Ok.

As someone who was skinny while in high school, gained a shit ton of weight following high school, and then worked my ASS off to lose said weight (I am now slightly overweight but very muscular) I have to take issue with this topic.

First, as many before me have asked: Define fat. To me, I have sympathy for those who genuinely have medical issues that lead to their obesity (thyroid issues etc). However, I don't have ANY sympathy for someone who sits on their ass, eats fatty food daily, then turns around and complains about being overweight.

Case in point: I went on a weekend away this weekend with two friends and my fiance. We were getting groceries and I happened to get fat free ranch dressing for a veggie appetizer we were going to make for our dinner. My friends wife (they're both very heavy people) said "Oh...I'll get regular ranch thanks" and then when her husband pointed out how many more calories it had she became very upset and went off about how unfair people were to fat people.

Personally, if you don't like it, change it. I didn't like being overweight, so I worked out 5 days a week and rode my bike to and from work/school. I am now happy with myself. Now, if you're happy being fat, then more power to you. Go for it. I just don't like those that eat a dozen donuts and then say "I hate being fat...I wish I were thin..." because it just sends me into a blind rage...

/rant

@WeAreStevo: While I don't want fat people to necessarily feel persecuted or that they're bad people, I don't want them to feel happy being fat. I WANT THEM to feel that pressure to change their lifestyle, that what they're doing isn't okay. Fat people who say they are healthy are either ignorant/delusional or in deep denial. And they will inevitably become a burden on our health-care system, which affects my wallet.

Hiroshi Mishima:
It always amazes me when people automatically assume the weight comes from obesity, or that simply visiting a gym will have any effect.

...despite having gone to a gym for about a year, it's done little to change my weight. There's also the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. However, at the same time it's not "firmed up my legs" or "made my belly disappear". In fact, it's done nothing at all to change my outward appearence.

You can hardly say I overeat when I don't even eat that much to begin with. Hell some days I don't eat enough.

Also, don't be knocking fat people as "unhealthy" when skinny people drop dead all the time from heart attacks, strokes, and other stuff.

A problem that I see is society tells people fat is bad and skinny is good, but it also says fat people always overeat or that big breasts are perfectly fine (despite the health issues involved with that). Because society is dictating how we perceive things such as obesity and the causes of it, many people have no idea what they're even talking about.

A person who never gains weight has no idea what it's like to be unable to lose the pounds, and their "advice" is often pointless.

1) If working out has literally had no effect on your appearance, you're either not working out enough or your intensity-level is low, or you're just doing the wrong routines. If you burn more calories than you consume, you WILL lose weight. The fact that you haven't even firmed up your body by converting fat to muscle makes me think you're just "going through the motions" at the gym and not really working hard.

2) Maybe you don't eat MUCH, but you eat calorie-rich foods that don't provide your body the nutrients it needs to sustain a high level of energy (necessary for working out and for maintaining a higher metabolism). If you don't eat enough food, your body's metabolism slows down because it perceives your body as starving; hence, you won't be able to lose weight as easily. Bottom line is, you're probably eating more than you really realize (either in amounts or in total calories consumed) or you're eating the wrong stuff.

3) The fact that some skinny people are unhealthy and experience strokes or even heart attacks (you can be skinny with high cholesterol and hypertension) does NOT negate the fact that being fat is demonstrably unhealthy and is almost guaranteed to shorten your lifespan. Also, not a lot of skinny people experience heart attacks, and this "other stuff" as cause of death is unclear. Stupid argument.

4) You're right, the media and popular culture colors our perceptions. But I've seen a lot of reasoned responses on this thread advocating a middle-road approach to weight and healthy lifestyle...so obviously, not everyone's opinion is completely dictated by the laughably extreme TMZ/Entertainment news blitz.

Hiroshi Mishima:
It always amazes me when people automatically assume the weight comes from obesity, or that simply visiting a gym will have any effect.

I've been told by my doctor (who generalizes a lot) that I'm on the verge of being obese cause I'm 5'10" and weigh around 190-someodd pounds. The last time I talked to him I just wanted to smack the shit outta him cause he's going on and on cause I gained a few pounds - despite the fact that I kept telling him I've been sick lately and it often causes me to gain a bit of weight cause I'm not moving around much.

Then again, I also think he's a bit nuts - all I wanted was my Diabetic medicine refilled - cause when I mentioned I hadn't been to a gym lately he's like "well what good would going to a gym do?" cause I think he has this really weird way of looking at things that kinda contradicts himself sometimes.

Anyways, despite having gone to a gym for about a year, it's done little to change my weight. There's also the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. However, at the same time it's not "firmed up my legs" or "made my belly disappear". In fact, it's done nothing at all to change my outward appearence.

You can hardly say I overeat when I don't even eat that much to begin with. Hell some days I don't eat enough.

Also, don't be knocking fat people as "unhealthy" when skinny people drop dead all the time from heart attacks, strokes, and other stuff.

A problem that I see is society tells people fat is bad and skinny is good, but it also says fat people always overeat or that big breasts are perfectly fine (despite the health issues involved with that). Because society is dictating how we perceive things such as obesity and the causes of it, many people have no idea what they're even talking about.

A person who never gains weight has no idea what it's like to be unable to lose the pounds, and their "advice" is often pointless.

Umm... I disagree?

Going to the Gym does make a difference, you either didn't try hard enough, or you have a very low metabolic rate. And unless your muscles make up most of that 190 pounds, your doctor isn't exactly giving you bad advice when he says you should lose weight.

You're also diabetic, and obesity can be linked to diabetes, so it's definitely something he wants you to avoid, quite logically.

And being overweight is known to be unhealthy, as well as underweight, but nowhere near as unhealthy, unless they're on the verge of anorexia. When skinny people die of heart attacks or strokes, I don't think it's ever because they're skinny... maybe they're smokers?

I know being fat doesn't affect your ability to do a lot of things, but fat people generally have personally traits that make them give up easily. So yeah, you could say that being fat is an indicator of not having enough motivation to be good at any of the things you mentioned like art.

Caramel Frappe:

Question: How do you feel about people who are fat? If you're fat, are you ashamed at all and if you are does this Thread help you understand that you're awesome no matter what? Not trying to be a goody goody here but I too felt fat at one point. It wasn't until recently that I got my spirits going and I wanted to share with you all about what it really means to be fat.. which doesn't affect you rather then shaping you a bit physically but that's it!! Being to skinny or to fat is bad so between the middle or a 45 degree is good to settle with! But up to you really.

I have a family history of Diabetes, so being fat means something completely different to me. However I spent 10+ years as a competitive swimmer so I also know that I will always have a small layer of fat over my muscles.

Blablahb:

Hiroshi Mishima:
I've been told by my doctor (who generalizes a lot) that I'm on the verge of being obese cause I'm 5'10" and weigh around 190-someodd pounds. The last time I talked to him I just wanted to smack the shit outta him cause he's going on and on cause I gained a few pounds - despite the fact that I kept telling him I've been sick lately and it often causes me to gain a bit of weight cause I'm not moving around much.

Has it occured to you that you could skip a few candy bars or reduce the size of your meals when that happens? It's what I do if I don't train for any reason, and I rarely gain more than a kilo, which flies off when training starts again.

Well if you are sick you shouldn't be eating candy bars, and cutting down on your meals will just make you sick longer.

Hiroshi Mishima:
You can hardly say I overeat when I don't even eat that much to begin with. Hell some days I don't eat enough.

And could you give an example of everything you eat during such a day then?[/quote]
An apple and peanut butter (or some other kind of fruit), a turkey sandwich, and a salad with grilled chicken and mandarin oranges. And I am 6ft 210lbs

Zack84:

Hiroshi Mishima:
It always amazes me when people automatically assume the weight comes from obesity, or that simply visiting a gym will have any effect.

...despite having gone to a gym for about a year, it's done little to change my weight. There's also the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. However, at the same time it's not "firmed up my legs" or "made my belly disappear". In fact, it's done nothing at all to change my outward appearence.

You can hardly say I overeat when I don't even eat that much to begin with. Hell some days I don't eat enough.

Also, don't be knocking fat people as "unhealthy" when skinny people drop dead all the time from heart attacks, strokes, and other stuff.

A problem that I see is society tells people fat is bad and skinny is good, but it also says fat people always overeat or that big breasts are perfectly fine (despite the health issues involved with that). Because society is dictating how we perceive things such as obesity and the causes of it, many people have no idea what they're even talking about.

A person who never gains weight has no idea what it's like to be unable to lose the pounds, and their "advice" is often pointless.

1) If working out has literally had no effect on your appearance, you're either not working out enough or your intensity-level is low, or you're just doing the wrong routines. If you burn more calories than you consume, you WILL lose weight. The fact that you haven't even firmed up your body by converting fat to muscle makes me think you're just "going through the motions" at the gym and not really working hard.

2) Maybe you don't eat MUCH, but you eat calorie-rich foods that don't provide your body the nutrients it needs to sustain a high level of energy (necessary for working out and for maintaining a higher metabolism). If you don't eat enough food, your body's metabolism slows down because it perceives your body as starving; hence, you won't be able to lose weight as easily. Bottom line is, you're probably eating more than you really realize (either in amounts or in total calories consumed) or you're eating the wrong stuff.

3) The fact that some skinny people are unhealthy and experience strokes or even heart attacks (you can be skinny with high cholesterol and hypertension) does NOT negate the fact that being fat is demonstrably unhealthy and is almost guaranteed to shorten your lifespan. Also, not a lot of skinny people experience heart attacks, and this "other stuff" as cause of death is unclear. Stupid argument.

4) You're right, the media and popular culture colors our perceptions. But I've seen a lot of reasoned responses on this thread advocating a middle-road approach to weight and healthy lifestyle...so obviously, not everyone's opinion is completely dictated by the laughably extreme TMZ/Entertainment news blitz.

ABSOLUTELY.

Bradeck:
If people who advocate fatness on this thread went to the gym, and got on the treadmill, instead of arguing in this forum, perhaps there would be less excuses for being fat.

I myself used to weigh a ripped 220, at 6'3" (Which the Army considered overweight). When I was in the army. Then I got out, and without the constant exercise and proper diet, I ballooned up to 320 (which doctors consider morbidly obese). I didn't blame genes, I didn't blame the media, I didn't blame the butterfly effect, and I didn't make up bullshit excuses. I over ate, and sat around on my fat ass playing video games and working a desk job.

Now I am at the gym 6 days a week, for an hour at least each time, and I am on a balanced diet. No Soda, no sweets, no beer, more salad, more vegetables, and more shitty tasting food. However, in the 2 months I've been on this journey, I've lost 20 lbs. I am just now starting to run 5ks for charity again. I feel great.

So long story short, go outside and talk a walk fatties. There is no excuse for being fat. You sound like my alcoholic friend telling me it's a disease. No, Cancer is a disease. You just can't stop drinking/eating, because you have no will power.

EDIT: And another thing! Whats wrong with someone choosing to be fat you ask? Because my taxes go up and I have to pay for you're heart disease meds, your diabetes meds, and you're special needs from the hospitals. Being fat is not a personal decision, you're choice affects my wallet.

This thread should end with all posts, short of the first post and this one deleted and locked for all to see.

You're fat because you make excuses. Don't have a gym membership? Get your lazy ass outside, jog around for about 45mins to an hour, then do it again one more time during the week. Do this continually without breaking the cycle, adding more days to jog as you go with a matching duration increase, and in a few months, you will be trim.

Didn't work for you? BULLSHIT. You either stopped doing it prematurely or didn't push yourself hard enough.

You're fat because you are comfortable with the idea of being fat. Unless you have some kind of serious medical condition that prevents you from bettering yourself, go out and shed those pounds.

"But the weather is terrible outside" Is that another excuse I hear? Good. You sit here while I go out for a lovely jog.

Get nice and comfortable, fatty.

Flashpoint topic: Check!
Inadequately defined terminology: Check!
Rival camps waving placards: Check!
Abundant misinformation: Check!
One-off testimonials ignoring rigorously studied facts: Check!

In relation to the topic question; personally, I don't care either way about people who don't care for themselves. For me this is a more negative disposition than what I'd normally have of any 'normal-sized' unknown individual, to whom I'd generally be amiable unless given reason to be otherwise.

Fun fact!
You will never naturally decrease the number of adipocytes (fat cells) in your body, ever!

GigaHz:

Bradeck:
If people who advocate fatness on this thread went to the gym, and got on the treadmill, instead of arguing in this forum, perhaps there would be less excuses for being fat.

I myself used to weigh a ripped 220, at 6'3" (Which the Army considered overweight). When I was in the army. Then I got out, and without the constant exercise and proper diet, I ballooned up to 320 (which doctors consider morbidly obese). I didn't blame genes, I didn't blame the media, I didn't blame the butterfly effect, and I didn't make up bullshit excuses. I over ate, and sat around on my fat ass playing video games and working a desk job.

Now I am at the gym 6 days a week, for an hour at least each time, and I am on a balanced diet. No Soda, no sweets, no beer, more salad, more vegetables, and more shitty tasting food. However, in the 2 months I've been on this journey, I've lost 20 lbs. I am just now starting to run 5ks for charity again. I feel great.

So long story short, go outside and talk a walk fatties. There is no excuse for being fat. You sound like my alcoholic friend telling me it's a disease. No, Cancer is a disease. You just can't stop drinking/eating, because you have no will power.

EDIT: And another thing! Whats wrong with someone choosing to be fat you ask? Because my taxes go up and I have to pay for you're heart disease meds, your diabetes meds, and you're special needs from the hospitals. Being fat is not a personal decision, you're choice affects my wallet.

This thread should end with all posts, short of the first post and this one deleted and locked for all to see.

You're fat because you make excuses. Don't have a gym membership? Get your lazy ass outside, jog around for about 45mins to an hour, then do it again one more time during the week. Do this continually without breaking the cycle, adding more days to jog as you go with a matching duration increase, and in a few months, you will be trim.

Didn't work for you? BULLSHIT. You either stopped doing it prematurely or didn't push yourself hard enough.

You're fat because you are comfortable with the idea of being fat. Unless you have some kind of serious medical condition that prevents you from bettering yourself, go out and shed those pounds.

"But the weather is terrible outside" Is that another excuse I hear? Good. You sit here while I go out for a lovely jog.

Get nice and comfortable, fatty.

That was an overly hostile post, and might get you in trouble with the mods, just warning you.

OT: If people are happy with they way they look good for them, it's when it starts to inconvenience me, then it becomes a problem. For example (not about an overweight person, but the same idea) A kid I worked with on a maintenance team, had a pacemaker due to health issues as an infant and was prone to fainting due to over exertion. I have no problem with this at all, until it affected his work. The responsibilities of this this job include: Mowing lawns, caring 10 gallon over a mile, lifting and carrying various machine components, cleaning bathrooms, and doing laundry (It was at a playhouse with a motel attached for the actors). Now this kid couldn't carry heavy items, couldn't be outside doing work in the sun, and couldn't be near the cleaning chemicals. So he spent his days at the local laundromat sitting and waiting for the laundry to be done, while I had to pick up the extra slack doing all of the tough physical work. Now I don't care that he had medical issues, but his medical issues interfered with his work, and gave me an unfair amount of the work.

artanis_neravar:
That was an overly hostile post, and might get you in trouble with the mods, just warning you.

OT: If people are happy with they way they look good for them, it's when it starts to inconvenience me, then it becomes a problem. For example (not about an overweight person, but the same idea) A kid I worked with on a maintenance team, had a pacemaker due to health issues as an infant and was prone to fainting due to over exertion. I have no problem with this at all, until it affected his work. The responsibilities of this this job include: Mowing lawns, caring 10 gallon over a mile, lifting and carrying various machine components, cleaning bathrooms, and doing laundry (It was at a playhouse with a motel attached for the actors). Now this kid couldn't carry heavy items, couldn't be outside doing work in the sun, and couldn't be near the cleaning chemicals. So he spent his days at the local laundromat sitting and waiting for the laundry to be done, while I had to pick up the extra slack doing all of the tough physical work. Now I don't care that he had medical issues, but his medical issues interfered with his work, and gave me an unfair amount of the work.

If people weren't comfortable with my statement, they're probably too comfortable in general, if you get my drift.

I'm not going to pretend I'm an adonis but at the very least I've came to the logical conclusion that being overweight is, gasp, BAD for you. Trying to pretend it isn't is going to send out the wrong message, which is what a lot of people are doing.

So maybe my post was a tad over the top but it comes from a real place. Being fat is a choice. You become overweight after you become inactive physically, after you choose to eat improperly, and after you choose to drink high calorie drinks. At my heaviest, I was 225 pounds. After a serious reevaluation of my health priorities, I am now 175 and going strong.

I didn't make this decision after someone politely suggested that I hit the gym, I made this decision after looking in the mirror and deciding that being overweight looks unattractive. The harsh truth, not a mild suggestion, is the better motivator.

If what I said inspired just one person to go outside and practice regular jogging, then it's not in vain. If I get a warning for speaking my mind, so be it. At least I'm not afraid to say it.

You could say I'm breaking my comfort zone.

GigaHz:

artanis_neravar:
That was an overly hostile post, and might get you in trouble with the mods, just warning you.

OT: If people are happy with they way they look good for them, it's when it starts to inconvenience me, then it becomes a problem. For example (not about an overweight person, but the same idea) A kid I worked with on a maintenance team, had a pacemaker due to health issues as an infant and was prone to fainting due to over exertion. I have no problem with this at all, until it affected his work. The responsibilities of this this job include: Mowing lawns, caring 10 gallon over a mile, lifting and carrying various machine components, cleaning bathrooms, and doing laundry (It was at a playhouse with a motel attached for the actors). Now this kid couldn't carry heavy items, couldn't be outside doing work in the sun, and couldn't be near the cleaning chemicals. So he spent his days at the local laundromat sitting and waiting for the laundry to be done, while I had to pick up the extra slack doing all of the tough physical work. Now I don't care that he had medical issues, but his medical issues interfered with his work, and gave me an unfair amount of the work.

If people weren't comfortable with my statement, they're probably too comfortable in general, if you get my drift.

I'm not going to pretend I'm an adonis but at the very least I've came to the logical conclusion that being overweight is, gasp, BAD for you. Trying to pretend it isn't is going to send out the wrong message, which is what a lot of people are doing.

So maybe my post was a tad over the top but it comes from a real place. Being fat is a choice. You become overweight after you become inactive physically, after you choose to eat improperly, and after you choose to drink high calorie drinks. At my heaviest, I was 225 pounds. After a serious reevaluation of my health priorities, I am now 175 and going strong.

I didn't make this decision after someone politely suggested that I hit the gym, I made this decision after looking in the mirror and deciding that being overweight looks unattractive. The harsh truth, not a mild suggestion, is the better motivator.

If what I said inspired just one person to go outside and practice regular jogging, then it's not in vain. If I get a warning for speaking my mind, so be it. At least I'm not afraid to say it.

You could say I'm breaking my comfort zone.

I never said that you were wrong, I was just pointing out that the rules of the Escapist forums tend to favor the people who feel that have been offended, and the way you worded it can be taken as something that offended someone. Just offering up a friendly warning

Hello there, overweight fellow here. I personally care not if you're fat enough that you can barely pass trough the bathroom doors in your house or if you're reaching the anorexic levels of being thin, as long as that makes you happy. Sure, it is bad for your health, you would be a fool if you thought otherwise, but I won't dictate my health standards(or anything else for that matter) to other people, because they're *my* standards. The most you'll get is a few satirical comments and jokes, that I won't really mean.

Yes, sure, excluding the health problems you'll get because of being fat, eating cheeseburgers won't exactly make you very popular or get you very far with the ladies, but I sincerely believe that people that would dislike you because of your eating habits won't make very good friends, and I believe that changing anything about yourself just because of other people's opinions is pathetic.

Regarding the Original Post, I believe that

GrimTuesday:
Well that was patronizing as fuck. As a fat person, I don't need someone who has no idea the sort of shit I put up with telling me that despite the fact that I'm fat, I can be successful in life, and love. I'm not some fucking pansy who needs people to tell me that I'm not shit. There is no doubt that people look at me differently due to my size, its just part of life and I'm not going to bitch about it. Being fat is not good, its unhealthy and leads to heart disease, and other potentially mortal ailments and it makes preventing these more difficult because its harder to exercise.

This sums it up very well.

(Also, sorry for the horrible grammatical mistakes that may or may not be included in this post).

artanis_neravar:
I never said that you were wrong, I was just pointing out that the rules of the Escapist forums tend to favor the people who feel that have been offended, and the way you worded it can be taken as something that offended someone. Just offering up a friendly warning

I'm sure if they were offended, they've probably understood the underlying point I'm trying to make.

Or maybe it zoomed over their head. Ah well. I have this bad habit of assuming people are fairly smart.

Being fat is technically not a bad thing.
Not only are you eating more but you're strengthening the economy, the food service industry (which makes the farmer industry stronger). Plus when you die they'll need extra people to hold you casket which introduces job security for funeral service workers.

That said.

If you are fat as far as I'm concerned you lost the right to have me help you with anything that is now more difficult or flat out impossible because you are fat, it's insulting.
You contribute overall to the stereotypical "fat american" (which only really applies to americans) but it really doesn't make us looks better.
You get handicap placards which is absolute bullshit.
And thanks to YOU schools across the nation are selling "shitty food and drinks" for lunch which meant I didn't get any good sodas because YOU can't control your weight.

Fat people to me are like rednecks you chose to have the life you have no one should have to help you make it easier.

And if you didn't do anything to be fat...well I'm sorry maybe you don't chose it, but you definitely made the choice to not do anything about it.

Lastly if you're fat and you decide to reproduce with another fat person (odds are high Family Guy and Simpsons scenarios where the fat idiot marries a hot chick are not in your future) and you have children they most likely they will be fat too, and lemme tell you NOTHING and I mean NOTHING is more disgusting than watching that "Fat Family" walking down the aisle at the store it's awful and it really shows what we've become.

3:< - I'm fat and incredible. Weight doesn't define a person.

xXxJessicaxXx:
You clearly have no idea about depression and think it's just 'being sad' or something. I overeat and don't go out because I have depression and anxiety disorder. Which I have because of things other people have done to me so hardly my fault.

Maybe so, but ultimately you control only one person: yourself.

Everything bad that ever happened to you may well have been 100% the fault of others. Even so, the reality of the situation is that it's up to you to improve your lot in life. The people who hurt you certainly won't. So you can either take back your life or keep letting them hurt you indirectly until you die. Easier said than done? Sure. But that's really all there is to it when you distil it down.

To be blunt, no one is force-feeding you. You're the one self-medicating. I certainly sympathise with your depression, but you only live in the present, and the actions you're taking now are your own choices.

manic_depressive13:
I do not like fat people. It's bad enough that people consume meat, let alone people that overconsume it enough to get to that stage. I console myself with the thought that at least they will probably die sooner.

I haven't read through the entire thread, but this little gem seems to have skated under the radar.

I'm going to assume you're trying to troll for a reaction, because obviously you must realise that the average obese person's diet generally includes quite a few carbohydrates. You could quite easily be obese on a vegetarian regime.

Sentox6:
snip

Again with the assumption that you can just 'get over it' and get on with things. Believe me if I could, I would. If you find a way to magically switch my depression and anxiety off let me know. It kind of gets in the way of things like motivation but getting people to understand that is apparently really hard.

Nasrin:

Sure, they ultimately look beyond beautiful... because they are pieces of art. Models are physical canvas, the post product shouldn't look natural else one would wonder what the craftsman had done at all.

Just my two cents.

I disagree, art is highly subjective and comes in all forms whereas with fashion and cosmetic media we are all told by the majority that we have to look a certain way or be judged as worthless. The fact that they are modifying the picture to make them look impossibly perfect just adds to that

It's not the models fault at all but It would be nice to live in a world where the media didn't constantly tell women they are sub par for being a bit chubby.

xXxJessicaxXx:
Again with the assumption that you can just 'get over it' and get on with things. Believe me if I could, I would. If you find a way to magically switch my depression and anxiety off let me know. It kind of gets in the way of things like motivation but getting people to understand that is apparently really hard.

See, this is where the sympathy I did have for you dries up very quickly.

Nowhere did I say you could just switch it off. In fact, I said dealing with these issues is much easier said than done.

Of course it's a long and difficult road, and chances are you'll need to seek professional help. I'm just pointing out that the reality of the matter is that you control only one person, yourself. You can either sit there wallowing in despair or you can start figuring out how to climb out of it. I'm starting to think you'd prefer to play the victim. (Mayhaps you are, or were the victim. But there comes a point where you choose to remain the victim because, in a perverse way, it's more comfortable than trying to make things better.)

I hope you can find the motivation to take steps forward and try and conquer your depression and anxiety. I really hope you can see what I've said through something other than a "woe is me" filter. If not, you have my pity, but not my sympathy.

Sentox6:

xXxJessicaxXx:
Again with the assumption that you can just 'get over it' and get on with things. Believe me if I could, I would. If you find a way to magically switch my depression and anxiety off let me know. It kind of gets in the way of things like motivation but getting people to understand that is apparently really hard.

See, this is where the sympathy I did have for you dries up very quickly.

Nowhere did I say you could just switch it off. In fact, I said dealing with these issues is much easier said than done.

Of course it's a long and difficult road, and chances are you'll need to seek professional help. I'm just pointing out that the reality of the matter is that you control only one person, yourself. You can either sit there wallowing in despair or you can start figuring out how to climb out of it. I'm starting to think you'd prefer to play the victim. (Mayhaps you are, or were the victim. But there comes a point where you choose to remain the victim because, in a perverse way, it's more comfortable than trying to make things better.)

I hope you can find the motivation to take steps forward and try and conquer your depression and anxiety. I really hope you can see what I've said through something other than a "woe is me" filter. If not, you have my pity, but not my sympathy.

My point is that you don't have that choice. The depression decides whether you will wallow in despair not you. Sometimes you just wake up and randomly feel like someone died. People don't want to be depressed.

Imagine someone else taking over your body for a day or a week or a month. They don't want to go outside or eat right or see anyone. Then imagine trying to motivate yourself or lose weight while that is happening to you intermittently. (Which is why I brought it up in this thread)

That's the only way I can think of to explain what it is like.

Here is a link from the blog Hyperbole and a Half that I thought was a pretty accurate (and somewhat amusing) representation of depression for those who haven't experienced it.

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html

I'm wasn't using my depression as an excuse not to do anything about being overweight just giving it as an example of why its not always as simple as 'Stop eating fatty'.

I hope that has made my point clearer.

xXxJessicaxXx:
I'm wasn't using my depression as an excuse not to do anything about being overweight just giving it as an example of why its not always as simple as 'Stop eating fatty'.

I never said it was. I'm just saying that as much as it sucks, and as unfair as it is, it's your reality. In the long run, you either win or lose.

I hope things improve for you, at any rate.

It's skinny people that irritate me. Actual horrific "can see their bones" skinny. Especially in men. Give me a lovely fat bloke any day.

I'm a tad overweight, and I've done karate for 5 years going to classes 4 times in a week. Most of my friends during this time were skinny, but didn't exercise AT ALL, they had the same diet as mine (not bad, but not great either). Furthermore, when I did the beep test in Grade 9, I managed to do an 8.4, I noticed that a great deal of skinnier people couldn't even make it that high. To all you out there who say going to the gym is all the difference, could you to explain this phenomenon?

The fact of the matter is, YES, attitude is a big factor, I do concede with this point. If you have a lousy attitude and don't bother exercising and you eat unhealthily, you will probably gain weight and have poor health. I do not defend a poor attitude, and poor unhealthy lifestyle. However, what I do resent is the fact that fat == poor health, whereas skinny people get a free pass. Why is this when I can produce at least a dozen of personal accounts and anecdotes of people who I know for a fact are unhealthier than I, whom happen to be skinny?

There are more factors that contribute to a person's weight. Body type, stress (anxiety produces a particular chemical [can't remember what it's called] that makes you gain weight), genetics, and even the time of day you eat, all contribute to a person's weight. To those who are naturally anxious (such as myself, who has an anxiety disorder), and have a low metabolism simply will end up being fatter than those who have high metabolic rate. Yes there ARE factors that we are in control of, but you have to understand that there are factors that we are NOT in control of.

It is easy to make judgments against people when you don't have the same obstacles as they do. I honestly urge people to leave other people alone, and just focus on bettering themselves as a person. People will live their lives their own way, and no one has the perfect lifestyle. I think it's more important for people (especially some particularly harsh and judgmental people on this thread) to focus on actually becoming a decent kind human being as opposed to judging other people for their perceived mistakes.

Here's how I see it:

Being fat isn't really the healthiest choice one could make. Nasty diseases, less agility, higher risk for depression, dampened sex drive are a few examples of what one could experience from being more than just a bit overweight. Which is why don't really see any sort of beauty amongst overweight people.

With that being said, I don't consider fat people to have less value than others. Heck, my own mother is borderline obese, but I still treat her with as much empathy and respect as possible. I'll even go ahead and say that I'll let people be fat if that is their own choice. Sure, not the smartest one, but theirs nonetheless and it's for the most part only self-destructive.

So I'm not a health fascist, like some people out there. Destroying your health is your choice, but please oh please, don't apply it to your kids. Childhood obesity is something I just can't tolerate.

Seriously, if your kid looks like a big blob of rancid mayo, it's exclusively your fault. Stuffing your own children with junk food to shut them up, is downright bad parenting. That also counts for letting a radiating monitor being your constant babysitter. If you think parenting doesn't have to be a full-time-job, you're just being lazy and shouldn't have gotten kids in the first place.

[span]theraven[span id=:
s[/span]claw[/span]" post="18.351965.13942404"]As a fat person who works my ass off (my diet is between 800-1000 calories a day and i excersise for at last an hour every day) and can't lose weight, I find stereotypes really piss me off. Yes a large portion of fat people are over eaters and lazy but you cant paint us all with the same brush. I've seen doctors, nutritionists, personal trainers etc etc and taken weightloss drugs to help that have done nothing but burn up a heck of a lot of money. Do I still get judged? yes. And it sucks. Unfortunately for me I am on medication that means that despite my way of living I will always struggle with loosing weight. So to all those people out there disgusted with fat people, think before you treat us fatties like second class citizens. Not all of us are overeating slobs.

Aye, totally. It can certainly happen to people who are the complete opposite too. I, a few months back, maybe up to a year, watched a wee documentary about a girl who is extremely skinny but cannot help it. She has to eat snacks every 5-20 minutes so she can stay alive. I can't remember what it is that she has, but I'll show you the video if you're interested. Anyway, people constantly judge her on the street, calling on her and thinking that she's anorexic when, in actual fact, she is not. Anyroad, here's the video:

I hope that video is working. If it's not, try this.

Eh, I have nothing against fat people, usually. People who are excessively fat I'll admit I may judge, because I can't fathom how you can care that little about yourself. I don't give a damn about being overweight a bit (provided you're not in denial), but if you're so fat people need to make special allowances for you then yes, that is a problem. For example, if you can't fit in a seat (I know they're not huge, but normal people manage), then you should have to pay for your ass to have 2.

That's not to say I'm not sympathetic, my own weight has changed a lot over the years (last year I got very depressed and barely ate or slept for three months, lost a great deal of weight) and if there's a genuine cause then that's not something to be ashamed of. But people who sit around doing fuck all and complain when you make a joke, don't slow down to a snail's pace for them and suchlike don't deserve sympathy in my eyes.