First and foremost I am going to emphatically state I totally despise bullying behavior and will not condone anyone in my presence being mean to others. I do not care about your race, your gender, your gender confusion, your sexuality your size etc… I will not tolerate anyone bullying others. With that being said;

Why in the Sam Hell is it necessary for anyone to think we need a Fat Acceptance Movement and just who in the world is this movement supposed to be helping? Stop, that was a rhetorical question. If I saw someone picking on a person in my presence just based on them being fat, I am going to pop a knot on their forehead quicker than they can say ouch. I’m not going to tolerate meanness towards others, period! I can not stand weak punks who try to make themselves feel superior by tearing down others. But, I do not feel that a Fat Acceptance Movement is good or healthy to have in our society for the following;

When we are obese, we subject ourselves to many problems.Let me repeat, we SUBJECT OURSELVES, to many problems. How many people with a weight problem truly look in the mirror with any sense of pride in how they appear? Despite objections which may come from some, I would venture to say most do not like what they see. Being fat is not an attractive feature. How many times when you have a weight problem have you ever bought clothing which you hoped make you look thin, or maybe you bought the loose stuff which kind of hides the muffin top hanging over the top of your pants. Face it, does anyone really feel comfortable with any of this?

Now that the superficial and obvious is out of the way, if you have any character about you, then the appearance of another is of no importance to who they are as a person. Obese folks deserve love respect and dignity as much as anyone. But, here is the larger issue where I believe Fat Acceptance is wrong headed and does not help those with a weight problem in the least. According to the American Psychological Association, Obesity is one of the nation’s fastest growing and most troubling health problems. Unless you act to address the emotions behind why you over eat, you could be facing long term problems.If you have a high Body Mass Index (BMI) you may be increasing the risk of many serious health conditions, including hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Type 2 Diabetes, gall bladder disease, chronic fatigue, asthma, sleep apnea and some forms of cancer.

The causes for obesity are rarely limited to genetic factors, prolonged over eating or a sedentary life style. What we do and do not do often results from how we think and feel. For example, feelings of sadness, anxiety or stress often leads to people eating more than normal.

Obesity is also frequently accompanied by depression and the two can influence and trigger each other. Binge eating is often associated with obesity and other conditions such as anorexia are symptoms of depression. There was a study where it was found that 51% of binge eaters also had a problem with depression.

Because of these issues, I hate seeing commercials where if you buy their pill, subscribe to their packaged foods, let them suck fat from your gut etc… None of that means shit if your head is not right. If you mind is not in the right place in regards to your weight, health and well being, then what happens when your magic slimming pills or meals from Mrs Craig run out? My God, is Marie going to miss filming any of her commercials to come help you out? After all, she does give the appearance like she might give two hot cents for you. Want to buy some lake front property? I know a guy…

If you are obese and want to lose weight, you first have to identify your problem and be completely honest with yourself. Are you chemically off balance and suffer depression? Were you abused as a child and still suffering the consequences? Were you living the good life and then had all your hopes and dreams destroyed? If any of these issues are a problem, then please, by all means get yourself some professional help. Nothing you can do is going to be permanently effective if you do not take care of deep emotional issues which may be largely the cause of your obesity. You could get lap band surgery and find yourself back to where you are now if you do not care for your mind first and foremost.

What are you eating? I was at the store today and they had a 10 for 10 sale of Swiss cakes, Nutty Buddy, and Cosmic Brownies. I could have bought a couple weeks worth of these treats and received not a blooming bit of nutritional value. How about other inexpensive foods. What do you get from a package of Ramen Noodles? Anything more than a weeks worth of sodium to a serving? I don’t think so. Sugary cereals for the kids (and you when no one is looking)? Boxes of Mac and Cheese with cheap hot dogs on the side? While these foods might be cheap in the moment, they cost you more in the long term in money spent on doctors visits for avoidable ailments if you had only ate right in the first place. I recommend a high protein diet with low carbs and zero sugar or processed foods. And for damn sure, do not skip over having fats in your diet as we need them to not only help with feeling satiated longer, we need them for proper absorption of nutrients. Fats are actually healthy. Let me repeat, FATS are healthy! Find our your caloric needs based on your Base Metabolic Rate and then do not exceed them and you will lose weight in a healthy manner. You can lose weight without starving yourself of nutrition. I prove this with myself every week as I only eat whole and hearty foods, and lots of it.

If you do not exercise in any manner, then get your ass up and move. Get your blood flowing. Raise your heart rate and pump extra oxygenated blood through your body. Do not say you do not like exercise, as that is the same as saying I do not like soup. Have you tried every type of soup there is to know you do not like soup? I did not think so. My exercise of choice is weight training, but it really does not matter what you do as long as you get your heart rate elevated at least 3 times per week for no less than 30 minutes. Please do not ever tell me that you are too busy to fit in 1 and 1/2 hour a week to help your health. I’m just going to tell you that you are giving a weak excuse. If you do not run, then get out and walk briskly. Get out and bicycle, jump rope, heck buy a damn Hula Hoop. No equipment on hand? Can not afford it? You have your body weight to work with. I gave a simple and basic PT routine on a recent blog post that anyone can follow.

Besides the obvious health benefits which come from exercise, know that a good exercise regimen will also help you mentally. If you are feeling depressed, you can get refocused or centered through vigorous exercise. By getting your body into better shape, you will like the results of seeing your muscles getting that toned appearance which will only serve to make you feel better about yourself.

In summary, I feel for people with an obesity problem and spend a lot of time researching and studying the issue in order to provide information to help you and others. I do not think anyone should walk around feeling ashamed of themselves, but this whole Fat Acceptance thing helps no one as it does not give an incentive to anyone to get healthy. You can say that you need to be accepted for who you are today. But reality check, there will likely come a day where your obesity becomes the problem of your loved ones when you have used Fat Acceptance to avoid taking care of your health and wellness over the course of a life time. Is it right to burden your children or possibly your grand children with ailments that you could have prevented in the first place? Only the selfish would insist that others accept their being fat. Only the selfish will continue to not take care of their health and wellness only to burden their loved ones later in life.