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  #1   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 02:29
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
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Default Is the game finally up for ‘fat-fluencers’?

Quote:
From The Telegraph
London, UK
5 May, 2019

As another study points to the dangers of obesity, is the game finally up for ‘fat-fluencers’?

A couple of reports published last week added to an ever-growing body of evidence about the dangers of being overweight. One landmark study, of 2.8 million Britons, found that being obese increases the risk of type 2 diabetes ninefold and heart failure by 70 per cent. Another found that childhood obesity could be reduced with classes teaching parents how to say ‘No’ when children ask for snacks.

But one group of people are completely unconcerned about this advice – the “fat acceptance” movement, whose proponents preach that it’s fine to be fat, and that diets are harmful. Many gather on social media under hashtags such as #fatspo, short for “fat inspiration”, a topsy-turvy version of the infamous #thinspo, which was banned from Instagram in 2012 for fear that it encouraged eating disorders.

Search for the #fatspo hashtag, however, and it brings up thousands of pictures of people proudly showing off their overweight bodies. Many are not concerned about the health risks of carrying too much fat, whereas others believe there is no risk at all.

Their main aim is to tackle “diet culture” and “fatphobia”, and confront the prejudice that larger people say they receive from wider society. They hope to dilute the fitness and weight-loss posts still routinely found on social media with “body-positive” messages of their own.

Sofie Hagen, a stand-up comedian and author of a memoir Happy Fat: Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You (Fourth Estate, £12.99), posts pictures of her bare belly to her 44,700 followers on Instagram. “Yeah, sure, I’ll glorify obesity!” she says. “Ninety-nine per cent of the time, I truly, genuinely, love every part of my body.”

Another so-called ‘fat-fluencer’, 34-year-old Leanda Lewis, posts pictures of herself in plus-size fashion on Instagram with the username just_eat_the_doughnut. “Being mean to fat people is the last prejudice that it’s OK to have,” she says.

Certainly, in trying to reverse negative opinions in society at large about being fat – and in spite of evidence that society itself is growing ever larger – they have their work cut out. A benchmark 1991 study of people who had lost large amounts of weight found that most would rather go blind than ever be fat again.

Yet with their raucous trumpeting of anti-body shaming slogans (“You are a freaking goddess… just be who you are!”), fat-fluencers have tapped into a rising societal awareness of the importance of mental health in overall wellbeing. It's an issue championed by Amy Pence-Brown, an American “radical fat activist” who often posts pictures of herself naked or in a bikini on Instagram. She runs “body-positive boot camps” in Idaho, where women and teenage girls come to learn to accept how they look, whatever size or shape.

“We talk about ‘whole health’, which includes mental health, physical health and emotional health”, she says. “It’s about health, not weight or BMI [body mass index] or what we eat and how much we exercise.”

The movement’s rejection of dieting has some basis in medical science; it has already been shown to be nearly impossible to become a normal weight if you are obese – and Sofie Hagen describes the chances of a diet working as “ironically, slim”. One study of 176,000 people over nine years found that less than 1 in 100 obese women and less than 1 in 200 obese men will ever become a normal weight.

“There is a range of weight that your body is biologically programmed to be most comfortable at,” says Dr Linda Bacon, author of Health at Every Size. “You have physiological mechanisms to keep people in that range. Eating less will result in you gaining weight, not losing it,” she says. Instead of dieting, Dr Bacon recommends eating to your body’s natural signals of hunger and fullness for the best health.

Campaigners often hit back at health warnings about being overweight, claiming these are merely derogatory towards fat people. Last year, Hagen accused Cancer Research of “fat-shaming” after the charity ran a campaign pointing out that obesity increases cancer risk. She called an advert that featured a picture of some chips inside a cigarette packet “a piece of s---”.

Leanda agrees. “I would challenge doctors who said I had to lose weight,” she says. “People think I’m unhealthy, but I go to the gym three times a week, I have a three-storey house, I have two children and run a bridal shop, so I’m not sitting on my bum all day.

“The last time I had a prescription for anything was 2012. I only used the NHS to have my two babies, who were totally healthy.”

But, for all the best efforts of the social media fat-fluencers, the biggest ever study of obesity in the UK has served as a reminder of several long-held inconvenient truths – not least that excess weight carries a significant risk of death and disease.

“I completely understand that there is a huge weight stigma and weight bias in our society and that’s something we need to fight,” says Nigel Hinchliffe, a clinical nutritionist and expert in weight management at the College of Contemporary Health at London South Bank University.

“However, if you’re carrying a lot of excess weight, it’s not good for your health. People who are obese have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and joint pain.”

The #fatspo campaigners have raised two important points: that far too many people do not like how they look, and that suggested methods of losing weight are not working. For some, using social media to post pictures of themselves fat and happy is a way for them to love their bodies.

But there might be an even more positive way to put this self-love into action – eating better and exercising more.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/l...-fat-fluencers/
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  #2   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 04:00
FREE2BEME's Avatar
FREE2BEME FREE2BEME is offline
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Plan: Atkins & IF
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So...I have less than a 1% chance of reaching a normal weight. That’s pretty dismal. 😞
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  #3   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 04:44
shalissar shalissar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FREE2BEME
So...I have less than a 1% chance of reaching a normal weight. That’s pretty dismal. 😞


Would be easier if we didn't have an entire bloody industry capitalizing on the uneducated and vulnerable with high sugar + high fat bullshit. They pour time and money into research and marketing just to make you come back for more of their poison. And people (corporate shills) still want to put it down to folks who just want a goddamn modicum of decency afforded to any other human being. Oh those damn fatfluencers, how dare they.

I'm never going to be metabolically normal enough to be the normal skinny person but I'll be damned if I put another red cent into predatory big sugar's pocket.

Not going to be a popular opinion, but until cookies and other crap is put in white packages, kept behind a counter, and 10 buckets a packet the obesity problem will never be solved.
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  #4   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 06:42
jschwab jschwab is offline
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Oh god the British are such jerks. Who the hell writes articles like this and can look at themselves in the mirror?
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  #5   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 07:01
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cotonpal cotonpal is online now
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Plan: very low carb real food
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What I have believed for a long time is that fat shaming is horrible and the fat positivity movement is in part a reaction to the pervasive fat shaming that goes on in all parts of this society. Unfortunately this social justice aspect of the issue gets confused with the science so that the science along with the shaming are condemned. Of course much of what passes for science (eat less, move more) is simply wrong so it's easy to see why fat people would reject it all. It is a complicated issue and this article is too simple minded to even begin to address all the problems that exist around weight, science, politics, social justice. It all has to start with the understanding that first everyone must be treated with respect, not shamed and penalized.
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  #6   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 13:05
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Merpig Merpig is offline
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And there are plenty of people, many right here in these forums - who feel they have found a new WOE that’s going to help and heal them, yet they are still FAT. If you start out at over 375 pounds like I did you are going to be *morbidly obese* for a long time, probably for years, regardless of how strict you are on your WOE. When strangers see you they just see a fat person. They don’t see the months and years of struggle you’ve gone to just to get to the point you are at. So of course all people deserve respect regardless of their size as we have no clue of the journey they’ve been on.
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  #7   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 13:22
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GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cotonpal
What I have believed for a long time is that fat shaming is horrible and the fat positivity movement is in part a reaction to the pervasive fat shaming that goes on in all parts of this society. Unfortunately this social justice aspect of the issue gets confused with the science so that the science along with the shaming are condemned. Of course much of what passes for science (eat less, move more) is simply wrong so it's easy to see why fat people would reject it all. It is a complicated issue and this article is too simple minded to even begin to address all the problems that exist around weight, science, politics, social justice. It all has to start with the understanding that first everyone must be treated with respect, not shamed and penalized.

Very well stated. The rampant misunderstanding of food addiction and the particular role that various carbs, prevalence of sugars, and certain fats (manufactured seed oils) have in the scheme of eating is sad. Then the science must accurately support what constitutes healthy eating, and we're not close yet. Shaming is unacceptable. Eating less is hardly practical when one is dealing with an addiction. I remember being very confused that I could not drop weight even though I thought I was eating "healthy." Many with various hidden agendas continue distorting information and robbing people of the ability to develop a belief in a healthy path.
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  #8   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 14:59
jschwab jschwab is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shalissar
Would be easier if we didn't have an entire bloody industry capitalizing on the uneducated and vulnerable with high sugar + high fat bullshit. They pour time and money into research and marketing just to make you come back for more of their poison. And people (corporate shills) still want to put it down to folks who just want a goddamn modicum of decency afforded to any other human being. Oh those damn fatfluencers, how dare they.

I'm never going to be metabolically normal enough to be the normal skinny person but I'll be damned if I put another red cent into predatory big sugar's pocket.

Not going to be a popular opinion, but until cookies and other crap is put in white packages, kept behind a counter, and 10 buckets a packet the obesity problem will never be solved.



When I saw the headline, I thought they were going after the junk food industry that made people fat!
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  #9   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 15:35
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bkloots bkloots is offline
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Plan: LC--Atkins
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Quote:
So of course all people deserve respect regardless of their size as we have no clue of the journey they’ve been on.
Exactly.

Size, color, gender, age, etc.

My general observation has been that being fat doesn't prevent people from being loved, being happy, being active, being productive.

I do believe statistics and reports which show that people who are observed to be fat face discrimination in employment, health care, public accommodations (what about those airplane seats??), and more. Unacknowledged prejudice is the worst.

I like to think this forum does a good job of encouraging people to love themselves and do their best to attain a level of health and comfort that makes life a little (or a lot) better.
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  #10   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 15:50
jschwab jschwab is offline
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Plan: Atkins72/Paleo/NoGrain/IF
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I think often, too, there is a disconnect with people's understanding of fat and disability. So many people with chronic diseases become fat due to forces beyond their control. Not to mention environmental toxins, hormone disruptors, the freakin' dysfunctional food chain. The narrative that it's people eating ice cream and Doritos in their bedroom closet is enraging.

Also this. I have a swim buddy who fat. Did she just swim seven miles last weekend in a marathon open water swim? Yes. If she goes to the supermarket and buys some ice cream after her races, do people wonder about her choices?

Also this. Thin people eat crap. Crap, crap, crap. And never exercise. And it's fine. As long as they remain thin.
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  #11   ^
Old Sun, May-05-19, 19:54
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FREE2BEME FREE2BEME is offline
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Plan: Atkins & IF
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Merpig
And there are plenty of people, many right here in these forums - who feel they have found a new WOE that’s going to help and heal them, yet they are still FAT. If you start out at over 375 pounds like I did you are going to be *morbidly obese* for a long time, probably for years, regardless of how strict you are on your WOE. When strangers see you they just see a fat person. They don’t see the months and years of struggle you’ve gone to just to get to the point you are at. So of course all people deserve respect regardless of their size as we have no clue of the journey they’ve been on.

Oh goodness!! This!! ^^^^^^^^^

It’s so upsetting when people in my community who have never had more than maybe 10 pounds of weight to lose try to tell me, “you know, if you just eat less meat (common belief here) you’ll lose that weight”. Or “I needed to lose weight too (again, maybe 10 pounds), but I started walking after dinner and dropped it”. I’m so tempted to overshare and explain to them, “actually I’ve lost nearly 60 pounds (in 3 long years) trying to eat appropriate amounts of meat and reducing my carbs...which are the main staple of your diet”. The first 30 took over 2 years, so for me, it took a while to get the ball rolling. No one noticed my weight loss and continues to give me “advice” or rather, judgement. I felt guilty for buying a birthday cake or ice cream for my kids or for going on shopping runs for the church because of the looks I would get. It’s terribly frustrating. But again, as long as you’re thin, it’s okay to eat garbage, I guess. 🤷‍♀️
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  #12   ^
Old Mon, May-06-19, 04:49
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DaisyDawn DaisyDawn is offline
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Plan: Higher P/Moderate F + C
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FREE2BEME
So...I have less than a 1% chance of reaching a normal weight. That’s pretty dismal. 😞


Studies I've seen put the number at somewhere in the 80% failure rate for long term weight management adherence, past the 2 year mark. Meaning most people fail to maintain their weight loss past 2 years, after they've hit their goal weight, (and this is regardless of what plan is followed, the failure rate is pretty consistent across the board).

There are those who do successfully maintain long term though, if you haven't heard of the NWCR (National Weight Control Registry) before I'd suggest checking it out. It's an ongoing study that follows successful maintainers (I'm a participant and my data has been used in some of their work).

eta: I read your post wrong, I thought you were talking about maintaining your loss, not the weight loss phase. The weight loss phase is pretty easy though, all things considered. It's a few months-few years vs 20, 30, 40+ years of maintenance. I've found that maintenance is much harder to do than the weight loss phase. There's a few of us who are doing it though, so it is possible as long as you go into it realizing what you're up against.

Last edited by DaisyDawn : Mon, May-06-19 at 06:04.
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  #13   ^
Old Mon, May-06-19, 06:11
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bkloots bkloots is offline
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Hi, DaisyDawn. Unfortunately, the long-running NWCR has never acknowledged the increase in maintenance success by adherents to all the forms of low-carb eating. I don't know what dietary entries you made, but many of us who began participating ten or more years ago have had no opportunity to update our data.
Their advice? "Eat less, move more." In fact, move a LOT more. Last time I looked, they advised that maintainers managed severe calorie restrictions and 90 minutes of exercise a day!

Sorry. This is not helpful.

Another troublesome aspect of living with a larger body is buying clothes. I regularly purchase tops and pants and other items from a couple of catalogs featuring larger sizes. The service, quality, colors, and styles--and especially prices!--are very appealing. In the past couple of years, these catalogs have begun photographing actual larger people wearing the clothes. Wow. What a concept! You can't doubt that these women look beautiful, and are obviously having fun in those swimsuits. Of course, as they are models, they are getting paid to look good, too.
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  #14   ^
Old Mon, May-06-19, 06:33
tess9132 tess9132 is offline
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Now that I'm no longer obese people are much nicer to me. It's remarkable really. So I see where these fat acceptance people are coming from. But I also think it's naive to say, "Just eat the doughnut!"

Eventually, all that sugar will do a number on these people. At 34, Leanda Lewis is still young, so it's possible she doesn't have joint pain yet. But she will. And her blood pressure will start climbing. My guess is it'll happen about 5 years from now, give or take 2 years. That is, if she's not consumed by her own anger first. https://www.instagram.com/just_eat_the_doughnut/
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  #15   ^
Old Mon, May-06-19, 06:36
DaisyDawn's Avatar
DaisyDawn DaisyDawn is offline
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Plan: Higher P/Moderate F + C
Stats: 152/146.6/130 Female 66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bkloots
Hi, DaisyDawn. Unfortunately, the long-running NWCR has never acknowledged the increase in maintenance success by adherents to all the forms of low-carb eating. I don't know what dietary entries you made, but many of us who began participating ten or more years ago have had no opportunity to update our data.
Their advice? "Eat less, move more." In fact, move a LOT more. Last time I looked, they advised that maintainers managed severe calorie restrictions and 90 minutes of exercise a day!

Sorry. This is not helpful.

Another troublesome aspect of living with a larger body is buying clothes. I regularly purchase tops and pants and other items from a couple of catalogs featuring larger sizes. The service, quality, colors, and styles--and especially prices!--are very appealing. In the past couple of years, these catalogs have begun photographing actual larger people wearing the clothes. Wow. What a concept! You can't doubt that these women look beautiful, and are obviously having fun in those swimsuits. Of course, as they are models, they are getting paid to look good, too.


Don't you get the annual survey/periodic surveys? These allow you to answer questions about what you're currently doing to successfully maintain.
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