To hate the body positive movement

[Raven88]

I used to believe in it until I was diagnosed as pre diabetic. Genetically I gain weight easily and I comfort ate.

Since Boxing Day I have been eating healthy and started exercising and I've lost weight. But I've also become healthy. I used to be in constant pain and tired all the time but that changed as soon as I took charge.

It scares me that they are leading people down a dangerous path by promoting an unhealthy lifestyle.

(For the record, that goes for the super skinny models just as much as it does for the super sized ones!)

Hushabye - the "division" of body positive that talks about weight is called HAES ("healthy at any size") - I find it quite frightening, and I say that as someone who has 2 stone to lose after losing a lot more in the past!

Wow....I'm obese. I was married to a cruel narcissist. The two are most definitely.correlated.
I've spent the last three years trying to protect the children, build them up, learn ways to deflect his continuing tendencies.

I believe my lifespan would have been considerably shorter had I stayed married. The stress and anxiety would have finished me off.

Go figure .

• every size, not any size - that would be HAAS! 🙈

I don’t really understand the point of these threads tbh.

It’s great you’re making positive changes OP but it has fuck all to do with anyone else. If a larger lady feels confident at her size too but she has health issues, that’s her problem.

I'm not seeing this 'movement' anywhere? Where is it?

Weight seems like a protected issue that no one wants to face up to until they have too.

'I don’t really understand the point of these threads tbh.'

To virtue signal and make oneself feel superior to others.

I'd give you a but you'd probably moan it was encouraging obesity.

I was slim until I got an autoimmune disease. I piled on about 5 stones. I have worked hard for two years to go from BMI 34 to BMI 27. I still have about 1.5 stones to go to be in healthy range.

I don't feel one jot healthier really.

Of course it must be better for me, but I can't say I'm feeling it. I walk faster and further than I used to, but obviously never the same as before the autoimmune when I was slim anyway. As this disease attacks my lungs, I can only regain so much of my stamina regardless of weight.

So not saying we shouldn't try and be healthy, just saying that for me at least it has only had a limited effect.

I think that the value of the body positive movement is in promoting good mental health. I know that, when I am most depressed, I am least likely to look after myself, physically or mentally.

Feeling shamed for my weight, makes my depression worse, and leads me into a self-destructive spiral, whereas when I feel happier and more positive, and like myself, I find it easier to look after myself - and that includes eating better and being more active.

Someone who feels ashamed of who they are and how they look is going to struggle to like themselves enough to look after themselves - in my darkest hours, I have honestly thought that a heart attack, brought on by my weight, would be a quick way to go.

The emphasis on health and well being, I think is great and just what is needed. The "beautiful" aspect of the body positive movement makes me uncomfortable though.

Not because I think a big body can't be beautiful (or any body for that matter) in anyone's eyes but because it emphasises the notion that to be acceptable and worthy of respect, love and care that you first need to find something beautiful about your body.

I have a fat body and it is not aesthetically pleasing but it is acceptable. I am not an ornament and I don't owe it to anyone to be visually pleasing and I don't need to change anything about it's appearance or functioning to be seen as a worthy human being.

I actually find this aspect of the body positive movement to be a form of gaslighting - perhaps well meaning, but gaslighting nonetheless. I don't want my fatness to be rebranded as "sexy". Sexy is a state of mind anyway. I would prefer society to understand that my body as it is, is a product of my genetics and the effects of trauma and leave me to find my peace with that without judgement or ridicule.

Funnily enough, once I let go of the notion of beauty, I found it much easier to adopt self care practices.

I think this is more about Fat Acceptance and that although you should not hate people because they are fat, neither should you accept being fat in terms of the simple physics that health at any size is a myth.

Too often Fat Acceptance is more like Fat Given Up. Although I can see that hating yourself is counterproductive to good physical and mental health and that you should be kinder to yourself, you should not just give up.

Even in fitness and bodybuilding there are old body builders, there are mass monsters - there are no old mass monsters - if you are above 100kg by the time you are 40 your healthy life expectancy nosedives.

How many of these FA devotees can

Walk a mile
Run a mile
Swim lengths without being winded
Bend over in front
Wipe their backsides
Not have muscular/joint pain
Complete an obstacle course
Lift objects over their heads?

@RunMummyRun68

These hashtags are used to promote being body positive. Social media is the main place for. Also Ashley Graham and Tess Munster and promoters of it.

@Raven88 the top 4 of those hashtags are fine by me, especially #fatgirlscan which echoes the This Girl Can exercise campaign and implies that no matter what your size or ability you can be active.

I appreciate that some of the others imply obesity as a chosen way of life though, which may not be healthy for those people without health complications who could lose weight through lifestyle changes.

It's mostly about being happy at any size, not healthy at any size. I think you've fundamentally misunderstood the movement, OP.

people who love themselves, accept who they are and embrace their body are probably more likely to value it and take care of it - so it's NOT a bad message to promote.

thin = healthy is not always true either

I am fat but I am fit - I run, I do aerobics and I weight train

OP you are jealous. You were happy until you found out you were pre diabetic and so started to eat healthy and get fit bla blah bah. But you likely are not any happier than you were as a fatty. So the fatties are happy for free and you are putting in all this effort and are no happier than you were before and you have to force yourself to exercise to boot.

I'm fat and happy. Im a size 20 and also have umtpeen autoimmune deaseases and health issues. Steroids cause weight gain. My body is in agony right now but you know, I can still be happy. and I am. I eat veg. I eat cake too. Happy days and shove your judgement up your arse :D

Is this a response to the Eurovision?

It's just another way for narcissistic people to seek attention on social media. The underlying message of such 'movements' is completely irrelevant - they're just platforms for posturing and trying to sound profound by posting cliches.

What DickTERFin said as long as the message (let’s face it, mainly for women) isn’t an attractive/sexy body is important no matter what the size, you’re still valued on looks.

I think it’s good to be positive about your body and to try and love it, fuel it, exercise it.

I think there is a lot of “fat shaming” and disgust at larger shapes and that is wrong. That’s not what is needed to combat sedentary lifestyles and people’s diets.

Are people really happy as a size 22, 24, 26 etc? Limited choice in clothes; always looking different to friends; not being as attractive to prospective partners; not being able to run for a bus; being more uncomfortable in hot weather... those were and are MY experiences. I hate being fat. I am unhappy now; I was a lot unhappier when I was a lot fatter. I know that being thin doesn't cure anything or make you happy automatically, but it would take away a lot of the things I still dislike about my life (sadly I still like chocolate more!).

Counting calories and always having to be within 'allowed' calories or point limited isn't really a healthy or positive lifestyle.
Only being happy with yourself when you have always got to reach a set exercise goal isn't really a healthy or positive lifestyle either.

Positive health is all about balance. Just knowing what you should and shouldn't be doing, and making gentle adjustments to your way of life ought to be what we do. Not counting and recording everything.

I am doing the former at the moment - everything is pointed and recorded. But it's not actually a good way to live. It will get me the results I want, at least temporarily, but I'm not daft - it isn't really the answer! And it doesn't really do much for long term body positivity either.

its not about feeling good at being unhealthy it about accepting perhaps your unhealthy but just loving who you are.so much guilt and shame and horrific body beleifs come into so many people thoughts of themselves these days...often leaing to over eating or unhealthy eating.
but you don't need to be lying to yourself that your ok "fat" you can know it.know you need to lose weiht but what people are wanting is for you to still be able to love yourself. your weight and eating shouldn't equate to your self worth or self love.or how anybody else sees or thinks of you.wieght and eating or just the sideline thy aren't you so shouldn't come parallel with your feelings.
you can still laugh,cook,enjoy life,do good,be good,be witty,beautiful and kind.that doesn't come from beig thin or fat.but it has started to become weight and mood are too linked.due to the ideals we push onto people and the pressure and stigma weight has.
people are people.just try and be you.
and so often too people find when they start to accept and find the things they like,when over or underweight they then begin to change their lifestyles and outlook on life and the balance can re address itself.
but you will never stay healthy if you don't believe your worth it.youll never be happy at a perfect "size" if you don't love you.
and your body will reflect that.