Comments on: Should Healthy People ALWAYS Set an Example?

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:53:11 +0000

I find it terribly frustrating when going out to dinner or even at a family event when I eat something ‘out of character’ (recovered anorexic who went on to treat eating disorders/vegetarian animal friend) and someone yells out loud and gasps and makes some infantile scene about it. My mother-in-law is overweight and most of my aunts have weight problems, so when they say things, or point at me while I’m eating it’s pretty unpleasant, to say the least. I’ve gotten over it, but the comments about my weight and my body are never-ending. I am still thin but very fit now. I eat well and am mostly happy with my food/body relationship. I wish I could just tell them to shut up and go have yet another glass of wine and peice of junk food, but I have more tact than they do.
On the flip side, when you’re the health guru, people don’t like to dine with you and they make it obvious by saying things like ‘oh, we can’t eat that in front of her.’ I should say ‘no, no, that’s fine, go right ahead and choke down some more alfredo and dead baby cow, I’m sure you’re high cholestrol won’t kill you’
Apparently, I still have some anger to work through.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:58:56 +0000

I am 56, 5′8″ and have weighed the same my whole life. 118 pounds. I have never liked bread, potatoes and detest sugar and still to this day do not eat those things. I don’t worry about my weight, never have. Its just how I live my life. My brother and sister also still weight the same. We grew up on a
farm, where watching Tv or sitting around was not an option and still are very active today. Both my children are also thin. For them they know they have to stay this way. Their father died last year from complications of Type 2 diabetes, which runs in his family His Grandmother also died from it. He never
took the disease seriously, and he was always over weight even with the disease. A disease which can be eliminated with diet and exercise. He went into kidney failure and was on dialysis for four years. He lost one toe then another, then half his foot and never recovered from the many surgeries. When you loose your kidney function, your body can not easily rid itself of the anesthesia which builds up as fluid around your lungs and heart. He died of heart failure. It may be so cliche people, but oh so true, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

By: Flo

Flo — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:31:45 +0000

Hmmmm I do have a comment concerning the “Double Standard” part. You know I think culture is also responsible. On my side of the ocean overweight people are, let’s say “out of norms”, and they really do get stared at when they eat something that is not deemed healthy. Or get comments on how they should really eat better and get into shape. Concerning healthy looking individuals, people here have a tender eye when one indulges in a bag of pastries. Indulging from time to time is seen as a well deserved time-off in a healthy and strict routine. In a culture where healthiness is the norm, then healthy people don’t have to set an example and the overweight people are pointed out. If overweight were to be a national issue (ie dangerously becoming the norm), then it is most likely that healthy people get extra pressure to ….. stay healthy.