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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
..besides carping about people being in denial?
I myself see it less as denial than defensiveness, against shrill voices that are just going on, filled with negativity and shaming tactics.
I'm not a proponent of either denial or defensiveness, and I have given a lot of thought over the past few days to the irony of the situation: overweight people scrambling to prove they're healthy (which may or may not be the case--there's a huge dif. between 20 and 70-plus pounds overweight), but also how many unproductive and even malicious people are out there making these dire and judgmental comments, basically because they have nothing better to do--and nothing specifically helpful to say. I've decided to shut them out and get on with my exercise goals and preparing better food plans. In other words, I'm not that far from my ideal weight anyway, and I think I'll do what I have to do and get on with my goals DESPITE all the shit I'm reading on here...but I understand a lot of people giving up in frustration.
But I can give you one more chance, Jeanette and people like you, to see if you actually have some real solutions that will not bring out resentfulness, shame or any other unhelpful response....if your answer is, "I don't care about people's feelings, they need to just do whatever I deem is correct," you're just showing it's all some weird ego thing with you. Which I suspect is the case with a lot of people posting on here.
She is chunky, heavy of face and has huge upper arms. The TV camera supposedly adds ten pounds, but that would hardly account for the thick layer of fat on her. She must weigh in at 200 lbs. at least, quite unhealthy by her own standards. Maybe Dickerson's screed was motivated by the self-loathing she has displayed so often. If she truly wants to tackle obesity in Black women, she should start with the closest one -- herself.
(because, shockers, I'm going out for a walk after this)
Jeanette D.. Ben D., etc. love to pull out statistics. Hey, statistics are great. They prove that Americans are getting fatter. Then again, duh, I could see that just by walking around in public. Tell me something I didn't know.
What would be interesting is if any statistics lovers could give me something anecdotal about how they successfully persuaded *anyone* to lose weight. (Or give up smoking or another difficult lifestyle habit, that's fine too.) In other words, we really don't need to hear the shrill, hysterical voices about unhealthy habits and shit we already know--why don't you provide us with a real-life example about how amazing you actually helped someone change their life?
Oh, it's not your problem, you say? Then stop bitching about people being eyesores, jacking up medical costs, bringing down Western Civilization, yada yada. And get used to the fact that things are going to get worse, and that you are not contributing to the solution and (are possibly even contributing to a climate that makes it worse).
Have a great day!
I am sorry that our mammal brains and sex drives have evolved over millions of years. My brain tells me what is sexually attractive, but it isn't easy to explain. I'm sorry that animals were having sex before they invented language.
But for your own sake, it is a good idea to eat a healthy diet.
And you are probably more sexually attractive when you are healthy instead of sick.
Reality asks about getting people to change their habits; I've gotten people (three) to eat more fiber. I did it by very gently feeding them high fiber food, then predicting that their next bathroom visits (for solid purposes) would be more pleasant. Increase in comfort is a great persuader.
I think this http://preventionweightloss.mvm.com/ is a much better way of viewing body image. I do not think we all want or should want to look like pre-teens or pre-hip adolescents or like boys? Why/when did underweight become the style/fashion? I notice it seemed to arrive at the same time as shaving one's genitals to look pre-pubescent as well.. this is really creepy. My role model is Marilyn Monroe - size 16 in Some like it Hot and isn't she just? :)
BMI is not very useful as a measure of health or body image, because it does not take skeletal or muscular density and weight into account even for non-athletes.
I learned when I was doing nautilus every other day (ages 24-25) in a physiology grad student's research project to see if lifting weights increases bone density - it does - that 24-28 is a healthy BMI range. Above 30 is not healthy but below 20 is also not healthy. Another thing I learned in the research project I participated in, is that one's bone density and weight as well as muscle density and weight are a critical measure in determining whether one is overweight or underweight.
At age 21, the year I got married, my BMI was 20 I was so thin my knees were sticking out. I am 5 foot 6, with strong long bones, and am large breasted and have a nice round muscular butt. It is not fat. My Mom described my age 14-16 (before I actually got hips) silhouette as boobs and legs... I struggled to keep weight on. I was extremely active, working full-time after school to save money for college (as a nurses-aide). Then working full-time to make it through college (as a janitor for my university and cleaning houses on the weekends). I walked or bicycled everywhere during those years.
Now I'm 45 and my BMI is 28 I'd like to be in better physical shape but I am not fat. When I began working out regularly a couple of years ago (powerwalking, belly-dance, and yoga 4-5 days per week)during the first month, I lost 3 inches on my hips and 4 on my waist - 1 on my bust but did not lose any weight despite also reducing calories. The fact is I gained as much weight in firm muscle as I lost in fat. This is a good thing...Yes I did begin losing weight during the 2nd and subsequent months as I stuck with my program. My goal remains to be strong and increase my endurance and energy. I am proud of my round female body and see no reason to starve myself into stylishness.
Di
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