While being plump is fine, surely being very over weight or obese is unhealthy.

It's not about discrimination , it's about health.

I'm worried that this thread is turning into support for being fat, when surely we are all here because we want to lose weight?

I agree that we shouldn't lose weight to please others but for ourselves, however we could navel gaze and split hairs forever about where out self esteem originates .

Surely losing weight is about exercising restraint, not constraint. If we can gain control over our bodies, our emotions and our actions then we can act with integrity and good manners.

To quote Stephanie Dowrick:
"Restraint is not a habit. It is every time it happens, a fresh act of will, an expression of your freedom to decide for yourself. An expression of your choice to act- or not. Your choice to be true to waht you believe is important, or not. Your choice to be loving to yourself and thoughtful about the social good, or not"

The social good is significant.

I would be sorry to see this thread disintegrate into Fat people versus The Thin.