Whether or not fat studies are accurate is irrelevant. This ad is not addressing the health of an individual relative to her weight and diet. It is is addressing the physical appearance of thinness, a particular perception of beauty which is always equated with happiness, in relation to her weight. If this were legitimately about health, then there would be no reason to show a woman in a bathing suit and mention how kickin’ her bod will be in that two piece. The reward would be something like “Now my cholesterol is lower!” or “Now I’m no longer at a risk for diabetes!” (Even if, FYI, these health issues are related far more directly to nutrition and genetic than those pesky 10 pounds nobody is ever able to lose.) The reward offered for all your hard work and disordered eating is an obscenely skimpy bikini. This is not about health.

I hate this weird new government ad campaign working to get people on diets because it’s condescending. How many grown women honestly do not have any idea what a “portion” looks like? Hmm? I’d guess very few. In human bio, I didn’t even take notes on the “Health and Nutrition” lecture series because I KNOW this. I know it backward and forwards and upside down. (Aced the midterm, BTW.) I’ve counted my calories like a good girl my entire life and all it has ever done was make me unhappy and obsessed with my body and weight and, oh yeah: still fat. Every single time I tried.

When someone tells me that not only am I disgusting and ugly in my current “extra pounds” state but that I must almost certainly be eating all kinds of trashy food and that it’s so easy to lose weight if only I do X Y and Z religiously, it’s infuriating at best and incredibly damaging at worst. That’s how eating disorders get started, you know.

The government does not know me. It does not even know health and nutrition, since the food pyramid was created by the USDA who answers to meat and dairy interest groups, not to doctors and science (flawed as they may sometimes be). I’ve seen those new PSA posters up around government buildings, hung up in front of the elevators and vending machines. They offer sage wisdom and pithy advice like, “Free Exercise Machine, Available 24/7. Take The Stairs.” Well, thanks, poster. I was going to take the elevator simply because I’m a lazy fattie fat, not because I’m going to the 24th floor with a heavy box of legal documents and I’ve only been in this building twice so I’m not sure where the stairs are. I guess that skinny guy next to me waiting for the elevator is allowed to take the ‘easy’ way since he’s thin and good whereas I have to pay the penance of being fat and making all you skinny people suffer when I happen to be in your line of vision for a moment. Sorry, my bad.

My very humble opinion is that EVERYBODY can benefit from eating less take-out or junk food and walking some more! Fat or thin, healthy food and exercise choices will benefit everybody. Just like smoking is bad for EVERYONE, even if you don’t get lung cancer.
And I also think it is possible to love and accept your body the way it is, and as a consequence of that, of that re-found love for yourself, you start making better choices food wise, and some people might lose weight, some peolpe might gain weight, some people might not see a change, but ALL PEOPLE will feel better! And be healthier!

I just find it really creepy and dehumanizing when they do this!

I think we need to start a headless person project to demonstrate how detrimental these things really are!

But by the same token, I also don’t think that someone’s opionions on body acceptance or overall health are invalid simply because they’ve recently lost weight, or that an individual is an idiot for even trying. Just as I don’t assume what others should do in terms of eating and exercise, I’d appreciate it if people didn’t make assumptions about me in the opposite direction, and I get a lot of that vibe (not at me per se, just in general) in threads like this one.

But it is a good/important discussion to have. I know I’ve learned a lot by reading this blog, and gained some valuable perspective on my own attitudes and body image issues.

Michele — actually, Mo and MizShrew are right. There are fewer chemicals in organic food, and conventional food is GMO tainted.

Raw milk is not identical to conventional whole milk. Conventional whole milk is pasteurized, and because of that, the natural enzymes are no longer present. Its nutritional value is severely compromised, for example, the lactic acid content is much, much lower than it should be.

Grass fed beef is not the same as conventional beef, because conventional beef is raised on grain and “feed,” which can include all manner of things that are not natural for the cows to eat (like textbooks). If the cows are raised on grass, which is their natural diet and which their stomachs are designed to digest, the nutritional value of the meat soars. This is what people used to eat, and it’s much better for us biologically.

I second the recommendation to read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” but also, I got interested in these more natural foods because the grocery service I use offers them. I started reading up on them, then tried them, and it’s hard not to want to run up to folks and make them drink a cup of raw milk and watch their reaction after 20 minutes. (When I first tried it, it was like I had been starving! Talk about intuitive…I drank 3 quarts in two days. Now I drink a cup or two a day.) :)

Regarding the 5-year weight loss, I’ll admit I’m guilty of not wanting to hear folks talk about that *if* it seems they are saying it will work for me. I’ve lost weight off and on over the years, and each time it comes back a little at a time with more. The last time, I lost 75 lbs in 1999. I was practically anorexic in my behavior to make it happen, and all it got me was down to 165.

Slowly, the weight has come back, while even my assistants remark things like, “you hardly eat!” and “Is that your whole lunch?”

So if you’ve lost weight, good for you! But if you’ve lost weight and are smug about it, I can’t tolerate that. And Richard’s remarks were sarcastic, which I find offensive.

Anyway. Blah, blah, blah. Sorry my posts have been so lengthy on this. Again, always good conversation here, and I really do support everyone’s efforts on the board.