Fat Chicks Rule

The Cookie Cutter

Remember last week about the Japanese study that overweight people lived longer that those who weren't?  Well another study came out from Canada stated the same thing. 

How many studies do we need before it's okay to have meat on our bones or understand that being fat isn't evil.  Another study from last year said that being fat didn't necessarily mean being unhealthy, and thin doesn't always mean healthy.

To me a dangerous message is sent when fat is associated with unhealthy and thin is associated with health.  A fat person might resort to dangerous diets and surgery just to lose weight (say the author of this blog), even if that fat person has no health issues.  A thin person may think "It's okay, I'm thin" to not engage in healthy habits.  

However that being said.  If you are 'normal' or 'underweight please don't try to gain.   We live in a world (especially America) that says we must all come out of the same flawless cookie cutter.  No one is flawless.  Beauty is what society makes it.  For example another fat "venus" statue was found. She is about 35000 years ago.  She was the image of beauty back then.

So beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Health as well.  I don't want thin to be the image of health and beauty. However I don't want fat to be that, either.  I want us to stop looking at a person and judging them.

The Good, The Bad and the Funny

The Good

It seems that Japan has done a study that shows that people in the "overweight" BMI category live the longest. And that it is more dangerous to be underweight than obese.This study was done on Japanese people between the ages of 40 to 79.  So much for dropping dead before 60.  This study was similar to ones done by the CDC which also said that people in the overweight category lived the longest.

But I say eat well and move and don't worry about your size whether it be big or small.

Check out fellow members of the Fatosphere Marianne Kirby of the Rotund and Gabrielle Gregg of Young, Fat and Fabulous on Good Morning America.  Many shots were filmed at my favorite store: Re/Dress. While Marianne and Gabrielle rock, there are some negatives aspects of the segment including the unflattering belly shots.

The Bad

Study Finds Higher Suicide Risk in Teens Who See Themselves as Overweight. This disturbs me because it's not just fat kids who are at risk but kids who think they are fat.  We keep saying we must make our kids thin, this is the result.

The Funny. (I decided to change this to give a more upbeat end).

I don't really like giving opportunist MeMe Roth any airtime.  However I just had a chuckle reading about her crusade against junk food at her children's school.  
"Her extreme methods have earned her attention before: The police were called to a Y.M.C.A. in 2007 when she absconded with the sprinkles and syrups on a table where members were being served ice cream."

MeMe Roth, sprinkle thief. Madame, if you must resort to theft, be bold: steal an ice cream truck.

Barbaric surgery

I've decided to blog today on a growing concern I'm having about the glamorization of Weight Loss Surgery. The message coming across by those who perform this life changing (although not necessarily changed for the better) procedure is "You'll get your life back!" It will cure diabetes, Sleep apnea, High BP, and even do your dishes (okay that last one isn't true).  It doesn't help that pressure comes from everywhere to lose weight or else you will die a horrible painful death. 

In the end WLS is nothing but enforced anorexia and bulimia if you eat too much.  You are forced to eat a lesser volume of food. Unlike other starvation diets, bingeing can't happen because it will probably result in vomiting (and that's not bulimia how?)  

It's toted as a cure all but what you get in exchange for the possible remission of certain diseases (the surgery has no guarantees regarding permanent remission) are higher incidences of new diseases such as malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, supplements for life, gallstones, repeat surgeries, and a new one: a double risk of fracture (although this study needs to be repeated with a larger group). Oh and weight regain and death. 

MSNBC reports that risks of getting this hack-and-slash gut reduction are often underreported.

Yet many people get the surgery knowing that it could kill them.  Is it the new lease on life they are looking for or is it freedom from a fat hating world?  Is it really health or just the appearance of it?  There is so much pressure to be thin.  And I will be honest with you.  For my entire 17 years dietitng, I said I wanted to be healthy, but really I wanted to be "pretty". 

I can't stop anyone from getting it, but please at least ignore celebrity endorsements, pushy doctors and medical companies.  Read everything about the side effects before you do it. Please remember that your stomach and intestines are major organs, the side effects may be worse than whatever medical issues you have now.

Where my money will go.

Last Saturday I went to Torrid and had a blast. This Friday I went to Re/Dress for shopping and a book reading and had a wonderful time.  A few days ago I found out some retailers were going to stop carrying plus sizes.  Ann Taylor would stop selling their size 16 in stores (BFD, They practically out of business anyway), Bloomies would carry less in their store and so on and blah blah blah.  Department stores have been having less and less plus sizes in their store. For the costs savings? Probably not.  Stores such as Macy's started removing plus sizes long before the recession. I think a lot of fat people don't shop at many of these stores because they have no idea they ever even had plus sizes.

Truth is, I think they don't want fat people in their stores.  Fatties are for the discount stores, they aren't chic.  And retailers aren't interested in changing.

So I say, don't cater to us.  That's right, Bloomies, Old Navy, Macy's, Ann Taylor, please continue to cater to the small (pun intended) supermodel population.  I'll be at Re/dress, Torrid, Lane Bryant, Marshalls, Igigi, Lee Lee's Valise.  They can have all my hard earn money.   

I'll sit back and laugh while I watch the stores that won't cater to 66% of the population struggle to survive. 

Adequate medical care.

Since I started yoyo dieting, I've suffered chronic fatigue (Which was significantly worse while losing weight).  I've seen *many* doctors about it and nothing has help me a lot.  So last week I finally saw an endocrinology to see if this fatigue issue was adrenal, thyroid or metabolism in nature.  It took me 20 minutes to make the appt and two months to see her.  In the meantime, I practiced my "I'm okay with being fat" speech.

When she came in, she asked what's wrong.  I started my speech about being fat and okay. She interrupted me.  Her eventual answer to why I am tired was disappointingly typical of medical professionals: because I am depressed and my body is working harder than it should be because I'm fat.

I think that is funny.  If my body is working harder because I'm fat, wouldn't I lose weight just from all that hard work?  Hard exercise produces endorphins which make you feel *great*, not tired. I think about fat aerobic instructors, I think of weight lifter Cheryl Haworth, I think of my fat friends who seem to have boundless energy.  I thought she was ridiculous and won't ever see her again.  

The problem is, she seems to be the rule, not the exception.  I have long had trouble finding an effective doctor who looks beyond my fat.  I've also heard horror stories of doctor's refusing to operate on fat patients (And I'm not talking about knees, I'm talking about life threatening illnesses).  There is a lot of bias in medical care.  Being treated like dirt will not want to make a person return to the doctor.  And being refused to treatment can lead to worsen conditions that would blamed on being fat rather than being refused treatment. 

We need bias removed from the medical care.  Just because someone is fat, doesn't mean they are ill. 

Also in the news, things fat are good for: Protecting you after heart surgery and from Osteoporosis.  So if you're thin and have these ailments, gain weight.  Gain it right now.  What's the matter? No will power?

Or perhaps we need to not dictate a person's size but their general health and well being.