I was obese for many years. And now that I look back at photographs I can't believe I ever let myself get that way. In truth, no I didn't realize I was so large. I've since lost several dress sizes. And somehow now i have that mechanism that switches on when I see I have gained a couple of pounds. It makes me work harder and eat less. Just wish I had been like that years ago. I wasted so much of my life being overweight. I have so much more energy now and can do so many things that I couldn't do before.

Self-control is key. But genetics do play a part. I am learning that the body is a very fine instrument....throw off a couple hormones and suddenly your body can't heal itself, internal organs start malfunctioning, lots of things, including the inability to burn calories effectively.

I used to look at fat people and think, "Good grief. Stop eating."

But now I know sometimes you can do all the right things and something still go wrong with your body.

In the end, each person's body is their business. What good does it do me to think someone is fat? Or thin? Does it matter in my life?

No.

Who am I to judge them based on my ideal standard?

I am talking on a relationship level here, a human level, not a "driving up the cost of health care" kind of thing.

I don't think obesity is considered "okay" so much as people are starting to see it as inevitable (which it's obviously not in most cases).

I personally come from a family filled with fat people and have some close relatives who are obese (my mother is morbidly obese).

Currently I'm about 15 lbs. overweight. NOT 15 lbs. over a size 2, but actually 15 lbs. over what is considered a healthy weight for my height. I was briefly "obese" according to my BMI just before I got pregnant (size 14 American), and that SUCKED.

I would say for me that it's about 94% lack of discipline on my part and 6% heredity and other factors.

At one time I was much better at controlling my weight (I actually led Weight Watchers meetings several years ago) but I've worked hard at killing my metabolism, I have little interest in exercise, and I indulge myself far too often.

I tend to put on weight when things are going well in my life. Happiness leads to fatness for me.

Right now I'd love to take off some weight but a)I'm scared it will affect my milk supply and b)I'm so stressed out as it is I don't think I can handle another demand. Neither are very good excuses.

Time will tell if I get this weight off or not.

I'm a size 12 right now and I would like to be a 10, which is still large, but more realistic for me than something like a 6 (the smallest I've EVER been was a 4 in HS and I was literally starving myself to achieve it).

Wow, sorry to ramble!

Would it make you feel any better to know that yo momma is so stupid she put a ruler in her bed to see how long she slept?

Yeah that's probably true. But I'm more focusing on those that could be a healthy weight but aren't. You know, the ones who



An aesthete? A tall person who finds that seats on public transport have been widened rather than lengthened? Someone stuck next to an obese person on a plane who finds themselves crushed beneath a sweaty roll just when they least expect it?

Public obesity is a public problem, just like smoking.



Sounds interesting. I know that when I stopped eating readymade foods and forced myself to cook it was easier to stay healthy. I didn't know that was the cause.



I wouldn't worry too much about that. Mothers usually carry a little extra weight. There are few things more disgusting than a woman who neglects her children so that she can have rockhard abs just weeks after giving birth.



Gah to you too! That kind of claim is so patently false it's not funny. Hardly any okay jokes rely solely on fatness to be funny. What about a show like Boston Legal or the Daily Show? Or Chappelle? Or (racking my brains for good US comedies...) uumm... those other American shows that are funny?

Trust me - Norbit is the best Eddie Murphy movie of his fat decade. How YOU doin?



More! More!

Really? You're lucky. I've been crushed against windows in buses, sat on on planes (Now that's a hideously unpleasant experience), and had the wind knocked out of me by a flab roll in the moshpit at Big Day Out (another singularly unpleasant experience).

In my group of friends, I have some who are overweight, some how are skinny, some who are fitness-mad and some who are not so fitness inclined. My friends are such because of who they are not because of how they look. Having said this, I'm lucky because I have a high metabolism and am naturally fit and slim.

I think it is a combination of genetics and that I eat very well. The occasional fried, fatty food is okay, but not as a regular part of my diet. I believe, as Tova said, self control also has a lot to do with it.

I am considered borderline obese, yet the funny thing is, I go to the gym every freaking day, for about two hours. (Ok, I only go 6 days a week. Everyone needs a break) I can out last many of the "skinny" people at the gym. I can lift more, run faster, and run longer.

I'm slowly losing weight, but it is extremely difficult. Besides the fact that I think my fat is just plain stubborn, I've had some problems with food in the past: I'm a severe emotional eater. I eat when I'm bored, when I'm lonely, when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Food is a reward. Food is comfort. Food is a band-aid. It takes a lot of control to not eat when I'm not hungry.

The thing is, most people don't consider how hard it is to avoid eating. Think about it: alcoholics avoid alcohol. They don't go to bars, they avoid situations that will bring them in contact with alcohol. Gamblers don't go to casinos or horse tracks. Someone who is addicted to food can't avoid food. You have to eat to live. We have to face food three times a day. Food is everywhere and at everything.

It takes a lot to control yourself when you are addicted to something. There are times when all I want to do is eat. I'll find myself in the kitchen looking in the fridge and think, "How did I end up here?" I don't even remember going to the fridge.

I could be at a healthy weight. I know I could, even though I've never been there. It's taking a lot of work to stop my eating problems, and even more work at the gym. So far, I've lost 25 lbs... but I've still got a long way to go.

WWW Link

SHE congrats on the weight loss so far, just don't give up!

Tex you're a riot!!


I can relate to the emotional eating because I'm one too. I've been learning to undo that side of my persona and so far it's working, in that I don't use food as my crutch anymore. I've been working out on and off and on and off and it's a constant battle but I do understand SHE.


BTW Whip, Martin Lawrence did the Big Momma movies. I haven't seen Norbit, I'll wait for it to go on Cable. I know it will be funny because it's Eddie but I'm tired of the fat jokes too. I'll still laugh though!!



I watched a show last night, actually it was from the BBC and it showed three (or four?) people who were morbidly obese....we're talking over 700 pounds one of them and what they go through in their daily lives.

I guess it's up to the individual and what's going on thier lives and how they view themselves and their world, whether it's important being thin and living up to an ideal. Being healthy and in good shape, even if it's not pefect shape, is the best way to be.

Sorry, didn't mean to drone on!

they're not alone.   

LW: "Two bloody marys with vodka and V8."

Yum, yum.

I worry more about obese children. I agree that there are all sorts of factors that contribute to obesity, but I believe that there are many children eating too much junk food. Home made pizzas and burgers seem to be much more nutritious than the crap McDonalds and Pizza Hut dole out.Look at this recipe:

Home made burgers:

1lb of lean minced pork or beef or mixed.
An egg, breadcrumbs, chives,
Mix and form a patty.

Grill or barbecue and top with tomato slice, mustard and fresh rocket or lettuce.

No french fries. Lightly saute carrot sticks and sweet potato slices in olive oil.

These burgers and the accompaniment are using fresh ingredients and cooked delicately as opposed to the "manufactured" processed stuff the big take-aways push out.