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Demonising fat people
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Hey mate - if you do manage to get yourself to go I have a couple of tips:
1. Make sure you get somebody to show you what you are doing, and make sure it's what you want to do and not necessarily what *they* want you to do, this will instantly be a confidence booster as you won't be floundering. Get the basics right and you can progress nicely at your own pace, adding new exercises when you feel ready - always after suitable instruction, of course.
2. When you're training, use an mp3 player/walkman/whatever with the music you want to hear on it to get you in the right place, mentally. Also, I wear a cap when I am wanting an extra hard session. I find a combination of the two just blocks out any outside interference, and so if you try this, you could find you just get on with what you are needing to do, as opposed to worrying about what somebody else is doing.
Not sure if you're being sarcastic there...?
Aye - a cap kind of hides your face, hence blocking out more distractions.
I don't have any issues with working out at any gym as I've been doing it a long while now, but when I want to go RAWR, it just gives me that extra 10% in my head to push that bit harder.
Nope, not this time anyway. I think it's a good idea.
Definitely works better than a trilby
Also, the attitude that calories in = calories out = happy weight is outmoded and unscientific, especially for those of us like myself at LtRotR who have hormonal problems (specifically PCOS) who simply don't find it easy to change our weight.
Frankly some people who think they are being neutral are doing nothing more than reaffirm the writer's opinions in my mind.
(ETA; looks like the last page is more positive so I'm sorry if I've dragged you all back to page 6!)
It's less than two years since I was still swearing that I would never ever be seen in a gym. Never, not a chance in hell, etc.
What worked for me was that I told myself I wouldn't compare myself to others and that I'd do things at my own pace. I'm really stubborn and hate being told what to do so I knew that if I was to last I would have to tailor things to my own needs. I don't follow a plan but I write down everything I do in a notebook so that I can monitor what I've been doing, how much and also remind myself if I try something new that was brilliant.
Sometimes I feel like just doing a short stint on the treadmill, sometimes I really want to hit it hard and get my heart racing until I am lathered in sweat (best feeling ever when I get off). Sometimes I want to do a hardcore weight lifting session, sometimes I'd prefer not to do it at all. I once trained Taekwondo and occasionally instead of doing warmup on the treadmill/cross trainer I will do kicking exercises. I've also done sprint exercises and basically whatever I feel like I would enjoy I do. Yes I will admit that sometimes all I can be bothered to do is spend 15 lazy minutes on the treadmill!
My biggest goal since I started has always been to show up. I know that once I'm out there I'm usually tempted to try new things or add stuff to my workout. If I'm not then that's okay as well, I'll be showing up soon again anyway.
I started slow but my philosophy worked for me.
Just yesterday at the gym I was dancing like an idiot to my music, flogged myself on the treadmill, danced some more, did weights and danced inbetween. I was there, smiling and enjoying myself.
I disagree with people who blame "society" for people's attitudes towards fat people. I think it's entirely biological, because obviously it's biologically beneficial to associate with healthy people. It's simply not a logical reaction, it's one based in evolutionary benefits. And that's why something like smoking doesn't have the same instinctive reaction, because we haven't evolved to dislike what is a relatively recent activity in the grand scheme of things (also why more people are afraid of spiders or snakes than cars, despite the latter being far more dangeous). Dislike of smoking is based on logical reasoning that it's unhealthy, whereas I think a dislike of fat people is more instinctive, like a lack of attraction to short men or dangerously skinny people, and that's why I think it seems to get a far stronger response from people. And because it's instinctive, people are just as incapable of explaining it to people as they are their fear of spiders, because they know it doesn't corrospond to their logical feelings on the matter. I'm not saying that anyone has a fat people phobia, btw, merely that both things are instinctive, not created by society (though perhaps reinforced).
Also, just in case anyone feels insecure about their weight after what I've written, I'd just like to point out that it's only one of about a billion features in terms of what I'm talking about, and there is not a human being on the planet that doesn't have a few of them. I'd say the media and society does more to make people feel bad about themselves, than make other people judge them.
Now on top of this, he fuckin stinks. And I don't mean BO or a bit of a manly smell after a hard day, I'm talking about that fousty smell that you know has been brewing for weeks/months without a wash.. you know the smell.
Now unfortunately, this guy is fat, he smells and on night shifts he sleeps almost constantly (everyone cat naps but he just sleeps for the night), he has even fallen asleep on days..
I think it's people like that which unfortunately add to this whole stigma of fat/lazy etc, and being human, its people like that which get the attention and are easily remembered.
I think that's irrelevant. I have known slim people who smell and are lazy.
Anyway, I wanted to respond to an earlier point about making exercise more accessible. I'd have to agree.
Gyms are expensive to people on a low income. They can also be pretty dull.
Swimming is good, but where I live, in the daytime, it is very reasonable and costs about £1.40. Earlier this year I had a few weeks where I wasn't working and went swimming, and really enjoyed it. But in the evenings, when the majority of people who work would be able to go, it's more than double the price (and more crowded). Doesn't exactly encourage people to exercise.
Also, people drive EVERYWHERE. Sometimes I walk from my flat into town, as it's only about 2 miles. But it's such an unpleasant walk along a main road, with an overwhelming constant din of roaring traffic. I doubt it's very healthy for me to breathe in all those fumes. Plus, there's a number of subways along the route, and last week, a woman was dragged into one and sexually assaulted, at 11 in the morning. That sort of thing hardly encourages people to walk.
PLUS, for people who work full time, at the moment, in the winter, it's dark when they go to work and dark when they go home. And often raining too. That also makes you not want to go out.
Yes, these may all be excuses, but city living in the UK often adds to problems of obesity.
Frankly, I think when I am in Poland next year, I'll lose a bit of weight as I'll be living in the mountains so be able to do actual enjoyable exercise activities like hiking, ski-ing, horse riding, etc. I looked at trying out ski-ing here, at the Snow Dome. It costs something ridiculous.
But the demonisation of fat people IS a recent thing. Its not something thats evolved and it IS entirely cultural. What we at the moment as being signs of good health, slim, tanned, were previous indicators of being poor. Someone pale and white was seen as someone rich and healthy. The "ideal" body shape has changed and changed throughout the ages, which indicates it isnt an evolutionary thing to dislike certain shapes.
a pear shape is the healthiest shape there is, yet by western white standards at least its seen to be one of the least desirable
Erm, it is social but biology plays a part also. We subconciously do look for our best mating partners, it's a part of evolution and life.
What we deem attractive on the peripheries is where social and cultural factors play a part, people who are far too obese or far too skinny will always be deemed unnatractive by humans as a whole.
And anybody who wants to judge me on my weight or my looks isn't worth my time anyway.
If so, do you suggest I don't post what I feel incase of offending others.. in a debate forum?
You're right, it is cultural.
This statement is wrong. It is an evolutionary strategy to dislike certain body shapes, and to be able to adapt this preference to the immediate environment.
The reason for this is the change in the availability of food. Studies have shown that cultural attractiveness trends tend to go in the opposite direction of what is easy to achieve, ie. in countries where there is an abundance of food ideal body shape will be lower, and in countries suffering poverty higher body fat is seen to be an asset. This represents an innate survival trait to seek a mate which will best survive in the present environment. This change can be seen developing as recently as the 1950's.
I'm With Stupid everything you said hits the nail bang on the head. However, yet AGAIN the distinction between being slightly overweight and being obese has been completly ignored (not by IWS). The issue in this thread is people who are far too overweight. Why is this point being completly missed?
Additionally, despite cultural trends those who are not the 'ideal percieved weight' will still be found attractive because there are many other factors dictating attractiveness. Personal preferences, individual surroundings and of course (in woman) waist-to-hip ratio are a few.
Exactly - in any debate about a subject as emotive as this, there are bound to be people getting offended by other's views.
When it comes down to it, I stand by what I said - very fat people I find physically repulsive. I'm not going to lie just so some people I don't know don't get offended. I don't stand there insulting people verbally, and don't put people I know down, or anybody else for that matter. I've explained my views over the previous 14 pages, and so am not going to bother repeating myself.
The only thing I will repeat is the one thing I cant explain - the fact I find it very hard to even chat to somebody very large (and sometimes not even that large), and will make any excuse to get away. It's a bit strange, but I can't seem to do anything about it. Believe me, I've tried. Just a total mental block on this issue. ETA - just thinking, this goes deeper than this. I don't even like being hugged/touched by a big person. I'm not the touchy-feely-est of people at the best of times, but... :S
As Kangoo has said, several times, quite a lot of people are missing the very obvious distinction between slightly overweight an very overweight/obese. It really can be very 'banging head against brick wall'...
Have you got a link to support that claim?
Good post.
What I *did* find was this:
Apple-Shaped women who gain weight around their middle are more likely to develop disorders like heart disease, diabetes, or breast cancer. They're also more likely to have anxiety, depression, menstrual irregularities and fertility problems.
Pear-Women who add pounds around their hips, butt and thighs - are more susceptible to problems like osteoporosis, varicose veins, cellulite, and eating disorders. They're also more prone to lower self-esteem due to a poor body image and likely to have a rough transition through menopause.
and also, from the same page:
Pear-shaped women are biggest on their lower body where they store the majority of their fat. They tend to have a lower self esteem and are prone to get more eating disorders. Their fat is called subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous/pear-zone fat is a passive storage department. It stores fat as energy for release only in childbearing/breastfeeding. It acts as fat magnet. Any fat we eat that we don't immediately need for energy is stored immediately "on the hips."
Pear-shaped women have heavier thighs/hips/butts putting weight on and compressing veins , leading to varicose veins - research has shown this to be true. Pear-shaped women also have less androgen (male hormone effect that strengthens bones in apples), and at menopause, their pear-fat makes much weaker estrogen, which is not strong enough to keep calcium in the bones. At menopause when women lose estrogen they lose bone. An apple fat continues to produce estrogen, keeping the bones stronger during menopause. A pear can turn into an apple over time because of weight gain, but there is hope: You can lose that weight and return to your pear shape. (Hourglass figures fall into this category).
Link
Doesn't sound too much better than 'apple' shape, to be honest!
ETA - found this:
Which Body Shape is Healthier?
In terms of disease, apples are at greater risk. It isn't healthy to carry fat around the middle. Generally, the closer the fat is stored near the heart, the more dangerous it is for long-term health. Pears aren't completely out of the woods though. They can become apples later in life if they don't control their weight.
Fair enough.
Yup - unfortunately I was only skim reading for the most part. Must try harder
Very true - this has nothing to do with body-shape. You can be morbidly obese and any shape, but you're still morbidy obese - and far from healthy.
Anyway, I'm a lot less likely to be repulsed by touching a massive person than I am a massive JERK!
If you read back through the thread, a lot of people ARE talking about people who are only a little bit larger, and missing the difference completely.
... and I'm not a jerk. I just have soe funny tendancies
I know