What do you think of the list?

Well, I think the list is a great resource for anyone who is trying to live as healthy and balanced lives as possible. It makes sense – these habits are specifically the ones that have changed for me over the past year (not all for weight loss or health reasons, either – some just circumstantial) and that have benefitted me (in more ways than simply helping me to lose weight).

How closely does it correlate with your own habits, and does this mean you should be thinner or heavier than you are?

Pretty closely, however, A. I’m still working on eating MORE fruits and veggies, right now I’m up to about 4 a day, B. I stopped eating at fast food places more than a year ago, for nutritional AND financial reasons, C. I’m not really into the pre-packaged meals anymore, they don’t satisfy my appetite and I just prefer to cook my own food (and anyway I don’t have a microwave).

The rest of the things are all “old hat” to me by now – portion control, moderating fat, exercise, and less screen time – however, I must note that the exercise & screen time are more products of circumstances and my lifestyle preferences for overall well-being than because I’m trying to lose weight. I live in an area/situation where I have to do a LOT of walking every day (NYC, no car) and we don’t have a TV or internet at home because we’re simply happier without them.

For me personally, I’m hoping that following this list will help me remain healthy and happy and maintain my own personal ideal weight. At the moment, I also monitor my calorie intake and keep that at a “slow weight-loss” level, but once I get to my ideal weight, I’ll have to learn how to regulate that level for maintenance.

Speaking of ‘regulation,’ I believe that my society “serves up” a lot of unhealthy things – heaping plates of food in restaurants, unhealthy things on TV, gobs of unhelpful “self-help” books and products, etc., and we each have to keep our own vigil and watch what we allow ourselves to take in and how it affects us.

Is the idea that some people can lose weight threatening to the body acceptance movement, or to you personally?

I don’t know if this question applies to me, considering that I’m one of the ones who’ve lost weight (and know I can keep it off, too). Does the idea that I’ve been able to lose weight simply because I took on a bunch of healthy habits and STOPPED doing things that I knew to be unhealthy threaten other people? I dunno. You tell me.

Even if it’s only a small subset of people? And if so, why?

Apparently I’m going to become a “subset” now. But I would like to hear from people who follow these types of “healthy” guidelines but remain fat. I don’t think I could have remained fat by doing these things, but I guess there are people out there who can do it.

It bugs me when people assume the only reason for losing weight is beauty standards or conformity or whatever. If that were the case I’d be intending to get into a size 6 instead of a 10 or 12 (what I’ve set as a realistic goal). But it wouldn’t matter what size I was, I’d still be into FA and still have a lifetime as a fat girl that has shaped who I am as a person.

Also, I’ve been dieting through the center for medical weight loss, which means that I see my doctor for all weight loss-related things.

What threatens FA is not weight loss, it’s stereotypes and assumptions. In all directions. Jumping to conclusions about people who lose weight is just as bad as jumping to conclusions about fat people.

Bottom line, if you’re happy with yourself, by all means don’t change a thing about yourself. But don’t judge someone else for changing what it is they don’t like about themselves.

:)

I think that when we focus on personal choice we’ll get a lot further with body acceptance in general. You want to exercise 4 hours a day? Great. Have fun and congratulations on having way more energy than I do. You don’t have time for that, and/or would prefer to read Jane Austen during those same 4 hours? Rock on with your bad self — I’ll buy you a beer and debate which movie version of Pride and Prejudice sucks less for hours on end. At the end of the day, either option is none of my damn business as long as it makes you happy, you know?

I guess I feel like I’ve fallen in between the cracks of the FA movement and don’t really fit anywhere, and it kind of pisses me off. I’ve lost about 60 lbs, and have kept it off for a year or more so far, despite some pretty shitty stuff happening in my life. At the same time, I’m not thin, either, and am not striving to fit some magazine ideal. A lot of people would look at me and think I could drop another whatever number of pounds, and they can honestly fuck all the way off. I’m just trying to be as healthy and happy as possible, trying to make choices that are right for me and make me feel good.

Sorry if this is too ranty, mo — I’ve had a couple of glasses of wine and a crappy day at work, so maybe I’m feeling oversensitive in general. If so, my apologies.

I have lost 50 pounds/3 dress sizes since October and plan to keep going. No, I don’t want to starve myself down to a size 4, even if my body COULD do that. I’ll always have big boobs. I’ll probably always have a tummy or at least some skin where my tummy was. My thighs will always rub together at the top.

I don’t feel good when I’m really fat. Part of it is self-esteem which, yes, I could work on until I felt fine, but a LOT of it is physical. When I lived in Georgia, it was irritating that the heat got to me before everyone else. When I moved to New York City it was horrible to constantly feel out of breath when I walked around, especially when I tried to walk as fast as everyone else.

I was here about 3 months before I started losing weight and taking care of myself. And once I did, I felt an almost immediate change. I don’t get winded on the stairs coming out of the subway. I can walk as fast as most people without huffing and puffing. I’m sure when it gets hot again I’ll be able to tolerate it better than last year.

And yeah, it feels good to be able to buy clothes in some “normal” size stores (I wear an 18 now, so not all stores carry it, but a lot do) and not HAVE to shop at Lane Bryant. And people are nicer to me. Especially the employees in (most) stores. I’m not going to pretend that being in better shape is the only plus. I know a lot of people won’t like my saying that, but I think it would be a disrespect to you all to pretend that doesn’t happen.

I was a swimmer in high school. Without watching my diet too closely, I was the smallest and healthiest I have been in my adult years (and by smallest I mean I was a size 14/16 or so). Since I don’t have 12-18 hours to spend working out every week (who does? Unless you’re on a team like I was and it’s pretty much your world), I have to work harder with my diet. I don’t have access to a pool, but there’s a gym in my building, so I started running.

I don’t feel I’m a threat to size acceptance. I chose to lose weight, but I would never judge someone for remaining the way they are if they’re happy and healthy. I do think people should eat a healthy diet and exercise at least a few times a week. Outside of that, I say let your body do what it does naturally. I find it unacceptable for people to judge me for losing weight, and I wouldn’t judge someone for being happy the way they are.

For ages I made excuses and said that I was happy with myself and stick it. The thing that upset me first was that on the rare times I went out I could no longer get the kind of clothes I liked in my size (vast).

So I accepted that I was big but refused to diet because I have seen dieting make someone unhappy and hung up about food for 20 years without any real change. It sounded like hell.

I would sound off about maybe doing some excersise and one day after stepping out in trainers (not my style at all) a friend challenged me by saying he would join me.

We went “running” the next week. Well I say running it was more like two lardy blokes puffing and wheezing around a tiny park. Four to five times a week for a month and I hated every moment of it. Then one day we realised that we could do the run easily and in fact it was no longer a big deal.

We went on, via set backs (like my health) to buy push bikes and run further (about a mile). I still hate it and need my friend and my wife to push me into it and I moan and gasp and wonder what in the world I am thinking. After I feel quite good and when I find my favourite cloths starting to fit again and when I find I can run with my children (for a short while) it makes it all seem worthwhile.

But I am (a) lazy and (b) unlikely to be anything other than a really large bloke. My target size is “oversize” and my target weight is “slightly obese”. When I get to that size 85% to 90% of my current size and any one cares to be critical I will have plenty to say.

I’m doing what I don’t like now so that I will be able to do “active things” and enjoy them. Also I significantly increase the age I am likely to live to.

Imagine having to be so emotionally corrupted that you have to go out of your way to find someone to hurt? If anything, that kind of life is something to pity not to hate. It’s hard to see that now, but if you think about what kind of childhood leads up to people who need to hate others like an addict, it’s usually very tragic.

You should be glad that you are strong enough to be able to accept yourself, without having to take others down. There are so many people in this world who don’t have that, and end up alone, cause nobody wants to be around a hater. I guess, except for another hater. You know, they say misery loves company.

“A possible come back ‘I’m ready for the next Famine, how about you?’”

That cracked me up, mostly because it’s something I’d actually say! :D

I mentioned upthread that I’m fairly clumsy and uncoordinated, and I never learnt to ride a bike as a child, so there’s no way I’d want to ride a bike and negotiate traffic (although I admire people who do). But the other aspect that puts me off riding a bike is the kind of jackass who thinks it’s funny to startle female bike riders and try to run them off the road. And you don’t need to be fat – some men will harass you just because you’re a woman.

That’s why I bought a spinning bike. At least I’m safe in my own spare room!