"Maggie goes on a diet"

[Deleted]

The thing is, you DO get bullied mercilessly for being fat. And that causes far more problems than a lot of people think.

I completely agree.
Even though I am 22 years old and a little overweight which is extremely clear, I can feel people's eyes drilling holes in the back of my skull when I walk outside or use public transportation.
That's not straight up bullying and I know how it feels to be the target of both kids and adults mischief from time to time, but it still affects me more than others might think. Sometimes it can stress me out so much I have to cancel all appointments and just go to sleep for a few hours, sometimes more.

[Macloud]

This I don't really understand. I'm 21, about 6'3", and weigh about 300 pounds and I don't really have a problem with that and I don't see how it makes any difference to you. I like my life, I'm fine with who I am, my weight has never really been much of an issue in my life, I have plenty of friends, I don't have trouble making new ones. I do just fine the way that I am and it in no way affects your life so why should you care?

I would never really advocate that people be fat. I don't think that people shouldn't be educated about being healthy, people should know what they're doing to themselves and should understand that. Me personally, I do. I like eating, simple as that. Sure it would be great to be skinny but I consciously make that tradeoff. I'd rather eat and be fat than spend my life dieting and be skinny. I don't see enough worth in it to do it. On the other side of this I'm a somewhat active person. I play tennis, go on walks with the dogs, go to the gym, etc. three or four times a week, and ski at least two or three times a week in the winter.

A little more on topic, I understand my decision but young children don't, and that comes back to the parents. They have a responsibility to do what they can to make sure that their kids are relatively healthy until they understand it for themselves.

It all boils down to quality of life. If you're content being 300 pounds and exercising moderately, then so be it. That being said, the quality of your life COULD improve if, like you said, you felt that it was "worth it" to try. The problem I have with your statement is that you've essentially said that you've given up; that you accept your current position despite the fact that you know it could improve if you worked that much harder.

While I'm sympathetic to people who have a harder time staying healthy than others with faster metabolisms, the fact remains that encouraging your attitude of it "not being worth it to try" is the wrong message to send to kids struggling with this issue.

[Digglett]

One thing I do not understand is how people can't see that they're becoming fat. Can't they see that their bodies look abnormal compared to other bodies? Why do they just not change what they eat? I've got a friend whos like 4 cm taller than me but weighs 90 kg. She always complain about her weight and says I have it easy because I'm skinny. When I tell her I eat less than her she gets offended. <.<

Ok, I've never really had a problem with overweight, I've weighed at most maybe 50-55(121 lbs?) kg, weigh 47 kg(103 lbs?) at the moment, being 1.56m(about 5'1" I think?).

I'll tell you from my own experience, I never noticed because simply as a kid I didn't think about it, and didn't wanna think about it, I knew I liked playing video games, and I liked food that was bad for me, never questioned that I was getting huge.

[Iron Dome]

Really, it all comes down to a few simple things.

Just because you're overweight you shouldn't be ostricized. But if you're overweight, you should definitely feel the need to lose weight. People won't be attracted to overweight people, which will lead to ostricization. But bullying... No, bullying in any case is not right. And if you're overweight, I think people should go up to you and tell you that and that you should lose weight. This is a motivation to do it.

But is being anorexic the answer? Of course not. Go exercise, it's good for you. Don't shove your finger down your throat and vomit. Don't weight 70 pounds either. Weight what you should normally weigh. Seriously, when you're dead or suffer a major disease, no one will care about how good you look.

So just reach that stable weight. BUT girls (and boys) shouldn't have to feel ostricized, or feel that the only way to enter society is by being anorexic. That's just wrong.

Weight aside... Girls (and boys) shouldn't have to worry about how they look. They shouldn't have to worry if enough cleavage is being shown, or if their tight skirt is low enough. Or if their makeup and mascara is enough. Or if they have a tan. They should be able to walk into a room and say, "This is how I naturally look. Get over it. Don't like it? Move on."

---------- Post added 2011-08-24 at 09:01 PM ----------

Oh, and btw, working in interventional cardiology allows you to see things... I'm talking about plaque in someone's arteries. If they would show this on T.V., people would be really disturbed. Of course, I'd rather take a picture and show it, that way they know it's not altered or anything. I've done this, and some of the responses I got included "I'm never eating at McDonald's again," or "Wow, i'm really gonna watch what I eat. Bye bye fries." It can really do something to someone. Wish my bluetooth worked and i could upload it.

[Deleted]

Anyone else think Magtheridon had had some change in model after reading the thread title?

[Tulune]

The way I see it; if you are a heavy smoker or drinker, yelling at people that being overweight is unhealthy is being a hypocrite. I am not condoning being overweight, but just pointing out there are other ways to be unhealthy.

[Larynx]

So the people are arguing against the book because it teaches people that being healthy is good?

What?

[Tulune]

So the people are arguing against the book because it teaches people that being healthy is good?

What?

I think the problem with the book is it's false message of "if you lose weight, people will magically like you" At least that's whan the book seems to be saying, with the given information on it.

edit: typo

[Frostycakes008]

First its "Maggie goes on a diet" One can only hope that the next book in the series is "Maggie Learns to not Text and Do Makeup while driving." Really rooting for that one should be a nail biter

[CipherAgent]

I think the problem with the book is it's false message of "if you lose weight, people will magically like you" At least that's whan the book seems to be saying, with the given information on it.

edit: typo

Well, it's true to some extent. People treat other people better when they are better-looking. And being thin/fit is a big part of that.

[Tulune]

Well, it's true to some extent. People treat other people better when they are better-looking. And being thin/fit is a big part of that.

Shallow affection is not friendship.

[Larynx]

I think the problem with the book is it's false message of "if you lose weight, people will magically like you" At least that's whan the book seems to be saying, with the given information on it.

edit: typo

Makes more sense.

[Frostycakes008]

I actually caught a MADE episode on MTV where this chubby kid wanted to be a ladies man or something. He was not very big but chubbier then his friends. His friends told him on the show if he didnt lose weight and stop being a fat ass they werent going to hang out with him anymore because he scared the girls away. That episode truly offended me in the sense that they were his childhood friends but were willing to give all of that up bc he weighed more than them. Made no sense to me and I was disgusted with the whole situation.

[Larynx]

I actually caught a MADE episode on MTV where this chubby kid wanted to be a ladies man or something. He was not very big but chubbier then his friends. His friends told him on the show if he didnt lose weight and stop being a fat ass they werent going to hang out with him anymore because he scared the girls away. That episode truly offended me in the sense that they were his childhood friends but were willing to give all of that up bc he weighed more than them. Made no sense to me and I was disgusted with the whole situation.

Define friend.

In my opinion, for most people it's just people who are convenient to be around. The kid being fat created an inconvenience for them, so they were no longer friends.

[exquisite]

I was okay with it until the part where the book implies that being thin and playing sports is the way to make friends and gain acceptance. It's one thing to lose weight for yourself and your health, it's another to do so just to fit in with a shallow group of people.

[Frostycakes008]

Define friend.

In my opinion, for most people it's just people who are convenient to be around. The kid being fat created an inconvenience for them, so they were no longer friends.

Friends are defined by the person. He called them friends and they called themselves friends. I wouldnt use a kind word to describe them at all.

[Powerogue]

it's confusing, you need to teach the kids that eating right is ideal and being fat is a bad thing, while not making the fat people feel bad. These are contradictory enough that no one can really be satisfied if we try appealing to both.

edit: watching the video I don't see it as too terrible, the book seems to go:
-child is bullied for her weight, they make sure to add bullying over that is cruel
-child looses weight through diet and exercise and joins the soccer team, making new friends within it
-child lives happily ever after

the only controversy if you can call it that is that it isn't a book about them just letting her stay overweight and be happy about it. If they pushed that message DIFFERENT groups would be mad at them.

[Spaceshaman]

Jeebus U.S.A. pleeeeeez! This further strength the (mis)beliefe(?) that America is Fat.

Seriously eat less, excercise more. That's all. I heard there are more cars in LA than peeps. Lol? Look at Dutch and Chineese people they bicycle everywhere.