[jasmyn]

I think she is onto something.

We need exercises and a safe place to do them, specifically for obese people.

Our society "shames" obese people into losing weight. We have chairs that are too small for heavy people. We have skinny models. Fat people are invisible when they walk down the street. They are non-people. In the gym, the machines are geared towards smaller people. The exercise videos are full of lunges and squats that are hell on heavy people's knees. I think we should do something so heavy people are motivated out of wanting to be healthy, rather than shame.

Jasmyn



This is a repost from Thinchick, July 2006.
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"Hi Everyone,

I'm new here & I'm probably going to start this off on the wrong foot but I've been doing alot of thinking & internet research into exercise for obese people & I'm feeling a little disappointed. Here's why:

I myself am obese, I need to lose 100 pounds

Here are my body stats:

I have lower back pain most of the time from carrying around all this weight every single day, not to mention the belly fat that keeps me from doing most abdominal/back exercises effectively

My feet hurt and/or are swollen by the end of every day from all the abuse they take lugging me around & that's without regular aerobic exercise

My knees ache some of the time from the stress of getting up and down off the floor to play with my baby let alone doing repetitive work-out tape lunges to the tune of 50 reps per knee that most tapes want you to do (don't forget the unnatural postures you have to assume to be able to see the tv while you are trying to exercise, I'm sure it reduces the effectiveness of the tape by quite a huge number & promotes injuries at the same time)

My arse bones cannot take the pressure of a stationary bike, it might as well be medieval torture, yes there are reclining bikes, but I'm honest when I say that even without much resistance, I can barely get to 5 minutes without turning blue from holding my breath out of sheer necessity for the last two minutes only to get off the thing with jelly legs that cannot be walked on reliably for 2 days

The long-winded point I am trying to make here is, thin is in & fat isn't.

Thin people sell us our gym memberships, our exercise videos, our strength training, our dance moves, our clothing (yes clothing, go to most online retailers & try to find an outfit in your size that's actually modelled by someone your size, usually, it's a size 8 model in the top you love & the size goes up to 3x so you never know what you're gonna get if you buy it).

Even though the world wants to help the plight of the fat, the portly, the obese, and the morbidly obese, it's really more like thin people pushing their idea of reality, happiness & the ability to succeed if done only their way, it's no wonder so many fail at weight loss (myself included). I'm being perfectly honest when I say I can't find anywhere that caters to the exercise needs of the obese or even those who aren't obese but maybe are not in the shape or physically able to do "regular" exercise. To prove my point, go to the exercise section of this website & click on what sort of articles there are to encourage us, guess what? There are none. Maybe I'm wrong & some of you will say they have had success with this or that method, that's great if it worked for you & you deserve all the best. But I am sure that there are those of us who have suffered blood, sweat & tears to go to a gym and work out in front of others, to use exercise tapes for weeks with constant pain & unacceptable elevated heart rates to finally reach a point where it was bearable, how many of us have not been able to physically do an exercise because our proportions didn't allow it & we were devastated? The best thing for us we are told is swimming. How many fat people do you see hanging out at the pool. Usually I am the fattest one there & everybody stares & it's mortifying even though I had to put the kids with a sitter & travel across town by bus to get there & odds are won't do again out of shame.

In conclusion, fat people need safe places to learn how to move their bodies in optimal weight loss ways, fat people need exercise equipment that fits them & takes a large body size into consideration when designed, fat people need just as much research on how to resolve the issues I've mentioned above as thin people already receive, fat people need a reality that includes others who look like them (or me) to sell us our services or prove to us that what we are being offered is going to be effective not an exercise in who can stand the pain the longest.

I know I became so fat all on my own, but now that I'm here, where are the proper supports? Diet alone is not the answer & everybody knows that, but for so many of us, diet is the most do-able until we starve ourselves to lose a body we can't move the way the fitness gurus want us to believe we should be able to do.

Sorry for the rant, I'm just discouraged sometimes by all that society sees in us, imperfections to be made-over.

We are more than that & someday we shall overcome..... "

[jessielynn0521]

When I began I needed to loose over 100lbs I have back,knee and ankle trouble the only workout I found that worked excellent for me is the core secrets workout it didnt put added strain on my back knees or ankles so maybe that is something that she should check with her dr about but I love the core secrets workout!! love it love it love it

[susanpesek]

I agree! My husband is close to 290 pounds and he should have the right to sit with me in a bus, train or airplane. I think it's discrimination.
NOBODY who is heavy WANTS to be heavy. G-R-R-R!!

[jasmyn]

I think it is discrimination, too. Heavy people have the same rights as anyone else. If our society is so compassionate that we can have handicapped bathrooms for people with wheelchairs, then we can provide for heavy people. I think the heavy people haven't figured out how to lobby Washington yet, but they truly are a special interest group.

The thing I wonder, is, would *I* want to work out in a class taught by a heavy woman? Would I wear clothes modeled by a heavy woman? Or would I say *yuk*?
Would I buy a workout program pitched by a heavy woman? Or do I prefer to buy it from some skinnyminny man?
Hmmmmm.

[susanpesek]

BAD SUSAN!!! I have been so busy the last few days!! Jay has been here this weekend and Jon is sick in the bed~ And you know how needy they say men get when they are ill!! I am the VERY SAME!
I am ashamed of myself for eating the way I have been..weigh in is tomorrow....fingers crossed~

[Ian]

Hah, I can understand an airplane being an issue for a heavy passenger due to well... physics of flight. But a bus? hmmm

I personally wouldn't buy a weight loss product pushed by a heavy person. It's the same reason I wouldn't buy a book on website design from a company with a bad website.

[findingme4me]

I agree with Ian even though I have weight to lose I wouldnt walk into a club where the workers usually get a free memebership and if they were all standing there 100pds over weight eating cookies im am pretty darn sure i and a few other people would be just as uncomfortable as if they were super models..and im sure i would walk out...what do they have to offer me if they have nothing to offer them selfs?

now adays image is everything....
and im not just talking about being fat or skinny!

[thewomanwithin67]

How about buying a car with a guy standing next to a damaged vehicle and all the cars in the lot are "banged" up or damaged?

I know what some are saying, but honestly sometimes that's what I feel like - damaged and society backs it up. Anyone who is over a certain "weight" and look are discriminated against like this because of the way we are all taught to "think" due to the media.

Is there a misconception that you can't be heavy and work out daily or be fit?

Is there a misconception that "thin" person standing at that door and giving free memberships or teaching classes; are in shape or healthy, that they don't overeat? Are they naturally thin, overeat and purge or just not eat at all?

It's the perception of our society that makes us all believe different things about weight/body types.

Just as I perceive myself to be a larger size than I am, anyone who didn't know how much I weigh, would never guess (including my dr) what I weigh. I could walk in a crowd and blend in now because the majority of women are size 14+.

The things we see on TV, magazines and internet are usually "enhanced", and that's where the misconception comes from.

What we see with the human eye, can be tricked and subconsciously we are made to believe something that isn't necessarily so.

You can either take what you have and make something good of it, or you can mope around and feel sorry for yourself about "being overweight"; each of us have our own opinions and choices as to what road we take. <kicks my butt an extra time to remember this daily>

One of my doctors 2 years ago, ran extra tests on me because at 275 lbs he did not believe there was nothing wrong with me (other than female problems) and that I had NEVER overeaten, I just didn't eat healthy. Plus a hectic life - I didn't take time to exercise daily and take the time to become heart healthy.

I am sure those super models have as many insecurities and self esteem/body issues as every one of us do, they just mask it or do things that make them feel better. If you haven't go to Tyra Banks website and read up on what one of the top super models has to say about how "fake" the business really is and how she finally just accepted her for who she is and if you don't like her at 160 lbs then kiss her @$$.

If the media would have portrayed heavier models as acceptable from 20-25 years ago, our society would have been more accepting of a little extra body "padding" instead of the "dying to be thin" society we have become.