America's Obsession with Weight Loss

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wosnes
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America's Obsession with Weight Loss

Post by wosnes » Tue Feb 08, 2011 11:46 am

I saw this piece on The Today Show yesterday.

I very much liked what the woman in the pink sweater (I never saw that she was identified) said: "The message that's being sent is that you will be happy if you look like these women, when in reality the only thing that can actually fulfill you is being confident and happy with ourselves and how we live our lives."

And then there was Lisa Lillien -- aka Hungry Girl -- who said that she learned not to diet, but learned what she should be eating. I'm sorry. I've seen her web site and she uses a lot of edible food-like substances. Why is it that Americans think that all the reduced fat, calorie or carb foods are going to be the silver bullet? It certainly hasn't worked for us.

Oh, and those women we tend to emulate -- they're not happy with their bodies either! I liked what Emme said -- there's no way we can look alike nor should we.

I have a problem with the exercise/fitness obsession in terms of looking a certain way. Maybe they'll address that, too.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

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Blithe Morning
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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Feb 08, 2011 2:37 pm

It's ironic that the more we become obsessed with being thin, the fatter we get.

I was heartened to see the new federal recommendations essentially say "Eat less." I suspect that those who advocated for that recommendation are influenced by Michael Pollan (i.e. eat food, mostly plants, not too much).

I am not supermodel thin. I'm mostly a size 12 except through the shoulders and bust where I am a size 14. ... unless I'm not. You know how that goes. My BMI and waist size are acceptable - high normal but normal. Part of this is that I lift weights and I lift heavy (for a girl, as my sons would be quick to say). By Hollywood's standards, I am bovine. By the standards of our increasingly obese populace, I am sylphlike. As the disparity between media images and reality widens, I only hope that people will still recognize "normal".

A friend of mine who is kinda like me - height/weight proportionate though not naturally skinny - noted on her Facebook page after an outing in a college town: 10 years and 3 children later, I was thinner than the college girls I saw tonight. Something's wrong.
Last edited by Blithe Morning on Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Nicest of the Damned
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Re: America's Obsession with Weight Loss

Post by Nicest of the Damned » Thu Feb 10, 2011 9:54 pm

wosnes wrote:I very much liked what the woman in the pink sweater (I never saw that she was identified) said: "The message that's being sent is that you will be happy if you look like these women, when in reality the only thing that can actually fulfill you is being confident and happy with ourselves and how we live our lives."
If your problem is that you weigh too much, then a diet can help you.

If your problem is, instead, that you're not confident in yourself, or not happy with how your life is going, or feel like your life is totally out of control, I suggest a therapist or counselor. No diet, No S included, is going to solve those kinds of problems for you. Thinking it will is like thinking that eating will solve the problem of being stressed or depressed.

Graham
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Post by Graham » Fri Feb 11, 2011 8:17 am

Blithe Morning wrote:And for the record, I think everyone who sticks with No S will get to "normal". I understand that certain conditions such as PCOS and insulin resistance may slow things waaaaayyy down but eventually it WILL come about right.
Blithe Morning, I'm wondering what you base this statement on. I've been wondering for quite a while how effective No S is, especially for those past middle-age. Those we hear from on this forum are those who have stuck around - either No S helped them attain weight-loss goals, or they like the No S community whilst using additional strategies. No idea how many have tried No S and quietly moved on, no record of what No S did or didn't do for them.

How do any of us know how effective No S is for people with PCOS, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes? What you say sounds nice - but how true is it? I like No S and the No S community, but I don't think it does any good to create expectations that "vanilla" No S probably cannot deliver.

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Blithe Morning
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Post by Blithe Morning » Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:10 pm

Graham wrote:
Blithe Morning wrote:And for the record, I think everyone who sticks with No S will get to "normal". I understand that certain conditions such as PCOS and insulin resistance may slow things waaaaayyy down but eventually it WILL come about right.
Blithe Morning, I'm wondering what you base this statement on. I've been wondering for quite a while how effective No S is, especially for those past middle-age. Those we hear from on this forum are those who have stuck around - either No S helped them attain weight-loss goals, or they like the No S community whilst using additional strategies. No idea how many have tried No S and quietly moved on, no record of what No S did or didn't do for them.

How do any of us know how effective No S is for people with PCOS, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes? What you say sounds nice - but how true is it? I like No S and the No S community, but I don't think it does any good to create expectations that "vanilla" No S probably cannot deliver.
Ok. I'll delete it.

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Nichole
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Post by Nichole » Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:20 pm

I had a baby in September... I was careful not to overeat, only gained 27 lbs. So when I had her, the weight disapeared. And then I lost some extra because of nursing.

I have gotten "kidding" comments like, "oh my god, I hate you" and "you're like one of those super models or something that you read about." And the comments/compliments and discussions continue to come. I am REALLY tired of my weight being up for discussion, especially in front of my sister who just had a baby and has extra weight on her. It's awkward. And I feel it puts pressure on me never to go back to my normal weight, which is 5-7 lbs heavier than I am now. AND it makes me feel like that's the only thing of value on me. There's much more to me than my size 6 pants!

Sorry, I guess I just had to get this off my chest. People can be concerned about their weight and try to be healthy, but the obsession is just getting so annoying (in person, obviously this is a message board about healthy habits). There are much better things to talk about!
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:09 pm

Blithe Morning wrote:
Graham wrote:
Blithe Morning wrote:And for the record, I think everyone who sticks with No S will get to "normal". I understand that certain conditions such as PCOS and insulin resistance may slow things waaaaayyy down but eventually it WILL come about right.
Blithe Morning, I'm wondering what you base this statement on. I've been wondering for quite a while how effective No S is, especially for those past middle-age. Those we hear from on this forum are those who have stuck around - either No S helped them attain weight-loss goals, or they like the No S community whilst using additional strategies. No idea how many have tried No S and quietly moved on, no record of what No S did or didn't do for them.

How do any of us know how effective No S is for people with PCOS, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes? What you say sounds nice - but how true is it? I like No S and the No S community, but I don't think it does any good to create expectations that "vanilla" No S probably cannot deliver.
Ok. I'll delete it.
She didn't state it as fact -- it was an opinion. I tend to agree with it -- especially the part that results will be slow. In addition, I think 1) having moderate habits, like No-S, may prevent some of these things from occurring, and 2) what we eat is part of the issue, too. That's my opinion.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

Eileen7316
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Post by Eileen7316 » Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:44 pm

She didn't state it as fact -- it was an opinion. I tend to agree with it -- especially the part that results will be slow. In addition, I think 1) having moderate habits, like No-S, may prevent some of these things from occurring, and 2) what we eat is part of the issue, too. That's my opinion.
I also tend to agree. Mostly because that's the way my parents/grandparents/great-grandparents ate for most of their lives. Using common sense when it comes to the 3 plates is key. "Not too much, mostly plants" is good advice to follow.
Eileen

Graham
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Post by Graham » Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:32 pm

wosnes wrote:She didn't state it as fact -- it was an opinion.
Hmm. Blithe Morning is a long-standing, thoughtful member of the No S community, and her statements therefore carry weight, an air of authority. I respect her response to what I posted, apparently persuaded by my reasoning that the queried assertion might be unhelpful.

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