Delightful_Deals recently sent me this article from the Seattle-Times.

Medical costs higher for thin, healthy folks

After reading it, I’d rather be healthy, happy and Phat living to 80 than have the diminished quality of life that would extend me 4 more years.

Instead of creating body positive images for everyone, the Today show continues to promote the down side of obesity. Yes we all want to be healthy but instead of having people on there who are positive, up beat, HEALTHY and happy with their roundness, they show all these “biggest losers” including those who did it via surgery. Most recently a 17 yr old girl who weighed 250lbs. That’s BARELY obese especially since she is taller. and 17 years old. How many ‘diets’ could she have tried?? AND why continue to plant this idea into young and impressionable woman.

Recently on a forum that I am a member of, one of the girls mentioned that she was unable to gain weight and had a “fear of food.” When asked what she thought was the cause, she stated because her mom made fun of the way she ate AND all of her family was Fat and she didn’t want to be fat. Truthfully I don’t know what is sadder: the fact that she’s letting her “mom” dictate how she eats OR that she is Fatphobic.

Surprisingly enough, I know quite a few thin women. And an ongoing thread with them is no matter how much they try to gain weight, they can’t. Most of them would like a curvier figure but are unable to maintain this. I also know a few who have anorexia and bulimia. So afraid are they of putting on a single pound, they are constantly binging and purging. What they fail to realize is that this is a MENTAL issue, not a physical one.

But rather than have a BODY POSITIVE episode on the Today show, once again they are freakishly obsessed with body image rather than mental health.

You can see the whole article over here

1) Memphis Tn
2) Birmingham AL (now there is a surprise–NOT)
3) San Antonio, TX
4) Riverside, Cali (That IS a surprise given how close it is to phatphobic LA)
5) Detroit, MI
6) Jacksonville, FL
7) Nashville, TN
Oklahoma City, OK
9) Kansas City, MO
10) San Diego –Which for me was the MOST surprising of all)

Vegas came in at #18.. Not a shocker there given the lack of walking/bike paths, lack of public transportation, and abundance of fast food and cheap buffets.

at least they used a decent BMI to identify what is considered obese, 32.

did i mention there is a clinic here running an ad for WLS that says if you are 40lbs overweight you should see this?? I would be jumping though HOOPS if I was 40lbs overweight.

I think that we all should try to disspell the myths that go along with obesity such as the fact that we are unhealthy. To do this I am starting to actively participate in the Dressing Room Project. Here is the link to my original article. It’s the small things we can do that will truly make a difference in how the world views us, no matter what we look like on the outside.

A recent study seems to think so. Apparently those who have a wider hip to waist ration store more Omega3 fats which is needed for a healthy brain.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California at Santa Barbara looked at data from a study of more than 16,000 women and girls from 1988 to 1994 that detailed their body measurements, as well as their education level and their scores on various cognitive tests. What they report is that women with waists that were about 70 percent of the diameter of their hips scored slightly better on intelligence tests and tended to have a slightly higher level of education than women with a higher waist-to-hip ratio, or WHR.

The study was published in the journal of Evolution and Human Behavior.

From ABC News Article

People magazine this week features female rap, jazz and blues star turned actress, Queen Latifa on the cover.
She talks in the article about her recent breast reduction and why she chose to have it done.
About time mainstream media starts profiling Girls with Curves instead of the typical under nourished blonds. The funny thing is when I saw the magazine on the newsstand, it was nestled between two other covers, both of which blared “Lose 20lb by Christmas” and “Overweight Celebs”

I can certainly relate to this postcard. For years my mom, even though she was heavy, wanted cheerleader daughters. What she got were 2 chubby nerds. I think that may be why subconsciously I’ve never been able to break that 150lb plateau.

MOTHERS: think before the words come out of your mouth. You never know what effect they will have.