Why aren't we allowed slag fat people?

Cavehill Red

Wibbs wrote: »

Since when are we not allowed slag fat people? There's a bloody thread in AH on a regular basis that boils down to one side saying "put down the pies fatty, you pig"(with a small bunch saying "we're all precious snowflakes"), so I dunno how the PC brigade are hampering the slagging of the overweight.

But you have this sort of self-deluding nonsense going on in the US, and like everything dumb and American (like eating until you're the size of the Goodyear blimp to begin with), it will inevitably come across the Atlantic and be spotted here too soon enough.
People who are ginger, or short, or wear glasses get abused for things that are congenital, and harm no one.
Why should people who are harming their own health, possibly passing that harm on to their kids and whose medical bills I'll have to subsidise get off?

Logical Fallacy

leggo wrote: »

I'm highly aware that this might hit a nerve...if it can find one. But why the **** aren't we allowed ridicule fat people?

I write this after hearing a funny clip on Loose Women where they were 'congratulating' some bird on getting a gastric bypass. Well done...you paid money to pretend you hadn't eaten. But whatever. The host turns around and says, "Well can I get a round of applause for never getting fat in the first place?"

I'm a smoker (and no bodybuilder myself either for the record...I'd be open to the odd slagging no doubt) and every day I hear "You're doing it to yourself", "You're going to die young" and so on.

But say that to a fat person and, woah betide, **** hits the fan.

If anything we should be jealous of them. I love Domino's. I wish I had eaten as much of it in my lifetime as they have.

Just a thought.

Slag whoever you want, but be prepared for a slagging in return.

Something tells me you are not as open to criticism as your "I'd be open to the odd slagging" comment implies.

leggo

The OP was half tongue-in-cheek with a serious point to let the conversation veer whatever way people wanted it to.

In all seriousness, I think being fat should be made societally unacceptable the same way smoking is. 99% of the time, it is caused by mere over-indulgence. I definitely don't think weight is something we should tip-toe around because people SHOULD be shamed into helping themselves the same way smokers are.

You can say 'live and let live' but in this case it's more 'live and let die'. That's what society is there for...to nudge you back into place when you get out of line. If you continue to ignore that then - while you're perfectly entitled to - it's at your own risk.

As far as the 'slagging' goes, I think anyone and anything should be open to slagging in the auld Irish way of "Sure I was only havin' a laugh like" but I wasn't genuinely suggesting that it be made socially acceptable to walk down the street and give overweight people dog's abuse.

Princess Peach

I would never say anything to someone who was overweight! Thats so hurtful and such a sensitive issue.

I never got "slagged for being fat" to a really mean extent, but my parents used to comment on how much junk my sister and I used to eat, and how it wouldn't hurt if we cut back and lost some weight, and in the end we both developed eating disorders I'm not sure we'll ever overcome. Now there were a lot of factors involved in this, but the point is you don't know how someone's going to react to you mentioning their weight.

People can be overweight for medical and psychological reasons, you being mean about it isn't really going to help much I think.

gcgirl

I just think people are way too jugdemental if I wanna be fat so be it if I wanna get rode bareback so be it if I wanna do every bloody illegal drug so be it if I wanna listen to jedward so be it if I want to shave my head so be it if I want to be a atheist so be it
My body my rules I'm sick of people preaching to others when they should cop on and look after there own ****

Princess Peach

Princess Peach wrote: »

I would never say anything to someone who was overweight! Thats so hurtful and such a sensitive issue.

I never got "slagged for being fat" to a really mean extent, but my parents used to comment on how much junk my sister and I used to eat, and how it wouldn't hurt if we cut back and lost some weight, and in the end we both developed eating disorders I'm not sure we'll ever overcome. Now there were a lot of factors involved in this, but the point is you don't know how someone's going to react to you mentioning their weight.

People can be overweight for medical and psychological reasons, you being mean about it isn't really going to help much I think.

Right, that's a ridiculous post.

Why's it so hurtful and why is it such a sensitive issue?
Since no medical or psychological reasons were involved in you becoming fat, what at these factors you mention that cause you to develop an eating disorder?
Why can't you overcome it? If it's not medical, you can overcome it.
How is commenting on someone being overweight mean? People slag skinny people without a second thought but once your overweight, you're suddenly a victim of some unnamed influence that means that it couldn't have been your fault.

And finally, what do you eat each day? And do you think cutting down would overcome this eating disorder?

I don't think fat people realise that a couple of days of not eating much lets your stomach shrink down and after that, you don't need as much food to get full.. Same thing with supper, eat supper and you'll be hungry in the morning, don't eat supper and you can easily skip breakfast. It's all very obvious.

Lumen

gcgirl wrote: »

I just think people are way too jugdemental if I wanna be fat so be it if I wanna get rode bareback so be it if I wanna do every bloody illegal drug so be it if I wanna listen to jedward so be it if I want to shave my head so be it if I want to be a atheist so be it
My body my rules I'm sick of people preaching to others when they should cop on and look after there own ****

I resent the implication that atheists are fat and do it bareback, bald, and on drugs whilst listening to jedward.

I don't even like jedward.

Logical Fallacy

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't think fat people realise that a couple of days of not eating much lets your stomach shrink down and after that, you don't need as much food to get full.. Same thing with supper, eat supper and you'll be hungry in the morning, don't eat supper and you can easily skip breakfast. It's all very obvious.

LoL, no it doesn't. Find me ONE decent study that will back that up and i will be absolutely amazed.

Riamfada

ah seriously if we didnt have fat people, watching the Biggest Loser with a sense of "Im better than these crying fatties" wouldnt be as much fun without the crying fatties/

PrincessLola

People slag fat people all the time.
Unless you're refering to slagging them 'to their faces' which is pretty mean.

Its not treated the same as smoking because even though the smoker is addicted its not like they're defined by it. Whereas a fat person is literally living with their fattness all the time and it is very much a part of who they are.

annetted

its just not nice to slag people. you don't know what their situation is..

ejmaztec

annetted wrote: »

its just not nice to slag people. you don't know what their situation is..

They would be situated in the chipper when they're socialising, or next to the fridge when they're at home, that's if they can manage to squeeze themselves back through the front door.

irelandrover

How is it not child abuse if you have an obese child. There are so many fat children and it is the parents fault. If it is a medical condition then that would be very easy prove and the parents get off.
A lot of people say that if you are a fat child it is very difficult to lose it as an adult. Start prosecuting parents for obese children and that problem goes away. It is also a defense that you need to educate people on how to eat healthy. Why? It is easy enough to read up on it. People learn how to be parents without classes. It should be one more part of becoming a parent. learning how to feed your child healthily.

Lumen

irelandrover wrote: »

A lot of people say that if you are a fat child it is very difficult to lose it as an adult.

Fat children move slower. This makes them easier to catch.

MonkieSocks

It was really Fat people who made the Dinosaurs extinct…......................they ate em all :pac:

fonecrusher1

I say share your hate equally. You can't let the fattys hog the hate.

- People who smoke disregard their personal health just as much as chunkers. Ever sit down next to a smoker in a cinema?...you lot stink.
- What about excessive drinkers who generally act the prick on a friday/saturday night & inevitably start on some poor fecker at 3 in the morning outside the local chipper?
- mono-nostril people who spend half their wages on stuff they pound up their noses every time they go to the toilet?
- People who have foul smelling breath because of rotten teeth caused by not brushing them/ eating too much sugary stuff.

Fat folks are fat because of excess. Its just their excess is immediately obvious due to their size. If your going to give out about people who over-indulge you could be here all day.

Wibbs

Cavehill Red wrote: »

But you have this sort of self-deluding nonsense going on in the US, and like everything dumb and American (like eating until you're the size of the Goodyear blimp to begin with), it will inevitably come across the Atlantic and be spotted here too soon enough.
People who are ginger, or short, or wear glasses get abused for things that are congenital, and harm no one.
Why should people who are harming their own health, possibly passing that harm on to their kids and whose medical bills I'll have to subsidise get off?

OH yea I hear you. And many diseases/conditions that are becoming more common are mostly down to too much food. Insulin resistance? Check. Full blown type 2 diabetes? Check(and without seriously good management leads to a shedload of bad health karma). PCOS in women seems to have a dubious diet as one of it's fundamental causes(genetics too, but the majority of PCOS women are overweight/insulin resistant), so semi check there. Heart disease? Check. Stroke? Check Certain cancers? Check. Wear on the joints? Check. Depression? Check(though like PCOS chicken egg time) The list is long and its arguably longer than the effects of smoking.

So yep in agreement there, but... it is different to smoking or drinking in many ways and comparing it to an addiction is unhelpful I reckon. It needs a different approach. Maybe the "oh its disgusting" approach could work as it did with smoking. 30 years ago smoking was considered way cool, yet today you'll get people having a mental stroke because they smell smoke as they walk into a pub. All in their heads and all about perception and the anti smoking campaign. Maybe you could hypnotise a whole population in a similar way over eating crap? Dodgy though. As it is the thin model syndrome has fostered a fair bit of eating disorders. It's not a simple problem.

Logical Fallacy

irelandrover wrote: »

A lot of people say that if you are a fat child it is very difficult to lose it as an adult.

This is also a myth.

If you are a fat child it is probably a mix of things from geographical, social, home diet enforced by parents and many other things.

As an adult, you are largely in control of yourself, should have a degree of will power and drive and it should be a lot easier for you to make the changes required to maintain a healthy weight.

Logical Fallacy

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

LoL, no it doesn't. Find me ONE decent study that will back that up and i will be absolutely amazed.

What's the LoL for? Ask most people and they'll say that if they eat fek all for a while, they can't finish a big meal the next time they eat.. I couldn't afford much food in college and a small meal would leave me feeling full.

Lumen

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

This is also a myth.

If you are a fat child it is probably a mix of things from geographical, social, home diet enforced by parents and many other things.

As an adult, you are largely in control of yourself, should have a degree of will power and drive and it should be a lot easier for you to make the changes required to maintain a healthy weight.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0887/is_n5_v17/ai_20735572/

fonecrusher1

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

I say share your hate equally. You can't let the fattys hog the hate.

- People who smoke disregard their personal health just as much as chunkers. Ever sit down next to a smoker in a cinema?...you lot stink.
- What about excessive drinkers who generally act the prick on a friday/saturday night & inevitably start on some poor fecker at 3 in the morning outside the local chipper?
- mono-nostril people who spend half their wages on stuff they pound up their noses every time they go to the toilet?
- People who have foul smelling breath because of rotten teeth caused by not brushing them/ eating too much sugary stuff.

Fat folks are fat because of excess. Its just their excess is immediately obvious due to their size. If your going to give out about people who over-indulge you could be here all day.

They don't though.. Each example apart from breath on your list is more openly slagged and criticised than weight.

Logical Fallacy

Deleted User wrote: »

What's the LoL for? Ask most people and they'll say that if they eat fek all for a while, they can't finish a big meal the next time they eat.. I couldn't afford much food in college and a small meal would leave me feeling full.

Because you cannot shrink the size of your stomach (without surgery), and to say otherwise is reckless misinformation, especially when finishing your post with "it's obvious really".

Hence the lol, because you were so convinced you were right while being so far from the truth.:)

People will have varying degrees of hunger for assorted reasons. One of which is an actual physical need to ingest food for energy and body function and the other will be trained hunger signals.

In the case of trained hunger signals, people who may have adopted comfort eating habits in the past may end up convincing themselves that they are hungry more often, so eat more.

In the case of people who eat less, they may convince themselves that they are less hungry less often. Even things like eating your food at a slower pace allows the body to adjust to calorific intake better as there can be a delay in signaling from the stomach to the brain that enough food has been ingested and to shut down hunger signals.

Don't get me wrong, i kind of understand why you think what you think, but that doesn't mean that what you think is correct.

Noreen1

OP, why should you be "allowed" to slag anyone?

eg. Is the smoker who started smoking 30-40 years ago, when health risks were not well known, as responsible for their health problems as someone who can now find information on the risks involved, and still decides to start smoking?

As a society, we cannot know the underlying reasons for why people behave as they do. It's true that some people are overweight because they eat too much. It's also true that some people eat too much for psychological reasons.
Then there are people who are overweight because of medical conditions.

You can't seriously believe that the solution to all these problems is to be "allowed" to slag people - do you?

Different problems require different solutions - though I can't see how a negative solution like slagging would work very well.

Logical Fallacy

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Because you cannot shrink the size of your stomach (without surgery), and to say otherwise is reckless misinformation, especially when finishing your post with "it's obvious really".

Hence the lol, because you were so convinced you were right while being so far from the truth.:)

People will have varying degrees of hunger for assorted reasons. One of which is an actual physical need to ingest food for energy and body function and the other will be trained hunger signals.

In the case of trained hunger signals, people who may have adopted comfort eating habits in the past may end up convincing themselves that they are hungry more often, so eat more.

In the case of people who eat less, they may convince themselves that they are less hungry less often. Even things like eating your food at a slower pace allows the body to adjust to calorific intake better as there can be a delay in signaling from the stomach to the brain that enough food has been ingested and to shut down hunger signals.

Don't get me wrong, i kind of understand why you think what you think, but that doesn't mean that what you think is correct.

Fair enough, so it doesn't make your stomach shrink but mentally, it's the same result? Sounds even better.. and easier.

I started puttin on some weight when I started workin and it was so easy to change it around.. Lost it again instantly.

fonecrusher1

Deleted User wrote: »

What's the LoL for? Ask most people and they'll say that if they eat fek all for a while, they can't finish a big meal the next time they eat.

your talking absolute crap & you should be careful about handing out health-related advice like that in case someone actually takes it as good advice.

If your overweight & you stop eating or eat very little 'for a while' your body essentially goes into shock from the sudden diet change, your bowel movements will almost cease to retain whatever is in your system & basically its very bad for your digestive system & generally not a smart idea. Its called starvation mode. Your body begins to break down itself (muscle, tissue, organs) to accommodate its calorific requirements.

Logical Fallacy

Deleted User wrote: »

Fair enough, so it doesn't make your stomach shrink but mentally, it's the same result? Sounds even better.. and easier.

I started puttin on some weight when I started workin and it was so easy to change it around.. Lost it again instantly.

Bingo, you are basically retraining how you think about food, and how your body demands it and how you interpret the assorted signals your body gives you.

I always found that clients who stuck to a dietary structure for 4 to 5 weeks, and i mean absolutely stuck to it, would find it a lot easier to maintain healthy eating habits outside of a monitored plan.

Likewise, clients that i KNEW were telling me they were sticking to the plan but were actually eating other foods as well would have the worst results with regard to trying to maintain healthy eating on their own.

Cavehill Red

Wibbs wrote: »

Maybe the "oh its disgusting" approach could work as it did with smoking. 30 years ago smoking was considered way cool, yet today you'll get people having a mental stroke because they smell smoke as they walk into a pub. All in their heads and all about perception and the anti smoking campaign. Maybe you could hypnotise a whole population in a similar way over eating crap? Dodgy though. As it is the thin model syndrome has fostered a fair bit of eating disorders. It's not a simple problem.

I read that post a page or so ago from the girl who basically accused her parents of causing her and her sister to develop eating disorders 'they'll never recover from' because they were told not to eat so many sweeties.
Have to say, that raised a serious eyebrow. If every child who was told to ease up on the candy developed an eating disorder, we'd all have one.

As you point out, obesity causes a massive list of illness, which costs money to the taxpayer to treat, reduces quality of life and leads to early death. Is it worth the gamble of possibly triggering an eating disorder in a tiny fraction of the obese by insisting on honesty with all of them?

I said earlier I'm not into abuse. But surely it would be reasonable to scorn the concept of 'fat liberation', condemn so-called 'real women' advertising which glorifies overweight people, reject as role models people like Dawn French or Beth Ditto who revel in their obesity and insist to people that they take some responsibility for their condition?

Many obese people are obese because of low self-esteem. They comfort eat. The answer to their esteem issues isn't food. It's the opposite. Developing the discipline to eat properly and exercise is a process of liberation. They become not only healthier but more empowered, more in control of their appetites and their lives. They become more physically attractive to others. And in that process, their self-esteem improves automatically.

Elle Collins

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Your body begins to break down itself (muscle, tissue, organs) to accommodate its calorific requirements.

The human body only begins to break down muscle and tissue etc when it has used up every last fat cell in the body.

fonecrusher1

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

your talking absolute crap & you should be careful about handing out health-related advice like that in case someone actually takes it as good advice.

If your overweight & you stop eating or eat very little 'for a while' your body essentially goes into shock from the sudden diet change, your bowel movements will almost cease to retain whatever is in your system & basically its very bad for your digestive system & generally not a smart idea. Its called starvation mode. Your body begins to break down itself (muscle, tissue, organs) to accommodate its calorific requirements.

Well I didn't mean it to the point of hitting starvation mode.. I mean that reducing it from 3500 calories to say 1800 calories will work and you won't feel as hungry. Your body will adapt to it. If you keep eating when you're hungry, it just gets into a bad routine..
And I am far from talking absolute crap. Very far from it. I'm saying eat less, you won't feel as hungry and you will lose weight. Standard advice and if I have the medical reasons wrong, fair enough.. But it's still good advice.

thomasj

Cook my sock wrote: »

I slag fatties all the time.

Hi Marjorie