy clothes in 'normal' clothing stores. I don't have to drive 1 hour to get to a store that stocks plus sizes...
What disturbed me about the article (didn't finish reading tbh) is how she seemed to equate lower weight with unhappiness and OCD behaviors, to an extent that it sounds like a generalization. As if EVERYONE striving to be a lower weight is like that. (I am aware that it's a reference to herself and her life, but still it leaves a somewhat bitter aftertaste in my mouth.)
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VintageFeline wrote: »Really, that article is less about weight and more about finding contentment within yourself regardless of how you're physically packaged. Something we should all aspire to.
I've been content with my physical appearance when fat and am still now that I'm less fat. I hope to be content when I get to goal too.
So yeah, this about finding inner peace and not being reliant on external factors. It could easily apply to jobs, partners, money etc. It just so happens her measure is her weight.
If you are content with your physical appearance what drives to try and lose weight?
(Genuine question, not trying to be snarky)
Health issues! I couldn't even bend over without losing my breath (and that's why I don't believe that obese people can be healthy. It's a science thing. Too much fat pressing on your organs = NOT healthy). But for me appearance was a big reason too.3 -
VintageFeline wrote: »Really, that article is less about weight and more about finding contentment within yourself regardless of how you're physically packaged. Something we should all aspire to.
I've been content with my physical appearance when fat and am still now that I'm less fat. I hope to be content when I get to goal too.
So yeah, this about finding inner peace and not being reliant on external factors. It could easily apply to jobs, partners, money etc. It just so happens her measure is her weight.
If you are content with your physical appearance what drives to try and lose weight?
(Genuine question, not trying to be snarky)
To begin with it was for my health, my weight was starting to impact my physical health. Getting to a healthy BMI wasn't even on my radar at that time, getting off mental illness related weight gain was my only aim. As time has gone on I have rediscovered my love of fitness, of physically pushing myself and the byproduct is also an improvement in my mental stability (I have bipolar type 2 amongst other things). And I guess a desire for my efforts to show physically too. It's just generally fun now for me I guess to see how far I can take this thing. And a sprinkling of vanity too, I buy and wear vintage, there is a larger selection at 28" waist and below. Being able to fit into all the pretty things without any alterations is pretty motivating to this collector!7 -
That was a great article, and I don't fault her for being happier in her curvier self.
But for me, I would be miserable if I was fat, I WAS miserable when I was fat. I'm now slim, happy and healthy/fit. It doesn't feel hard to maintain my goal weight, been doing that for 3 years.
The main thing is that we are happy, whatever size we are.5 -
I was obese. I was very healthy. All my blood work numbers were excellent. I exercised regularly, both intensely and lightly. I ate (mostly) healthy foods. I probably had more risk of developing type 2 diabetes than a similarly exercising bmi peer of 22-24. But maybe I had less risk than a non-exercising peer with a bmi of 22-24
Her experience was that in order to be thin, she only slept 3 or 4 hours a night. You need sleep.to be healthy. Perhaps she is healthier overweight and sleeping well and happy than slim and not sleeping well.
She is untying her weight from her self-esteem. And she is finding a weight that she can happily sustain. This is a good thing. Loving outselves as we are is important.
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VintageFeline wrote: »Really, that article is less about weight and more about finding contentment within yourself regardless of how you're physically packaged. Something we should all aspire to.
I've been content with my physical appearance when fat and am still now that I'm less fat. I hope to be content when I get to goal too.
So yeah, this about finding inner peace and not being reliant on external factors. It could easily apply to jobs, partners, money etc. It just so happens her measure is her weight.
If you are content with your physical appearance what drives to try and lose weight?
(Genuine question, not trying to be snarky)
I'll answer as well. I have high blood sugar but it's not high enough for diabetes so I still have a chance to beat it. I'm also studying for a career where it is also required to carry a lot of heavy stuff, be able to work with machines (some of them require hell a lot of strength to be closed or opened) and climb really high places to fix stuff. It just happens to be a lot easier if I don't have that 120 lbs extra weight on me. A lot of things like that are going to be easier when I'm not overweight anymore. I'm strong the way I am now and far stronger than I look but right now I can't really convince anyone at job interviews unless I lift the interviewer from ground for it
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http://www.scarymommy.com/im-fat-and-happy/?utm_source=FB
Found this this morning. Ok I never got as thin as her and never ate 1000 calories a day but man does she nail the 'it's hard to be thin' part on the head!
Obviously not arguing with the fact that it's ok to be obese though... she's a mom. She needs to be healthy for them. I don't believe that you can be obese and stay healthy.
Anyway, curious about what people think about it.
She is a GREAT example of what NOT TO DO if you want to lose weight and get fit. She plummeted her body into the ground and then started digging further and further down. Perfect example of how important it is to properly educate yourself on nutrition and fitness. Especially as females, you can really mess up your hormones ,she even comments to the fact that she lost her period... just horrible.
Edited out the double comment9
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