to expect the leader of a weight loss group not to be OBESE ffs

[AjollyNiceChutney]

Oh yes. I have joined a weight loss group (one of the well known ones) and our 'leader' is obese. Not just a bit curvy, OBESE. Now don't get me wrong I know losing weight is hard work (hence the group) but really? Really?! They allow someone who clearly can't manage their own weight to help us lose weight? Please explain the logic.

YANBU. I wouldn't take diet advice from an obese person. I wouldn't take marriage advice from Elizabeth Taylor or birth control advice from the Duggars.

Even if she's already lost tons of weight, she obviously isn't finished with her own program yet. It's too soon for her to be teaching.

If she's obese because she regained, well, then why in the world is she even allowed to promote the program (much less teach it)?

And all Drs are really really healthy & don't drink or smoke, eat well & exercise.

Just like dentists NEVER consume sweets drinks/sweets etc!

LOL at "because I have eyes"

Hardly inspirational is it?

But differentnameforthis, I don't actually see my doctor smoke etc or my dentist consume sweets.

This woman is obviously visually (I have eyes, heh) obese. Not a good recommendation for a weight loss leader.

Its like this one diabetes nurse I have who is also massively obese. Very hard to listen to her tell me to lose weight to control my diabetes.

Midori, surely its just a job though, same as any other. I dont look to my GP for the inspiration to stay healthy.

Marriage guidance counselors can be divorced, people with no legs could sell shoes, people with tourettes can work in customers services. Its a funny old world, as long as i am getting the service i have paid for, i couldnt give a toss who provides it.

Had to laugh at the ive got eyes though, very good OP

Yes, I laughed at that too.

I don't think it's about people looking for inspiration as such, just that the diet works and is easy to stick to, and surely if the leader herself can't stick to it or doesn't want to, then it's not as great as they'd have you believe? It's just how diet 'clubs' work, I suppose. The magazines are full of 'success stories', before an dafter pictures, listign the huge amounts of food and variety the people in the stories apparently ate. It's all 'look what our diet can do, this will be the one that works for you, it's so easy, you can eat so much/whatever you want/curries/fry ups/anything... and still lose weight and be slim... '

I have been to a group with an obese 'leader' and she was absolute shite, tbh, so maybe that affects my views too?

YANBU. in the same way that I wouldn't take smoking cessation advice from a smoker I suppose ?

Ah, well I'm glad I'm not alone in this. She doesn't seem inspirational in any way but I do like the diet plan (nothing to do with her!)so I will keep going. Think I might try and find a different class in the area.

Not sure about the validity of the doctor/dentist/marriage counsellor arguments. As someone else said, you don't see your doctor shooting up or your dentist munching through bars of chocolate or your marriage counsellor rowing with her husband. I can SEE this woman cannot control what she eats, if she can't do it, can't stick to the diet then how is she supposed to inspire others

Nidori, you've hit the nail on the head, as long as she can do her job properly, it shouldnt matter how much she weighs. Im sure they had have skinny leaders, who were crap too!

Perhaps she is happy with the way she is and doesnt want to diet. Im sure everyone who works in the diet industry doesnt have to be following a diet just to work there.

Its funny how the diet business works!

Ajolly, you dont see your dentist munching through bars of chocolate, im assuming you dont see her doing this either?

If your dentist was obsese then, you would assume that the did munch through chocolate and would object?

lolol @ "because I have eyes"

"Because I have eyes"

ROFLMHO

OP, YANBU. I feel the same way whe I go to the local authority run health club. So many of the staff are overweight and I have seen some of them get out of breath just walking up the stairs!

It is a Health club fgs. Shouldn't the staff reflect the ethos of what the club is trying to inculcate into its members!

Is "Because I have eyes" really that funny???

Nowadays "obese" is 1lb heavier than "overweight" so I guess I was just being pedantic with my question. If op had said leader was clearly 5 or 6 stones overweight or a size 20 or whatever then I'd have had a clearer image of what she meant.

:*

hahaha! That's twice now this morning that MN has had me wheezing with laughter.

I went to a weight loss place once and the leader was thin, but a total total bitch. I went a couple of times but I actually started to want to gain weight just to piss her off, so decided to leave.

If she's a positive leader who encourages others to lose weight in a healthy way, I don't think it matters really. As someone else said she may have already lost 10 stone and will be seen as a positive role model for very very obese people.

I wouldn't want to take diet advice from someone who was obese, and neither would I want to take it from someone who had never been overweight.

Its true, she should be able to give out the same advice/encouragement/information at any weight, but weight loss is very psychological and it doesn't sound very inspiring.

I could not take an obese leader seriously because visually, I would find her uninspiring and pychologically, hypocritical and lacking self control. Sorry, just being honest.

@"because i have eyes"

That cheered me up after a particulaly crap morning.

I have been to a slimming club where the leader is clearly overweight, not very inspirational and looks over her glasses at you!! hahaha
I liked the diet and it worked for me, but after having 2 kids the weight is back on and I would like to do the diet agian, but can't be arsed with her tut tut attitude.
Do I sometimes need a kick up the arse YES a telling off YES but she will do neither of these things, she is a bit of a waste of space.

I think she would be the same fat or thin though??

But ikwym
YANBU

You haven't joined fat fighters by any chance?

Coming at it from another angle - maybe it is better to be taught/instructed by someone who is rubbish at something? They know or understand better who does it easily how difficult it can be, much more so than someone who is/does so easily and naturally? Do you really want someone who is naturally skinny, can eat anything and not have to exercise but stay slim, giving you advice on how to lose weight? Maybe a divorced, or multiple divorced person is actually the best person to give advice on marriage, as they know where things can go wrong. Obese lady can know how easy it is to give in to cake and not bother to exercise, because presumably she's been there.

On a more serious note, she might be obese but it might be interesting to know how much weight she has already lost, maybe she was much more overweight and has indeed lost a lot of weight, I think that would inspire me, in spite of how she still looks.

My sister went to weight watchers and the woman running it was the size of a bus, Sis ask her how long she had run the group and the woman said 4 and a half years, Sis said "well it clearly does not work" and walked out going to slimmers world and losing 2 stone.

Kimi, I would not be that rude by saying that.

Look on the bright side, you will look slimmer standing next to her!

On the other side of the coin though, I went to one group where consultant was thin, but I found out later she'd only lost around a stone to get that thin. She might have looked good, but she didn't have much experience eating to the plan.

I'd be more inspired by someone who had lost more, and knew the plan well, even if they were a big large still.