I'm a wobble-bottom, feather-bed me!

carolt

How random! :rotfl:

carolt

lostinrates wrote: »

I dunno. I know dh, who is not tall and not overweight, is a large in Zara, and a small in gap...

designer sizes, for example, in womens clothing, ahve always felt small. I remeber at a size ten feeling very fat and frumpy not being able to get stuff on. At a small 8 I looked like death with boobs and felt like a goddess, and rarely got asked out. and when I did it was by control freak men, at a size 16 my bum was black and blue from being felt up on the tube. What does this say about feminism? It say to me I'm bloddy nuts to dream of trying to be a size 8 again, but that its not something imposed by nazi clothes designers or men. I also note that clothes sizes, and women were smaller, and yet looked fleshier in many pictures....whats with that?

Loved your descriptions - have to say as someone who has involuntarily been too thin, it can be as much of a pain being too thin as too fat. I hated the fact that I couldn't find anything except for children's clothes to fit. Size 8 fell off; virtually nowhere stocks size 6 let alone size 4 - the UK equivalent of the mythical US size zero.

I didn't feel sexy at all - I felt like a stick.

But I wasn't ill or anorexic. I just lost it naturally, without any attempt to.

I think it's more accurate to say that fashion targets 'average' people as that way they can sell more clothes. Anyone not average - too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, is not very well catered for - but I don't think that's down to anti-feminism - it's just down to simple economics.

Shops that see size 12 as a large are those that cater to a primarily young, slim clientele. It's making a statement about that, rather than about women in general.

I remember popping into Evans for something and being given very hostile looks, because I was blatantly not their target market either.

Some people look good thin; other look better curvy.

And I totally don't think it's just women who worry about weight; I probably know more men who do.

There's no equivalent complimentary term to 'curvy' for men, is there?

sss555s

carolt wrote: »

How random! :rotfl:

Exactly! I mean who in their right mind takes a picture of their finger? :rotfl:

I have a sore finger and can't work!

Do i win a prize ca? :T

Pennywise

lostinrates wrote: »

an excellent point and I think very likely we will, in the future, look to treat this with as much vigour as we do the other eating disorders.

I can't imagine how 44 stone would look on average TBH. It nmight have all sort of issues for employers...floor and seat reinforcements...stair cases? I don't kno what buildings can cope with and how employers costs might be impacted.

If a person was active and had a job, they'd never get to 44 stone in the first place. By the time someone has reached that kind of weight, then yes, they are effecively unemployable. The problem is that people of half that weight are perfectly capable of holding down a job unless they have other serious health issues, so allowing them to "opt out" on a life of benefits makes them more likely to just carry on putting on weight as they're more likely to sit at home watching daytime TV and snacking. Weight related illnesses such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes don't stop you working. The simple daily routine of getting up, washed, dressed, travel to work, spending a few hours at work, then travel home, making tea, etc would do wonders to reduce the rate of weight increase and if you add a bit of exercise and sensible eating, the weight would start to decrease. Instead of GPs handing out Gym membership prescriptions, they should be issuing "fit to work" statements to force people off disability benefits.

Harry_Powell

I saw a documentary on a bloke who had a food addiction that was exactly the same as an alcohol or drugs addiction. He finaly went on a diet and lost a load of weight but never got rid of his addiction and now has to shop for his food every day because if he had more than a day's worth of food in the house he would eat it.

One statement he made really stuck with me and pretty much changed my viewpoint on those that struggle with their weight - he said that alcoholics and drug addicts can go 'cold turkey' and control their addictions by completely giving up whatever substance they're addicted to, but people who were addicted to food, still had to eat.

He had a miserable life of self denial in order to keep his weight off. He's not alone and I don't think it helps them for people to be so dissmissive of their addiction or so judgemental.

carolt

But he clearly needs psychological help - not a life without work.

Frankly, what is more likely to drive you to the biscuit tin than sitting at home with nothing to do?

If you're busy, in a work environment, you (a) don't have so much time to eat, (b) normalise your eating based on what/when others around you are eating and (c) get some exrecise.

Plus (d) at least you're paying for your own food - I'm not paying for it for you.

I can't actually think of any situation where someone who was overweight down to greed (or a psychological condition that manifested as greed, if you prefer) would be better off sitting on the sofa at home.

silvercar

One statement he made really stuck with me and pretty much changed my viewpoint on those that struggle with their weight - he said that alcoholics and drug addicts can go 'cold turkey' and control their addictions by completely giving up whatever substance they're addicted to, but people who were addicted to food, still had to eat.

They could totally give up the cakes and biscuits and crisps and fizzy drinks.

I have a lovely overweight friend, who sees herself as too fat to be able to get a job where she has to attend meetings, represent a company etc. She created her own business working from home on the phone in business-to-business. She works hard and long hours and now earns decent money, so much so that her husband gave up his job to work for her. Doesn't help the fat issues, but she certainly wouldn't think of living off benefits or sitting in front of day time TV all day.