"How to Look Good Naked"

Student Lounge College Life
81

<p>I say if people want to be fat, then let them be fat. It's none of your business, anyway.</p>

<p>What ticks me off, though is that people here are saying "Oh, it's so easy, diet and exercise" have obviously never been on a diet. Whether it's losing 10, 20, or 100 pounds, whatever, it is a tough thing to do, not just physically but mentally as well. You need support from those around you, support which obviously is not found here. When people here, who have probably never been through this process, are advocating how easy it is to lose weight, that's what ****es me off because it's as if you're going up to an AIDS patient and telling them to take their pills and stop complaining about their disease.</p>

<p>That said, isn't this TV show about accepting yourself for who you are and loving yourself? Women have it very hard in this world, always having to live up to ridiculous expectations men create for them, so I find it empowering, and so will any other random girl you ask.</p>

82

<p>let's not make this into a women's movement.
Women don't like fat/disgusting/sloppy men either.</p>

<p>It's a valid argument that studying and sleeping is more important. Nobody is telling you to dedicate your life to this. But the fact is, the fatter you are the EASIER it is too lose a little weight.</p>

<p>A reasonable diet and 1 hour a day is enough to be healthy. To look good---well that will take more--- but that's not even what we're after now.</p>

83

<p>
[quote]
A reasonable diet and 1 hour a day is enough to be healthy.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>And you know this ... how?</p>

84

<p>why don't we let people decide what they want to be? i don't have to like overweight women, but i don't have to tell them that they don't look good. people learn on their own with encouragement. i don't think men should HAVE to consider fat ppl. or ppl who don't take care of themselves to be as attractive as others, but at the same time, we don't have to tell them. they'll learn on their own. otherwise, if they are happy being obese, whatever, let them.</p>

85

<p>It might be easy for them to lose 5 pounds, but it's not going to be very noticeable on an obese body if you are 295 or 300 pounds. And if they are 150 pounds overweight compared to someone like myself who is only about 15 pounds overweight, it's going to take a LOT longer and more work for them to lose what they need to be a healthy weight. It's HARD, and it takes a lot of work. Sometimes, honestly, the motivation is just not there. This is where the self-esteem problems come in. Obese people being put down all the time because of how they look often gives them awful self-esteem and just makes them gain more weight from stress and comfort eating. They start to think they are bad people because they are addicted to food, which is not the case at all. There are plenty of large people who are perfectly wonderful people that have horrible self-esteem because of bullying. This is what I'm railing against. </p>

<p>Telling someone they're fat and disgusting is NOT helping them. They already know they're fat. They can look in a mirror and see that. What they need is to be encouraged to be more healthy, not told "Lose some weight fatty!" or called names like cow and whale, which is just mean and cruel, and things I've heard people (even Adults!) say to overweight people before.</p>

86

<p>i'm totally for that as long as girls don't go around calling guy short and stuff. you don't have to tell ppl. this unless you tell it to them as a friend.</p>

87

<p>I would never be like "haha that guy's like a midget he's so short" but especially not directly in front of someone. That's mean. I've been teased and picked on before, directly to my face, and it's not fun. It's demeaning and childish. I'm not saying you have to be totally attracted to a big girl. I'm not normally attracted to guys shorter than me (I'm 5'9"). However, just because she's big doesn't mean she's not a lovely person or wouldn't make a good friend. (to continue with your example, I have several guy friends that are shorter than me.) My best friend, as I've said before, is a size 22. I don't know her exact weight, but I would guess around 280 pounds. She's about 5'6". Jess is one of the most awesome people I know: she's nice, she's fun to be around, she likes alot of the same things I do. I've known her since we were in middle school and she was big then too. That in no way influenced my decision of whether or not to be friends with her, but I know alot of people shun bigger folks just because of that.</p>

<p>I really just don't think many people here have ever gone through any weight problems. If you've never been teased about being chubby, or cried yourself to sleep because no one likes you because of how you look, you don't have a right to say "Oh, it's easy." It's NOT.</p>

88

<p>"What ticks me off, though is that people here are saying "Oh, it's so easy, diet and exercise" have obviously never been on a diet. Whether it's losing 10, 20, or 100 pounds, whatever, it is a tough thing to do, not just physically but mentally as well."</p>

<p>I have never been overweight, but I wrestled for a while before I sustained an arm injury and now am a coxswain for crew (rowing). If you know anything about these sports you know that weight management is extremely important. Being even several pounds over a given weight will disqualify you or place you at a decided disadvantage. I know what it is like to have to constantly monitor every thing you put in your mouth for extended periods of time. I also know what it is like to NEED to lose weight in extremely short time periods. All it takes is dedication, nothing else.<br>
Whether you can run 5 miles a day or walk only half of a mile, any exercise will help you lose weight and get you in better shape so you can walk/run/jog further the next time. Part of the reason very obese people get so tired walking places or up stairs is that they often do not ever exercise, so their legs cannot cope with the increasing burden of their heavy bodies. Even if the weight comes off slowly, the more that is lost, the easier it is to lose more and more and eventually drop down to a healthy weight.</p>

89

<p>"I also know what it is like to NEED to lose weight in extremely short time periods. All it takes is dedication, nothing else."</p>

<p>This may be true for you, and for most people who are not overweight, but this may not be true for morbidly obese individuals. Most morbidly obese people have complex health histories that formulate the foundation of their weight problems. This is not to say that they can't lose weight but for them, doing so is not merely a matter of "dedication, nothing else."</p>

90

<p>
[quote]
it's as if you're going up to an AIDS patient and telling them to take their pills and stop complaining about their disease.

[/quote]

AIDs is an incurable disease while obesity is totally "curable."</p>

<p>
[quote]
It was a pretty basic analogy. The more you workout the more you can eat without gaining weight.

[/quote]

his analogy is pretty basic... if you're going to eat like Phelps you better exercise like him too or else be prepared to become morbidly obese... believe it or not, there are morbidly obese people who eat like him.</p>

<p>
[quote]
What ticks me off, though is that people here are saying "Oh, it's so easy, diet and exercise" have obviously never been on a diet.

[/quote]

if you are dieting to lose weight there's your problem. people who only diet are shown to lose weight only to gain it back and then some. you need to eat healthy and exercise to lose weight and keep it off.</p>

<p>
[quote]
When people here, who have probably never been through this process, are advocating how easy it is to lose weight, that's what ****es me off

[/quote]

but it actually is EASY for people to lose weight. there aren't any tricks or any difficult concepts to master: just eat healthy and exercise. people just need to be willing to lose the weight. </p>

<p>
[quote]
All it takes is dedication, nothing else.

[/quote]

sadly, as is the case with similar conditions like alcoholism, people with obesity have to hit rock bottom before they change their attitude. has anyone else ever noticed how the vast majority of overweight/obese people completely change their lifestyle after surviving a heart attack, or, in the case of obese people, losing the ability to walk? they start to eat healthy and exercise, or in life threatening situations, get surgery.</p>

<p>everyone:
a lot of people are talking about body image issues (dysmorphia) but fail to realize that these issues are manifistations of deeper psychological problems. obese/overweight people would still feel insecure even if people didn't "judge" them. if you are having trouble understanding this concept, here is another example. men who feel insecure about their masculinity will often lift weights obsessively or complain how about their "endowment." ;) similarly, women will complain about breast size if they feel insecure about the femininity. in both cases, men and women have deeper emotional issues that need to be resolved: their masculinity/feminity.</p>

<p>here's a real life example i read in a book: a woman suffered horrifying sexual abuse as a child. after the abuser was done abusing her, she would begin to compulsively eat. over time, she became significantly overweight. after talking to a psychiatrist, she figures out that her eating was a defense mechanism. her subconscious thinking was that if she was overweight she would no longer be attractive to her abusers. so yea, being overweight can be a indicator of deeper problems.</p>

<p>P.S.
eating healthy doesn't mean eating only salads and drinking water, etc. it's all about controlling your portions, controlling how often you eat, and eating more fiber-rich, non-processed foods.</p>

<p>also, exercising doesn't mean you have to "run 3 miles a day." there are so many more exercises to choose from that people can find one that is enjoyable and convient for them.</p>

91

<p>being well endowed in the first place is not a bad start.</p>

92

<p>During high school wrestling I've seen people drop 15-20lbs within 2 weeks, usually they don't use the healthiest methods to drop weight, but if they can drop 10lbs a week (keep in mind most are already very lean/fit) then an obese person can drop at least 5lbs a week using a healthy diet and rigorous excercise routine...</p>

93

<p>A rigorous exercise routine isn't necessarily possible. Some people are so obese that their knees are totally messed up, and they can barely walk without getting out of breath.</p>

<p>I also think it's a bit of a vicious circle for some people. They're depressed that they're overweight so they try to lose weight. After losing some weight, they look in the mirror and feel like they look exactly the same because they still have so far to go. Then they get even more depressed and feel like nothing is ever going to change, so they give up and gain even more and get even more depressed, and so on.</p>

<p>But honestly, I don't understand why people demand obese people lose weight for their health, but they don't warn that college kid that gets blackout drunk about cirrhosis of the liver.</p>

94

<p>I think it's a really cute show. I don't think it encourages obesity at all; it encourages a healthy mentality. And honestly, I do think many of those women are far more attractive than most of the pinup girls on the covers of magazines.</p>

95

<p>Let's call a spade a spade. Most of those women are deluding themselves and are >25% body fat.(not attractive at all; well past "curvy")</p>

96

<p>"Right. Every obese person should become a gold-medal winning athlete. That makes sense. Everyone can do that.</p>

<p>Are you guys actually serious? I understand if you're trying to have a laugh in this thread, but if what you're saying is what you actually believe, you have a 10 year old's understanding of the issues at hand."</p>

<p>That person was just trying to make a point. They werent saying EVERYBODY should become Michael Phelps.</p>

<p>"What ticks me off, though is that people here are saying "Oh, it's so easy, diet and exercise" have obviously never been on a diet. Whether it's losing 10, 20, or 100 pounds, whatever, it is a tough thing to do, not just physically but mentally as well. You need support from those around you, support which obviously is not found here. When people here, who have probably never been through this process, are advocating how easy it is to lose weight, that's what ****es me off because it's as if you're going up to an AIDS patient and telling them to take their pills and stop complaining about their disease."</p>

<p>Seriously? You cant get rid of AIDS through diet and excercise. For many obese people (there are some that are born obese) it is through their own habits. I agree, though, that they shouldnt be made fun of. It's just mean, but people who are very obese shouldn't be encouraged to keep being unhealthy.</p>

97

<p>I've lost weight before (i was never obese) and honestly, i wasn't even trying to diet and its not that difficult if you are already 200+. I'm not talking aobut losing 5 lbs or **** like that, i lost 25-30 lbs. It happened slowly and gradually over the years and I can tell you right now, if you are in the 200+, your weight will come off MUCH faster. It took me awhile because i was never that overweight but a little change in diet will effect you alot. Or play DDR on heavy mode. Though however, you'll never feel like you are that skinny... its just the way it is. I was always in my healthy BMI but yeah you'll always see people who look perfect and skinnier than you.
Hell I wear a size 4 and i still think im chubby and need to lose 10 more lbs at least.</p>

<p>
[quote]
You should be around 125 lbs. according to the average girl's growth chart. The fact that you are 2.5x that means your lifespan has likely shrunk by several decades.</p>

<p>A short, unhappy, and painful life. Apparently that's what our "feel good about your obesity" movement has caused you.

[/quote]

actually I've seen that chart and it does not involve height in the process. that's just the average weight of the girls who are 18 in US. Her healthy weight range is actually 118 - 156 lb apparently. 128 would be her ideal weight, which is always unrealisticaly low. <a href="http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

98

<p>that site you linked to isn't very good. first off, body mass index, suffers from the fact that you can be heavy but in fact healthy. people who work out will gain muscle weight which would make their bmi higher than usual. that's just an extreme example, but needless to say big people aren't necessary unhealthy. the other methods of calculating the 'ideal' weight have links which point out the flaws so i won't get into that here.</p>

99

<p><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/02/01/weightloss.phill.novak/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/02/01/weightloss.phill.novak/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>To all the obese people out there, read that and become inspired.</p>

100

<p>So I think that from what I've read, this thread is lacking a lot of ethos. Have ANY of you who are blabbing about how easy it is to lose weight actually been faced with the immensely daunting task of losing a 100+ pounds? Do understand in the least how difficult is is to jump up one day and change nearly EVERYTHING about your lifestyle? Do you realize that the human body is literally designed to do everything in its will to fight against you losing weight? Do you know about the dozens upon dozens of disorders that cause people to hold onto weight? Can you imagine the sheer terror of going to a gym filled with fit, beautiful people and looking horribly out of place? Do you know how it feels to work out for 5 minutes, only to be dripping in disgusting sweat and feeling like you'll never breathe again? Have you ever stood on a scale in tears because you eaten only 800 calories a day, WAY below what you should have, exercised every day, and STILL haven't lost any weight in the past 3 weeks? Can you imagine the fear that you might lose your family, friends, spouse, job, just to lose weight? Could you stand eating a salad and grilled chicken everyday while your friends chomp away at fried foods and grease that you used to love? How about the horror of going around the grocery store, having to buy tasteless foods when your favorite snacks are staring you the face. Or having absolutely no social life because all your pals do is hang out at starbucks or order takeout? And then, on top of all this to have people pointing at you, making fun of you for something they could NEVER in a million years understand. Do they know how your weight is really a sign of depression or other mental illness? Do they understand that overeating is a way for you to mask your unhappiness with your life? Or do they know that your dad put a padlock on your fridge when you were a kid, and you were hungry all the time? Of course not.</p>

<p>So, please, if you think you're some sort of genius just because you know the oh-so-perfect formula for weight loss, why don't you tell us how it worked for you.</p>