Why does trying to lose weight get such a negative press sometimes?

85poundsandcounting

85poundsandcounting

Full Member
I despise that fact that she is waving the feminist banner on this issu. As a feminist myself I believe I have the right to slim down to aid my health if I want to. In fact if I want to I have the right to slim down because I'm incredibily vain. Thats what feminism is all about -woman having the choice & the right to do what we want (within the confines of the law) because WE (not men) want to. Fat it NOT a feminist issue.

Now, do I think that the recent WW advert is ridiculous - yes - but mainly because I can't remember Alesha Dixon having a weight issue so she is out of place in the advert. Other than that, can't see anything wrong with it.

Basically, its not WW or SW or LL that have caused a problem with body image in our society - thats the fault of magazines/TV shows, and parents. Whatever my personal views on slimnming plans other than the one I follow I do think that they are in general better than staying obese, and this woman should basically shut up about something she seems to have a prejudged opinion of.
 
I don't know why there's such a negative press. I've never felt so healthy!
 
Also, I'm not losing weight to fit into some gutter-press-fueled ideal, I am doing it so that I get to see my daughter grow up, so that I can chase her around and not feel like I'm dying, so my dodgy hip stops hurting etc. grrrr.
 
85poundsandcounting said:
Slimming clubs lock members into 'straitjackets' of false hope, says Orbach | Life and style | The Guardian

Considering there is such a big obesity problem in the UK now, I think it's a shame that a prominent feminist would chose to attack friendly, accepting organisations who encourage healthy weight loss. :sigh:

There have got to be bigger badies than weightwatchers/Slimming world?
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Seriously so the likes of slim fast and alli and stuff that you hardly ever eat and get loads of bad side effects aren't seen as bad?! Hmmm!

I'm doing it for my health and I feel much better for it x

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins
 
I definitely wouldn't say SW locks members into a 'straitjacket of false hope'. It's thanks to SW I've gone from an obese to a healthy weight. I simply couldn't have done it without the plan to follow. Even if it only helps members lose a bit of weight it's got to be a good thing surely.
 
The "false hope" part annoyed me, and the way people commenting were implying WW or SW present themselves as an easy option or quick fix. It isn't false hope, because if you follow the plan properly you will lose weight, and if you stick to the maintainence plans and healthy eating principles you will keep it off. If you chose not to do that then it's not down to SW/WW or anyone else (I know because I got to target and then gained back some weight - I wouldnt dream of blaming anyone but myself for that). Annoying!
 
I agree with all of this - where is the emphasis on taking responsibility for one's own weightloss? Slimming World/WW really work if you stick to them. Obviously lots of people don't make it - but that's got to be the case with calorie counting/low carb/anything. The issue of these companies making huge profits? Terrible. Terrible that they should charge £5 a week to hire me a nice warm hall, train staff, make books, do research, provide phone support, a website, produce leaflets to tell me where they are AND make a profit? How VERY dare they! :D
(not that I pay for meetings anymore, but thats the other thing, how many of me are there that took advantage of their info and stopped going after a few weeks?)

But more bothersome is the idea that people (women, because obviously feminist campaigners forget men attend meetings too) who want to be a normal healthy weight are viewed as being part of some beauty cult chasing and perpetuating the idea of unattainable and unhealthy body shapes. I'll settle for not being a diabetes risk for now thanks!

</rant>
 
What a load of old tosh.

Yes, I agree that there is too much pressure on us to be super skinny, with many 'celebrity's' being on the very skinny side and yet considered normal. However, you cannot ignore the health (or practical) implications of being obese, if I take my own case, I am on tablets for high blood pressure, I have back pain at night and have to haul myself up by the headboard just to turn over at night, I've just developed knee pain and even silly things like cutting my toes nails can be an effort!!! (What a lovely picture I'm painting of myself, I'll stop now)
 
I kind of see where this article is coming from *don't kill me*. I'd be interested to see the profits WW and SW rack up every year- if their main concern is weight loss then I don't see why they couldn't reduce the cost of joining. I have no time for the feminist angle though and she seems to have missed that massive issue of health.

If the government were really concerned about weight loss, you'd think there were more serious steps that could be taken. Why not stick a higher tax on "naughty" foods like we do with fags and booze? Why should it be more expensive to buy ACTUAL ingredients that are healthy than to buy a ready meal packed full of fat, salt and God knows what else.
 
The Guardian makes a profit as a stringently regulated publication.

Slimming clubs make a profit without any authoritarian regulation and only customer endorsements as evidence that they work. I think the original article argues against such organisations because there is no government endorsement or professional opinion that supports them. Now, I'm not saying she is right, but I agree to an extent with the point she is making. Rather than the Tory party criticize from a feminist pov, surely it would have been easier to come up with accurate statistics of SW/WW losses and maintenance and compare them to other NHS endorsed methods of weight loss.
 
I don't understand this comment 'Earlier, about 50 women who claimed to have been failed by the diet industry protested outside parliament, carrying placards saying: "Riot, don't diet", and complaining that the only thing that had got thinner was their wallets.'

How can you be failed by the diet industry? Surely if you fail (and believe me I have done on many occasions!) then it's your own fault?
 
Clareel said:
I don't understand this comment 'Earlier, about 50 women who claimed to have been failed by the diet industry protested outside parliament, carrying placards saying: "Riot, don't diet", and complaining that the only thing that had got thinner was their wallets.'

How can you be failed by the diet industry? Surely if you fail (and believe me I have done on many occasions!) then it's your own fault?
Click to expand...

Correct! This should have read 'earlier, 50 women who refuse to take responsbility for the wellbeing of both their bodies & wallets made complete fools of themselves outside parliament'

Hate people like this
 
Dear Proctor and Gamble.

I am writing to you because I wish to complain about your Fairy washing up liquid. I find that it's very expensive and although I haven't actually done any washing up over the last three weeks, it hasn't cleaned my plates like it said it would. Damn you and all your advertising that suggests I should have clean plates to avoid food poisoning. I shall be protesting in front of parliament as soon as I can find 40 odd more soap dodgers,

Yours Most Sincerely,
85pounds
 
85poundsandcounting said:
Dear Proctor and Gamble.

I am writing to you because I wish to complain about your Fairy washing up liquid. I find that it's very expensive and although I haven't actually done any washing up over the last three weeks, it hasn't cleaned my plates like it said it would. Damn you and all your advertising that suggests I should have clean plates to avoid food poisoning. I shall be protesting in front of parliament as soon as I can find 40 odd more soap dodgers,

Yours Most Sincerely,
85pounds
Click to expand...

Fantastic - really spot on - LMFAO!!!!
 
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