Weight

[Un'Anima Persa]

Ok, Ive been volunteering at a rec center, as some of you very well know, and today, I heard some people say some interesting things.... they worried me.

As i pulled my MM's from the snack machine, a woman walked up to me and said "If you keep eating those, you'll get this..." she was motioning toward her stomach. she continued "and once you've got it, there's no getting rid of it" she had a stern look, but i thought nothing of it, because i have never been bothered about weight or looks before.

A friend of mine, who had just gotten out of line ahead of me said "you know, i think she's right." she threw her chips way, and walked back to the game room and continued playing.

I did talk to my friend later that day... she said she really didnt know what came over her... we joked about it for a bit, then she went back to the snack machine to get some chips and a soda...

Later that day, some younger kids (2nd or third grade) were talking about how they were getting fat.. it kind of worried me that the kids that young were worried about that sort of thing... i mean, isnt that how eating disorders get started? Maybe im just overreacting, but i cant help but wonder if there's anything anyone can do to help this kind of thing...

[Broccoli]

I think there is nothing wrong with people, including young kids, worrying about getting fat. It is bad eating habbits and lack of physical activity, after all (apart from certain deseases), that make us gain weight, so I find it good when people care about what they eat.

Chips or sweets in big amounts are certainly not healthy as is being overweight as a results of eating them. Of course, children need a lot of energy and should consume a lot of calories, but they don't have to come from sweets.

I am not trying to say that we should loose weight at any price just because we think that our body is not ideal, but being concious about our health is a good thing.

[Froggs]

I think it is odd that some stranger would just come up and say something like that to begin with. People are a bit too open with their advice nowadays. As for the children, they might have heavy parents so they hear about diets and losing weight all of the time. I have always been about ten pounds overwieght so my kids hear it all of the time, and they rub their flat bellies and say, "I'm getting fat" which is upsetting. I have adjusted my own vocal complaints accordingly, but that is probably what is going on with the kids you heard. I think getting weight obsessive is unhealthy, period. I don't care about the idea that kids should be eating healthy foods and so that it is good for them to worry about weight, that is something their parents need to address with subtle changes in diet (if they have a child with a weight issue) and not somehting the child should be aware of, IMO. And weight does not dictate health, my niece is very thin and my sister was just told that she has very high cholesteral and needs a specialized diet. Kids watch too much TV these days too, and weight is always coming up in that venue. So, I guess my thoughts are that the parents need to be more concerned so that their children are less concerened, does that make sense?

[SunsetG|rl]

i don't think that people who concern about their weight are necesarily concerned about health....i mean they most are considering their own image. you have to admit thiner people are considered more beautiful.but hey. i think we should learn to get over this looks thing...we should judge people by who they are.not by how they look.

[Un'Anima Persa]

Well, I think I need to hang out with you sunsetgirl, we have the same veiw on this!!

I'm liking you already!

[SunsetG|rl]

thank you! i guess i am happy to find people who think the same way as i do. after all it seems to be a shallow world that puts so much into appereance. it happened to me too...to be judged by clothes or looks. and it's really frustrating...and it offetely brought me to depresion an eating dissorders. but now i really grown a big selfish me... not selfish...just i learned to love myself, acutally i adore myself...it's really great...everybody should try it.
and stop judging people for how they look...

[Curiouser]

Did you ask for that lady's opinion? If it had been me, I would have calmly told her to shut her trap. It was really rude, and also not completely true. MnM's you say? That's chocolate. And chocolate is good for the heart.

That's not to say that it's alright to stuff yourself on junk food. (Which I'm sure you aren't doing, most likely.) But remember, there's nothing wrong with eating. (really though, since when did eating become a bad habit??)

And I know what you mean about the little kids worrying abut their weight. One time on my way to school (on the bus) I had a kudos bar, and I was feeling generous. So I offered a piece to this first grade girl in the seat behind me. She turned it down because she was 'watching her figure'. Insane. Then of course I felt bad about eating it, and wrapped it up for later.

I completely agree with you, Sunset. I'm usually pretty comfortable with myself. I mean, every now and then I really really wish I could change the way my body looks, but I hear that every girl at my age thinks that.

But lemme just share this little sidestory real quick. I'm not sure what to think about it, but here goes. I was walking with my friend to her house along with this guy named Sheldon. They go to the same school with each other, and were talking about people who are hot at their school. Sheldon said my friend was hot and then she said she thought I was hot(!) too, and then they guy looked at me and said, "I guess so. I mean, she's the best looking person, but she's ok."

I should have punched him, shouldn't I?

[SunsetG|rl]

i think you should have punched him i mean what is it with boys and compliments....they either suck at it...or they make it sound like ass kissing (annoing also)
but anyway i think it's not really about how he thinks about you. it's how YOU feel about yourself.
as for eating...definitly a pleasure. i feel sory for all those stupid girls that "think thin" and deny some of the greatest things...like chocolate or ice cream...or even chips (crisps?).

*laughing at the stupid girls while having a big big ice cream...mmm*

[Asphodel]

The problem with a lot of people is that they think being healthy means being skinny. Having less fat is just one of the pleasant side affects of being healthy.

[SunsetG|rl]

You know that healthy means somewhere in the middle... Not too fat ad not too skiny... Being overweight can cause you a lot of problems... From fat on your heart (colesterol and stuff) to problems with your back... I'm missing the word right now... but the most important bone in you're back... sort of too say...
And very skiny can be a sign of illness as you said... So the best is to be somewhere in the middle

[Asphodel]

I agree. And I think the word you are looking for is spine.

[SunsetG|rl]

Oh yeah...spine ...
In the end I'm not such a good english speaker

[Asphodel]

But, seriously, you shouldn't be concerned about weight you should be concerned about health. Some people are just far too self conscience (did I spell that wrong?) and should just focus on health, not weight. One thing's for sure, that bowl of ice cream does seem so tempting...

[Scarlet Lioness]

I can talk from experience, I'm not exactly the skinniest in the world or the fattest in the world, but I'm in between, I'm a dancer so I basically eat healthy (apart from a few bits and pieces for 'energy' lol) But even if I eat healthy I stay the same weight as I do if I eat junk, some people are born a certain size and no diet can change what they look like, some people don't get that...and also it depends how tall you are with your weight because for my height I'm the right weight, whereas some people think oh I'm not skinny so I'm over weight.

The whole, you have to be as skinny as a model to look good gets to peoples heads, it's really just a mind game...

(Sorry guys I tend to ramble..lol)

[b.scheller]

Damn you Hollywood for overglamorizing skinnyness *shakes fist*

I look at it from two perspectives, having come from Eastern Europe where most people aren't all that "Fat", it was hard for me to get into this environment where it seems to be more of a norm. At school and elsewhere.

In Poland, an adult man was more likely to have a beer gut than to be actually over weight, here it's not the same thing. I"m not obsessed with lowering my weight but I do try to keep watching it and hoping it lowers. Not that I'm fat or overweight.