Not so much a killer body as a body that kills

Leah says:

12:50pm | 04/01/11

“Perhaps single sex schools aren’t such a bad thing? “

In my experience - and, it seems, Emma’s - it’s the single-sex schools where this sort of peer pressure is most destructive.

Randy Marsh says:

10:59am | 04/01/11

so you like to discriminate against every fit and healthy person by calling them snobs huh? do you like it when people discriminate against larger people by calling them lazy? so dont discriminate against the fit and healthy! we are not snobs we just respect our body’s and like to look after ourselves

James1 says:

12:31pm | 04/01/11

Rex is talking about gym junkies, not fit and healthy people.  Those two things are not the same.  Either you needed to take more time to read the post, or you are very sensitive.

Kika says:

01:41pm | 04/01/11

Actually it’s been proven that even being just a few kilos overweight can create health issues. A diet full of fresh fruit and vegies, lean protein and fibre which gives you all the vitamins and minerals you need is enough to make sure your body doesn’t unnecessarily crave stuff you don’t need. And once you start eating better, you feel better, you look better. How can you live life to the fullest if your sick, tired and too hot all the time?

Emma says:

04:52pm | 04/01/11

“Actually it’s been proven that even being just a few kilos overweight can create health issues”

By who?  A research study I suppose.  I’ve read studies that state otherwise so who do you believe?  It certainly doesn’t ‘prove’ anything.

In saying that, I agree with everything else you said.  Not everyone has to be super lean though, to be healthy and happy.

Kate says:

10:50am | 04/01/11

Because women in male-dominated environments aren’t taught from an early age via tv, video clips and lads’ mags that their only value lies in their bodies. Uh-huh. Keep smoking that BK.

BK says:

04:09pm | 04/01/11

No Kate, women are told that good looks will bring them access to a range of benefits, not available to men. Sorry to question your precious victimhood.

Jade says:

07:54pm | 04/01/11

Its true though, attractive women do get better opportunities in life than those women who are considered less attractive for what ever reason.

Jade says:

07:54pm | 04/01/11

Its true though, attractive women do get better opportunities in life than those women who are considered less attractive for what ever reason.

Helen says:

10:26am | 05/01/11

And here I was thinking that we were brought up to try to attain what we want for ourselves, without relying on men to give it to us.
At least, that’s how my mother raised me….. a woman who has never heard about feminism, but wants my sister and I to be self sufficient.
Contrary to your theory, BK, it was the friends who had brothers who were raised to value attractiveness.

Sarah says:

11:02am | 04/01/11

Just because 14 is the size of the average Australian woman, it doesn’t make it healthy, it just normalizes it. The author said she is a bit larger than she would or should be at a size 14, not that size 14 is large. Everyone does come in different shapes and sizes but if we are going to be completely honest about it, it is a very, very small percentage of people who even with exercising and eating healthily will have trouble maintaining a healthy weight and body.
It’s not about being naturally slim or starving yourself. Good health always shows through, no matter what your “size”

Markus says:

11:08am | 04/01/11

Going to turn off this italics first and foremost. </b>

Hope that worked.

Now, to me the fact that size 14 is the size of the average Australian woman says more than anything.
Hypothyroidism, of which a common result is weight gain, only affects about 3% of the population. Anorexia about 1 in 20 adult females (dropping severely from the approx 1 in 10 adolescents).

To the vast majority of the 50+% of women who are classified as overweight or obese, it is purely a result of excessive intake of food and little output by way of exercise.
When people see their larger bodies and assume that they continually stuff their faces and never exercise, they are more often than not correct.

Those who have a legitimate medical disorder or genetic reason (higher muscle mass) for their classification of overweight are in the small minority of cases.

Markus says:

11:50am | 04/01/11

Ha, script fail.
</i> That might have more success

Clare says:

12:03pm | 04/01/11

Ok…do you both realise that size 14 is the old 36” bust? Not large. The author, who has had…was it 2 or 3 kids compares her body to the size she was when much younger. Which I would think is a bit unrealistic.
Actually many women suffer from not only hypothyroidism, but PCOS (Polycyctic ovarian syndrome) or just slow metabolisms. I would like to know Markus where you get the proof for your statements ? Many women diet all their lives to attempt to maintain an ‘acceptable’ size. Research now shows that this continual dieting can cause metabolic slow down in the long term. Please refer to Dr Amanda Sainsbury-Salis at the Garvan Institute for a more scientific opinion.

sarah says:

12:27pm | 04/01/11

Portia’s advise on healthy eating works because it’s combined with an active lifestyle. Also, people who have been annorexic generally have very bad metobolisms as they’ve destroyed the natural balance by pushing their bodies into starvation mode

Sarah says:

12:37pm | 04/01/11

A slow metabolism is a pretty lazy excuse. There are countless books and articles written about how to improve your metabolism, the most simple being exercise. I’m not a health nut, or ridiculously fit and skinny or anything, but I eat well and I exercise and it really annoys me when overweight people blame things like a “slow metabolism” for the result of years of eating badly and having a sedentary lifestyle. A couple of fad diets doesn’t mean you’ve tried to lose the kilos.
And I’m not saying that being a size 14 makes you overweight, there are probably quite a few elite female athletes who would wear size 14. It’s not even about the sizing, it’s about being bigger (or smaller) than your natural frame should be. It’s not ideal.

Kika says:

01:35pm | 04/01/11

Sorry, size 14 is large. We’re just normalising this. Unfortunately for me I have a slow metabolism. Inherited from my Nana and also due to my yo-yo dieting over the years. I simply cannot eat these things because I WILL get fat. Even if I have just a little treat like a sausage roll or some icecream I will notice it. So I simply resist, eat healthy and exercise. Oh yeah and being vegetarian also helps with the waistline. I’m down to a size 10 which I haven’t been for years and feel healthier than I did in high school.

But it drives me nuts sometimes. I have to constantly watch what I eat. I exercise and drink heaps of water. I do have a treat every now and then like a little bit of icecream, but I make sure I focus on protein, salads, fruit and no fat dairy and I’m doing ok.

Sometimes it scares me because I think about my weight constantly. But I don’t think I’d get too skinny because I like food too much.

Clare says:

01:49pm | 04/01/11

@ Sarah “A slow metabolism is a pretty lazy excuse. There are countless books and articles written about how to improve your metabolism, the most simple being exercise”  If you don’t have a slow metabolism, then how do you know that all those countless books and articles actually work? They are mostly written by the health loss industry which continues to make average women feel like they have to look like teenagers. Do you really know the habits of all the overweight people you see? Or do you make a judgement based on how YOUR body works, or on what you have read in the media? Many overweight people do in fact eat moderately and exercise, and yet they remain over weight. From personal experience, and from experience of those I know well. Not from a magazine article I have read.

Sarah says:

02:31pm | 04/01/11

Clare, I really would be very suprised to find someone who finds themself overweight if they honestly (and I’m stressing that word) eat healthily and exercise regularly. Obviously there are exceptions to this, but it is very rare.
Actually a lot of those books and articles are written by doctors and personal trainers (who by the way aim to get you fit and to a healthy weight, not make you look like a teenager).
My experience and knowledge is from what I have discussed with friends who have struggled with their weight, with personal trainers I know and even health professionals. All first hand, I don’t sit down and believe everything I read in the media.
To me, it just seems like people are so quick to make excuses. It’s not supposed to be easy to get yourself into shape, people are just so quick to give up when they can’t see results overnight so they blame it on whatever buzz word is going around.

Geoff - Brisbane says:

02:56pm | 04/01/11

A lot of the tubbies who claim to “eat healthy and excserise” but do not lose weight are full of it. Heres what happens New Years rolls around and the tubbies drag themselves to the gym (clogging it up for the regulars). They get on the treadmill at walking/slow jog speed for 20 minutes. They eat a Big mac instead of a Quater Pounder as the big mac has salad.

Then after a month of doing this they don’t have a 6 pack and so retire back to the couch to whinge about their new found “glandular problem”.

Clare says:

04:50pm | 04/01/11

@Sarah says:
Clare, I really would be very suprised to find someone who finds themself overweight if they honestly (and I’m stressing that word) eat healthily and exercise regularly.

Well, hullo, glad to meet you. There are many. I can remember after months of weight watchers, never cheating, being put on reduced calorie levels by the organisers to just try to get some weight loss, eating 800 calories a day (which is pretty well starving) and still not losing anything. The first 5 kilos goes pretty easily for anyone, then different bodies can work like mad to retain the weight ‘set-point’ and you can end up lowering rather than increasing your metabolism. And you try exercising when you have had nothing to eat. No easy….but people do it. Not a guaranteed fix either.
I have lived with other people and watched them eat and drink many times more than me. They watch in amazement as twice every day I take my two dogs out for a walk. And then I also go swimming, or yoga, or weight training. There are a lot of untruths around

Obviously there are exceptions to this, but it is very rare.

No it’s not actually. It is rare that a woman in our culture does not regularly starve herself to achieve the desired look.

Actually a lot of those books and articles are written by doctors and personal trainers (who by the way aim to get you fit and to a healthy weight, not make you look like a teenager).

Actually, it is a very easy way to make quick money….release a new ‘diet book’. If you really study serious nutritional research (see my link above) you will realise that it is a field of many ‘unknowns’...what is good for you one year is supposedly terrible the next. There is actually little really conclusive evidence of many of the popularised theories. Certainly the ‘energy in’ ‘energy out ’ theory that popular culture adheres too is largely questioned by the serious scholars.

To me, it just seems like people are so quick to make excuses. It’s not supposed to be easy to get yourself into shape, people are just so quick to give up when they can’t see results overnight so they blame it on whatever buzz word is going around

No, many people have spent their life trying to find answers. Doctors, tests, every imaginable diet, no social events, not drinking at all, and all the while coping with other people’s inaccurate assumptions. Other people are very quick to lay blame and make assumptions because fat people are now the last acceptable scapegoats in our society.  If you don’t have the problem, well Sarah, be grateful. I suspect you are able to eat a fair bit more than I do each day, and yet you are not called to account for it because of the luck of your genetics.  I could say more, but it appears that many here have very fixed opinions that won’t change no matter how many people tell them it just isn’t so.

James says:

08:55am | 05/01/11

High intensity exercise increases your metabolism. Going for a walk does not (it will burn calories whilst the exercise is being performed but has no lasting effect, a walk is however better than nothing).

A good diet should not ever require you to eat as little as 800 calories, if they tell you it is, they are wrong, this is a crash diet. you will lose a few kilos very quickly, but these will come back very quickly.

In fact stop using the word diet, try “lifestyle change”. Instead find out the rough calorific values of healthy foods and the amount of energy burnt doing different exercises. Eat a lot of these healthy foods split into many meals and use exercise to ensure you burnt more than you consumed (only a couple hundred calories a day deficit is required).

Try this for a minimum of six months then report back.

p.s. a great exercise for metabolism boost is the burpee. If however it is too hard, you will honestly know that you didn’t try hard enough.

missx says:

09:10am | 05/01/11

While there are rare cases where people simply cannot lose weight, the great majority of overweight people have a problem with portion control. The average portion now is up to FOUR TIMES the size of portions in the 1950s. And if you look at dress sizes and images of women and men in the 50s and 60s and earlier, you will notice almost everyone would now be considered “scary skinny”. Even seat and wardrobes were more narrow then! The fact is while you think you are eating “moderately” you may in fact need a lot less calories than the current large portion sizes entail. We are now told we need 2,200 calories when a few years ago it was 1800. It’s simple - we’re getting bigger because we eat too much.

Likes Joining Dots says:

12:40pm | 05/01/11

OK, let’s get it out of the way first -  I don’t look like Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp or the Old Spice guy (much to the chagrin of my partner) and I’m fine with that - there I said it.

But, I have to admit though this article and the responses confounds me.

Why are models on magazines or TV affecting people so much? You know you don’t have to be them.

Where did this ‘peer group’ pressure’ originate from and even then, why are you listening to it?

On a metabolic note. I’m tall and 80kg. Others could be short and 80kg - one constant remains, it still costs about the same energy for me to walk my 80kg body 500 metres to the milkbar as the other 80kg person.

I think missx nailed it.

Kate says:

02:32pm | 04/01/11

Jane, I was exactly the same - I got tall about six years before any of my classmates. I got ‘daddy long legs’ too, as well as ‘lurch’ and ‘beanpole’.

As a kid I got teased for being tall and skinny - now at 22 I’ve got hips and some curves and consider myself to be too fat. It’s pretty hard to find the ‘ideal’ shape. Congratulations to you on having the self-esteem to be happy with your body image, it’s a great quality to have.

Silverdragon says:

10:58am | 04/01/11

Aeeta, you write very judgementally for someone who does not know the author at all.  Emma is a fit and healthy woman with a normal body size and both her daughters are fit and active girls.

You also display ignorance by suggesting that everyone can have the perfect body by eating healthily and being active - this certainly works for most, but there are those with health issues for whom “discipline” does not work.

Luce says:

11:31am | 04/01/11

Aeeta, I worry for your daughters, if you have, or plan to have any. They’ll grow up thinking that their weight is a personal reflection on them, which is a false and dangerous mindset that can destroy a young girl’s self esteem.  You should promote healthy eating and exercise for health’s sake, without putting the emphasis on weight and image. Young girls need to know they’re attractive whatever size they are, and that the most important things in life aren’t physical appearance but good health and happiness.

Randy Marsh says:

12:01pm | 04/01/11

To the posters above me,
like it or not and this has been proven by science humans are animals and as animals us humans need to eat healthy and be active and the more healthy and fit someone is the attractive they are and this is because humans are animals and as most animals in the animal kingdom females like to mate with a strong male and males like to mate with a healthy fertile female and unfortunately this will never change and will always be the case.
Also 99% of people can lose weight through diet and exercise hell has a look at the sportspeople in the Special Olympics who are very fit! So what’s your excuse? Also if you have enough time to watch tv you have time for a jog and cooking a healthy meal is not really as hard , time consuming or expensive as you think it is and healthy meals can also taste good.
At the end of the day you can complain that life is unfair or you can do something about it.

Aeeta says:

12:16pm | 04/01/11

Silverdragon
Only a very small minority of people won’t get fit and healthy by exercise and diet and look good as a result. This can only be determined by an appropriately qualified medical professional and not someone who thinks 20 minutes on a cross-trainer 4 times per week qualifies as exercise. It isn’t worth it focusing on the <3% of the population for whom exercise and diet won’t work.

A size 14 5’7” woman who needs to lose a few kilos by her own admission is not healthy or a good role model.

Luce
Attractive people are attractive. Telling all girls that they are attractive just feeds the princess entitlement complex that many women have developed,. It also normalises obesity which is a very dangerous thing to do. You will feel better about yourself if you put in the apopropriate level of effort.

Karen says:

12:18pm | 04/01/11

Aeeta.. really? You think that by being concerned about a positive body image someone is encouraging their daughters to become overweight? It’s a huge leap from the billboard above to overweight and unhealthy.

Perhaps it is the size 14 that concerns you? My BMI is 21 and I’m a size 12-14. Fit and healthy as can be.

I think you need to relax a bit.

Moggy says:

12:19pm | 04/01/11

Aeeta…..you are a monster! My weight yoyo’s constantly. I have severe auto-immune disease that requires me to take very large daily doses of prednisolone (steroids!) on a never ending cycle of on again/off again.  I almost cry when I bump into somebody I haven’t seen in a while who points out to me that I’m fat & need to go on a diet. And as if this isn’t bad enough when I point out I’m on steroids for a severe auto-immune disease I can see the disbieving in their eyes as they say “oh…really!”  Why are people so needful of telling people who are fat that they ARE fat. We KNOW we’re fat, we hate being fat & in my case I hate having to almost starve myself as I desperately try to keep tha fat off. SO…before any of you decide to tell somebody you haven’t see for a while “YOU’RE FAT!” stop & think what the consequences of being so F—KING CRUEL MIGHT BE! Beacuse it’s heartbreaking! And Aeeta…..get on your knees & ask whatever god you worship that you never end up like me….because I’m hoping that it will happen because you deserve it you bitch!

James1 says:

12:47pm | 04/01/11

You may have an attractive body, but I am sure you have a repellent personality, based on your post at least.  No amount of healthy diet and exercise will mask your bad attitude, and all you are doing is giving your children a bad role model.

Think about this: those who are overweight can use diet and exercise to improve their condition.  You, however, will always have your personality, and no amount of diet or exercise will change this.

Aeeta says:

12:52pm | 04/01/11

Karen you missed the point.

A person that eats sausage rolls and other junk food and dismisses her problems as “just a few kilos” is sending a poor message to her daughters.

Healthy eating and constant exercise is a lifetime habit. Not just something you engage in as a fad on the odd occasion when it suits you.

Randy Marsh says:

12:54pm | 04/01/11

Lots of excuses here, Aeeta im a personal trainer and even when on cretin meds like prednisolone you can still lose weight and be fit if you worked hard for it! do you go for a run every night or do you just sit at home and watch tv? also do you eat healthy foods? . you also mention that you starve yourself and this is a bad idea and may be the reason why your weight YOYO’s so instead of starving yourself stitch to HEALTHY FRESH NATURAL meals what you can cook at home and go for a jog around the block every night..

acinom says:

02:35pm | 04/01/11

Aeeta, it’s people like you who compound the warped sense of self / body image for someone who is already self concious.

Kudos to James1 - you’ve hit the nail on the head.

Aeeta says:

03:14pm | 04/01/11

James1
You sound like a patheitc little man with massive insecurities. There is nothing wrong with my personality. If you can’t handle the truth then you need to look in the mirror. everyone that knows me knows that I am an easy-going down-to-earth good-natured person. But I am blunt and direct with people who want to make excuses for themselves rsther than face the truth.

James1 says:

03:26pm | 04/01/11

Well that is not how you come across.  You come across rude and arrogant, and if I knew you, I would probably say nice things to your face as well.  But you know, go ahead making excuses for yourself and your abhorrent behaviour all you like.  After all, unlike peoples’ weight, those aspects of you will never change.

BTW, I am 190 cm and weigh a little over 80 kgs.  And I don’t bother with mirrors except when checking my tie - they are for narcissists.

James1 says:

03:47pm | 04/01/11

“I agree with BK

The last thing we need is a bunch of 6s thinking they are 9s

Sydney is awash with these women already and it is not attractive in the slightest.”

These are not the words of an easy going, down to earth, good natured person.  They are the words of someone with a fundamentally bad nature - a bully.  They are the words of a person with a real problem with arrogance.  Last time I looked, secure, happy people feel no need to insult people on the basis of something as trivial as the way they look.  The fact you get so upset at my pointing out how unattractive your arrogant and rude demeanour is to some people (and your attempting to insult me on the basis of my looks - are you really that shallow?) amuses me.

Luce says:

04:09pm | 04/01/11

James 1, very nicely said.  We need more people like you, and less people like Aeeta in the world.

Kika says:

01:46pm | 04/01/11

I agree. There is a serious issue with the foods we are eating these days. We don’t have time to prepare elaborate meals. It’s expensive to eat well, and cheap to eat junk. “I don’t have money for steamed fish, vegies and rice so I’ll just go get a stunner meal instead”

So the rich get skinny while the poor get fat.  An amazing turn of events isn’t it!

BK says:

10:45am | 04/01/11

I only hope that more parents tell their daughters that they are never going to be the most attractive women aound and that they need to get over it now. The last thing that we need is more arrogant women.

Silverdragon says:

11:17am | 04/01/11

Tara - you have hit the nail on the head!  Anorexia is not about weight loss per se, it is a form of mental illness.  Sufferers are often over-achievers or extreme perfectionists who drive themselves endlessly in the drive for some often unrealistic goal.

You are absolutely right that we have to bring up our daughters with an excellent sense of confidence in themselves and who they are (not just what they look like) and good self esteem - not just about their looks, but about other things that really matter.

I always tell my daughter she is beautiful (she is, but I’d tell her anyway) but I also make sure she knows that she is smart and that beauty isn’t just about how you look or the clothes you wear, but about being kind and considerate to others, caring for your friends and being beautiful on the inside.

What girls need most is acceptance for who they are, support from their families (Dads especially!) and positive role models who are “real” people - not airbrushed or insanely skinny models.

BK - I hope your approach doesn’t catch on and I hope you don’t have any kids either.  Women who are confident in themselves are not arrogant - that comes from thinking you are better than others…

Markus says:

11:18am | 04/01/11

I never understood the approach taken by women to control their weight.
The statistics I have read indicate males are only slightly less likely than women to have issues with body image, but it is much less noticeable as they are more likely to resort to excessive exercise/weight training than they are to take the fad diets and snake oil treatment that most women with body image issues end up choosing.

Aeeta says:

12:30pm | 04/01/11

I agree with BK

The last thing we need is a bunch of 6s thinking they are 9s

Sydney is awash with these women already and it is not attractive in the slightest.

Jane says:

07:56am | 05/01/11

Silverdragon, I particularly relate to the comment about fathers. Looking back it is amazing my father didnt end up with an anorexic daughter with his “if you eat that you will get fat” comments. I was 55kg and 172cm tall, ie my BMI was in the underweight range.

All parents need to be careful what they say about weight to teens of both genders but especially females. It may be better to lead by example than actually say anything, ie if you think your child could lose some weight how about both of you go on a bike ride. If you child needs to put on some weight you can easily be sneaky and pump up the kj in teh food they are eating (but not your own)

Fed up to the eyeballs with them says:

01:38pm | 04/01/11

Too true, “females scew each other in their competition for men,” I see women all the time sleazing up to my man right in front of me, it gets to the point of embarrassing and as if he doesn’t like it, I have to ignore it otherwise it seems that I am the one with the “problem.”  I see these women as insecure and desperate people, men don’t act like this toward their fellow man.  It is a “woman” thing, and they don’t care who they hurt along the way to get what they think they want. Women are meant to be the strong ones, so why is it that women have all the insecurities, I bet there are more female anorexics than male ones.

Kika says:

02:11pm | 04/01/11

Your half right I think. I don’t think women obsess over their bodies to please men. Women do it to please other women and mostly themselves.

I don’t agree with your biological theory. Asian women are naturally thinner than European women and European women are naturally thinner than Sub-saharan African women. The men are equally the same across the different races. Some men like skinny girls regardless of race, and some men like curvier girls. It’s just personal preference (i.e. natural selection).

I have dated asian men before. In fact I’ve married an asian man. I’m mostly anglo-irish but have some Aboriginal and Indian ancestry in me too. I saw another interracial couple the other day - a white girl and an asian bloke. In fact I see a lot of them these days. So again I don’t think your stereotype issue that white women are too picky is the blame.

James1 says:

02:40pm | 04/01/11

Like I say above, overweight people have the option of losing weight.  People with defective personalities, narcissism, excessive stupidity and an overinflated sense of self-importance will always be that way.  There is no diet that can cure someone of being an arsehole or a wanker.

Markus says:

02:53pm | 04/01/11

While I understand your position, the fact that a medical condition such as hypothyroidism, the most common condition associated to weight gain, only affects about 3% of the population, means that over 94% of the population that is overweight (about 1 in 2) do not have this condition.
While genetics, medications and undiagnosed conditions can affect and in some very rare cases completely prevent weight loss, this is not the case for the vast majority of overweight people.

Aeeta says:

03:28pm | 04/01/11

Markus is right. Actual medical conditions only affect a small minority of people. For the rest it’s simply a case of bad diet and not enough exercise. These may vary slightly according to the person but it remains true for the vast majority of the population.

But for self-important tools like James1 who thinks he knows a person’s personality from their comment to think it’s ok to be overweight and not make an issue of it shows that this problem will continue as long as people don’t take responsibility for themselves and make the changes they need.

It’s not acceptable or ok to be overweight. It is a great cost to society and to the individual. Trying to bury your head in the sand and telling all those meanies to be quiet won’t help anything. Going for a run and eating lean meat and vegetables according to your calorie requirement will.

James1 says:

03:56pm | 04/01/11

I know how to eat well and exercise Aeeta, because I do.  I only have the evidence in front of me with which to judge your character.  Evidence like this:

“I agree with BK

The last thing we need is a bunch of 6s thinking they are 9s

Sydney is awash with these women already and it is not attractive in the slightest.”

Based on the evidence, the judgement is not favourable.  Those are the words of a shallow, arrogant narcissist, and that is very unattractive.  If you want to avoid such judgements, display less shallow, arrogant narcissism in your posts.  You really shouldn’t blame fat people for your own shortcomings - they are yours and yours alone.

Luce says:

04:19pm | 04/01/11

“But for self-important tools like James1 who thinks he knows a person’s personality from their comment”

Is anyone else picking up on the idiotic irony of that sentence? Aeeta, you need to grow up and accept the fact that not everyone is thin, and not everyone places as much emphasis on the importance of being thin and attractive as you do. I don’t know if anyones told you this yet, but there is MORE TO LIFE then just looking good. Maybe you’d benefit from finding out what some of those things are.

p.s. before you call me fat, i’m 170cm tall, weigh 58kg, and i’m lucky enough to be able to eat junk and never exercise without gaining weight or losing any of my muscle tone simply because i have a fast enough metabolism and a naturally athletic body. Not everyone does and not everyone can be like you think they should be. Get over it and stop judging them.

Jenni says:

05:36pm | 04/01/11

Aeeta - I find it highly amusing that you condemn James1 for thinking “he knows a person’s personality from their comment” yet from yourown comments, you think you know a person’s eating habits from the way that they look ... double standard much?

For the record, I too feel that your original comments came across as rude, judgemental and offensive. Your further attack on the commentor, calling him a “pathetic little man” only reinforced that feeling.

Helen says:

10:52am | 05/01/11

I’ve been underweight, I’ve been normal weight, and I’ve been overweight. The only reason I wanted to lose weight, is for the sake of MY health, not because there are a large number of people in the world, who seem to be offended with the fact that I enjoyed food.
Fat people can lose weight, unfortunately, self important wankers will still be the same.

Bri says:

03:01pm | 04/01/11

But you arent healthier. What you have described above is an obvious eating disorder. You are so scared to put on any weight that you don’t even eat properly.I actually feel sorry for you, all that time you spend counting calories and exercising just to fit into that size 8 skirt. What a sad life you lead.

I am an overweight male and I am extremely happy with my life. I have a partner who loves me how I am, we both walk regularly every night, but we both enjoy our food too and socialising with friends. I actually feel PITY for you people who spend your lives counting calories and starving yourselves. Such sad, sad people, unable to enjoy life becauseof your obsession with unhealthy weight goals.

Steph says:

04:33pm | 04/01/11

I’m agreeing with Bri on this one. Does that size 8 skirt matter that much to you? Your husband has said he loves you now. He loved you when you were larger. Yes, he’d like you if you were thinner too, but that’s because he LOVES you no matter what you’re like. He’s already displayed that. It’s you that is taking it to an obsessive level. It’s only in your own eyes that you’re going to look as good as you want - is your own opinion of your weight so important you’d affect your life (and if you’re cooking for your family, your families lives as well, just by the choice of food you dish up) to get a favourable opinion of yourself - by yourself? Girl, I hope you never have kids. Stretch marks. Sagging belly. loose skin. drooping boobs. weight gain. Those things could drive your obsessive nature crazy - especially as some of them aren’t reversible. How far are you willing to take it? Would you not have children in a bid to stay as close to perfect as you can get? Even if it’s just in your own eyes? What about your husband - does he want kids, and would he understand if you chose not to have them to keep your image perfect? These are bad, bad things. You really do need to think of the people around you as well as yourself. Because currently, you’re only thinking of yourself.

I’m like Bri. Overweight (except female). I’m as happy as I can be. My husband loves me, my son loves me, and I know my husband isn’t going to think less of me after I’ve had our second child and my body changes even just that little bit more on the non reversible scale. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me skinny - but since he’s not seen that, he doesn’t really know what he’s missing.He loves me for who I am and subsequently, I love me for who I am too. I don’t need to worry about “looking good” because to me, and to those around me, I already do. (Plus, the primal instinct of primping and grooming is to make yourself appealing to prospective mates, and I already have mine)

Cindy says:

06:26am | 05/01/11

Bri, what Kika has described is disordered eating, NOT an eating disorder pre se.
Kika, I wish you would be happy with your healthy size 10 size - it sounds like you have to work to maintain that size, but not be crazy about doing so.
I suffered from anorexia from 16-19, and once ate nothing but apples (3 a day) for eight months.  I ended up 36kg, and having to drop out of uni for a semester and move back home.  I felt so guilty about what I was putting my parents and sister through, that I sought in-patient treatment, and recovered fully.
Now, I just focus on maintaining a healthy stable weight, eating well (and allowing scheduled treats) and exercising lots (1-2 hours a day).  I am an athletic and capable size 10, and you wouldn’t know that I had once been so ill and fragile.
Learn to love, cherish and respect your body.  If you treat it well, it can do so much for you!

Steph says:

04:36pm | 04/01/11

Sounds like my husband… a beer a night and takeaway at least once a week and no exercise, and he could fit into a size 6-8 womens. Some people are just made that way…

Turtle says:

08:18pm | 04/01/11

It has always been my absolute one dream in life to be like yourself. Ever since I can remember, I have always had to diet just to maintain my weight. For some reason I have a really slow metabolism, and yes I’ve tried weight training, heavy exercise etc and nothing works. Thyroid is ok. Based on my calculations of how “quickly” I lose weight its about 50% the rate of what it should be based on calories in calories out. I have to count calories daily to just maintain my weight (trust me it isn’t much food either). To top it all off, I have food allergies which makes my diet even more restrictive. But I do it because I remember how mean people are to you when you are overweight and how unhealthy I felt. I would swap bodies with you any day! I don’t believe weight gain/loss is as simple as calories in calories out. I’ve seen how other people eat and I know I am not the norm. I just have a slow metabolism. And you have a fast one!

Trent says:

09:23am | 05/01/11

Turtle, I too have a slow metabolisim, you shoukld consider yourself blessed. The fast metabolisim is the defective one, it over uses its resources and in the real world of nature (not mand made world) a fast metabolisim animal would need to hunt more and eventually starve to death if it was exposed to a while without food. Given your superiour metabolisim you need to learn to eat right for you type and stop blaming your metabolisim.

Jane says:

08:10am | 05/01/11

When I was working for KFC I used to laugh at the girls who would refuse the soft drink but go grab a Boost Juice instead which contained far more calories than the soft drink but was marketed as “healthy”

Geoff - Brisbane says:

04:09pm | 04/01/11

Its because binge eating is seen as being greedy. Also the anorexic people do not invade others spaces, such as taking up 1.5 seats on a plane, or waddling infront of you when your in a rush. Or when they’re puffed from having to step on the bus and rub their sweat all over you.

Also softy-softy approach doesn’t cut it. It leads to the current problem we have of “fat is good” and “im a proud fatty” and “BBW”.

Why should a person feel good for being fat? Its not something to feel good or be proud about.

Before you people start. Yes i was a fatty. People do not believe it untill i show these folks pictures. The only thing that got me off my lard-ass was the “assholes” making me feel bad. Not only did i drop the fat, i dropped the fattitude.

Former Fatty says:

10:09am | 05/01/11

Didn’t you read my post though Geoff, the ‘softy-softy’ approach worked wonders for me. I was bullied most of my adolescent life for my weight, and only became more obese. When I made some good friends and got away from the bullying, I lost 80kg. I am not saying that being obese is the ideal way to be, I am saying that when I was obese all the mean comments, all the people saying “just eat less, put down the fork” would only exacerbate the guilt and shame that I felt and caused me to binge eat… I think that obesity is a complex issue and telling a fat person to “Just Stop Eating” is like telling an alcoholic to Just Stop Drinking. Not that simple, there are more at play here and it’s NOT THAT STRAIGHT FORWARD for everyone.

Frankie says:

05:12pm | 04/01/11

Hey Randy, on average I work 12 hours a day (office job), commute for 1 and study for 6 (similar schedule weekends too). I wake up at 5 to exercise for half and hour, walk around town for my half hour lunch break and then another half hour after work. I still manage to eat healthy by cooking in bulk to save time and allow myself take out once a month on average. I am overweight and have not lost weight in five months, just holding off the gain.I HATE when people say, ‘just exercise more’ or the popular ‘put down the fork fatty’. How exactly am I supposed to do more apart from quitting my job? (and no, I don’t have a McMansion/Plasma to make repayments on, I am just affording rent and uni repayments at the moment and fresh ingredients are not cheap)

Randy Marsh says:

09:46am | 05/01/11

depends on how overweight you are frankie, if your very heavy it is going to take much longer then 6 months to lose the weight but it will happen, maybe you should mix up your exercise routine, go for bike rides every weekend, go swimming, make sure your diets healthy and join a gym and when your fitness level has improved play some weekend sport (plus girls LOVE a guy who plays sport )  it may take a while but if you put in the hard work it will happen, BTW how much weight have you lose since you desired to take responsibility for your weight

Helen says:

11:09am | 05/01/11

Randy Marsh…. he specifically said he hasnt lost any weight in the last 5 months. Yes if he’s really heavy it will take longer than 6 months to lose all the weight, but he should still be losing SOME weight.

fit-mama says:

12:38am | 17/01/11

@frankie - i had the same problem while completing my masters, working full time and had just had a baby.  just keep your weight steady during semester and go hardcore during the breaks, you’ll be fine.  Although I will warn you that employers are much more narcissistic when picking from a sea of graduates - sad but true.  I’m a size 10-12 (5ft9) and work with a girl who is a small 8 and also 5ft9 - one day i overheard someone in the tearoom saying “well she’s obviously here for her brains (referring to me), shes certainly not here for her looks, they hired X (size8) for that”  Hopefully the person who said that will be my ex-boss soon…

Lauren says:

03:41pm | 16/01/11

Why do you need to be a size 10?  Are you actually overweight, or would you just prefer it because it is the ‘ideal’?

Everyone comes in different shapes and so long as you fall within a healthy weight range, that’s all that matters.  Don’t live your life stressed out and unhappy trying to be a size 10 when you are naturally a 14 - this size doesn’t seem unreasonable given you are also tall. 

I think people are upset about their weight because they are trying to be something that they will never be - some people are curvier and bigger built, others are destined to be skinny.  Being healthy is all that matters, and it sounds like you are as you eat well and exercise often. 

Being healthy also includes mental health - which I think is the really sad issue for people wasting their lives counting calories, unable to accept their natural size is larger than a supermodel.

Helen says:

11:07am | 05/01/11

Funnily enough, as an overweight girl, I had a lot more guys approach me than as an underweight one. Maybe it was because I was happier, and smiled more….. not because of how I looked.

Randy Marsh says:

01:28pm | 05/01/11

I hate to say it Hellen but it is the truth that most guys only approach an overweight girl for a easy one night stand and do not want an relationship with an overweight girl, please respect your body for your healths sake and eat healthy and exercise before your obesity kills you and before your medical costs cost us tax payers alot of money.