I’ve been meaning to write about this for awhile…. On July 11, 2009 in Philadelphia, a celebration took place cleverly called a “Flesh Mob for Fat Liberation” to promote fat acceptance to celebrate persons who are overweight or obese. At least the event promoted some physical activity i.e. running up the art museum steps ala Rocky and a post-BBQ dance party. I have to say at the very least I am conflicted about how I feel about celebrating being fat and/or obese. I agree with the basic mission of the event and that yes, fat people are people too, who deserve to be loved, accepted and whatnot. I would never advocate body dysmorphia and do think that we should accept our bodies and more importantly who we are as individuals.

I am conflicted about this as someone who has struggled with their weight for the better part of their teen and adult life. I’ve gone from both ends of the spectrum to thinking I was grossly overweight at 128 pounds to being grossly overweight pushing 220 pounds and being okay with the fatty & happy lifestyle.  I certainly was much healthier when I was within the weight range for my height and that overlaps anything from 135 to 169, so there are 34 pounds of leeway depending on other factors. As I grew more and more overweight, I became increasingly unhealthy as a result. Not to mention, when I was at my heaviest having to wear a back brace most of the time because I was in constant pain from carrying around so much extra weight on my torso.

Back to the event, I’ve been tracking some of the conversations happening in response to this event and some of the photographs taken at the event. I find the commentary on both sides to be enlightening. I think people should be happy with who they are as people and accepted as such, but always be working towards improving themselves because let’s face it — no one is perfect and should live in a constant state of status quo.

One of the arguments I’ve seen come up time and time again is that overweight & obese people are a marginalized  minority and the media is constantly shoving thin/skinny is better mantras down our throat. Really? Statistics show by 2015 that 75% of Americans will be overweight. So how marginalized is 75% of the population of this country? Wait, I’m not great with math and numbers, but I think that when something is at 75% that signifies it being in the majority. That remaining 25% minority is comprised of the people who are either within a healthy weight range for their height and lifestyle and the probably even smaller minority of people who are underweight, my guess there is that would be all those size 2 super models and actresses in Hollywood, meth addicts, coke head hipsters and extremely improverished persons.  So, perhaps the healthy and fit are the marginalized ones here? I’m curious, as always, to see how well a “thin pride” event would  go over.

Obesity related problems costs the health care system tens of billions of dollars a year and as Diabetes rapidly approaches pandemic levels. Unless, you are genetically predisposed towards it, its treatable and preventable with diet and exercise. I worked in health care for a few years back in the late 1990s and have seen how devastating diabetes can be on the human body. I have to ask will these people be celebrating their fat pride when they have to have their toes/feet/legs amputated? when they get wounds that won’t heal? when their flesh rots away from ulcers? and so on and so forth. I’ve seen it all in various degrees. This is the reality of the situation that cannot be ignored. The last point in contention related to the above and event in general, is that people seem to be offended by the “fat isn’t healthy” argument as if it shouldn’t be mentioned at all. What are the health benefits of being overweight or obese? I don’t know of any offhand, if you do please enlighten me. Isn’t not mentioning just how unhealthy our nation is part of the problem?

Personally, I don’t want to live in fear and I do want to enjoy life. I am a firm believer in moderation and balance. If you live every day in excess, it is going to take a toll on you throughout the course of your life.  Since I have lost 35 pounds since January, I have become a happier person, not because I am thinner, but because I am healthier.

Hopefully I haven’t offended anyone as that is not my intention. I am on a journey through various forms of thought on health and fitness since it is a whole new area of exploration for me.