The BBC has taught me to feel so much compassion for the Brits. I often check-out the health news section of the website. Normally, there is at least one or two fat-hating kind of articles in there. They’re usually along the lines of, “People are getting sooo fat!!!”, “Fat people are unhealthy” and “Junk food taxes!!”.
So, I nearly fell off the couch, when I saw this.
Some snippets:
[T]he science of weight gain is less straightforward than the headlines sometimes suggest. Why, for example, do some people seem to eat what they like and not put on weight, while others limit their diet yet struggle to shed their bulk?
In 1967, a medical researcher, Ethan Sims, carried out an experiment at Vermont state prison in the US. He recruited inmates to eat as much as they could to gain 25% of their body weight, in return for early release from prison.
Some of the volunteers could not reach the target however hard they tried, even though they were eating 10,000 calories a day. Sims’s conclusion was that for some, obesity is nearly impossible.
The article goes on to talk about a new study. Thin people who do not diet were chosen to eat a very high calorie diet and to limit there exercise “severely.” Back to the BBC…
The outcome of the trial could bolster the theories of Dr Rudy Leibel of Columbia University, New York, who believes we all have a biologically determined natural weight which our bodies make an effort to stick to, whether it is fat or thin.
The tone of the article sounds to me like they are saying that fat and thin and everything in between isn’t a choice. In fact, this article even makes weight diversity sound natural. *gasp* I wish the British government would run around trumpetting this news as enthusiastically as they panic about the “Obesity Time Bomb”…
Re-reading this article today brought to mind for me how fat is considered a sure sign of laziness, gluttony, etc… As much as I love the Body Acceptance movement, sometimes I see the back of my arm wobble and the first thought that comes to mind is “UNDISCIPLINED”. It’s a shame isn’t it. These are the same arms that brought home special needs animals that otherwise would most likely never have a home. These are the arms that have helped nurse these animals to heath. These are the arms that make a basket from nearly anywhere on the court. These are the arms that have comforted loved ones when they were in pain. And, the first word that comes to mind is undisciplined? Granted, I’m lucky enough to be a person who will challenge these thoughts when they arise, but I feel so bad for those people who haven’t even gotten to that point. It’s as if all achievements or good qualities are utterly negated if you are fat… and this should just NOT BE. Fight the thoughts friends and readers. I’m right here rooting you on… as hopefully you root for me.
–AngryGrayRainbows
Angry Gray Rainbows 
Thanks for the sympathy for our clueless government. It’s hard to buck the system but even more worthwhile to show an alternative – you know?
I’m here and rooting for all of you 🙂
Sophie! Good to see you!
Question… do you think the Brits are more weight obsessed than Americans? If you have no opinion, that’s cool…. just thought I’d ask.
To be honest I don’t feel I can answer that, I think I would have had to be a resident in both countries to compare.
I do know that the UK is obsessed with the topic at the moment. I cannot tell you how many times they say that obesity is the biggest threat to the UK, more so than the current economic climate etc etc. There is no awareness of obesity in an ED context, it must be the result of either laziness or ignorance.
I got hopeful the other day as I saw an interview where the woman (touting her new book) was quoting the “95% of diets don’t work” statistic. She also said about how it is so much in the mind. Then she went on to suggest manufacturers drop the fat content of their foods and public buildings have lifts that start from the second floor. I had what I think you call a *headdesk* moment!
The States seems to recognise COE and EDNOS at least. With our government and healthcare professionals thinking fat is just laziness/stupidity and treating it accordingly it is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
Fair enough. I have only been a resident of the US myself and I hear you.
I’ll tell ya though, only limited professionals actually recognize COE. Maybe you remember from some old posting of mine (or maybe you don’t), when I got into a debate with my psychiatrist, because she insisted the COE and BED are not true eating disorders. I still got her to treat me as an ED patient, because I also have an anorexic/bulimic/ortho history. I got a long lecture from her about how technically COE/BED people really just need to eat more vegetables.
Enlightened, yes?
I never dared to hope we’d ever have a non-100% western european president in my life-time. Maybe I can dare to hope just a little bit that our children and grand-children get to live in a more body-positive environment.
And sheeshhh… I had no idea they were saying obesity is worse than the economic situation of the moment. That’s just…. hysterical (not in a funny way).
I’m rooting for you Sophie! I know it cannot be easy fighting against the constant barrage of body-negative stuff that you do.
I’ve got to admit that challenges those “lazy/worthless” voices is sometimes hard when you’ve been brainwashed to believe them but it’s so worth it when you can. Life takes on a whole new meaning when you live it instead of try to run from it.
I’m rooting for you and everyone else too! (even myself)