Is Being Thin Really That Great?
In an excellent opinion piece, the author takes a fresh look at the bizarre weight extremes in our culture.
She has a go at celebrity Liz Hurley:
The patron saint of thin, Elizabeth Hurley, never seems to tire of offering titbits of advice on maintaining her Twiglet proportions. Last week, she "revealed" she is always hungry, hardly eats a thing and will occasionally allow herself to pig right out on six raisins. It's the "six" that gives her away as a total obsessive.
Followed by this point-the-finger at the food industry:
So what is the matter with us? Why are we getting more and more obese? Much blame can be laid on the corrupt and profit-ravenous food industry that shovels false information and dreadful products down our throats all day long. Take bread, for example: once a healthy staple, now laced with too much salt, too much sugar and artery-clogging hydrogenated fats. Yum yum.
Couldn't have said it better. Being healthy is not about a number on the scales.
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Created / Updated: November 7, 2011
Pig right out on 6 raisins??!! I am surprised that she is not already dead.
ReplyLiz also once said that she would go to bed crying because she was so hungry (I think it was during her pre-famous modeling days).
ReplyI think that being thin really feels great! I know we live in a world where everybody HAS TO be thin and love it. I've lost 13 pounds after my divorce and to be honest I feel better. I fit in my old highschool jeans, people tell me how atractive I look and that is awesome. I was fat, unhappy, and insecure. Now, I feel stronger and more confident. I don't know if fat people feel good about being fat. You can be chunky as long as you are not lazy. I believe that working out and having good eating habits is the best for everybody who wants to be healthy, nost specifically thin.
ReplyI have been very thin in past years and I found that it didn't make me happy. Sure, I could fit in small clothes and people would tell me how skinny I looked...but it wasn't all it's cracked up to be. The mistake I think people may make is that once they lose weight, and they are thin, then they will be happy. It's like they assume that their problems stem from being overweight but you know what...you can lose weight and you are still the same person - and the problems are still there. It can be a total letdown.
ReplyI would hope that people place more emphasis on being healthy and fit, than thin.
Your right you have the right idea. I have been thin for ever and have never been that happy. People may think oh yah i wish i were u. Then u say no u dont or at least u think of saying that.I wish i was fatter but i cant cause of my high matabalizme which means i cvant gain that much weight.People that are not that fat still want to be thin and i Think that is bull. They are lucky. Imay beable to eat what i want but i can also get a heart problem cause its in my family genes.
ReplyI have been fat and I have been thin and I will say that in certain areas, being thin has advantages. I can shop for clothes and not worry if things will look bad on me. I also have a lot more confidence about my body, am healthier, and I definitely look better. But being thin doesn't make me happy. Other things in my life do, but being thin just makes me...well, thin. I will say it's a little more work being thin than being fat, but I doubt I'll ever get as obsessed as Liz Hurley pigging out on 6 raisins. :P
ReplyHi, im skinny and forever will be skinny, I just saw this website and wanted to say that it is great being skinny, I love it!!! I weight 89.3 pounds and am 5'3 and 15 years old, and I believe I have to lose more weight to satisfy myself!
ReplyHiyas i too am 13 5'3 and i weigh 87.4 lbs.Yes i am so called suffering from anorexia narvosa.But i dont get it they say were sufering i don't think we are suffering at all.I am setting a goal weight of 85lbs.And i will make it there too i always do.Though hide the anorexia the best you can because i have been to an eating disorder clinic befor it's OMG Horrible.They make you (EAT)!!!! bad fatty highly caloric foods.but i kinda excaped and only spent 2 days in there and i gained like 3 lbs.I looked absolutely horrificly FAT!!! Sorry for (sp)
ReplyAre you kidding me? I mean I know since people are anorexic studies show that they think they're fat when they're obviously not. Ok I'm skinny. I hate it. I want to GAIN weight. People are bragging about being 85 pounds and trying to lose MORE weight! Seriously. Eating disorders kill people and it's unattractive. I seriously dont see how people with ANY eating disorder thinks it is especially if you have no meat, fat,whatever you want to call it. I think it's creepy how if you look at an anorexia patients you can see all of their bones basically. I'm a 14 yr old male and I'm 5'8 and only weight 105 pounds. I think that's skinny. I mean I personally dont have a problem with it because I have to kind of live with it but I actually want to get dates without having to worry about if the other person doesn't find me attractive because 'm to skinny. I mean I do eat a lot of everything. I have a balanced diet but it's my metabolism. It's like I gain 5 pounds and to days later I lose 10 pounds if I dont constantly eat. I mean I'm not hungry all the time but that's just ridiculous.
Replyyou should not be proud of your problem. i have battled with an eating disorder on and off for years. I have always been thin anyway but an eating disorder is all about control. When my life seemed out of control i would control what i ate. don't be bragging about your problem. it is a serious matter and nothing to joke or brag about. girls die from eating disorders every day. that is something you need to think about. i am happier when i weigh more but i also have a high metabolism. i am over 30 and have 2 children and am still very petite but i don't starve myself anymore. you need to get help. it will save your life.
ReplyWow.............im IN total shock 89.3 pounds, DAMN! Girl, you really need help, eat a hamburger, pizza, fries, ice cream, eat anything!!!
Reply89 lbs? Wtf? That's gross.
ReplyI'm 16, 5ft 6, medium framed and 6 months ago I weighed 190lb. Now I weigh 140lb. I must admit, I'm much happier when it comes to trying on clothes, or recieving compliments on the way I look now. However, it does have a massive downside, I obsess over what I'll eat, constantly calorie-count and beat myself up about it if I excess a certain amount or slack off.
As you can see, everything has a good side aswell as a bad.
- Jo.
ReplyI am a nutrition student and have come to believe that this topic is so popular as everyone wants the best of both worlds, to pig out whenever it suits and not have to worry about calories, and get into those jeans from high school.
To be honest we are lucky that we have to choice to pick up an iced bun rather than a lettuce leaf! Perhaps if we lived in a society where our appearance didnt ruled our emotions rather than thinking about the real issues surrounding us then we would all appreciate our lumps and bumps as nothing more than a part of us which makes us unique and then look at the povety in the world.
You shouldn't put doen the iced bun because it's fattening, but because their are millions of ppl starving all over the world and the money you paid for that bun could feed someone who is starving and not gready.
Make povery history wasn't a fashion statement but a way to acknowledge a real problem when many ppl have forgotten.
So next time you want to treat yourself, do it by donating and feeling good about making the world a better place.
Replyalso---(go organic!)
I weigh 119 pounds. I'm 5ft2. There's nothing wrong with being thin or fat, it's how society ends up treating you is what's wrong. Girls can't win for losing now days. I once weighed 175 pounds. Everyone was commenting on my fat thighs and my gut. I stopped eating all together and then people told me that I was too thin. I almost ended up eating myself into my own grave after hearing that. I would binge and perge and starve and crucify myself, just because everyone I knew had a problem with my body. It's not what the scientists, your parents, your friends, or anyone else out there is saying, it's how you feel about your own body. Are you happy with your image? Do you love yourself? Screw society! If this whole weight thing keeps up, a lot of girls out there are going to die of eating diorders. It's in the genes of someone to be thin or "fat". STOP BLAMING THE GIRL HERSELF FOR HER WEIGHT! EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT, THAT MEANS WEIGHT TOO!!!!
ReplyThank you for saying those things. My pet peeve is that as soon as you say you are becoming satisfied with your body being a little overweight - someone gets jelious that you no longer have to struggle. They bring up the old saw about "It's not healthy to be overweight". Looking around me people are either starving themselves or eating fast food. So what's healthy about that?
ReplyHi....just for those of you who think that being thin will make you happier, you couldnt be more wrong. I went from 168lbs to 127lbs in 4 months, and yeah do i love that clothes fit, and that I'm constantly getting complemented on how thin i look and that i look more like the ideal....OF COURSE I DO!! BUT now, i'm obsessive about what i eat, how much i eat, when i eat...it endless. Losing this weight has made me paranoid not happy. Becuase of todays standards i've started developing a severe distortion of myself, and now i'm miserable because i'm scared I cant keep it up. Love yourself for who you are...be healthy....then you'll be happy.
ReplyI agree that being thin doesnt provide an answer to all ones problems..I have been doing everything known to man(woman) to lose weight since the tender age of 12, and now at 52 I am trying to be content with the fact that I may never get down to 125 again..but at least I can eat things I enjoy and not feel too paranoid about it.
Being thin probably IS more comfortable than fat because the rolls sure do get in the way at times, and clothes are most likely more plentiful.
Still, being plumpish and fit is better than being sick and compulsive whether its bulimic or anorexic...healthy should matter!
I was bulimic once, and my sister was anorexic, she died last year at age 57, and her bones were very fragile from osteoperosis (from the anorexia I was told by the docs) So please, all you girls who are starving yourself, please stop, and all you who are binging and purging, you are doing major damage to your body which will come out in later years.
Good luck to all of you...
ReplyIf you feel that you are overweight and want to be thin, i don't think what anyone else tells you will change your mind. Whether you want to lose weight because what other people might think of you or just for yourself.. starving is NOT the option. It's unheathy, will damage you long term AND is hard to keep up. As soon as you start to eat again (which is what you were made to do) you will put the weight back on.
Why not try slimming world or just eat healthy until the weight starts to come off. I went from 185lbs to 175lbs in 3 weeks. You can eat healthily and as much as you want. check it out: www.slimmingworld.com
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