"Of the 4,000 overweight women questioned by the National Slimming Survey, 83 percent said they suffered from deep "self-loathing". Some 91 percent felt depressed and 79 percent said they felt "utter despair." Two-thirds of overweight women said they have felt like "life is not worth living," Sky News reported."
I can't imagine any of these responses. I am definately overweight, but Mr. Passionfruit and I have "grown together" and we both try to eat healthier, and work out as much as possible. Neither of us is insulting or rude with the other about our weight.
I was very slim in my younger days. I nearly didn't get to join the Air Force reserves, because I was right at their lower weight limit, and they told me that if I lost any weight, I couldn't join.
As a young woman my metabolism changed, and suddenly the weight started adding up. From about age 30 to 40, I managed to go for ten years without gaining weight, because I walked 40 minutes per day during my lunch break. Back and leg problems won't allow that anymore. I have cut way back on the volume of food I eat, and how many calories and how many carbs I take in. I have started eating off of small (salad) plates rather than dinner plates so I don't look at a large plate with very little food on it, and I don't have seconds. I no longer expect to lose weight. It will not happen with this body.
The self loathing that the English women describe is illogical. I can understand being upset with the problem, but not themselves.
However if you read some of the posters comments here, it is easy to feel that others loathe heiffers like us. Obesity is a problem that many people view as self inflicted, but you can only cut back on your food intake so much before you begin to feel deprived, and uncomfortably hungry.
That's what people don't understand. The 98% long term failure rate of diets is not because of some minority of people who are weak-willed. Your body decides roughly what weight it wants to be, and there you will be, eventually.
Of course, most can be physically fit and healthy at their natural weight with healthy diet and physical activity. And there are few in the US who couldn't benefit some from that.
I understand what they're trying to say. I've seen it in my own life. It's how people treat you, especially men. Men can be really dense sometimes, especially when competing with images that promote an image that the majority of women do not fit.
Very thoughtful post on an otherwise very depressing thread ;~D