Friday, August 7, 2009

Fat people are experts on healthy eating.

Before I get into my huge blog post, I'm gonna share a better photo of my hair!





Dan came home last night and said, "Hey Rogue!" I had no idea what he meant so I just kinda smiled. Then his friend Mark came over and Dan said to him, "Doesn't she look like Rogue?" Mark said, "Yeah!" Then I realized he meant this chick from X-Men:



Or the cooler, comic book version:





So! Anyway.

What I really wanted to blog about today is healthy eating, and how we all freakin' know how to do it. I'll start with a little bit of a back story:

Considering the fact that I used to be fairly thin, was in a variety of weight and gym classes in high school, and have been through the gain and loss of the same damn 50 pounds a few times, I definitely know a LOT about weight loss and health. I know how to eat to lose weight and how to work out to keep your body its best. How to avoid injury in the gym, and what kinds of exercises to do if you have a bad back, pain in your knees, etc. I know the benefits of different types of diets, how to eat if your skin is dry and the differences between various kinds of carbohydrates, fats and sugars. It's pretty ridiculous.


SO. It is hilarious because, though I'm a fat girl, I get phone calls from my brother, friends and my parents with questions on all these kinds of things all the time. I give good advice, I know that. I hear back from people "that really worked!" or, "I can't believe it was so simple" (ha!) -- and it has always kind of perplexed me. You know the old saying, "Don't trust a fat doctor or a skinny chef"? Well, I'm sure as shit no doctor, but I also would be remiss to take health or fitness advice from someone fatter than me.

And I know a LOT of you guys know what I'm talking about and can relate.

We know how to count calories, we know how to work out in our optimum heart rate range. We know how to stretch and run and flex and bend. We know how to grill, sautee, bake, chop, and master those healthy recipes. We've munched on rice cakes covered in fat free cottage cheese (my personal favorite) or low fat string cheese, or salad after salad, and what the fuck, we're still fat!


So my question is... WHY is that???

Granted, I'm losing weight now, but ... if I know so freakin much about weight loss, eating, exercise and all that... I should be a personal trainer and be super hot and in shape. But I'm not. The only thing I can really figure is that it has to be one of the following:

1. Laziness
2. Doing things half assed (see number 1)
3. ??????

A lot of anti fat hate folks would go on to add in number 3 and 4 spots "genes" or "something else not my fault here" but I can't bring myself to do it. I've been thinner before and I can do it again.


So I'm curious to know y'all's comments on this subject. 'Cause I know you have big ripply brains and will share your thoughts with me.

~J

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Going about something wrong? Maybe eating too much? Fat free cottage cheese on rice cakes sounds like to be nasty yuckiness. Here's an article I found, you might like:

http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2009/06/25/reasons-weight-loss-plan-nutrition-exercise-working/

Unknown said...

Well, I've tried various diets and eating plans over the last 8 years or so, and what's finally working is that I got to the root of my health problems and figured out exactly what my body needs to be healthy and fit (and figured out why I gained so much weight in the first place).

I've lost 27lbs since the end of April when I was diagnosed with PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I learned that my hormones were out of whack and I am glucose resistant, which caused the symptoms of weight gain, acne, infertility, and more. I need a high protein, low glycemic diet. I lost the first half of the weight by just changing my diet and doing moderate exercise. Now I'm upping the exercise, and I went off dairy, and I'm losing 3-5lbs/week.

I only drink water, and have coffee once or twice a week, now an iced soy latte, no sweetener. I gave up alcohol completely about two weeks ago, and I think that is going to help even more.

One thing you may be looking at is that the yo-yo dieting may have harmed your metabolism. I've heard the Curves diet and workout plan is a really good way to reset your metabolism and get it working again. You also may want to figure out if you have anything hormonal going on, or pre-diabetes. And honestly (since I know you appreciate honesty), I'd lay off the cigs and Diet Coke. ;) I know you don't think the artificial sweeteners are bad, but there's certainly no health benefit to them.

Just some thoughts. What's worked for me is not necessarily going to work for everyone, but I think for years I was just treating the symptoms instead of getting to the root cause.

Cole Walter Mellon said...

Ha! I thought "Hey Rogue" too. You can tell the comic book geeks in the house.

"4 oz" said...

"Do as I say, not as I do" is what came to mind as I read your post. I totally understand. I've learned a lot in the past year from my trainer and from reading different books and articles. I find myself giving advice as well. I'm finally on track and pushed through my plateau, but I think my problem is I'm easier on myself than I should be. I shouldn't let myself get away with half the stuff I've gotten away with in the past! =)

Unknown said...

LOVE the hair, it's so cool!
I think overweight people lack that "switch" that tells us to STOP EATING...for some reason, we eat until we're stuffed or for reasons other than hunger (emotions, stress, etc.).
Those things can be difficult to overcome, so even though we KNOW the right things, it's hard to change how we are and actually DO the right things.

My Big Fat Super Super Obese Blog said...

lmao, I've always said that I could probably start my own weight loss and exercise website and offer online based weight coaching because I know so much about how to lose weight. I've tried about every diet out there and I've lost quite a bit of weight over my lifetime. The problem is...I'm as good a pro at gaining. I have gaining down to a freakin' science.

MB said...

LOVE the hair! You look amazing!

As far as why we don't lose weight if we know how ... for me it is because no matter how healthy I eat or how much I work out I'm not consistent and no amount of running is going to make up for a 5,000 calorie binge. UUGHH! The other thing for me is stress and a sense of entitlement. When I'm miserable at work at least the chocolate makes me feel better although I always regret it.

Have a great weekend and have a blast in Denver!

HD said...

LOVE the hair!

Laziness - for me. Portion control - for me. Thinking something is healthy when it is actually loaded with sodium and hidden crap.

She-Fit said...

Bad habits... we know what to do, but we have to get rid of those old eating habits and start moving more. Changing habits can be hard.
You totally look like that girl!

~Kristen~ said...

I am one of those "experts" not only cause of my struggle but cause of my education as a nurse. For me ... I'd say a big part of it is not laziness but me putting other things or people in front of myself. I always find a way to put "other things" in the #1 spot of things to concentrate on and not my health ... which then, in the end also means not making time for it.

Beth @ Kitchen Minions said...

I totally agree, I know exactly what I'm doing wrong...and what I should be doing. It's just all about doing what I know I should be....

Abrunz said...

every time you start to wonder why nothing is working: go for a run.

Dana (www.eatsleepgetfit.com) said...

I agree. I know a ton about working out, eating right, etc. I think it's mostly mind over matter. You have to get your head in the game. And as someone who suffers from comfort food, emotional eating and the like, when you have a bad day your mind is the first thing that jumps out of the game!!

Unknown said...

Happy Holidays! My name is Lisa Hope and I am the assistant editor of Disorder.org. I am contacting you today in hopes of developing a strategic partnership with your website; we have seen your site and think your content is great. Disorder.org is an online gateway for people to find information regarding disorder diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment -- and is continually adding content. More specifically, Disorder.org is starting a campaign to promote awareness about eating disorders of all types. If you're interested in a partnership, please contact me at lisa.disorder.org@gmail.com.

Cristine said...

So, I came across your site because I googled Rogue =P
I had my hair like yours once when I was trying to imitate the appearance of the character, and I think your hair is the absolute best, I love it, you look great! Now I want to do my hair like that again! lol
And I'm also one of the "experts", but I'm kinda fat too! >< So yea I can understand how that is.
Take Care!