fat activists and a soap company are angry about brenden fraser's oscar win for his portrayal of a fat person in the whale. why did it strike such a chord?
I discuss these issues with all of my adult children. Of five, three have struggled with weight. My middle son was obese as a child. When I married his father, I changed his diet drastically and within 6 months he was down to a normal weight, never knowing that he had been on a "diet" at all. He is now 29 and has never gained the weight back. His experience of being overweight as a child and the negative connotations, both physical and emotional, have kept him mindful of his health. The other two, 27 and 31; are overweight; the elder to the point of obesity. My 27 year old overeats unhealthy foods and drinks a lot of beer. He hates my lectures but he's going to keep getting them. The negative health ramifications of being overweight; and especially at younger ages; are factual, well documented and should be without controversy. The elder has emotional issues; (his mother died by suicide when he was 9 years old two years before I married his father and adopted him); so I understand the struggle. I cannot get him to care enough about himself to stop destroying his body. He is an adult, and needs to make his own decisions. We've tried different types of therapy, neither of which have made a significant change. He has an addiction driven by emotional issues; his father and I have had to let go and let him decide either to deal with it or hit bottom. I have laid out my bonifides; I get it. My point is that glorifying or normalizing bad decisions and emotional problems is leading to a plethora of horrific consequences for millions of people. I for one applaud Hollywood for making this movie. It's about time somebody focused in on the real issues with obesity instead of trying to normalize and "celebrate" the condition. It is a disservice to people who are actually suffering with a myriad of painful self image and physical issues to applaud a life defined by wallowing in misery, being sick, looking grotesque and feeling like crap, telling them that THAT is somehow a "happy" life. My heart weeps for them.
Solana, This came to my email but does NOT show in my Substack Inbox. I have never seen this behavior before, but I usually ignore substack in my email and use the Substack Inbox to get my substacks delivered. If this impacts me it likely impacts others. You might have them check it out. Might be responsible for so few comments today.
I used to be sympathetic with the obese, since I always had a few pounds that I needed to lose, and could never seem to. Somehow, God (and my wife) had me listen to Mike Rowe's podcast #244 with Vinnie Tortorich, which let me to his documentaries, Fat, a documentary, and Fat 2, a documentary, which led me to Gary Taubes and Nina Teicholz and Jason Fung, which led me to the doctors at Low Carb Down Under on YouTube. I wanted to lose 10; I lost 25 and have kept it off. It CAN be done. Btw, the USDA food recommendations (MyPlate and the pyramid) is what is poisoning our population today. Drop the white food from your diet (sugar, rice, bread, potatoes), and eat leafy greens and healthy fats, including butter and bacon. Do intermittent fasting - it's not as hard as it sounds. The media continues to make excuses, but won't address the problem, which is the Western diet run amok.
I discuss these issues with all of my adult children. Of five, three have struggled with weight. My middle son was obese as a child. When I married his father, I changed his diet drastically and within 6 months he was down to a normal weight, never knowing that he had been on a "diet" at all. He is now 29 and has never gained the weight back. His experience of being overweight as a child and the negative connotations, both physical and emotional, have kept him mindful of his health. The other two, 27 and 31; are overweight; the elder to the point of obesity. My 27 year old overeats unhealthy foods and drinks a lot of beer. He hates my lectures but he's going to keep getting them. The negative health ramifications of being overweight; and especially at younger ages; are factual, well documented and should be without controversy. The elder has emotional issues; (his mother died by suicide when he was 9 years old two years before I married his father and adopted him); so I understand the struggle. I cannot get him to care enough about himself to stop destroying his body. He is an adult, and needs to make his own decisions. We've tried different types of therapy, neither of which have made a significant change. He has an addiction driven by emotional issues; his father and I have had to let go and let him decide either to deal with it or hit bottom. I have laid out my bonifides; I get it. My point is that glorifying or normalizing bad decisions and emotional problems is leading to a plethora of horrific consequences for millions of people. I for one applaud Hollywood for making this movie. It's about time somebody focused in on the real issues with obesity instead of trying to normalize and "celebrate" the condition. It is a disservice to people who are actually suffering with a myriad of painful self image and physical issues to applaud a life defined by wallowing in misery, being sick, looking grotesque and feeling like crap, telling them that THAT is somehow a "happy" life. My heart weeps for them.
After Fight Club, it’s hard not to chuckle at Dove jumping in on this.
Solana, This came to my email but does NOT show in my Substack Inbox. I have never seen this behavior before, but I usually ignore substack in my email and use the Substack Inbox to get my substacks delivered. If this impacts me it likely impacts others. You might have them check it out. Might be responsible for so few comments today.
Really, really enjoying your writing! Gloves off, no coddling truth.
I used to be sympathetic with the obese, since I always had a few pounds that I needed to lose, and could never seem to. Somehow, God (and my wife) had me listen to Mike Rowe's podcast #244 with Vinnie Tortorich, which let me to his documentaries, Fat, a documentary, and Fat 2, a documentary, which led me to Gary Taubes and Nina Teicholz and Jason Fung, which led me to the doctors at Low Carb Down Under on YouTube. I wanted to lose 10; I lost 25 and have kept it off. It CAN be done. Btw, the USDA food recommendations (MyPlate and the pyramid) is what is poisoning our population today. Drop the white food from your diet (sugar, rice, bread, potatoes), and eat leafy greens and healthy fats, including butter and bacon. Do intermittent fasting - it's not as hard as it sounds. The media continues to make excuses, but won't address the problem, which is the Western diet run amok.