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Originally Posted by roxyruby  I think some might have been saying something about how overweight people are unattractive because of their unhealthy lifestyle. |
I agree with you, roxyruby, and I'd like to stress that overweight people don't necessarily have an unhealthy lifestyle. Sure some have, without any doubt, just like some thin people have an unhealthy lifestyle too. But I don't think we can claim that overweight people in general lead an unhealthier life than thin people.
I guess I can safely say that my lifestyle is very healthy, yet I am overweight. Now on a raw vegan diet I lose weight, but even before that, when I was eating cooked foods, my lifestyle already was much healthier than that of many of my thin friends. Including, yes you won't believe it, daily exercise!
It was very frustrating for me to see other people drink alcohol, eat pizza daily, and never exercise, and not put on any weight, whereas for me every tiny slice of bread wandered directly to my hips.
I don't believe that overweight people are overweight because they are gluttonous or lazy. I believe they are overweight because without being aware of it they eat things that aren't appropriate food for them. For example, I was eating grains and similar cooked starches, which is no appropriate food for me personally. It took me years to find out.
Sometimes (but not always) those inappropriate foods can lead to overeating because the body doesn't get what it truly needs, which leads to cravings and an incontrolable urge to eat more - which is in itself a healthy mechanism. It's just our food choices that are poor.
Judging overweight people as lazy, gluttonous, out of control, unhealthy, etc. suggests the problem is some flaw in their character - when what they truly need simply is more awareness about the effect food has on them. Berating them and calling them ugly just contributes to making them feel bad about themselves and doesn't help them to educate themselves about food.
It's so much easier to learn in a loving environment.
Next time you despise a fat person, think of that.
