Body positivity is out of control…

[YumYumY]

Inspired by another thread raising the topic of UPFs (by a fit 70 year old).

And I’m definitely people judging and shaming.

Lot of us eat shit food (availability of shit food definitely an issue) and seem to be proud of it.

Common MN army, lay into me.

I’ve done both, got used to eating crap as well as got more disciplined and got the crap out of my system (more than once and the change in diet was never a pleasurable experience).

But looking at the streets people just look so, yes fat, and unhealthy. And I’m calling already a size 12 fat here just to be clear (with some leeway for different bone structures)

When will we start admitting we are fat and it is a problem.

No I didn’t. I did add bone structure means it will be different for different people.

I found the opposite of a lot of people's opinions to be true. I grew up poor, surrounded by other kids in the same boat.. we were all like stick insects ate crap mainly... literally sugar sandwich crap.
Throughout twenties and early thirties, size 8.. no money. A diet of basic cheap food.. beans on toast type dinners. I looked fantastic, with a washboard stomach!
33 met my husband and my budget for food had never been so high, I eat way more than I used to.. proper meals I guess. Plus the privilege of a car.. I used to walk everywhere! All very nice but I'm now a size 14.

So, 4 pages in and has anyone come up with the solution yet or is it just 4 pages of the usual tedious bollocks?

All the teeny tinies move to France and leave us fat disgusting people here?

Fully in favour 🙋‍♀️

It’s not a myth that in some countries in continental Europe people are noticeably less heavy on average

I have a lot of sympathy with people who struggle with their weight and diet. We are confronted with so much utter sugary rubbish every time we go to the supermarket that anyone who's feeling a bit insecure/miserable/vulnerable is very much put under pressure.

BUT! I don't like the body positivity movement. Being obese is never a good thing and while people should get understanding and support, I don't agree that it's a valid life-choice to be obese. If some of the silly influencers who preach body positivity put half as much effort into losing some weight they'd find life much more enjoyable.

Isn’t this part of it, though? We normalise it. If you met me in my size 12, yes, definitely fat and overweight.

Eating a salad is not funny, where did I say it was? I eat salad a few times a week, cook from scratch and keep UPF to a minimum. Oh sorry did you want me to say I think salads are disgusting so you could tell me how virtuous you are? I think you’ll find obese people sometimes eat salad too, I know it’s unbelievable.

Being obese is never a good thing

I fell over in epic style yesterday, was running on a slippery surface in socks and just went flying. I've got bruised knees and an elbow today but I'm sure the fact I managed not to break anything is entirely down to the cushioning from being a fat bastard.

So, in that one very limited circumstance, I'll refute your statement @CoffeeCantata and say being obese can be a good thing.

I agree. A healthy weight is when the clavicle and hip bones are clearly visible. I’m 5’9, 10st4, and have a BMI of 22. Most people call me ‘very skinny’ but I’m actually just past the middle of the healthy weight range.

Equally people seem to think children should hang on to their baby and toddler fat far longer than they should. At 4 you should be able to see a child’s ribs. Overweight children don’t look like fat adults - they don’t have rolls, they have big arms/legs and are often called ‘solid’ because they just look strong.

This comment chain is full of nasty little bullies.

Reminds me of being at school.

The reason for the body positivity movement, is that women spend so much of their lives being insulted, belittled and humiliated over their weight. We all know women who have had some form of eating disorder their entire lives.

And yet here on mumsnet we have posters dictating that women are ‘fat’ if they hit a size 12? Have you met any tall women? Women with breasts?

God it’s exhausting being told you need to hate yourself because you don’t fit a very specific body shape.

Argh.

But you would’ve fallen faster from being heavier. So a greater impact.

Tbh it’s become a societal issue rather than an individual one. The amount we spend on healthcare for obesity is scary, so many people are overweight it’s no longer quite unusual even for small children.

If you’re teeny tiny do you gently float to the ground?

No but do you understand that a heavier object will fall faster and have a greater impact than a lighter one?

Agree it is a complex problem. No doubt about it. And shaming will definitely not help resolving it.

Seeing how many people jumped on size 12 is interesting. It is definitely not obese. For many people it will mean a bit of extra padding. For some who are tall, broad, have a lot of lean muscle it will mean absolutely healthy. But we are still trying to normalise the extra padding that is in excess of healthy.

Ah but my belly hit the ground first and was already decelerating me by the time my knees collided with it. 🤣

Yes, I do. I was being sarcastic and also not trying to fat shame people

I'm a size 12 and a perfectly healthy weight, tyvm and I'm not even tall.

And it's come on, not common.

You made a sarcastic post including salads, which is very MN. I am glad that when called out about it, you back tracked and acknowledged that there's absolutely nothing funny about it.

And I’m calling already a size 12 fat here just to be clear

ODFOD

Mumsnet extreme idiots again.

Most size 12 women are NOT fat/obese. Not unless they are very short.

Way to trigger anyone with an eating disorder or food issue.

Women that wear a size 12 aren’t suffering from health problems as a result of their weight.

Obesity is a societal problem. We are naturally optimised to store fat, and eat in times of plenty. There are too many UPFs and people make bad choices because they are short of time and money (and energy).

But ‘oh well if you wear a size 12 you are fat’ is just pathetic schoolgirl bullying. That’s not discussing the cause or solution to the obesity crisis, it’s just sneering at those who don’t fit your own personal view of the ideal body shape.

It adds nothing to the conversation, but will make plenty of readers feel like shit for no reason.

I don't disagree exactly, but it is time consuming to cook from scratch whatever your budget.

We are lucky to have a bit of leeway with the food budget, but we still spend hours planning meals and cooking. It takes ages, but it's worth it for both health and financial reasons.

Many meals are actually cheaper than ready made freezer food if you're able to put in the initial investment to buy ingredients in bulk ahead of time and batch cook.

It's people who can't even afford that initial investment e.g. a massive bag of pasta/ rice, packs of tinned tomatoes/ lentils/beans and a few herbs and spices, who are in a very bad place, but I believe that's a relatively small number of people.

I think there is also a lack of knowledge of how to cook cheap, healthy and filling meals. I really believe that this, combined with perceived lack of time, are actually bigger issues than cost.

Gravity is fat shaming now is it