What is People magazine doing with its cover? Same thing it does every week: Put someone on there who will generate more sales. Big plus if their choice generates some buzz in the media. (who it is and what they do is completely incidental)

It's a good week at People magazine.

Is there something medically wrong with her upper arms? Because she looks like she is wearing mutton sleeves.

I see both sides. I can't recall any time that I've ever been really happy with my appearance/weight. I've always thought my stomach needed to be flatter. But, looking back at pictures, I think I was foolish and had unrealistic expectations about what a body should look like. I wouldn't wish those years of insecurity on anyone.

On the other hand, my mother gave up on her weight and health, became very obese, gave herself diabetes, and had a stroke that has significantly impacted both her life and my own in myriad terrible ways. Her road wasn't because she decided it was ok to be unhealthy and she finally felt it was ok to embrace herself. She was depressed and, frankly, lazy. BUT, I do worry that young people may see the success of obese people who are congratulated for being happy with their obesity and may find themselves also being complacent about their own health.

I don't know how to balance the two, but I wish very much that such a balance could be achieved.

Anonymous wrote:I was not impressed with the cover showing her. Being obese isn't healthy or "cool".

No, but self confidence is healthy and cool. A heavy person accepting themselves is easier to illustrate than a person who had a rough childhood who has come to terms with it. They could write an article on that person, but seeing someone truly look happy even though they are generally shunned by society sends a positive message. Unlike you, who probably has some self confidence issues and can't see past the cover models weight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately. We all pick up the cost of obesity related illness via increased premiums. Your health neglect becomes our expense.

Yes, and we also pick up the expenses for your my co-worker's anxiety attacks, my thin husband's high blood pressure, and the cancer treatment that everyone is likely to need if they live long enough. And end-of-life care, which is astronomically expensive. That is the point of shared risk, and not everyone's health conditions are readily visible.

Shouting about a People magazine cover and being cruel to fat people is NOT going to bring health expenses down. It's just not.

Thete is a direct cause and effect between obesity and a host of chronic illnesses. We all have a stake in this. That is not the case for anxiety, high blood pressure (unrelated to lifestyle), etc. life insurers acknowledge this and price accordingly. Unfortunately, we don't do that for obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyles, etc. Take some damn responsibility.

You are 100 percent wrong if you think that life insurers are not pricing for obesity and lifestyle.

Read again. It said life insurers know that and price accordingly, but health insurers do not and now cannot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately. We all pick up the cost of obesity related illness via increased premiums. Your health neglect becomes our expense.

Yes, and we also pick up the expenses for your my co-worker's anxiety attacks, my thin husband's high blood pressure, and the cancer treatment that everyone is likely to need if they live long enough. And end-of-life care, which is astronomically expensive. That is the point of shared risk, and not everyone's health conditions are readily visible.

Shouting about a People magazine cover and being cruel to fat people is NOT going to bring health expenses down. It's just not.

Thete is a direct cause and effect between obesity and a host of chronic illnesses. We all have a stake in this. That is not the case for anxiety, high blood pressure (unrelated to lifestyle), etc. life insurers acknowledge this and price accordingly. Unfortunately, we don't do that for obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyles, etc. Take some damn responsibility.

You are 100 percent wrong if you think that life insurers are not pricing for obesity and lifestyle.

Fatty is bad

Question re metabolisms...

I've talked to naturally skinny people that just can't gain weight. They say they eat and eat but their metabolism is just too fast and so they don't gain. I think most people this type of person exits.

But then, a fat person says they diet and diet but can't seem to lose much weight. Say they have a very slow metabolism and losing weight is very hard for them. And people call them a liar - tell them they are actually reducing calories, etc.

I find this odd.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, that woman is disgusting. I also think it's disgusting for People to parade her fat rolls like it's an achievement.

An achievement of twinkies and KFC

Most fat people don't eat twinkies or KFC, genius. It is such a stupid stereotype that fat people eat nothing but junk. Do you even know one fat person? Kind of like do you even have one black friend?

Sure. Okay.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, that woman is disgusting. I also think it's disgusting for People to parade her fat rolls like it's an achievement.

An achievement of twinkies and KFC

Most fat people don't eat twinkies or KFC, genius. It is such a stupid stereotype that fat people eat nothing but junk. Do you even know one fat person? Kind of like do you even have one black friend?

I don't think one cover with a fat girl is glorifying obesity. Give me a break. No one is going to start gaining weight to look like that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately. We all pick up the cost of obesity related illness via increased premiums. Your health neglect becomes our expense.

Yes, and we also pick up the expenses for your my co-worker's anxiety attacks, my thin husband's high blood pressure, and the cancer treatment that everyone is likely to need if they live long enough. And end-of-life care, which is astronomically expensive. That is the point of shared risk, and not everyone's health conditions are readily visible.

Shouting about a People magazine cover and being cruel to fat people is NOT going to bring health expenses down. It's just not.

Thete is a direct cause and effect between obesity and a host of chronic illnesses. We all have a stake in this. That is not the case for anxiety, high blood pressure (unrelated to lifestyle), etc. life insurers acknowledge this and price accordingly. Unfortunately, we don't do that for obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyles, etc. Take some damn responsibility.

Anonymous wrote:Wow, that woman is disgusting. I also think it's disgusting for People to parade her fat rolls like it's an achievement.

An achievement of twinkies and KFC

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately. We all pick up the cost of obesity related illness via increased premiums. Your health neglect becomes our expense.

Yes, and we also pick up the expenses for your my co-worker's anxiety attacks, my thin husband's high blood pressure, and the cancer treatment that everyone is likely to need if they live long enough. And end-of-life care, which is astronomically expensive. That is the point of shared risk, and not everyone's health conditions are readily visible.

Shouting about a People magazine cover and being cruel to fat people is NOT going to bring health expenses down. It's just not.

Being honest about healthy choices and not glorifying obesity will bring down health expenses if obese people start eating less. If society tells obese people that is is ok then we will continue to pay for preventable diseases. We shouldn't glorify smoking either.

Have you not gotten the memo? Society is NOT telling obese people that they shouldn't eat less. What planet are you living on? Society persists in shaming fat people, both to their faces and in anonymous forums like this one. You complain about People magazine? Take a look at the hundreds and hundreds of magazine covers next to it with information on diet and exercise, and LOSING WEIGHT.

So why the hell is the deafening societal message that fat is unhealthy and disgusting not working? By your rationale, everyone should be thin as a rail because society really, really clear on what "healthy" looks like. This why epidemiologists, obesity researchers and public health experts are scrambling to try to figure out what is going on with our food supply and our metabolisms.

And guess what, in the meantime, fat people need to wear clothes, and it's the good old American way to try to find a way to make money off of selling people what they need. And now a big, fat model with a beautiful face is making a shitload of money to sell clothes and cosmetics to people who aren't driven to desperation by the mere sight of a fat person. Why are you surprised that People magazine is also cashing in, both on people who are happy to see the model AND on those who are getting so angry! I bet you clicked on their link, at least!!