Dear Oprah, Why Do YOU Want to Be Fat?

For me, it's all about the easy and the pleasurable. I love food and eating a lot of fatty/tasty/spicy takeout or delivery is easier than being judicious and wise with calories and fat. I am a sloth at heart and a hedonist about food. I'd rather have three or four slices of all-the-way pizza than one, just as i'd rather have, say, 3 orgasms than one or three lipglosses than one. :)

It's not about self-protection or any of the other psych stuff. It's about pleasure and comfort and laziness. Which makes me sad that I'm like that and not just naturally a disciplined, moderate, wise gal in this arena.

The Princess

I began reading this article because of the clever lure of using Oprah as what appears to be a target. While I am not a big fan of her I have followed her struggles through the years with her weight and I know how difficult it can be. Let's face it, as tough of a question as you posed; no one really wants to be fat. Yes there are subconscious things that hold us back. But the real issue here should not be can you lose a substantial amount of weight and keep it off, as you have Janice. The real issue should be are we healthy? Health can come in any size package. Granted the odds of one being healthier increase greatly the smaller the waist line, but there are people like myself who are bigger but healthy. I get out everyday and do something, be it going on a hike in the mountains, kayaking on the rivers, walking on the beach, exploring new places, doing yoga, kick boxing, you name it. Just because a person is bigger doesn't mean they want to be fat. My blood pressure is perfect, my endurance is better than most of my skinny friends. And I know I am not a walking anomaly. This is my choice, to live the healthiest life possible for me. If I could be skinny, I would be. Not because I need to be to be healthy, but because then I would be like everyone else. Our society discriminates against people who are not what they consider to be skinny. I even catch my self doing it when I see people that are bigger stuffing their faces with poor food choices and just sitting around. I get it, I really do. If I was met with half of the challenges they are I might do the same thing. My challenges have been great, greater than most people my age. Perspective saved me and I was blessed to be surrounded by positive people who accept me the way I am. A diet is so much more than asking WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE FAT? A diet is so much more than asking HAVE YOU LOST A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WEIGHT AND KEPT IT OFF? A healthy diet is not a diet at all; it’s a change in lifestyle. A change that promotes activity, promotes self acceptance, promotes finding your own ideals instead of societies. Your comments, while they inspire people to think, when read by someone who is already experiencing shame would do no good. To have someone put a statement as rude as that in your face when you are already on a downward spiral will not inspire healthy change. Research shows that diets don't work because people get to their goals and then don't maintain the loss because the work is too hard. Health, which is what we should be aspiring for in a diet, not weight, is best brought on by small manageable changes that we can keep up. No one wants to feel like their life is restricted by a diet. Life is meant to be lived not spent sitting on the sidelines watching others have all the fun. But we have to be healthy to do that. So instead of asking yourself, WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE FAT? Shouldn't we be asking ourselves, AREN'T I WORTH BEING HEALTHY? The answer will always be a resounding YES!

I agree that there is so much more to losing weight than diet and exercise. Those of us who are part of the struggle know all to well.
I know that I still must have some emotional issues, but I really don't know what they are. I lost almost 40 pounds 7 years ago because of emotional trauma in my life. I've kept it off but I still should lose another 20. I quit smoking almost 2 years ago after 30 years and gained back a few that seem determined not to leave!
I don't want to be FAT!! So I would love if someone could help me with my emotional block!
God Bless all of you

While not EVERYONE IN THIS WORLD was intended to be thin, what she has to say holds a lot of water. I know I use the weight as a shield and so does a good friend of mine. We talk about it all the time. We use it to protect us from the temptation. When u are not happy at home, temptation can be strong... so u do what you can to minimize that temptation.

Not that I am an Ophra expert, but she has revealed a lot about an abusive childhood and that, quite often leads to "wanting to be fat". The mind is a very strong thing and it is hard to fight it some times with what we know we should be doing.