I'm going to post a couple links to sources for the next couple days to hopefully start a conversation in this space! These will fall in the area of Fat Studies and there's some norms you should be aware of:
- "fat" is taken as a neutral descriptor, think of it as reclaiming the word.
- "obese" arbitrarily medicalises fatness and Others fat people
I'm a cis man and I have (had) body image issues (in the past)
https://humanparts.medium.com/my-journey-toward-radical-body-positivity-3412796df8ff
I'm queer and fat
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yeefpijtl4s7orv/Flaunting%20Fat%20%E2%80%93%C2%A0Sex%20with%20the%20Lights%20On.pdf?dl=0
I'm queer and not fat
https://www.bitchmedia.org/post/fat-liberation-is-totally-queer
The others don't apply to me and/or I only have the energy/time to read one source
https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/
:sankara-salute:
I really think we need to change the messaging on this issue. It’s not “Diet and exercise,” it’s “Exercise until it becomes second nature and feels good, then barely restrict your calories so your body hardly notices the difference.” People want big results and fast so they cut back their eating or change their diet all at once. Sure, it’s exciting to lose a pound or more per week, but it’s much more sustainable to go for a pound or two per month. Make incrimental changes one at a time until they become a habit. Much less damaging for the ego to relapse on one tiny new commitment than an entire diet, makes it easier to avoid feelings of failure that motivate people to give up entirely that way.
Hell I'm guilty of it right now - but I'm returning to a way of eating and exercise that I maintained for years (and felt great!), not trying to start something foreign to me. I got out of my good habits due to depression. It would be very different if I were starting from zero, but even now I'm easing back into it instead of rushing all at once. It took me about 4 years to fully implement the changes to my diet that I wanted the first time. I set a new goal about once every 3-6 months. No soda at first, then cutting back other sweets, then changing my snacks to healthier options, then cutting out refined grains, then working on increasing the ratio of veggies/fruits on my plate, then cutting out added sugar entirely, then lowering my sodium intake. Most recently I had made it to 50% vegetarian/vegan days before the depression got me. Of course during the entire process I had set backs at times, but because I only took on one change at a time I'd only fall back to the level immediately before. Takes a really long time to break the addiction to sugars and salts and cheap fats the food industry hooks us on. No way would I have succeeded if I tried to do it all at once.
However, I recognize the importance of the OP for this to be feasible. People need to feel loved and supported through this serious lifestyle change, not pressured and judged. I really appreciated the the essay by Matt McGorry. The toxicity surrounding this issue is immense!