Not my weight, per se, but a problem with how we view weight through a small lens. A very small lens that only sees skinny people as 'good'. Where a medical issue--or not--is used to pass judgement on a person.
And then I was reading a post about fat hatred:(Thanks Shakesville)
So this morning I see that professional fat-hater Jamie Oliver has posted a petition which he's asking people to sign in support of his "Food Revolution," and in which he's included the bullshit stat that "obesity in the US costs $10,273,973 per hour" (sure) and notes, in all-caps, "OBESITY IS PREVENTABLE."
When the science eventually catches up to the reality that fat people who are not fat as a result of disordered eating already know, the people who are putting their faces and names to this campaign will be ashamed that they ever supported such naked bigotry, such rank hostility, such victim-blaming garbage. Paul Campos, who has written extensively about the OH NOES Obesity Crisis! and debunked many of the myths surrounding fat and health, has observed that the science, conventional wisdom, and cultural narratives of obesity closely mimic the science, conventional wisdom, and cultural narratives about homosexuality a generation ago, and has pointed out parallels between the gross "reparative therapy" touted to magically make gays straight and the gross "reparative therapy" touted to magically make fatties thin.
Because people forget that weight and health are not perfectly aligned. Fat people are healthy; skinny people get diabetes and high cholesterol and have heart attacks.
And weight loss is not a panacea for the ills of the world. It isn't easy, actually, to lose weight. Our bodies make it incredibly hard to lose weight and to keep it off.
And I'll tell you a secret: I want to lose weight. About 20 pounds. One, I have an inherited kidney disease, so keeping my blood pressure as low as possible matters, and my weight has some impact on that. Two, I just don't like it. I'm not fat, I'm not skinny.
And I'm struggling with that. With health vs. artificial ideals about beauty. With health vs. skinny. With not losing weight easily, and coming to terms with this being hard work.
And I know skinny people and fat people, and I've seen the obvious contempt the first has for the second. The food policing (Do you really think I don't know how many calories are in a candy bar? Really? And, even worse, do you really think shaming me is going to help?) and the unasked for (and often inaccurate) advice on diet and exercise.
The way people use compliments as weapons: "You've lost weight! My goodness, you look so gorgeous!". Because, you know, fat people are ugly, apparently.
"I'm so glad you're working out! Muscle burns more calories than fat!" It doesn't. Well, like 2 extra calories, maybe 20 calories a day. Not enough to matter much.
And do you know how much exercise you have to do to actually lose weight? I ran a marathon: 26.2 miles. Well, I walked part of it, but anyway...26.2 miles. That's, on average, 2600 calories burnt in one day, give or take. And that's not enough to burn off one pound of fat!
So don't sit there and tell me to just stop eating, because I'm freaking hungry. And don't tell me to just eat protein, or carbs, or any other wacky diet...because there is zero evidence any of those fad diets work long term. And don't tell me to hit the gym, because I do. And guess what? Burning calories makes me hungry. And I need to replace the calories lost during the workout. It is just not the easy fix people like to think it is.
And, just my opinion, Jamie Oliver is a pompous, privileged twit....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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