Quote:
Originally Posted by kazbates
Unfortunately, I've heard far too many comments in real life that tell me that that's just not the case. Indeed, the negative comments I've heard and seen are frighteningly reminiscent of ethnic, racial, and lifestyle comments made (and now thankfully rejected) in our not so distant past. Don't get me wrong, I think we should all be more healthy. I would love to be thinner, just so that I live a healthier life as I grow older. However, I think people should be allowed to live whatever lifestyle they choose without being ridiculed for it and that includes those who are weight challenged, particularly when obesity is rarely a choice.
|
Weight challenged? Now I've heard it all.
I'm with you on many things, in particular that we shouldn't be intentionally cruel or hurtful to people. But I have a bit of a problem comparing people making fun of overweight people to, say, people hating on homosexuals or people being racist pricks.
There are a small number of people who have glandular or other problems which cause their obesity, however, unless the genes causing these problems have magically spread like wildfire through specific parts of the western world like the US and the UK and to a lesser degree other prosperous countries, I can't really see obesity as anything else than poor lifestyle choices with regards to eating and exercise over a long period of time (and sometimes even over generations) for the vast majority of obese people. You can't change your skin color or sexual orientation, but you do have control over what you eat and the amount of exercise your body get.
Note that I am not making any statements about which group you belong to; I don't know you. I realise this is a sensitive topic, I was a chubby in elementary school and got pestered something awful; I grew out of it. The last three years or so I have let my eating discipline slip while moving into a more and more sedentary lifestyle and I gained about 25 kg. I quit smoking half a year ago and since I didn't want to gain another 10 kg I started tracking what I was eating obsessively and took up sports and exercise again; I lost 20 kg of blubber (possibly more, I also gained quite a bit of muscle mass). Not by any kind of hardcore diet; just watching what I eat (and what was in it - chips and crisps are evil!) and moving a little more.
In case anyone is interested, here is a freeware and open source bit of cross-platform (java) software which allows you to track your eating habits and will tell you how you are doing in terms of calories, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals. Track your habits for a few days and be honest about your food consumption; you might be surprised. I know I was. It helped me see where my eating habits were, well, wrong and helped me make some simple corrections which in turn helped me lose weight and feel better by virtue of giving my body what it needs.
http://spaz.ca/cronometer/