Tag Archives: fat

Size Matters, Especially When It’s Fat

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By S.D. Craig

Anyone who thinks size doesn’t matter, doesn’t live in America. You can laugh all the way to the grocery aisle packed full of Slim Fast and diet candy, but you can’t imagine the world we live in without the words non-fat, low fat or no fat, can you? Not if you’re able to buy, hear or read.

What is awful is the fact that a large person, a person of size, someone bigger than the life insurance charts of old, really isn’t made to feel they matter in this, the good old U.S. of A. They are, in spite of their bulk, made to feel invisible, or worse yet, made fun of.

Who decides what normal is and who decides that seats for airplanes, amusement park rides and movie theatres are just so big? Who figures out that a restaurant chair can’t be comfortable enough for a large derriere even though they’re willing to feed that same person until the cows come home. Or that a bathroom stall can’t accommodate someone larger than 180 pounds unless they sheepishly sneak into the one handicapped stall?

It matters not what the reason or even if there is a reason, it’s humiliating and needs to be stopped. Size does matter and it matters most to those of size. If we preach that we should not discriminate between race, between skin colors and languages and backgrounds, between first class and middle class, the rich or poor, than tell me, what is the difference if thin, short, tall or fat?

There shouldn’t be one. Shame on you.

Seats need to expand, hearts need to accept, the world we live in needs to relax on this issue. Models need to be heavier to look like the American public and need to eat beyond saltines and lettuce (I know this as I’m related to a former model). Actors need to be realistic in size. We can’t imagine ourselves as Meg Ryan and Colin Farrel. We just can’t.

But what we should know, feel and experience is how badly someone of size is treated, and see that it is the meanest form of prejudice. Size matters, but it shouldn’t.

Love and acceptance should.

SD Craig is a freelance writer and editor of LovingYourCurves.com and was given the nickname “Chatterbox” by fellow writers. At age fifty, Craigs Southern flair and sense of humor give her plenty to write about with a rapier wit and a wacky outlook. Her articles on body image (her biggest passion), marriage/divorce and relationships, family, friends, career issues, computers, the Internet, horses, baseball, movie reviews and writing tips remind one of Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry. A freelance writer who once juggled five columns then got real, Craig welcomes your e-mails and feedback on her articles. Drop her a hello at sdcraig922@yahoo.com or stop by www.lovingyourcurves.com.

Your Size

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By S.D. Craig

Size matters. That’s what they tell me. Only a lot of the time, they’re simply not referring to a man’s pride and joy.

As I once again tuned in to my taped version of a Dr. Phil episode, I hear the man himself introduce a slender, pretty young woman who despises fat people. I shake my head, my husband shakes his. And we sit and listen to her opinion on why fat people are fat, stay fat and infringe on her space.

Next, Dr. Phil has her wear a 300 lb. suit for the day and they put fake implants put in her cheeks (yes, both sets). Just for the day, I said. Just to see how the other half feels and what they continually go through on a daily basis. Funny, but it isn’t that funny to me. You see, in order to understand how being fat really is, you must live it.

This young woman just didn’t get it.

In her eyes, her mind, those of us that are heavy can change our lives if we want to. Some people cannot. There are a myriad of reasons for overweight statistics in America. Some are guilty of overeating, not exercising, indulging themselves in their passion (mine is chocolate). Others have health problems, family heredity, or issues, as Dr. Phil calls them.

She abhors people larger than her taking up room in her movie theatre seat, her airplane seat, her bus seat. She thinks they’re disgusting, arrogant and selfish.

You know what I think? I think, no, I know, that she’s never even taken the time to get to know a person whom she’d call fat. Underneath everyone’s size, color of skin, or disabilities happens to be a real person. Someone special she’s just missed knowing because she can’t see past her own nose in the air.

Now, to me, a curvy woman myself, that’s what arrogance really is.

Size does matter. It’s all about heart.

SD Craig is a freelance writer and editor of LovingYourCurves.com and was given the nickname “Chatterbox” by fellow writers. At age fifty, Craigs Southern flair and sense of humor give her plenty to write about with a rapier wit and a wacky outlook. Her articles on body image (her biggest passion), marriage/divorce and relationships, family, friends, career issues, computers, the Internet, horses, baseball, movie reviews and writing tips remind one of Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry. A freelance writer who once juggled five columns then got real, Craig welcomes your e-mails and feedback on her articles. Drop her a hello at sdcraig922@yahoo.com or stop by www.lovingyourcurves.com.

Learning Curves from Scotsmen

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By S.D. Craig

Well, well, well.  Let it be said that I’m even more proud to be part-Scottish now that I’ve read that Scottish men prefer the Titanic’s Kate Winslett over ex-Spice girl Geri Halliwell’s slim look.

My husband has said many times that men look for a woman that can bear them children and women are searching for men who can support them financially, keep them secure.  So, in truth, yes, men are visual and looking at what a woman is built like.  They want sturdy mothers for their babies.  If beauty happens to fall into that range, that’s fine.  It’s not the end all though, believe me.

June research in Scotland shows a fifth of their men prefer Kate Winslett’s shape, while only 11% want a thin woman.  Eleven percent.  Think about that when you next worry about your cellulite and weight, ladies.  More than half of us worry about this in every day life.  That’s a shame, it is.

Especially when one third of British men have no idea what cellulite is, and again, a fifth of them think it’s a type of battery.  Okay.

So here we are, at a crossroads.  That of men admitting they prefer chunky women and yet, here we are, stating eighty percent of females would rather look like Geri.  Oh dear.

I do think men have something over on us, you know.  We need to stop obsessing and worrying about the details of our figures and weight.  Men don’t.  Believe me, baby, when was the last time you saw your man in front of the mirror, twisting and turning and grimacing, only to ask “Babe, do you think this makes me look fat?”  I rest my case.

Women need to let loose, give in to the freedom of being a woman with a womanly curvy body, and kiss the rest goodbye.  Men find their natural shapes (without surgery) much more attractive.

Besides, those curvy women can handle childbirth just fine.  Just ask the Scotsmen.

Ah, who’s that I see packing their bags for Scotland?

With acknowledgement to The Daily Record for the inspirational source for this article

SD Craig is a freelance writer and editor of LovingYourCurves.com and was given the nickname “Chatterbox” by fellow writers. At age fifty, Craigs Southern flair and sense of humor give her plenty to write about with a rapier wit and a wacky outlook. Her articles on body image (her biggest passion), marriage/divorce and relationships, family, friends, career issues, computers, the Internet, horses, baseball, movie reviews and writing tips remind one of Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry. A freelance writer who once juggled five columns then got real, Craig welcomes your e-mails and feedback on her articles. Drop her a hello at sdcraig922@yahoo.com or stop by www.lovingyourcurves.com.

Fats: For Your Health

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By Monique N. Gilbert

The body needs a certain amount of fat in the diet.  It stores fat to serve as a quick energy source and to protect important organs.  However, all fats and oils are high in calories.  Fats provide 9 calories for each gram contained in food, while protein and carbohydrates each provide only 4 calories.  While fat is necessary and essential for proper health, some types of fats are damaging to the cardiovascular system.

Artery-clogging fats that increase blood cholesterol include saturated fat and trans fat.  Saturated fat mainly comes from animal sources like meat and dairy products, but it can also be found in coconut and palm oils.  Trans fat comes from hydrogenated vegetable oils, like margarine and vegetable shortening.  Both saturated fats and trans fats stay solid at room temperature.

A more heart healthy fat is unsaturated fat, generally found in vegetables.  This type of fat includes both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.  Monounsaturated fat is found in olive, canola and peanut oils.  These oils are liquid at room temperature but start to thicken when refrigerated.  This type of fat is considered the healthiest for your heart and body.  Avocados and nuts also contain monounsaturated fat.  Polyunsaturated fat is found in soybean, corn, safflower and sunflower oils.  These oils are liquid at room temperature and in the refrigerator.  This type of fat is considered the next healthiest fat that does not clog arteries.

However, when unsaturated vegetable oils are manufactured into solid form, they turn into trans fats.  This type of fat is commonly called fully or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in a food’s list of ingredients.  Trans fats are found in hundreds of processed foods, usually to protect against spoiling and to enhance flavor.  Restaurants tend to use a lot of trans fat (hydrogenated vegetable oil), especially for frying.

Trans fats are even worse for the cardiovascular system than saturated fats.  Researchers have conservatively calculated that trans fats alone account for at least 30,000 premature deaths from heart disease every year in the United States.  Recent studies indicate that trans fats drive up the body’s LDL, the bad cholesterol, even faster than saturated fats.  High levels of cholesterol have been linked to heart disease and stroke.

Diets high in fat, particularly saturated fat, also promotes breast, colon, endometrial, lung, prostate and rectal cancers.  Therefore, saturated fats and trans fats are the only fats that we should strive to eliminate from our diet.  Replace these fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.  The American Heart Association recommends that daily fat intake should be less than 30 percent of total calories; saturated fat intake less than 8-10 percent of total calories, and cholesterol less than 300 milligrams per day.  Always read the Nutrition Facts label and list of ingredients to find out the amount of, and the type of, fat contained in any particular food.

This article is an excerpt from the book “Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook” by Monique N. Gilbert (Universal Publishers, $19.95, available at most Internet booksellers).

Copyright (c) Monique N. Gilbert – All Rights Reserved.

About this writer: Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc., is a Health Advocate, Certified Personal Trainer/Fitness Counselor, Recipe Developer, Freelance Writer and Author. Visit her site at http://www.geocities.com/virtuesofsoy/

Monique N. Gilbert,  Soy Food  Connoisseur, Recipe Developer and Author of… “Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook” (Universal Publishers, 2001).

Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc., has received international recognition for helping people get healthier, feel better, look younger and live longer. Through her coaching program and writings, Monique motivates, inspires and teaches how to naturally enhancing your health, happiness, energy and longevity with balanced nutrition, physical activity and tranquil living environments. Monique believes it is her mission to educate and enlighten everyone about the benefits of healthy eating and a vibrant stress-free lifestyle. For more information, visit her website – http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com

Fat Habitat

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By S.D. Craig

In reading a fellow author’s article this morning about loving fat people, it got me started again. Yep, you got it. On my favorite subject. Weight. Or anything to do with someone who has what the world considers a weight problem.

Is there a reason that people need titles or names, other than their given one? Explain this to me, would you?

Why must we point out that a woman who was rude to us today at Wal-Mart was black? Or that this crazy driver was Asian? Or the bank teller who was so slow was white trash, it seemed? Then again, it leads me to my point.

Why must someone be categorized at all? Isn’t this racism? And isn’t there a category for the person claiming all these things?

If we say, look at that heavy-set man over there eating the two ice cream cones, why was that necessary? As easily explained in saying he is wearing Teva sandals or brown shorts that are too long? How about “Look at the guy eating two ice cream cones?” Better yet.

Why must one be so specific, to the point that is it considered rude or racist or downright bad manners? I don’t understand it, but I know I’m guilty, too, at times.

This must be the week for admitting I’m not perfect or always sweet.

Writing an article that states that you love fat people, well, let’s face it — the word is abrasive to me. Maybe because I’m considered one of “them.” It offends me to be singled out this way. How about, I just love people of all ages, types, natures, and nationalities?

For me, that is a much better choice, and one nobody can argue much with.

To say I love skinny people, tall people, fat people, people with straight hair, come on. In being so damned specific, you are telling me there’s a problem somewhere in there down deep.

I guess it reverts back to that old song about loving your brother.

Why can’t we all just get along?

SD Craig is a freelance writer and editor of LovingYourCurves.com and was given the nickname “Chatterbox” by fellow writers. At age fifty, Craigs Southern flair and sense of humor give her plenty to write about with a rapier wit and a wacky outlook. Her articles on body image (her biggest passion), marriage/divorce and relationships, family, friends, career issues, computers, the Internet, horses, baseball, movie reviews and writing tips remind one of Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry. A freelance writer who once juggled five columns then got real, Craig welcomes your e-mails and feedback on her articles. Drop her a hello at sdcraig922@yahoo.com or stop by www.lovingyourcurves.com.