A weighty issue

[tzigane]

Since when has 12 been a plus size? Maybe it's because I'm a youngen around here but I always thought that 16/18 was the begining of plus sizes and that was the small end.

I know you didn't mean to, and I know I shouldn't let a word really bum me out but I've worked hard the past two years with the goal of getting that would plus out of my size and the little w off of my lables.

Of course women were smaller in the 20's and up thru the 50's, they did a different kind of work. Their bodies were made for a different kind of living. Go back further and you can watch the sizes change and shift. Not to mention the fact that just about any thing you eat has chemicals in it now that it didn't have back then. You can't drink a glass of water with out getting cloreene.

I also didn't mean to offend, or to minimize the amount of work you have done to lose or maintain weight (or that anyone else has, for that matter)...as Etoile mentioned, I was going a bit off how the sizes are organized in a department store rather than any official definition of plus. Please accept my apologies.

And you are definitely right about the chemicals - the growth hormone in meat and in dairy products has a lot to do with the fact that girls are hitting puberty earlier than ever before, and something to do with weight gain, just to start with.

 

[Phirefly]

Just to jump in here... I'm pretty sure Whitney, the last "plus size" model on America's Next Top Model was *not* a size 8/10. She wasn't the tallest of the bunch, and she definitely had curves that would put her at a 12 in my mind. I loved that girl - she has total confidence in her body; she just isn't a model, really.

I go through ups and downs. I'm 5'3", 180lbs and wearing a size 14 right now generally. Some days I really hate it, and some days I wake up and look in the mirror and think I'm gorgeous. Honestly, I don't think my weight is anything to obsess over, but my mother (who lives in a different state than me) is on me about it ALL THE TIME. Curvy girls are sexy, and beautiful. And I am not a disappointment to my family name because I'm the only one in it over a size 10.

 

[Honeybee80]

delete

 

[FurryFury]

Just to jump in here... I'm pretty sure Whitney, the last "plus size" model on America's Next Top Model (who just got voted off tonight, incidentally) was *not* a size 8/10. She wasn't the tallest of the bunch, and she definitely had curves that would put her at a 12 in my mind. I loved that girl - she had total confidence in her body, she just wasn't a model, really.

I go through ups and downs. I'm 5'3", 180lbs and wearing a size 14 right now generally. Some days I really hate it, and some days I wake up and look in the mirror and think I'm gorgeous. Honestly, I don't think my weight is anything to obsess over, but my mother (who lives in a different state than me) is on me about it ALL THE TIME. Curvy girls are sexy, and beautiful. And I am not a disappointment to my family name because I'm the only one in it over a size 10.

Damn!

I haven't watched it yet.

Oh well.

Fury

 

[FurryFury]

Just to add my two cents here...

I was 100 lbs. all through highschool, then I gained the freshman 40 (yes, 40!) lost then gained then lost then gained.. and so on and so forth.
However, the last 4 years I have been around 190 (I'm 5'3) and size 16. I've dieted and exercised everyday and I don't lose a thing. So I finally got up the nerve to go to the doctor about it and it turns out I have PCOS/ insulin resistance. I've started taking metformin and I've already lost 15 pounds. I can't believe I suffered in silence for so long. It was so upsetting to mention that I had worked put and see people's looks of disbelief.

My point here is that if you are actually really and truly staying on a diet and working out and you're not losing.. you may need to get checked. I don't really have any other symptoms of PCOS (irregular periods, facial or breast hair, skin tags and other things) So without a test I wouldn't have known what was wrong with me.

I felt like such a failure for so long, I honestly tried, but because it didn't work I always felt as though I wasn't trying hard enough. I can't put into words how much of a relief it is to know that it really isn't my fault.

isclaimer: I'm not in any way saying that bigger women aren't attractive. I'm fully aware of my sexuality even at a large size and I find curves very sexy. However, I have RA and my weight is an issue for my joints. The thinner I am the less my knees hurt.

I'm glad you found out something that could help you reach your goals. I honestly would have given up if I'd worked hard at it and no change had happened. Good for you having such tenacity and perseverance!

Fury

 

[Phirefly]

Damn!

I haven't watched it yet.

Oh well.

Fury

Eek! I'm sorry, Fury, I didn't mean to spoil it for you. But man, wait until you see the part where Whitney strips down and dances her way out of the studio!



Hey, it could happen. Like... in a fanfic or something. *grins*

I am sorry, though, I hate it when I stumble on inadvertant spoilers and I just didn't think when I posted!

 

[FurryFury]

Eek! I'm sorry, Fury, I didn't mean to spoil it for you. But man, wait until you see the part where Whitney strips down and dances her way out of the studio!



Hey, it could happen. Like... in a fanfic or something. *grins*

I am sorry, though, I hate it when I stumble on inadvertant spoilers and I just didn't think when I posted!

Don't worry about it, I usually know the outcome of shows I watch prior to seeing them anyway.

I hate what they did to Britney. I hope they got her fixed up this week.

For some reason the short flirty hair styles are turning me on this year.

*winks*

Fury

 

[Honeybee80]

delete

 

[graceanne]

Just to add my two cents here...

I was 100 lbs. all through highschool, then I gained the freshman 40 (yes, 40!) lost then gained then lost then gained.. and so on and so forth.
However, the last 4 years I have been around 190 (I'm 5'3) and size 16. I've dieted and exercised everyday and I don't lose a thing. So I finally got up the nerve to go to the doctor about it and it turns out I have PCOS/ insulin resistance. I've started taking metformin and I've already lost 15 pounds. I can't believe I suffered in silence for so long. It was so upsetting to mention that I had worked put and see people's looks of disbelief.

My point here is that if you are actually really and truly staying on a diet and working out and you're not losing.. you may need to get checked. I don't really have any other symptoms of PCOS (irregular periods, facial or breast hair, skin tags and other things) So without a test I wouldn't have known what was wrong with me.

I felt like such a failure for so long, I honestly tried, but because it didn't work I always felt as though I wasn't trying hard enough. I can't put into words how much of a relief it is to know that it really isn't my fault.

isclaimer: I'm not in any way saying that bigger women aren't attractive. I'm fully aware of my sexuality even at a large size and I find curves very sexy. However, I have RA and my weight is an issue for my joints. The thinner I am the less my knees hurt.

Hm. I've never heard of this, and I do have some of the other syptoms. (Irregular periods, skin tags, etc.) The last time I talked to my doctor I was told the irregular periods were because I went to long without a period, and they barely even looked at the skin tags. Fucking doctors.

 

[Cherrysweetdeal]

Hm. I've never heard of this, and I do have some of the other syptoms. (Irregular periods, skin tags, etc.) The last time I talked to my doctor I was told the irregular periods were because I went to long without a period, and they barely even looked at the skin tags. Fucking doctors.

Sometimes doctors don't look at all the possibilities they just look at one symptom and claim its this.

I actually read awhile back in a magazine how a size 2 from 1943 was literally a few inches smaller then a size 2 from todays measurements. so if one size was a 28 inch waist they have increased the amount of material and made it a 30 even though the tag still says 28 basically. So a 8 now used to be a 6 10 years ago.

Found this article I thought was interesting
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/05/05/0_is_the_new_8/?page=2

Also in my head if you have a larger bust and small waist it doesn't matter if you fit a small the bust will rip it apart if it is large enough.

 

[the captians wench]

See, for me, "plus size" begins at the point where normal stores don't carry it in great quantity. Despite the national average being over size 10, most stores - I'm talking major department stores, mostly - carry sizes 4-12 usually. And those 12s are in scarce supply, let me tell you. Occasionally you can find 14's in the regular section, usually they are in the women's section, if there is such a section at all. For me, plus size begins when I have to prowl through shops trying to find something in my size, and all I can find is lower sizes.

Right now I'm a 14. Yeah, it's usually in the "women's" or plus size section. Then again, I have a hard time shopping at Lane Bryant too, because they don't always carry stuff *small* enough for me. And considering that I am probably pretty damn close to the national average, it's astonishing how much trouble I have finding clothes in my size. Blah.

I have that same problem which is why I was so excited to get back to an xl. The problem I have is my waist is actually a 14 but my hips are 15/16 and my bust is a 20.

Maybe it's a reagonal thing as well, because I can usually find 14s, it's hard but I can find them, in some of the mall stores. But 15 and higher I have to stick to department stores, or my favorite Deb plus, which starts it's plus sizes at 16 or an xl. But both of those are a little on the small side.

 

[the captians wench]

Just to add my two cents here...

I was 100 lbs. all through highschool, then I gained the freshman 40 (yes, 40!) lost then gained then lost then gained.. and so on and so forth.
However, the last 4 years I have been around 190 (I'm 5'3) and size 16. I've dieted and exercised everyday and I don't lose a thing. So I finally got up the nerve to go to the doctor about it and it turns out I have PCOS/ insulin resistance. I've started taking metformin and I've already lost 15 pounds. I can't believe I suffered in silence for so long. It was so upsetting to mention that I had worked put and see people's looks of disbelief.

My point here is that if you are actually really and truly staying on a diet and working out and you're not losing.. you may need to get checked. I don't really have any other symptoms of PCOS (irregular periods, facial or breast hair, skin tags and other things) So without a test I wouldn't have known what was wrong with me.

I felt like such a failure for so long, I honestly tried, but because it didn't work I always felt as though I wasn't trying hard enough. I can't put into words how much of a relief it is to know that it really isn't my fault.

isclaimer: I'm not in any way saying that bigger women aren't attractive. I'm fully aware of my sexuality even at a large size and I find curves very sexy. However, I have RA and my weight is an issue for my joints. The thinner I am the less my knees hurt.

I have pcos too, and I have a lot of the other symptoms besides weight. I actually found out about it because I started having heavy periods that would last 2 weeks and then skip a week and then 2 weeks on again. So I know what that does to a body, and I probably should see my doc again about it since I'm not loosing as regularly as I was. but doctors and meds cost money I don't have right now.

 

[Rox_shybutcurious]

PCOS is considered an autoimmune disease and if you've got one you're chances increase to develop more. Like Diabetes for one.
Also Addisons
Chrohn's
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Graves
Hashimoto Thyroiditis
Psoriasis
Colitis
Vasculitis
Metabolic Syndrome

They're all autoimmune diseases and there are several others. Some are very hard to diagnose and/or treat. Especially if you have a doctor, even the supposedly specialized Endocrinologists, that won't listen to your symptoms and will only rely on lab test results. Of which several have norm ranges that are very outdated.

 

[graceanne]

PCOS is considered an autoimmune disease and if you've got one you're chances increase to develop more. Like Diabetes for one.
Also Addisons
Chrohn's
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Graves
Hashimoto Thyroiditis
Psoriasis
Colitis
Vasculitis
Metabolic Syndrome

They're all autoimmune diseases and there are several others. Some are very hard to diagnose and/or treat. Especially if you have a doctor, even the supposedly specialized Endocrinologists, that won't listen to your symptoms and will only rely on lab test results. Of which several have norm ranges that are very outdated.

I was told by one of my doctors that I was definately going to become diabetic, cause only people who're definately going to become diabetic have prednisone-induced diabetes.

 

[Rox_shybutcurious]

I've never heard that one before, but then I haven't done much research on Prednisone. On the other hand wouldn't that be similiar to saying if you get pregnancy induced diabetes that it's going to develop into life long diabetes? And from what I've read that one, at least, certainly isn't the case.

 

[graceanne]

With prednisone induced diabetes, you get diabetes when you're on prednisone. The only way that prednisone would effect you that way is if you're VERY borderline diabetic. Quite frankly it was no huge surprise when they told me I would be diabetic, diabetes runs VERY heavily in my family. I always knew I'd end up diabetic, it's just a fact of life. Those of us with the 'gene' all have HUGE sweet tooths. *shrugs*

And to put into perspective how big my sweet tooth is, I can't sleep unless I eat something sweet before bed. I haven't been able to in years. I can go days with only candy and stuff, and never get sweeted out - the canker sores stop me every time. I have never, in my life, found a sweet that's too sweet or too rich for me. By the time I was 6 years old I could eat a HUGE banana split all by myself, no problem.

 

[WriterDom]

Anyone noticed the current trend in scales? It used to be that the old analog scales maxed out at 300. Now I've seen 330 and 380 scales. I guess soon they'll be 500 pound scales.

 

[WriterDom]

Opps, wrong thread.

 

[4F_Woman]

Great thread!

I think that as a society and as individuals we do need to be concerned about obesity as a health issue. As a society, we need to worry about the costs of medical care and the loss of productive life. As individuals, we need to maintain our health so that we can maximize the precious time we have with the people we care about and who care about us.

i have seen this idea quite a bit in the media and in several posts here. To my mind it is just a fancily dressed up form of predjudice and bigotry.

Yes being overweight is correlated to a lot of diseases. Correlation does not prove causation. There are often other factors that are related to the two that are the cause of both. Numerous medical studies have shown that repeat dieting is the cause of many of the disease related to obesity. Dieting is very stressful on the body. Being the subject of predjudice, verbal abuse also are very stressful. Stress hormones cause the body to gain weight! 90-95% of all diets fail in the long term. Sure you can lose weight by restricting calorie intake and exercising more. But what happens a year later or 5 years later. In the long term dieting leads to greater obesity. People that lose weight often lose muscle as they do. When they inevitably regain they gain fat not muscle. So even at the same weight they are fatter and the majority end up weighing more than when they started.

What you rarely hear about is the benefical effects of the extra weight. Obesity is also linked to lower overall cancer risks, lower incidense of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), fatalities from infectious disease, osteoporosis, hip fracture, eclampsia, premature births, hot flashes, anemia and others.

Yes it is unsettling to see so many more obese people today than used to exist. But that says more about society than the individal - where are the homemakers and nurturers that used to prepare our meals for us? All of the wonderful manufactured food products that save time are full of trans-fats. The fat the really causes the body to produce cholesterol. The cholesterol we consume from meat and dairy often just passes through the body and is not always absorbed by the blood stream. Who has time or energy to prepare nutricous balanced meals from whole foods when both parents work and have long commutes? How much time do our kids get to just go out and play when they are in structured environments all of the time - school, day care, etc? Is it safe for them to roam the neighborhood? Are there even open spaces for them to play in?

We do not hear about the terrible mounting costs of other diseases that are going to bankrupt our healthcare system. Well what is bankrupting our health care sytem are corporate profits and executive salaries and benefits.

Blaming a fat person for their size is tatamount to blaming a rape victim for being raped! You would find it very difficult to find a fat person who has not tried dieting and/or exercise to lose weight. If that worked in the long term we would be thin.

Weight and size should not even be the issue. Regardless of size we all need to exercise our bodies to keep them healthy. It often amazes me how short sighted people are when they point out how unfit fat people are. Ok i may become extremely winded or tired when doing the same activities as a thin person, but i am doing it carrying over 300lbs. Let see who has the greater stamina and endurance if you had on a backpack to carry enough weight to even us out.

Fat people are just an easy target to blame societies problems on. Don't be diverted and tricked by the corporate media, so that you ignore the true cause of societies problems (greed and a focus on material things).

I may not be doing everything i can to make myself as healthy as possible - but then few people do. I know i am ranting - this is a very hot button issue for me. I was fat by the time i was 3 years old. I was put on my first diet at age 4 - and no this was not because my family had unhealthy eating habits - my sister was thin as were my parents. I take after my grandmother - my bones are not large but i am fleshy.

How has this affected my sex life? Well it has taken me almost 50 years to convince myself that i am a worthy object of love and affection. To learn that a man might actually be attracted to my soft warm fleshy body and not be repulsed. Societies attitudes and stigma have caused my health much more damage than my weight ever has.

OK - Rant over. *wiping away tears*

 

[Cherrysweetdeal]

I was fat by the time i was 3 years old. I was put on my first diet at age 4 - and no this was not because my family had unhealthy eating habits - my sister was thin as were my parents. I take after my grandmother - my bones are not large but i am fleshy.

How has this affected my sex life? Well it has taken me almost 50 years to convince myself that i am a worthy object of love and affection. To learn that a man might actually be attracted to my soft warm fleshy body and not be repulsed. Societies attitudes and stigma have caused my health much more damage than my weight ever has.

I can understand how you'd feel when it comes to the sex life. Any time you feel overweight no matter how large you are you feel uncomfortable with the idea of letting someone see you naked.

Its to bad that you had to be on a diet since you were a child, I hope things are better for you now and you can find someone who cares for you no matter the size.

 

[4F_Woman]

I can understand how you'd feel when it comes to the sex life. Any time you feel overweight no matter how large you are you feel uncomfortable with the idea of letting someone see you naked.

Its to bad that you had to be on a diet since you were a child, I hope things are better for you now and you can find someone who cares for you no matter the size.

Thanks as your name says you are very sweet - i think i have found my true love/soul mate and i didn't even believe such things existed. He is healing a lot of my soul wounds.

 

[WriterDom]

I hate being an asshole, but I don't buy into the "fat is healthy" line. Go to a mall sometime during the day and look at all the old retired people there hanging out. You won't find any morbidly obese retired folks. Because they are either dead or immobile.

 

[intothewoods]

I hate being an asshole, but I don't buy into the "fat is healthy" line. Go to a mall sometime during the day and look at all the old retired people there hanging out. You won't find any morbidly obese retired folks. Because they are either dead or immobile.

I don't think you're an asshole. But I was wondering if you're a glutton for punishment.

 

[intothewoods]

Really interesting post, 4F_Woman. Thank you.

I absolutely agree with you about diets, especially the extreme ones. And we all need to eat healthfully and exercise. You're preaching to the choir!

What you rarely hear about is the benefical effects of the extra weight. Obesity is also linked to lower overall cancer risks, lower incidense of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), fatalities from infectious disease, osteoporosis, hip fracture, eclampsia, premature births, hot flashes, anemia and others.

Huh, I have never heard this. As to eclampsia, I had heard that obesity may be some sort of a factor, though doctors don't quite know what causes eclampsia (the latest studies think it might be related to a blood disorder, but even that doesn't explain all cases). Are you saying that lower fatalities from eclampsia are associated with obesity? Just trying to understand.

All of the wonderful manufactured food products that save time are full of trans-fats. The fat the really causes the body to produce cholesterol. The cholesterol we consume from meat and dairy often just passes through the body and is not always absorbed by the blood stream. Who has time or energy to prepare nutricous balanced meals from whole foods when both parents work and have long commutes? How much time do our kids get to just go out and play when they are in structured environments all of the time - school, day care, etc? Is it safe for them to roam the neighborhood? Are there even open spaces for them to play in?

Yes, yes, yes! All of the things you mentioned are incredibly important to me. But I also recognize that I am privileged to be able to afford organic food, and to have some choice in where we live.

I was fat by the time i was 3 years old. I was put on my first diet at age 4 - and no this was not because my family had unhealthy eating habits - my sister was thin as were my parents. I take after my grandmother - my bones are not large but i am fleshy.

Wow, first diet at age 4. And if your parents and sister were all naturally thin, that must have been very isolating.

 

[FurryFury]

I'm sorry for the pain society has heaped on you 4F_Woman.

*hug*

I have to say though that something has changed since I was a kid. Whatever it is needs to be identified and stopped. I went to the zoo yesterday. The majority of adults were obese. Far too many kids were too compared to what I grew up with.

Though it's true that some extra meat on your bones can help in certain areas, I can't believe this is healthy over all. It does seem that there is a proliferation of "disabled" people who are obese and/or mentally ill.

I think I've mentioned before that I believe mood altering drugs are part of the problem for some. I've seen my mom balloon up on hers, or lose down to an alarming thinness depending on what was prescribed.

I am against "fat prejudice" and the way some people act toward others that have a significant difference in weight from themselves. I'm pro tolerance.

Fury