What do you think of the weight is just a number mentality?

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This thread wasn't created to give health advice. I asked for an opinion on not my opinion of what I think of myself but what other people's opinion was on the just a number and beautiful no matter what mentality they have expressed towards me. I've also gotten rather cruel comments, too.

In case you all missed my other post:

By the way, when I'm talking about the beautiful no matter what thing, I'm referring to other people's mentality towards me. That isn't my mentality. I wanted to clear that up.

Eat too many calories? Whatever. I don't eat a lot of junk food, I despise fast food. I'm not some freaking stereotype.

A lot of times when I've told people about my clothing size they assume the worst, that I'm some lazy slob who eats like a glutton. I keep track of every little thing I eat and do not go above my calorie limit which I have on My Fitness Pal.

I wasn't going to say all of this, but I decided to clear it all up. The people who said that didn't make me feel better. They actually made me remember that I work and have worked very hard to get where I am today.

People assume that I'm insecure. People assume the worst about me. I've had boyfriends and I have a good life that isn't centered around Burger King and snack cakes.

My lifestyle isn't sitting on the couch all day and wishing I was someone and something I'm clear as day not.

speaking as somebody who has had to battle his weight for decades now- I can say for a fact that your feet, ankles, knees and back will feel lots better with less weight to carry around. it is not a judgment about appearance but one about being able to move about easier.

Of course. And I'm sure I addressed this in my very first reply to you - which wasn't met with hostility.

But if others are defending obesity, I have to make a stand, as at a base level it is very dangerous to make others feel good about something that is potentially very dangerous to their health.


I'll now be completely honest with you RE others' comments - and this isn't cruelty, just honesty:

1) Yes, others may think you look beautiful
2) Others may think you look overweight but don't want to offend you
3) Others may be overweight/obese, therefore telling you that you look beautiful means they don't have to face their own weight issues.

Or a number of other reasons.


What you think of yourself is probably more important. Stand naked in front of the mirror - then address any issues you have (if any at all).

If you think you're beautiful, great. Who cares what others think.

Assuming beauty is your motivation, rather than health. Which is possibly the wrong way around. However, that isn't the nature of the thread.


Again, don't take offence - which you likely will:

You must have at one point consumed too many calories.

If you aim to lose weight, you'll need to consume below the recommended daily calorie intake. Otherwise you'll stay as you are.

Which, if you're happy with your appearance etc, isn't a problem.


To get to the point RE your post:

1) Is weight just a number? No.
2) Can overweight people be 'pretty'? Yes, of course.

But they are overweight pretty people.

The leading causes of death in the Western world are generally most caused by how we eat. Excess weight has a large correlation with death from diseases of affluence. Objectively it has been quantified and established that obesity is not healthy, therefore excess weight is not just a number but a health risk.

I was obese from childhood until my late 20's. I finally decided to do something about it after I started getting chest pains at rest and seeing someone much leaner than me suffer a heart attack.

When I started I weighed in at 368 pounds. I currently weigh about 180. At 6'2" I am in the healthy weight range. Beating obesity is statistically very unlikely.

All of the people who gave me the crap I stated earlier were far from overweight or obese. Don't assume what my motivation is because I know myself way better than people I meet online.

I don't take offense to what people say about my appearance. If someone said I looked overweight or called me fat, it wouldn't affect me one single bit.

I still cannot believe how off topic my thread got.

I don't assume. Hence I said 'may'.

Read what I write before projecting your own issues on to what you think I've said.

PS I haven't once insulted you.

If anything, I've tried to help. But your ego is taking it as an insult.


Yet the offence you are taking in this thread would suggest otherwise.

Why give more detail to your opening thread than simply asking the question you wanted to ask, then get offended when others comment on what you wrote?

Your initial post would have been better as a one-sentence question.


Grow up and stop taking a hissy fit.

Everything is “just a number”: the number of years you’ll live, the number of pounds you can lift, the number of jobs you’ll be fired from or you’ll never get in the first place due to poor health, the number of otherwise potential partners who’ll tell you to f**k off for being in bad shape, the number of times you’ll get taken advantage of by people who would be deterred if you were fit, the number of interesting things you could do in life if only your body fat didn’t prevent you from breathing in enough air to have the energy to do them, the number of times your poor balance will make you break an arm or a leg.... Who cares!—just numbers, right?

1. I've had plenty of internships. I was a dishwasher, I did food prep, helped set up for a cafe and was an intern at three different elementary schools for four years.
2. I've had plenty of boyfriends which were all attractive and not obese. One of them was smoking hot, too.
3. As far as interesting things go, I've been to lighthouses, shopped at the mall and small business like boutiques, been to a battle of the bands concert, went to so many museums I've lost track, been to aquariums on multiple occasions, went to see the ballet, Swan Lake in a super cute dress, went to an amusement park and went on three different rides maybe even four, went to see a trebuchet launch pumpkins, went to Halloween party, went to a Valentine's Day dance with one of my ex boyfriends, went ice skating, bowling, to a corn maze, went on field trips in school, gone to festivals and parades, went to feed cute animals at a farm, stayed at a cabin in the woods and went for walks in the woods, I did track and field in 8th grade. I'm sure I've many more than that, too. I also sang in the school chorus and used to play cello for a school orchestra in 6th grade and did spoken word at various different schools and many other things.

My magic magnifying mind needs a smaller glass and projector.
The number for today was for laps in the pool versus hamburger.

It's a life thing.

Me

How about you get over yourself...you're clearly ignoring that people here talk about regularly walking and eating healthy diets and still being considered over-weight. Genetics play a role in ones body shape for one, so its not all in 'choice' also there are various conditions that can cause weight gain in people. Also you don't help people by insulting them, guilt tripping them and being an a** and then trying to pass it off as 'helpful advice' sorry not how it works.

I already responded to that, and said I disagree with the people saying those kinds of things.

I’m sorry if you took it as a personal attack against you. I knew basically nothing about you so far and you’ve already said you’re not affected by the typical problems of obesity, so I didn’t expect you to feel the need to defend yourself, but I must admit people often do feel it when I’m in fact arguing for their side, which is one of the reasons I’m slowly learning never to try to debate anything with anyone. I was using a generic you to criticize the “it’s just a number” cop-out, since it can be used to stop caring about anything you want to. I was actually thinking more of myself than anyone else as a shameful example of obesity. I’m also used to having all my concerns systematically invalidated all my life—there never seems to be a reason good enough to do anything about them.

@sonicallysensitive

You really simplify people weight issues an awful lot. Losing weight takes alot more than just eating as few calories as possible and exercising as much as you can. There are a number of mental and biological factors that also make it nearly impossible for some people to lose weight...

If only life were as simple as... if you want to just do something about it... It doesn't always work like that.

Most overweight people at one point or another, suffered or suffers with a food addiction. Or at least comfort eating. When we are depressed it's normal to seek comforts, and some people did not have friends or supportive families to teach us healthy coping mechanisms. Some of us get overwhelmed by the pursuit of pleasure that it's hard to always make sounds decisions. In short, people have vices, and vices can get out of control very easily if you're an emotionally compromised person.

For others, and some of those, it's merely a matter of wanting to enjoy one's life. Life brings limited pleasures, for me at least... and so people seek pleasure to enrich their life experiences. For some, the pursuit of pleasure is their reason for living. Again, it can become destructive, but life isn't a game that whoever lasts the longest wins. Maybe some people don't care if they die in the 50s if it means they get to live a life free of constant stress over what the are eating, how many calories, not being able to go out to eat really, havign to constantly block off time for exercise in an already busy life... some people just want to live. It's why some people drink, and smoke and do drugs and have indiscriminate sex, and do extreme sports and all the other things that "can kill you" but makes life living for those people...

So who the hell are you to decide it's your job to police anyone who dares find self confidence outside of your view of what people should weigh? It's not any of your business. At all. So mind your damn business. You tried telling me the same s**t about my calories and blah blah... and were way off. So stop assuming and oversimplifying a complicated and dynamic problem for most people or else you'll just come off as the ignorant dick that you've appeared to be...

No genetics can make you stop spending energy as long as you’re alive, so you will always lose weight if you starve yourself hard enough and are brutal enough with yourself. Therefore, it is a choice, no matter how painful it may be.

You can lose weight that way but also will not be healthy and could be worse off than the weight you started at. Starving yourself is a great way to f**k with your blood sugar and metabolism. And if you do the body breaks down muscles first... so that's smart.

And you're clearly ignoring that they must still be consuming too many calories - or maintaining a calorie intake that sustains their weight as overweight/obese.



I don't dispute genetics doesn't play a role in body composition. I don't believe I've ever said the contrary.

Are you putting words in my mouth?

Do you know statistically how many people have a genetic condition that is the primary cause of obesity?


The biggest cause of weight gain is consuming too many calories and not exercising enough.

Sugar-coat it all you want, but facts are facts.



Implying obesity is the product of genetics when statistically this is an almost-zero likelihood is the true BS - not what I've written here.

1) Stating obesity as almost always the product of consuming too many calories and not exercising enough is fact, not an insult

2) Someone feeling guilt due to this is their own issue.



There's too much nonsense on this forum.

Telling someone exactly what they want to hear is possibly the worst thing you can do for them - especially so when it comes to weight.


Given you've directly insulted me in the above post by calling me an arse, I'm reporting you.


Not smart - just stupid.