Where do you draw the line between legitimate fat acceptance and science denialism?

[TaraJo]

Ugh.  I'm having crazy people rant at me on facebook over this.

So, did you know that it's impossible to lose weight without hating fat people?  Did you know that you're a horrible person if you don't want to date someone with a lifestyle that isn't compatible with your own?  Did you know that there are absolutely no negative side effects to obesity?  Did you know long term weight loss is impossible and even trying to lose weight will hurt you?  These are just a few of the gems thrown at me over the past few days on a few facebook groups.  My crime?  I lost a lot of weight since 2016; about 130 pounds and I am VERY proud of my accomplishment.  But now I have a whole crowd of "fat acceptance" people who are jumping down my throat, telling me that I'm such a horrible person for it.

I'll be the first to admit, we shouldn't mock or laugh at people for being fat.  And, yes, there can sometimes be health issues that make weight loss difficult (although, many of those health issues would also resolve themselves with weight loss).  And, yes, anorexia and bulimia exist and are serious issues that should be discouraged.  And sometimes (most-times?) the media has a nasty habit of giving people, especially women, unrealistic body images.  I'll even go so far as to say, yes, it's your body to do with as you please, although if you ARE someone I care about personally, I'll encourage you to get healthy and if you ask me what I think, I'll tell you that being fat is hurting you.

So on those fronts, I'm mostly in agreement with fat acceptance.  And if it ended there, I'd be ok with everything.  Problem is, it doesn't.  Something about the internet brings the dumbest people with the worst beliefs to the surface and if you do a search on instigram or twitter or tumblr for terms like "body positive" or "fat acceptance," you'll find some really bad stuff.  I don't hate fat people, at least not for being fat (I hate a few individuals who are fat, but I don't hate them because they're fat).  But I'm proud to have worked my ass off and lost that weight and I feel better than I've ever felt in my life. But, yeah, because I lost that weight, I must hate fat people.

Here's a few of their gems: 

1)  Desire to lose weight is inherently fat-phobic and it means you hate fat people
2)  There are no health risks to obesity
3)  There is extreme health risks to losing weight because you're giving yourself an eating disorder
4)  Losing weight is nearly impossible and long term weight loss IS impossible.  If you're lucky enough to lose weight, you'll just gain it right back
5)  Fat people can be just as physically active as non-fat people
6)  BMI is garbage since professional athletes will have a high BMI despite being in great health
7)  Since thin people can have these health issues (like heart disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, ect), then that means being fat doesn't cause them

Am I alone in thinking that this has a nasty habit of going into junk science?  Or science denialism?  Is it wrong for me to want to keep this weight off or to work hard to stay strong and healthy and, yes, thin?

[Chad32]

People need to learn that all good things should be taken in moderation. It's possible to be too fat, and too skinny. You can be a bean pole, and still be fine. You can be a beanbag, and still be fine. I'm pretty sure no one should be 300 lbs or more, and no adult should be 100 lbs or less. Not unless you're like four feet tall.

[paulpablo]

I think it can be taken too far in either direction and I don't necessarily have respect for the so called science behind the BMI scale or what doctors say is overweight.  It has been a while since I've looked into the BMI scale but I'm sure it doesn't take into account different body types and bone structures.

 I know it's a joke that fat people are supposed to use being "big boned" as an excuse for being fat but I know someone who's the very extreme example of being big boned.  His hands are genuinely like gorilla hands and I'm sure no matter how much fat he lost the sheer size of his skeletal structure would make him overweight. 

In terms of fat acceptance in general society though I think there's a good middleground in there somewhere. I think it makes sense to be at a level of fat that isn't stopping you do normal day to day things like getting out a car, walking for an hour, being able to breath normally. 

[GrandizerII]

Here's a few of their gems: 

1)  Desire to lose weight is inherently fat-phobic and it means you hate fat people
2)  There are no health risks to obesity
3)  There is extreme health risks to losing weight because you're giving yourself an eating disorder
4)  Losing weight is nearly impossible and long term weight loss IS impossible.  If you're lucky enough to lose weight, you'll just gain it right back
5)  Fat people can be just as physically active as non-fat people
6)  BMI is garbage since professional athletes will have a high BMI despite being in great health
7)  Since thin people can have these health issues (like heart disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, ect), then that means being fat doesn't cause them

Am I alone in thinking that this has a nasty habit of going into junk science?  Or science denialism?  Is it wrong for me to want to keep this weight off or to work hard to stay strong and healthy and, yes, thin?

Only 2 and 7 seem like current science denialism to me. 1 and 3 are debatable. The rest I don't see too much wrong with.

Ok, maybe calling BMI "garbage" is over the top, but 6 is still overall agreeable.

[TaraJo]

Here's a few of their gems: 

1)  Desire to lose weight is inherently fat-phobic and it means you hate fat people
2)  There are no health risks to obesity
3)  There is extreme health risks to losing weight because you're giving yourself an eating disorder
4)  Losing weight is nearly impossible and long term weight loss IS impossible.  If you're lucky enough to lose weight, you'll just gain it right back
5)  Fat people can be just as physically active as non-fat people
6)  BMI is garbage since professional athletes will have a high BMI despite being in great health
7)  Since thin people can have these health issues (like heart disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, ect), then that means being fat doesn't cause them

Am I alone in thinking that this has a nasty habit of going into junk science?  Or science denialism?  Is it wrong for me to want to keep this weight off or to work hard to stay strong and healthy and, yes, thin?

Only 2 and 7 seem like current science denialism to me. 1 and 3 are debatable. The rest I don't see too much wrong with.

Ok, maybe calling BMI "garbage" is over the top, but 6 is still overall agreeable.

My feelings on these:

1)  Ok, I'm trans, I have the opportunity for surgery and surgeons won't touch me if I weigh over 220.  So, yeah, I have a legit, non-fat phobic reason to lose weight.  But besides that, the more weight I lose, the better shape I get into, the better I feel, inside and out.  Feeling good isn't fat phobia.

2)  Biology major.  There are a whole host of health risks associated with obesity.  I have known people who died much younger than they should have and they were morbidly obese.

3)  I think over eating is a worse disorder than temporarily eating less.  It certainly seems to hurt more people, at least in America.  

4)  Losing weight is hard work.  It hasn't been easy.  But it's possible and for some people, if they don't lose that weight, they will die.  Keeping the weight off is possible, but that's where psychology comes into play.  Don't let yourself get depressed, don't eat your way out of depression and when you get to your target weight, don't fall back into the same bad habits that made you fat in the first place.  Staying on a healthy weight loss plan can be challenging, but if you want to make permanent changes to your body, you need to make permanent changes to your lifestyle (especially as you get older).

5)  I just don't see that level of activity from fat people.  Since I've been getting into shape, I've been going to the gym, I've been hiking, I've been swimming in my apartments pool (thank god for indoor pools).  You don't see fat people at the gym very often and those who do show up don't go very often.  The people who are regularly going, they're the fit ones.  When you go hiking, when you people watch the people jogging around LaFortune Park or down on Riverside, it's not the fat people jogging.  I guess it can happen, but it seems to be a lot less common than fat activists would lead people to believe.

6)  BMI has issues, but it's not complete garbage.  Using it as the be-all end-all of your overall fitness isn't going to be accurate, especially if you have a wide skeletal build or if you are especially muscular, but it can also be a decent indication that people could stand to lose a few pounds.  Truth is, if someone is 350 lbs, I don't care how wide your skeleton is, you're not a healthy weight.

7)  Yes, thin people can also have heart disease.  That's kinda along the lines of non-smokers getting lung cancer or emphysema or non drinkers getting liver disease.  Yes, they can get it, but your odds go way up because of poor lifestyle choices.

[Rev. Rye]

[brewer]

[Chad32]

I think it can be taken too far in either direction and I don't necessarily have respect for the so called science behind the BMI scale or what doctors say is overweight.  It has been a while since I've looked into the BMI scale but I'm sure it doesn't take into account different body types and bone structures.
 I know it's a joke that fat people are supposed to use being "big boned" as an excuse for being fat but I know someone who's the very extreme example of being big boned.  His hands are genuinely like gorilla hands and I'm sure no matter how much fat he lost the sheer size of his skeletal structure would make him overweight. 

In terms of fat acceptance in general society though I think there's a good middleground in there somewhere. I think it makes sense to be at a level of fat that isn't stopping you do normal day to day things like getting out a car, walking for an hour, being able to breath normally. 

I don't have a lot of faith in BMI charts either. I'm five foot nine inches, and apparently I can be as light as 160 lbs without being considered underweight. I think that's what the lighter side was. I have never been below 180 as an adult.

[EgoDeath]

[Cod]

5)  Fat people can be just as physically active as non-fat people

This in my opinion is definitely true.. I've seen fat people nearly running to be first in the queue at a buffet.