GenX and older, perpetual dieting. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

My thin, smoker, boomer mom encouraged me to diet at age 12, when I weighed less than 100 lbs. Like most Gen xers I’ve spent most of my life since then concerned about my weight and trashing my metabolism with fad diets and calorie restriction. My friends and I joke that the original Weight Watchers points will be what we remember when we’re old with memory loss. Shutting that down as a parent even if I have to bite my tongue and seeing my young adult daughter live without yo-yo dieting and stay the same healthy size from 13-20 is a delight

[Anonymous]

my 70 old mom will remind me every 10 months that I am morbidly obese. I am 40 and 120lb. 😆

Mine has to be passive aggressive about it: "I feel so fat! I weigh 108 pounds!" or "my doctor told me I could gain 10 or 15 pounds! Can you imagine weighing 120 pounds?!"

Yes mom, Enjoy your cigarette and slice of cheese for lunch and daily weigh-ins. Im going to eat like a normal healthy person, step on the scale every year or so, and carry this burden of having a BMI of 20 or 21 or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Body dysmorphia and disordered eating are problematic, but so is being overweight or obese. The body positivity movement that encouraged us to relax about being fat didn’t favors for our visceral organs, arteries or joints. Your brain may feel happier, but your knees and livers de decidedly do not.

I’ve never thought of the body positivity movement as encouraging people to be relaxed about being fat, but more about accepting the way your body naturally wants to be (when you’re eating balanced meals and moving your body regularly).

Yet despite all that many formerly fat people took GLPs with quickness. Guess they didn’t accept their fat but healthy body.

Many of our mothers who are now in their 70s and 80s had to constantly restrict their natural appetites and/or smoke cigarettes to remain thin. And strenuous exercise was frowned upon—too masculine! So while their small waists might have made them look healthier than a fat person, that definitely wasn’t necessarily the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Body dysmorphia and disordered eating are problematic, but so is being overweight or obese. The body positivity movement that encouraged us to relax about being fat didn’t favors for our visceral organs, arteries or joints. Your brain may feel happier, but your knees and livers de decidedly do not.

I’ve never thought of the body positivity movement as encouraging people to be relaxed about being fat, but more about accepting the way your body naturally wants to be (when you’re eating balanced meals and moving your body regularly).

Many of our mothers who are now in their 70s and 80s had to constantly restrict their natural appetites and/or smoke cigarettes to remain thin. And strenuous exercise was frowned upon—too masculine! So while their small waists might have made them look healthier than a fat person, that definitely wasn’t necessarily the case.

Not a fact.

[Anonymous]

Gen X here. Count my mother and aunt as more perma-dieters who love to reminisce longingly about their size 0 wedding dresses - including at my nieces’ wedding dress fittings when said nieces are probably each size 6.

I have fought disordered eating my whole life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gen X here. Count my mother and aunt as more perma-dieters who love to reminisce longingly about their size 0 wedding dresses - including at my nieces’ wedding dress fittings when said nieces are probably each size 6.

I have fought disordered eating my whole life.

Fight harder. You got this. Don't lose at being skinny AND eating healthy!

[Anonymous]

Gen X er here who worked hard to unlearn all this BS and tried hard not to pass it on to her two daughters. I think starting to work out for strength and mobility in my late 30s/early 40s really changed my relationship with my body. I want to be a fit and strong old lady, not a skinny one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Body dysmorphia and disordered eating are problematic, but so is being overweight or obese. The body positivity movement that encouraged us to relax about being fat didn’t favors for our visceral organs, arteries or joints. Your brain may feel happier, but your knees and livers de decidedly do not.

Yes, there is a happy medium.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gen X here. Count my mother and aunt as more perma-dieters who love to reminisce longingly about their size 0 wedding dresses - including at my nieces’ wedding dress fittings when said nieces are probably each size 6.

I have fought disordered eating my whole life.

Fight harder. You got this. Don't lose at being skinny AND eating healthy!

No one needs to be skinny. They need to be a healthy weight and eat healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm around 60, older Gen X. I never diet, never have. I just stay active. Yesterday I put more than 17,000 steps and 140 active minutes on my fitness tracker between my long walk and yardwork. I do this 3-4 times a week. I eat three square meals, enjoy a glass of red wine every day and a small dessert. I can still wear my shirts from middle and high school. You must keep yourself moving.

And you work 40 or 50 hours a week in an office job too? I’m just kidding you couldn’t possibly be a law firm partner and have that much free time. I’m 60 too and 30 pounds overweight from the stress

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The GLP craze has exposed the lie that people liked being fat and accepted their bodies.

Bingo. All of the plus size celebs have dropped the weight. Even Miss All About That Bass.

[Anonymous]

My mom never "talked" about weight but ate every meal on a salad plate or saucer. I just thought that's what women did, until, I went to dinner with my MIL. She ordered a full sized pork chop dinner. I was shocked. She is about the same size as my mom too. Thin.
However, my Sisters in law are obese. Not a deal but they talk about their obesity all the time.

[Anonymous]

My 18 year old HS senior was always positive about her looks until the last 3 or 4 months. She has put on a little weight as her sports have ended but looks great and healthy. Our discussion last night was accepting your own body type (she has larger legs than her friends) and making the most of it (she has great curves). Flattering clothes are so much healthier than dieting.

[Anonymous]

Just had a convo with my boomer mom and thought of this thread. Long story short, a neighbor of hers who we've known for years had a very very tragic thing happen to her a year ago and has been paralyzed since. My mom said she saw the neighbor this weekend and she was starting to have progress with movement in her arms BUT my mom said "her face looked very puffy which is a shame because she was so thin before everything happened. I guess she can't exercise anymore and is really just eating comfort food."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just had a convo with my boomer mom and thought of this thread. Long story short, a neighbor of hers who we've known for years had a very very tragic thing happen to her a year ago and has been paralyzed since. My mom said she saw the neighbor this weekend and she was starting to have progress with movement in her arms BUT my mom said "her face looked very puffy which is a shame because she was so thin before everything happened. I guess she can't exercise anymore and is really just eating comfort food."

Ugh, that's so depressing!