Tess Holiday, Plus size model

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

I'm not sure how I feel about what has become more than acceptance, but promoting of morbid obesity. I am happy that people of all sizes can enjoy fashionable clothing, but knowing long-term health is frequently compromised, I can't really deny that I am disturbed by the movement to normalize a serious health issue. I feel it is similar to the pro-anorexia movement which I also find disturbing.

 

http://t.today.com/style/plus-size-model-tess-holliday-makes-history-leads-effyourbeautystandards-positive-2D80454218

 

What say the Hive?

[Catwoman]

I agree.

 

I think there is a big difference between telling a woman she shouldn't judge her self-worth based upon the size of her body and telling that same woman that she should embrace and celebrate the fact that she is 100 pounds overweight.

 

In short, I think it is awful for a woman to be embarrassed and ashamed about the way she looks, but I don't think it's so great to act like being morbidly obese is a desirable thing because of the serious long term health implications. Sure, it's possible to be very overweight and still healthy, but it becomes more and more of an issue as we age.

 

I think it's great that there are successful models in all shapes and sizes, but to actively promote obesity as being a good thing seems to be sending the wrong message.

[goldberry]

Wow.  

 

I believe there is a large range of "healthy" weights, and we need to see more of that.

 

But outside the range of healthy weight, the risk and implications are real.  Not diggin' it.

[laughing lioness]

As a plus size woman with genetic issues I have had to come to terms with my body- size, height, genetic coding and all. Thankfully, my dh imprinted on my younger, far more beautiful body, so it's all good,   :001_cool: . 

 

So, yeah, you've got to embrace what you've got. Howevah, there are several issues with this chick that have my therapist radar going off.

 

Like, goldberry said, Not diggin' it. 

[xixstar]

Wow - what a mixed message I am hearing in these comments. Don't feel ashamed of your body and totally great for a fat woman to feel sexy as long deep inside she really knows how very unhealthy she is and she shouldn't be a role model to someone else. 

 

As a fat woman that is at times quite healthly, though not always I will admit, I feel like it's these comments that are so frustrating and undermine any chance for people to deal with body image problems that are often one of the largest impediments to healthier life choices (ie. feeling bad about one's self).  I don't think stopping and saying that someone, as they are right now regardless of their size, is beautiful is a bad thing. I don't feel like someone has to then say, well "yeah, you're pretty but you're still unhealthy" because it isn't really relevant to issues of body acceptance.

[Word Nerd]

Are "regular" models healthy?

[Tsuga]

Anorexia presents a more immediate health risk to people than obesity, for one.

 

For another, underweight models are responding to the industry's artists' desire to see clothes hanging and flowing, an aesthetic which is not drawn from actual human bodies, and it is a problem that is not coming from popular demand to see models that look like the starving masses.

 

Moreover, many of the underweight models actually have tailored or model-size clothes. They don't sell those clothes off the rack because almost nobody is that size. I'm a size 0. I can't wear model clothing: it's too small AND too long. Those models are being asked to fit a form that simply cannot exist alive in nature for long.

 

Plus-size models, on the other hand, are modeling clothes that are actually being sold to people who are really that size.

 

I say, if you're selling clothes that size, model them on someone that size. Go for it. I do think there are issues with food in our country but I don't think they come from having plus-sized models modeling the clothes that have been on the racks for years and years.

[Tsuga]

Are "regular" models healthy?

 

In a word, no.

 

In a link, here are the norms: http://www.modelingadvice.com/fashionModelSize.html

 

5'6 and 108 lbs is underweight.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/most-models-meet-criteria-for-anorexia-size-6-is-plus-size-magazine/

 

I have written this before and it is critical to understand: 1 lb underweight = 10 lbs overweight in terms of death risk. Being 10 lbs underweight is like being 100 lbs overweight.

 

http://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/obesity-health-news-505/underweight-even-deadlier-than-obesity-study-says-686240.html

 

So yeah, I wouldn't encourage anyone to be overweight, but having a couple fat models is really not the problem I personally see in the modeling industry...

[OH_Homeschooler]

Sounds like concern trolling to me.

[unsinkable]

She has gorgeous hair.

[Catwoman]

The OP never suggested that "thin models" are healthy. She mentioned that she is against the "pro-anorexia" movement as well, so I'm sure she isn't endorsing the concept that our daughters should aspire to be underweight.

 

She never said that people of all sizes should be treated unfairly or that they should be shamed.

 

I'm sure she will correct me if I'm wrong, but I got the distinct impression that she was saying we shouldn't be glorifying morbid obesity as being a wonderful and/or healthy thing.

 

These threads always turn out the same way. People get incredibly offended when it is obvious that no offense was intended. The OP never once mentioned that she thought overweight people were unattractive; she seemed to only be talking about health implications.

[swimmermom3]

Sounds like concern trolling to me.

 

Clueless here. What is "concern trolling"?

[Tsuga]

I don't see ANY problem with having real people who are not actively dying, modeling real clothes that are being sold.

 

"I can't really deny that I am disturbed by the movement to normalize a serious health issue."

 

I'm not, because these are different things. I don't think that the movement to say, hey, these are people, look at these clothes and what they really look like on a person who is the same size as you, the person who will buy them, is the same as a movement to normalize a serious health issue. And I don't think the health issue is comparable to the anorexia issue, which is why I brought it up.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I think it's great that she found a job.  I hope that she and her doctor can address any health concerns privately and without the public weighing in (pun intended) on it.  

[unsinkable]

I think it's great that she found a job.  I hope that she and her doctor can address any health concerns privately and without the public weighing in (pun intended) on it.  

 

Ooooh, have we opened the door to puns?!?

 

/wiggles fingers, rubs hands together to get circulation pumping in anticipation of typing lots...

[OH_Homeschooler]

Clueless here. What is "concern trolling"?

 

http://stophatingyourbody.tumblr.com/concerntrolling

[Soror]

Well, I can somewhat understand the idea that we don't want to promote obesity but then again modeling is already promoting unhealthy bodies, as already pointed out typical models have far more health risks than the typical obese person. If we look at what modeling really is, which is just about showing off clothes and putting out images of bodies people find attractive with no connection to health then she has just as much a right as anyone else.

[shawthorne44]

I don't even see it as being a "serious health issue".   When you graph the un-massaged data of health problems vs. weight you get a U-curve with "ideal" weight on the left side of the horizontal part, and morbidly obese where it starts to go vertical-ish on the right.  Is she morbidly obese?  I don't know.  But looking at her she can't be in any more of the danger zone then the standard models.  

 

Does anyone remember the news several years ago about the plus-size model that was a size 14 and people clucked that she wasn't fat enough to be plus-size.  And a couple of years ago some store put out plus-size mannequins and there was a flurry of criticism that it wasn't realistic.  I remember that one clearly, because it would have made an excellent dress double for me.  Personally I think the real problem is all the "concern".   Just don't worry about what size other people are whether they are your neighbor or a model or a piece of plastic.  

 

[kewb]

I am not sure how models of women in all shapes and sizes is glorifying or promoting a health issue.

She is a beautiful woman. I am sure she is aware of all the health implications of being her weight. I am also fairly sure that young girls are not going to see all these pics of overweight women and suddenly aspire to being overweight. Seeing women as beautiful no matter their weight has nothing to do with the health issue.

[Word Nerd]

The OP never suggested that "thin models" are healthy. She mentioned that she is against the "pro-anorexia" movement as well, so I'm sure she isn't endorsing the concept that our daughters should aspire to be underweight.

 

She never said that people of all sizes should be treated unfairly or that they should be shamed.

 

I'm sure she will correct me if I'm wrong, but I got the distinct impression that she was saying we shouldn't be glorifying morbid obesity as being a wonderful and/or healthy thing.

 

These threads always turn out the same way. People get incredibly offended when it is obvious that no offense was intended. The OP never once mentioned that she thought overweight people were unattractive; she seemed to only be talking about health implications.

 

I'm not offended in the slightest and was talking about the health implications as well. The point of my question was that the modeling industry already promotes and profits from unhealthy standards of beauty. How is this one exception to the rule (plus-size models don't usually look like this) any worse than the norm?

[Hwin]

Yeah, models are normally so healthy looking!!!

 

Well, maybe the ones in the Sears circular.

 

Really, if they are selling clothes in that size, it seems sensible to have models that can wear those sizes. I don't think there's any debate to be had.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Are "regular" models healthy?

 

Yeah why is promoting that ok?

[TechWife]

nm

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't know if other websites do this but I really like the fact that on Talbot's website when you enter the size the picture changes to a picture of a model wearing the size that you are actually ordering.  So you get to see the dress actually looking the way it will look like on you.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

At least she really IS plus size.  Calling someone a size 12 plus sized is ridiculous. 

 

 

[Lolly]

I am not sure how having plus sized models correlates to promoting obesity. The purpose of modeling is usually to show clothing. If you are advertizing plus sized clothing, it makes sense to have a plus sized model. It does not make sense to make the clothes in a smaller size and advertise using that.  I want to see how the clothes I am purchasing would look on someone like myself to see how they flow on a similar type of figure. Therefore, I greatly wish that agencies would use more average builds for pictures. (I do understand using a thinner figure. The clothes look better, and the model is able to be more diverse because they look better in more varieties of clothing.)

[swimmermom3]

Yeah why is promoting that ok?

 

It's okay because it is aesthetically pleasing and it has often been stated on this board that looking at overweight people requires eye bleach for some. There was the infamous bikini/swimsuit thread (I know, we've had more than one) that basically started with why couldn't fat people stay at home away from the swimming pools. It hurts some people to look at overweight people, I mean it really hurts them as in makes their tummy queasy.

 

I suppose heavy people remind us that being human isn't always tidy, tiny, or lovely.  We can visually see them wearing questions about themselves or their lives on their bodies. A thin person looks like they've got the alcoholism, child abuse, overspending, nymphomania, whatever, all under control.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

It's okay because it is aesthetically pleasing and it has often been stated on this board that looking at overweight people requires eye bleach for some. There was the infamous bikini/swimsuit thread (I know, we've had more than one) that basically started with why couldn't fat people stay at home away from the swimming pools. It hurts some people to look at overweight people, I mean it really hurts them as in makes their tummy queasy.

 

I suppose heavy people remind us that being human isn't always tidy, tiny, or lovely.  We can visually see them wearing questions about themselves or their lives on their bodies. A thin person looks like they've got the alcoholism, child abuse, overspending, nymphomania, whatever, all under control.

 

 

Well, I like the looks of overweight people.  Not that I hate the looks of thin people!

[Joanne]

I can't find anything wrong with the article.

 

I think it's AWESOME SAUCE WITH BUTTER that we are finally paying an actual plus size model.

 

I am morbidly obese, btw. My biometrics, with the exception of the weight, are excellent.

 

Fat shaming and fat bigotry is pervasive.

 

I think a significant part of it emerges from the "lazy" assumption when it comes to fat persons.

 

Another part - a kind of subset of the first - is still believing that most fat people need to "eat less and move more". A cute way of saying "out of control (emotional eater) and lazy." It's a character slam.

 

The truth for me is that I didn't get to my current weight because of "emotional" eating. I damn sure didn't get here due to under-activity.

 

 

[MrsMommy]

If she has health concerns related to her weight, that is between her and her doctor.

 

I'm happy that plus-size women can see what clothes look like on a model that actually LOOKS LIKE THEM.

 

There's a difference between accepting people for who they are, and promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. Even if she were to lose a ton of weight, she is what she is RIGHT NOW, and she (and other plus-size women) deserves to look good where she is in life now.

[mellifera33]

At least she really IS plus size.  Calling someone a size 12 plus sized is ridiculous. 

 

How should we define plus size? My BMI is 30, just over the line for "obese," and I wear a size 12. An old off-the-rack size 12 or a dressmaker size twelve is not plus-size, but with modern vanity sizing an off-the-rack size 12 is plus size. And now "size" looks wrong after typing it so many times. :)

[Audrey]

This is really about body shaming.  But, no matter how much you think it is, someone else's weight isn't YOUR issue to deal with or criticize.  It's theirs, if they choose it to be.  I've been all over the map with my weight in my life.  Faux-concern comments were never useful, helpful or welcome.  So, the woman makes a living as a model wearing clothes that many other people can and will wear and buy. Her size isn't your concern.

[Danestress]

I'm not sure how I feel about what has become more than acceptance, but promoting of morbid obesity. I am happy that people of all sizes can enjoy fashionable clothing, but knowing long-term health is frequently compromised, I can't really deny that I am disturbed by the movement to normalize a serious health issue. I feel it is similar to the pro-anorexia movement which I also find disturbing.

 

http://t.today.com/style/plus-size-model-tess-holliday-makes-history-leads-effyourbeautystandards-positive-2D80454218

 

What say the Hive?

What are you disturbed by? Are you worried that thinner women will try to gain weight because they see how she looks and decide it is healthy and attractive? Or are you concerned that heavier women will stop trying to lose weight if their size starts to seem more normal?

[SparklyUnicorn]

Maybe what should happen is they should stop making attractive plus sized clothing.  Just make anything over a size 8 look like a brown paper sack. 

 

 

[xixstar]

What are you disturbed by? Are you worried that thinner women will try to gain weight because they see how she looks and decide it is healthy and attractive? Or are you concerned that heavier women will stop trying to lose weight if their size starts to seem more normal?

 

This is what I read - it will tell heavier women that it is okay to love their body as in and in turn tell her that she is perfect as she is and nothing should change. Because that is the underlying assumption, if you're overweight you NEED to change, it's NOT OKAY and it is BAD. But at the same time, you're not supposed to JUDGE your looks or feel INFERIOR or UNATTRACTIVE because of your size. You should LOVE the body you're in, only as long as you love it enough to CHANGE it too.

 

Yes, it is indeed possible to separate the issue of self image and health -- they don't have to be a definition of each other. If we post the photo of the beautiful, technically underweight, woman that lives with two ostomy bags (due to effects chron's disease) but is still willing to wear a bikini - it is cheered because she is not letting her health conditions define her self image.  Then, no one would be saying it might be wrong to promote body love of someone that, by technical health terms, is "unhealthy". 

 

I can be slim or overweight, in good health or poor, and still see the value in loving my physical body regardless of where I fall on that scale today. Sadly, the overall societal messages do make it difficult but I know that my overall wellness is greatly impacted by how I feel in my skin. When I teeter to the side of feeling unattractive and compare myself (I am physically larger) to my peers, it impacts my work and my self-care habits. When I am in a better mental state and feel attractive again, that too makes a big difference in my success in school and work and also how people perceive me too (I get way more compliments). But it's a hard emotional teeter-totter to be on and the ups and downs are challenging, and all that happens without any change in my body composition and instead is all based on my perception of myself at one point in time. I certainly don't need anyone to tie an evaluation of my health into that equation because it can teeter just as much with no change in weight.

[KungFuPanda]

I say good for her! I've never heard of the woman, and don't know if this is her regular size or a stop on the way to a larger or smaller body, but I applaud her. Women deserve to feel beautiful TODAY, not after they've "done all they could" or "understand the implications." The message to work with what you've got is a good one for all of us.

[Guest]

I'm not sure how I feel about what has become more than acceptance, but promoting of morbid obesity. I am happy that people of all sizes can enjoy fashionable clothing, but knowing long-term health is frequently compromised, I can't really deny that I am disturbed by the movement to normalize a serious health issue. I feel it is similar to the pro-anorexia movement which I also find disturbing.

 

http://t.today.com/style/plus-size-model-tess-holliday-makes-history-leads-effyourbeautystandards-positive-2D80454218

 

What say the Hive?

I'm not a fan.

[Barb_]

While I get that individuals can be obese and still enjoy good or even excellent health, across populations that's not the case, particularly as the populations age. Obesity is a statistical risk factor in joint replacements, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, pregnancy complications and a whole host of diseases and disorders that used to be limited to adults but are now trickling down to children. I've watched my parents, grandparents and great grandparents age. The normal to slightly overweight have had the best outcomes related to quality of life as they've hit their 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. The heavier ones have suffered more as they've aged, bottom line. It has hurt my heart to see it.

 

One morbidly obese model obviously doesn't cause, but is certainly a reflection of a society that's increasingly normalizing an unhealthy situation. Yes, body acceptance is a good thing. It's good to think, "yes I am beautiful" while at the same time thinking, "I need to lose 50 pounds and start exercising so I can hopefully avoid that knee replacement." They aren't mutually exclusive and it isn't fat shaming to say morbid obesity (in general) is a health risk and shouldn't be glorified. As a population we are becoming heavier and sicker. This isn't just a coincidence.

[Guest]

Not to mention most of the Google images I'm getting have her looking like a porn star. I don't think much of selling out no matter what one's dress size is.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Nobody in society is saying that being obese is healthy.  That's why there are shows like Biggest Loser and episodes of Dr. Oz on weight loss.  That's why Michele Obama is having a war on childhood obesity.  But we are saying that being obese does not mean that you are ugly.  She is a beautiful woman.  Yes, you can see more actual fat when she's wearing a bikini or bra and panties.  But she is photogenic.  I think I would probably like pictures of her with more clothes on but I don't really like seeing a thinner model in a bikini or bra and panties either and prefer seeing pictures of them with more clothes on.  

[Barb_]

Wow - what a mixed message I am hearing in these comments. Don't feel ashamed of your body and totally great for a fat woman to feel sexy as long deep inside she really knows how very unhealthy she is and she shouldn't be a role model to someone else.

 

As a fat woman that is at times quite healthly, though not always I will admit, I feel like it's these comments that are so frustrating and undermine any chance for people to deal with body image problems that are often one of the largest impediments to healthier life choices (ie. feeling bad about one's self). I don't think stopping and saying that someone, as they are right now regardless of their size, is beautiful is a bad thing. I don't feel like someone has to then say, well "yeah, you're pretty but you're still unhealthy" because it isn't really relevant to issues of body acceptance.

Please read a conversational (as opposed to argumentative tone) as I say this. Individual body image and acceptance is imperative. Each person has to work through that. Anyone saying, "you are pretty but..." has terrible manners. But this model is a symptom of our society's larger health crisis that is only going to get worse as our food supply continues to deteriorate, the sizable population of obese children hits middle age, and our population on the whole ages. I do think that conversation is relevant and important.

[Barb_]

Not to mention most of the Google images I'm getting have her looking like a porn star. I don't think much of selling out no matter what one's dress size is.

I was thinking the same anyway.

[umsami]

I'm not sure how I feel about what has become more than acceptance, but promoting of morbid obesity. I am happy that people of all sizes can enjoy fashionable clothing, but knowing long-term health is frequently compromised, I can't really deny that I am disturbed by the movement to normalize a serious health issue. I feel it is similar to the pro-anorexia movement which I also find disturbing.

 

http://t.today.com/style/plus-size-model-tess-holliday-makes-history-leads-effyourbeautystandards-positive-2D80454218

 

What say the Hive?

 

I am so happy to see Tess succeed!  Good for her.  . I think you need to educate yourself more about obesity and its causes.

 

Do you think that fat people, even morbidly obese people, don't know that they are fat?  Do you think they are fat on purpose? Do you know that there is not ONE peer-reviewed medical study out there that shows a diet, any diet, leading to long-term weigh loss in an obese person?  Not one.  Even with the golden cure for obesity which today is bariatric surgery, success is defined as keeping off 50% of excess weight for 2-5 years.  If you are 100 pounds overweight, that means you've lost 50 pounds and are still likely obese and maybe even morbidly obese.  

Do you realize how much crap overweight women receive every single day, in work, on the job because of their weight? Is it so wrong for them to have one or even ten successful women to look up to?  I also wonder, do you feel the same way about obese and morbidly obese men who are far more accepted as celebrities? 

 

Do you know anything about the obesity paradox?

 

Are you aware of the role the gut micriobiome plays in obesity?

 

Are you aware that genetics plays a very strong role in obesity?

 

Please read this article.   It's based on a statement released in the Lancet a few weeks ago.  Basically, diets and exercise do not work as far as long-term weight loss is concerned.  

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/diet-exercise-treatment-for-obese-patients/

 

Are you familiar with the ACE study and how it came to be that showed adverse events can cause biological changes later in life? (Originally found out when seeing why morbidly obese patients gained weight back.)

 

 

If you would not discriminate against somebody with diabetes or dwarfism or emphysema or any other chronic disease or genetic disease than please do not support discriminating against obese people by your attitudes.

[Barb_]

Umsami, the fact that the obesity rate has doubled in the last generation and continues to increase every year isn't explained by any of the factors you cited. Yes, those factors explain obesity in individuals but not across the entire US. Why Is Mississippi's rate at 35% while Colorado's at 20%. Did you know that obesity is contagious? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/health/25cnd-fat.html?_r=0

 

This is an important point when discussing whether or not to accept these trends as the new normal. Individual discrimination is wrong. But linking discussions of public health to fat shaming is wrong too.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Umsami, the fact that the obesity rate has doubled in the last generation and continues to increase every year isn't explained by any of the factors you cited. Yes, those factors explain obesity in individuals but not across the entire US. Why Is Mississippi's rate at 35% while Colorado's at 20%. Did you know that obesity is contagious? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/health/25cnd-fat.html?_r=0

 

This is an important point when discussing whether or not to accept these trends as the new normal. Individual discrimination is wrong. But linking discussions of public health to fat shaming is wrong too.

But this thread is not a discussion of public health at its core.  it is a thread on "how dare that fat broad show off her fat body in photos - she's going to make all the fat broads do the same".  I guess that's what you mean about obesity being contagious.

[Audrey]

Umsami, the fact that the obesity rate has doubled in the last generation and continues to increase every year isn't explained by any of the factors you cited. Yes, those factors explain obesity in individuals but not across the entire US. Why Is Mississippi's rate at 35% while Colorado's at 20%. Did you know that obesity is contagious? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/health/25cnd-fat.html?_r=0

 

This is an important point when discussing whether or not to accept these trends as the new normal. Individual discrimination is wrong. But linking discussions of public health to fat shaming is wrong too.

 

How is it useful or helpful to put a hyperbolic and woefully inaccurate term like "contagious" on obesity?  The article is talking about social influence -- that having an obese friend may influence their social circle to gain weight.  That is not a contagion.  Obesity may be a disease, but it is not a communicable disease.  As if obese people didn't already have enough prejudice against them.  :001_rolleyes:

 

Sheesh already. :sneaky2:

[umsami]

While I get that individuals can be obese and still enjoy good or even excellent health, across populations that's not the case, particularly as the populations age. Obesity is a statistical risk factor in joint replacements, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, pregnancy complications and a whole host of diseases and disorders that used to be limited to adults but are now trickling down to children. I've watched my parents, grandparents and great grandparents age. The normal to slightly overweight have had the best outcomes related to quality of life as they've hit their 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. The heavier ones have suffered more as they've aged, bottom line. It has hurt my heart to see it.

 

One morbidly obese model obviously doesn't cause, but is certainly a reflection of a society that's increasingly normalizing an unhealthy situation. Yes, body acceptance is a good thing. It's good to think, "yes I am beautiful" while at the same time thinking, "I need to lose 50 pounds and start exercising so I can hopefully avoid that knee replacement." They aren't mutually exclusive and it isn't fat shaming to say morbid obesity (in general) is a health risk and shouldn't be glorified. As a population we are becoming heavier and sicker. This isn't just a coincidence.

 

Unfortunately Barb, there is no magical plan to lose 50 pounds that actually has been scientifically proven in peer reviewed studies to work long-term...usually the person ends up heavier.  That's actually why Weight Watchers (whose program is about as sane as it comes) abandoned their efforts with child weight loss.  Basically, the kids ended up fatter than before.

 

"The company’s decision to limit access to children was made after it conducted a thorough investigation into the state of the science in this area and found it to be almost uniformly disappointing. Several studies using interventions that were intuitive and assumed to be helpful to overweight youth, such as structured nutrition education and exercise programs, sometimes involving schools and parents, are producing the opposite effects."

 

Currently, there are no magical pills as of yet that affect ghrelin, leptin, and PYY-1.  A sleeve gastrectomy affects ghrelin for about the first year, as it removes the fundus portion of the stomach which produces ghrelin, but the body adapts...and levels start to ramp up back to normal after one year.  

 

Actual obesity experts say about losing weight? They say it is almost impossible.  Yes, a very very small percentage succeed...maybe 5% or less.  But for most, they end up weighing more than if they had never gone on the dieting roller coaster.  This is even being seen with bariatric surgery BTW.  Just go to the revision support boards.  

 

The hope today is to focus on lifestyle changes which will lead to better health, but not necessarily weight loss.  So, yoga, walking, lifting weights, etc. not for weight loss, but for health.  Eating more fruits/veggies/fiber, good fats, etc. not for weight loss, but for health.  If you divorce the recommendation for exercise from weight loss, you increase the likelihood of the person continuing.  If you divorce the recommendation for healthy eating from weight loss, you increase the likelihood of the person continuing.  Why?  Because we know that they do not work as far as weight loss is concerned for the vast majority of people.  If my doctor tells me to exercise and eat healthfully to lose weight, and I don't lose weight, then why continue?   But if my doctor says to me, well, as you know your weight puts more stress on your knees, so I'd like you to work with a PT on these exercises to strengthen your quads or whatever.  That makes more sense.  I can measure success via my increase in strength and not view myself as a failure.   (Oh, and even with that, let's not forget that numerous professional athletes have joint replacements.  Very few people would make Mikhail Baryshnikov feel bad about his double hip replacement or suggest that he should have never become a danseur.  I'm not sure making fat people feel bad about their need for joint replacements is helpful.  Remember, the likelihood of success in keeping weight off is 5%.  That's less than the chance of a pancreatic cancer patient has of surviving five years, one of the most deadly cancers.  Very slim.  Most die.  We don't accuse those who die of not trying hard enough.)

 

Even in popular culture, if you look at the Biggest Loser contestants, nearly all have regained their weight.  It's not an issue of will power, after all, they ate extremely little and exercised more than more professional athletes for months....through pain and injuries.  It's the trickiness of the disease of morbid obesity.  There are many many morbidly obese and obese people out there who have lost 50, 100, 150, and more pounds successfully...even numerous times.  The issue is keeping it off.  That is where our body's hormones come into play.  One obesity researcher implied that fighting the body's desire to regain that weight is akin to not breathing when one's body wants to breathe.  The biological urge is so strong.

 

We need to get away from the diet mentality...that success is only measured in a size and pounds loss.  Having models like Tess is a step in the right direction.  Showing that all body sizes are acceptable and beautiful is great.  If you feel good about your body, maybe you won't feel so ashamed to go to a gym, a swimming pool, or work out.  Luckily, the "fat" fitness arena continues to grow with large instructors showing that you can do yoga, aerobics, running, belly dancing, etc.  

 

Just so you know, fifty pounds is not morbidly obese.  Fifty pound is obese.  It may seem morbidly obese to you, but it's not. For that, you need to be at least 100 pounds overweight, unless one is very short.  

[Joanne]

Not to mention most of the Google images I'm getting have her looking like a porn star. I don't think much of selling out no matter what one's dress size is.

Slut shaming.

 

Fat women are not allowed to be sexy. Especially fat women.

[umsami]

Umsami, the fact that the obesity rate has doubled in the last generation and continues to increase every year isn't explained by any of the factors you cited. Yes, those factors explain obesity in individuals but not across the entire US. Why Is Mississippi's rate at 35% while Colorado's at 20%. Did you know that obesity is contagious? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/health/25cnd-fat.html?_r=0

 

This is an important point when discussing whether or not to accept these trends as the new normal. Individual discrimination is wrong. But linking discussions of public health to fat shaming is wrong too.

 

Actually the articles I stated do explain some of the increase, Barb, I've been researching obesity for over 20 years now.  The research on obesity is still in its infancy, actually.  Why? Because the focus for so long was on diets that basically didn't work, but we didn't have any other solutions to try.  The key came in the mid 90s with the virus research that showed Adv36 playing a part.   They are suspecting that changes in the gut micro biome have played a huge factor in the increase in obesity.  The ability to do quick/fast genetic sequencing now is huge.

 

Our environment is also more obesogenic.  Heck, just look at CPS arresting the parents who let their kids walk to the park.  Society has changed.  Kids being outside running around on their own doesn't happen in a good portion of the country.   We are more car-centric, people commute further, kids don't walk to school.  People are less obese in cities like NYC where there is good public transportation and they can walk.  So increasing subway penetration, etc. may be a way to help. Walking buses are being tried in some school districts to encourage kids to walk to school.  Etc.  Still, there are other factors involved.  

 

 

If this is something you are truly interested in, you can start with Gina Kolata's book, "Rethinking Thin."  It's old, but a good start

 

PubMed has all of the peer-reviewed journals.  There are none there that show long-term weight loss success with any diet.

 

I get that you're concerned.  I understand that.  But shaming fat people or making them feel guilty for a disease that for 95% of them they can do nothing about, is not the way.  It's actually been shown to make people more obese.

 

Fight for higher quality school food and food in general.  Fight for safe areas for people to exercise.  Fight for access for all people to exercise facilities, and even days where fat people can go and not worry about being judged.  That's far more effective.

[Catwoman]

Actually the articles I stated do explain some of the increase, Barb, I've been researching obesity for over 20 years now. The research on obesity is still in its infancy, actually. Why? Because the focus for so long was on diets that basically didn't work, but we didn't have any other solutions to try. The key came in the mid 90s with the virus research that showed Adv36 playing a part. They are suspecting that changes in the gut micro biome have played a huge factor in the increase in obesity. The ability to do quick/fast genetic sequencing now is huge.

If this is something you are truly interested in, you can start with Gina Kolata's book, "Rethinking Thin." It's old, but a good start

 

PubMed has all of the peer-reviewed journals. There are none there that show long-term weight loss success with any diet.

 

I get that you're concerned. I understand that. But shaming fat people or making them feel guilty for a disease that for 95% of them they can do nothing about, is not the way. It's actually been shown to make people more obese.

 

Fight for higher quality school food and food in general. Fight for safe areas for people to exercise. Fight for access for all people to exercise facilities, and even days where fat people can go and not worry about being judged. That's far more effective.

I didn't get the impression that Barb (or anyone else here) was "fat shaming." I think the objection is to the idea of glamorizing obesity, not to accepting people as they are. There seems to be an equal objection in this thread to glamorizing severely underweight high fashion models -- and both opinions are based on health issues, not on general appearance.