After a whole lot of OBESITY EPIDEMIC OMG!!1! in the news lately, finally we have some good news in the New York Times, where the headline reads “Better to Be Fat and Fit Than Skinny and Unfit.”
The researchers chalk it up in part to the assumptions people make when they hear the words [...]
Filed under: Advocacy, Exercise, Fat Positive, Health, Media, Personal, Science | 18 Comments »
Are you watching the Beijing Olympics? I’m catching parts of it, and it’s a big watercooler topic here at work. The other day, Joy Nash (among others) posted some photos of Olympians of varying shapes and sizes.
It kinda cracks your head open to realize that each of these people [is] perfect. They’re uniquely suited [...]
Filed under: Celebrities, Exercise, Feminism, Media | 10 Comments »
I work in a giant, brightly decorated cubicle with two other people, and we often pass the days sending each other links to amusing things or dorky things or talking about the latest episode of Project Runway. Actually that all happened today.
But the other thing that happened today was one of us, and I’m [...]
Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Exercise, Video, Weight Loss, Work | 21 Comments »
I think it was Ian who first pointed me to this article in The New York Times about the development of an exercise pill, although the conversation seems to have exploded everywhere. Let’s hop on that bandwagon! First, from the NYT article:
Aicar signals to the cell that it has burned off energy and [...]
Filed under: Exercise, Personal, Question, Weight Loss | 28 Comments »
A study released yesterday attempts to answer that important question, dividing adolescent girls into groups like “Jocks,” “Burnouts,” and “Alternatives,” and discovering that their peer groups are the most important deciding factor. From the press release:
The central theme of the study is that peer groups of teenage girls best determine their attitude towards their [...]
Filed under: Advocacy, Exercise, Kids, Personal, Question, Science | 43 Comments »
Jennette Fulda, better known as PastaQueen, may have lost a couple hundred or so pounds, but she’s been a commenter on and visitor to Big Fat Deal for a long time. On a blog tour for her memoir, Half of Me, she offered to stop by and answer the toughest questions I could come up [...]
Filed under: Beth Ditto, Books, Exercise, Meta, Question, WLS, Weight Loss | 173 Comments »
Here are some songs to help you lose weight… with terrible poetry! A CD featuring songs like “I’m A Hottie Now” and “I Think I’ll Go To Saks.” Put aside the Shakira and the Kelly Clarkson and self-loathe your way to being thin with lyrics such as…
Thin! — I don’t deny it. [...]
Filed under: Exercise, Humor, Music, Weight Loss | 37 Comments »
I admit; I really want a Wii. And I think the idea of the Wii Fit is awesome; one of the advantages of having a Wii is that it keeps you moving around while you’re playing games. So then why do I find this article vaguely sexist and irritating? Because the Wii Fit is [...]
Filed under: Exercise, Feminism, Kids, Weight Loss | 30 Comments »
the big ballet Originally uploaded by mo pie
In the comments, msruth mentioned Russia’s “Big Ballet” and on her advice, I went to go take a look and read all about them.
The Big Ballet is a troupe of dancers from Russia who weigh a minimum [...]
Filed under: Advocacy, Art, BFD Classic, Exercise, Fat Positive, Feel Good Friday, International, Theater | 16 Comments »
Angela sends along a story about baseball’s Florida Marlins, who are forming a male plus-size cheerleading squad called the Manatees.
The team hopes to recruit seven to 10 tubby men to dance, cheer and jiggle during Friday and Saturday home games this season. Real manatees, 1,200-pound mammals sometimes referred to as “sea cows,” [...]
Filed under: Exercise, Humor | 42 Comments »
At the gym yesterday, I saw that the Queen Latifah commercial for Jenny Craig is out—so I figured I should follow up on my original post about the issue. There was no sound, though, so I couldn’t hear it. So I just did a quick search and came up with an interview that [...]
Filed under: Advertising, Celebrities, Cold Hard Cash, Exercise, Health, Queen Latifah, Video, Weight Loss | 18 Comments »
I loved reading this article about workout playlists. I’ve worked very hard on my playlist, which is incredibly cheesy and includes things like “Pop Goes My Heart” (Hugh Grant) and “I Think I Love You” as performed by American Idol’s Constantine. (I can’t help it; my response to that one is now Pavlovian.)
I need [...]
Filed under: Exercise, Movies, Music, Personal, Science | 30 Comments »
I’ve never watched The Biggest Loser, but I really enjoyed our own Weetabix’s post at Elastic Waist all about why she hates it. It’s a top ten list, and you know how we all love lists.
4. The weigh-in uniform. Girls wear just a sports bra but the guys get to have some modesty by [...]
Filed under: Biggest Loser, Exercise, TV, Weight Loss | 29 Comments »
A fascinating story on NPR about exercise and the placebo effect. Researchers studied hotel maids with some pretty incredible results. Apparently, believing that you’re exercising when you’re doing everyday activities can make a real difference. Check it out:
[H]otel maids spend the majority of their days lugging heavy equipment around endless hallways. Basically, almost [...]
Filed under: Exercise, Health, Science | 9 Comments »
This New York Times article by Gina Kolata talks about the impossibility of counting calories burned while exercising.
Despite the displays on machines at gyms, with their precise-looking calorie counts, and despite the official-looking published charts of exercise and calories, it can be all but impossible to accurately estimate of the number of calories you burn… [...]
Filed under: Exercise, Health, Science, Weight Loss | 13 Comments »
My friend Geowench posted an entry today that made me feel proud and happy.
It seems he’s chosen me to do this exhibition (instead of a more advanced/accomplished skater) because of my special status as having lost weight. He always calls me a “testimony.” (He’s Russian and doesn’t always express himself all [...]
Filed under: Exercise, Fat Positive, Feel Good Friday, Meta, Tidbit, Weight Loss | 3 Comments »
Reader Chelsea alerts us to this horrifying commerical from the “anti-gym” guy we talked about before. Remember him? The impotent one? I know, I know. “We’re just giving him more attention!” But it’s not like anyone who reads this site will be dumb enough to join his gym, right? Feministing describes the commercial in detail:
The [...]
Filed under: Advertising, Exercise, Fatism, Feminism, Video | 27 Comments »
Well, there’s a first time for everything. Welcome to our first post about baseball! Renee sends along this article about Red Sox player Curt Schilling, who has just signed a contract that gives him $333,333 once a month for six months if he “passes” a random weigh-in; that is, if he maintains his weight. Renee [...]
Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Exercise, Health | 11 Comments »
Reader Rei sends us this video of an awesome bellydance performance. It’s the dancer’s first performance, and really a treat to watch. There are also a lot of really positive and supportive comments on the YouTube page, which is refreshing.
Rei says:
Here is PROOF that you can be a big girl and [...]
Filed under: Art, Exercise, Fat Positive, Feel Good Friday, Theater, Video | 26 Comments »
So, Fat March. It’s apparently getting great ratings and stirring up some controversy, so I took a little march around the Internet to find out what people are saying about it. Miriam says:
The notion of a group of fat people having to support one another during a walk from Boston to Washington isn’t inherently a [...]
Filed under: Exercise, Fat March, Health, TV, Weight Loss | 18 Comments »
