Fat Acceptance Movement

[Radiation]

So for the past year I have been reading about the Fat Acceptance Movement and some of you may already know that from some of the posts that I have made here that I think it's something that is needed given our society's attitude towards beauty and fat people.

Personally I have seen some good blogs and some that aren't so good and it seems to me that the movement is somewhat fragmented but I like the reasonable arguments that fat people shouldn't be treated badly and that there are fat people that can be healthy. I'm trying to look into the Health At Every Size (HAES) movement and like some of the information that is offered. I'm trying to get the book myself so that I can read it.

HAES makes the rather rational stance that one can be heavy and healthy by maintaining moderate exercise and eating healthy. 

There are also discussions of different reasons why someone can be obese or what causes obesity than just sitting around and eating.

So what do you think of the fat acceptance movement as a form of social justice?

The reason I put here in S&H is this is where we talk about Tumblr, Facebook and things that people say and do on the Internet.

[Ultimate Paragon]

Like many other forms of social justice, I think it's a good idea within reasonable parameters.

[Witchyjoshy]

Oh, shoot, I messed up my vote.

For some reason I read "I think it's not needed" as "I think it's needed."  My eyes must be tired.

Anyways, just... mentally change one from "it's not needed" to "it's needed"

[The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist]

FA is good, insofar as the bullying and stigmatization of overweight people is a major social problem that needs to be dealt with. I do get a bit frustrated when blogs like TITP try to claim that big people are being outright oppressed, going so far as to compare not being able to fit into amusement park rides to racial privilege, or when members of the FA community engage in blatant hypocrisy ("real men like meat, not bones!") but the core message -- that a person's worth as a human being isn't connected to their weight -- is a good one.

HAES is... eh. If it were simply a matter of viewing health as a complex picture, rather than a single stat (BMI), I'd be fine with it, but outright denying the link between obesity and any number of health problems -- as a very large segment of HAES does -- is not only unscientific, it also puts lives in danger. The movement is chalk full of claims that people have genetic set points of 300+lbs, that BMI (or even blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, in extreme cases) is 100% useless when determining risk factors, that metabolic disorders can somehow magically defeat the laws of thermodynamics... I just can't be okay with something that's so full of misinformation, especially when it's a matter of public health.

[Second Coming of Madman]

http://cwckiforums.com/threads/fat-acceptance-movement.2042/

That forum is great in general for internet crazies, if you ask me.

[Radiation]

"Calories In/Calories Out" has been pretty much debunked in a way. this article pretty much explains why and what calories really are. It basically talks about chemical reactions and different kinds of calories that can effect the body.

I'm sure that it was Harvard that did the study but for some reason I can't seem to find it.

[Radiation]

http://cwckiforums.com/threads/fat-acceptance-movement.2042/

That forum is great in general for internet crazies, if you ask me.

I've read that thread and I don't care for their attitude towards fat people but then again what can I do?

[Sleepy]

I pretty much agree with everything Antechrist said. I support a movement that discourages bullying of those who are overweight and encourages bodies of all types, rather than arguing against those who are skinny or average. I'm against HAES because such a thing is an outright lie. You must accept that some sizes are extremely unhealthy (this goes for morbid obesity and anorexia) because of issues with blood pressure, diabetes, joints, and more. Obesity is becoming more common even in third world nations now, and it's something we have to tackle.

[The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist]

"Calories In/Calories Out" has been pretty much debunked in a way.

There are certainly numerous variables involved in weight loss/gain, and any healthy diet will account for factors beyond raw energy, but when you get down to it, your body does need an intake and output of energy to function. If there's a deficit, your body is forced to use whatever resources it has stocked up -- fat and muscle -- to continue to survive. That's not to deny that there are issues that can make it extremely difficult to decrease body fat (Cushings, etc.) or that nutrition isn't vital to successful long term weight loss (and health in general), but it's incredibly misleading when people start claiming that calorie intake and output plays no role in body weight. Our bodies are more complex than mechanical devices, but they're still very much subject to the laws of physics.

[Sigmaleph]

"Calories In/Calories Out" has been pretty much debunked in a way.

There are certainly numerous variables involved in weight loss/gain, and any healthy diet will account for factors beyond raw energy, but when you get down to it, your body does need an intake and output of energy to function. If there's a deficit, your body is forced to use whatever resources it has stocked up -- fat and muscle -- to continue to survive. That's not to deny that there are issues that can make it extremely difficult to decrease body fat (Cushings, etc.) or that nutrition isn't vital to successful long term weight loss (and health in general), but it's incredibly misleading when people start claiming that calorie intake and output plays no role in body weight. Our bodies are more complex than mechanical devices, but they're still very much subject to the laws of physics.

Actually, I think the article Dow Jones posted makes that point quite clearly. It's not that "calories in/calories out" is false, but rather that it doesn't tell you much, and that to derive an actual weight control strategy, you need to know how each type of food affects your metabolism beyond just knowing its calorie count.

I.e. nobody (here) is saying caloric intake and output doesn't matter.

[The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist]

"Calories In/Calories Out" has been pretty much debunked in a way.

There are certainly numerous variables involved in weight loss/gain, and any healthy diet will account for factors beyond raw energy, but when you get down to it, your body does need an intake and output of energy to function. If there's a deficit, your body is forced to use whatever resources it has stocked up -- fat and muscle -- to continue to survive. That's not to deny that there are issues that can make it extremely difficult to decrease body fat (Cushings, etc.) or that nutrition isn't vital to successful long term weight loss (and health in general), but it's incredibly misleading when people start claiming that calorie intake and output plays no role in body weight. Our bodies are more complex than mechanical devices, but they're still very much subject to the laws of physics.

Actually, I think the article Dow Jones posted makes that point quite clearly. It's not that "calories in/calories out" is false, but rather that it doesn't tell you much, and that to derive an actual weight control strategy, you need to know how each type of food affects your metabolism beyond just knowing its calorie count.

I.e. nobody (here) is saying caloric intake and output doesn't matter.

I wasn't disagreeing with the article or anyone here, simply expanding on my earlier comment about thermodynamics. I've come across multiple HAES advocates who claimed that weight loss is literally impossible for the majority of obese people, to the point where someone could consume nothing but water and somehow manage to maintain their current weight, or even gain weight.

Sorry if I was unclear.

[I am lizard]

The thing i think we should consider is the fact are culture currently thinks any girl whose ribs aren't visible is morbidly obese.
(Yes I'm exaggerating, a lot)

[Sigmaleph]

"Calories In/Calories Out" has been pretty much debunked in a way.

There are certainly numerous variables involved in weight loss/gain, and any healthy diet will account for factors beyond raw energy, but when you get down to it, your body does need an intake and output of energy to function. If there's a deficit, your body is forced to use whatever resources it has stocked up -- fat and muscle -- to continue to survive. That's not to deny that there are issues that can make it extremely difficult to decrease body fat (Cushings, etc.) or that nutrition isn't vital to successful long term weight loss (and health in general), but it's incredibly misleading when people start claiming that calorie intake and output plays no role in body weight. Our bodies are more complex than mechanical devices, but they're still very much subject to the laws of physics.

Actually, I think the article Dow Jones posted makes that point quite clearly. It's not that "calories in/calories out" is false, but rather that it doesn't tell you much, and that to derive an actual weight control strategy, you need to know how each type of food affects your metabolism beyond just knowing its calorie count.

I.e. nobody (here) is saying caloric intake and output doesn't matter.

I wasn't disagreeing with the article or anyone here, simply expanding on my earlier comment about thermodynamics. I've come across multiple HAES advocates who claimed that weight loss is literally impossible for the majority of obese people, to the point where someone could consume nothing but water and somehow manage to maintain their current weight, or even gain weight.

Sorry if I was unclear.

OK, cool. Just wanted to make sure everyone knew where everyone else stood.

[Radiation]

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear about the article, sometimes I can't say what I mean to say.

[niam2023]

I think it can be good for some people, but I personally cannot accept my appearance and believe I'm healthy as I am.