In an effort to promote self-acceptance, women must discard the dieting mentality by examining the myths of fat, becoming aware of the dangers of dieting and embracing the concept that bodies come in all shapes and sizes

I. There are many beliefs about being fat which are simply false.

• Life expectancy
• Health concerns
• Dieting not necessary

III. A distressing number of women suppress their hopes, dreams and desires anticipating the day they finally become the right size, when the fact remains that bodies are unique in shape and size.

• Lives on hold forever
• Body acceptance
• Scale and height-weight charts

T he United States is a nation obsessed with thinness and yet, as Laura Fraser observes, "...we're wrestling with the fact that we're getting fatter and fatter all the time--on average, we've gained eight pounds apiece in the past decade--and we don't know what, if anything, can be done about it (Fraser Fear of Fat 1). Although women and men are affected by the prejudice against fatness, women are affected more profoundly and in greater numbers, ultimately experiencing low self-esteem as a result of their failure to maintain an 'appropriately' slender body. A solution other than dieting must be sought in order to reclaim our self esteem and bodies; we must come to the realization that dieting is ineffective. In an effort to promote self-acceptance, women must discard the dieting mentality by examining the myths of fat, becoming aware of the dangers of dieting and embracing the concept that bodies come in all shapes and sizes.

Most people assume dieting is the answer to our weight problems; however, a point seldom recognized is that diets are, in fact, detrimental to the goal of weight loss. Suspiciously, it appears that the ever growing diet industry and many physicians may be well aware of this fact. In 1983, an estimated $500 million was being spent by Americans in an effort to lose weight (Chalow). Fifteen years later, in 1998, the estimates are staggeringly high at $30 to $50 billion (Kassirer and Angell 1). Yet as noted earlier, we are gaining rather than losing. Dieting has become the primary focus of too many women's lives. We may wonder why there is such a compulsion to be thin; why thinness must be achieved at any cost? Our environment contributes greatly to this falsehood as we are surrounded from early childhood to our elderly years with this subtle message: If we are overweight, we are unacceptable. Slender, muscular women are portrayed as successful, happy and fulfilled. Naturally we desire the satisfaction of a productive life and many women unconsciously and mistakenly conclude becoming thin will guarantee that those goals will be more easily achieved. This is a terrible fallacy, as women can be popular, content, prosperous and complete no matter their body size, whether they are petite, overweight, thin, supersize, muscular, svelte, pudgy, chubby, slender or fat.

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Atrens, Dale M. Don't Diet. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1988.
The main idea of this source is medical research which exposes myths about fatness and dieting. Dr. Atrens' objective is to promote awareness about dieting and its ineffectiveness. His intended audience is the general public. Dr. Atrens emphasizes the point that diets do not work and he assumes that most people do not know how badly they have been misled by the demand of our society to diet and attain a certain body size. There is a slant toward educating ourselves as to why we are fat instead of unconsciously attempting to lose the fat. An omission from the book would be that the author offers "guidelines" but then it seems he expects the reader to derive guidelines from reading the book and coming to an opposite opinion of the myths he exposes. Dr. Atrens' evidence is quite detailed and clear and supports his points quite well.

Fat Chance in a Thin World. Videocassette. Producer, Thea Chalow. PBS. WGBH Education Foundation, Stamford. 1983.
There are several main points in this video, but they all support the theory that diets don't work. The producer wants people to realize the harm that is being done by dieting, along with showing the reasons that diets are ineffective. The intended audience is the general public. One doctor in this source, Dr. Susan Wooley, emphasized that women are expending a lot of energy worrying about counting calories when they could be getting a "doctorate" or "running for President." In other words, doing something much more substantial than worrying about something as mundane and insignificant as counting calories. The producer assumes that there are many people dieting needlessly. There is a slant toward not dieting. Instead, the producer shows information on the setpoint theory, where every person has a body weight his or her body will maintain without dieting. No evident omissions, the evidence is clear and supports the points well.

Erdman, Cheri K. Nothing to Lose; A Guide to Sane Living in a Larger Body. San Francisco: Harper, 1996.
The main idea for this book is size acceptance. The author feels healthier and more fulfilled at a heavy weight because she is not pressuring herself to lose weight and be thin. The author wants women to realize that they can be just as happy and healthy at 250 pounds as they can be at 125 pounds. The source emphasizes enjoying life as a fat person and living life now, instead of waiting until after losing weight. The author assumes because she is happy at a heavy weight that most other people can be happy there as well and she assumes that most heavy people are unhappy with their size. There is a slant toward staying heavy, instead of worrying about trying to get thin. The author seems to disregard how difficult it is to be fat in a world which so despises fatness. The evidence that Dr. Erdman gives is clear and appropriately supports her views.

Fraser, Laura. "The Body Beautiful?" Diablo Publications Online. January 1998. http://www.diablopubs.com/dm9801/dm9801body.html (21 March 1999).
The main point of this article is to explore the ways in which our opinion of the female body has changed over the years. The author's purpose is to make the general public aware that being thin hasn't always been the goal and to show how detrimental our current way of thinking is to females. There were other times in past history when a curvaceous "plump" body was considered to be the 'ideal.' Her intended audience is women and the parents of young girls. The author emphasizes that women are dying from eating disorders. She has a definite slant toward size acceptance and her message is one that many people may have trouble accepting because our society is so convinced that a thin body is the answer to many of our problems. Ms. Fraser's evidence supports her points.

Fraser, Laura. "Fear of Fat." Extra! The Magazine of FAIR June/August 1997. http://www.fair.org/extra/9707/fear-of-fat.html (21 March 1999).
Laura Fraser's article "Fear of Fat" provided the point that people do not like seeing fat women on television, in magazines or other media. Our society has an intense bias against being fatter than the aspired for muscular, slender body. Ms. Fraser tells us that magazine editors feel they cannot portray fat models or their magazines will be rejected. The purpose of the article is to make people aware of this intolerance for "normal" sized bodies and the phobia we have against being fat. The intended audience is the general public. The author emphasizes that by looking at only thin models, "normal" sized women may feel inadequate. She seems to make the assumption that people would buy the magazines regardless of the size of the models and she has a bias toward acceptance of heavy people in the media because she herself is "chubby." Ms. Fraser's article is very complete and has clear evidence to support her points.

Kassirer, Jerome P., & Marcia Angell. "Losing Weight--An-Ill Fated New Year's Resolution." New England Journal of Medicine Vol 338, No. 1. 1 Jan 1998. http://www.nejm.org/content/1998/0338/0001/0052.asp (28 March 1999)
The main idea of this source is to offer criticism on The New England Journal of Medicine's findings in regards to obesity and losing weight. The authors' objective is to persuade other physicians to realize that diets are ineffective and the reasons that diets fail to accomplish the desired results. The intended audience is the general public and other doctors. The article emphasizes that doctors should not harass their patients into dieting, nor should they advocate dieting because of the very high failure rates. The authors assume most doctors want their patients to lose weight. There is a slant toward the no diet movement and how diets only cause weight gain in the end. Dr. Kassirer and Dr. Angell's article is complete and their evidence is convincing.

Podjasek, Jill H. & Jennifer Carney. The Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People. Lincolnwood (Chicago): Contemporary Books, 1997.
The main idea of this source is to demonstrate a means to becoming thin by abandoning the dieting mentality and to discover and adopt habits which the author believes every naturally slim person practices. The author uses a spiritualistic approach and encourages her readers to give up old beliefs and embrace new beliefs. Ms. Podjasek's objective is to encourage women to accept and trust their bodies. She believes if women rejoice in nourishing their bodies--instead of feeling guilt--they will eat less and eventually lose weight. The intended audiences are heavy people and people obsessed with dieting. There is an emphasis on generating positive changes. The author makes the assumption that our bodies will let us know what foods we need to eat if we can learn to listen to our bodies. There is a slant toward spiritual growth and learning to trust our innate wisdom. No obvious omissions. Ms. Podjasek's evidence is clear and appropriately supports her book.

Shanewood, B. "Discovering the Truth--An interview with medical rights champion Lynn McAfee." Radiance, The Magazine for Large Women. Winter 1999: 16-21, 54.
The main point of this article is how Lynn McAfee discovers truth while working as an activist for the "supersized" and her opinion on what truth is. The author gives background on McAfee and how she came to the beliefs to which she currently subscribes. The intended audience is overweight women. The author emphasizes that people should examine their own perceptions and stereotypical beliefs about fat people. The author makes assumptions that most people are unwilling to examine the reality of their situations because they have a fear of fat. There is a slant toward allowing fat people to be respected, not ridiculed. There are no obvious omissions, in fact there is an assertion by McAfee that the size acceptance movement has perhaps erroneously made an attempt to downplay the health risks of being supersized (which I'm deducing is 300-400 pounds or more). The evidence effectively supports Ms. Shanewood's points.

There are many beliefs about being fat which are simply false. There is a common fallacy that being overweight leads to an early death. It is true that some overweight persons die while they are young; however, similar numbers of slender people perish before reaching their golden years. Yet overweight people are bombarded on all sides with pressure to lose weight--for their own good, of course! Friends, family, the family doctor and even well-intentioned strangers may try to persuade the overweight woman to embark on a new diet or take this herb or vitamin or pill to help her lose weight. As Kassirer and Angell observe, there is such an overwhelming national campaign to persuade women to diet, to the point that the assumption could be made that we have definitive proof of the hazards of "obesity" and the value of losing pounds when in reality the facts are unclear, narrow, disjointed and frequently paradoxical (1). Atrens emphasizes that "excepting extreme...obesity, body weight by itself has relatively little impact on...life expectancy" (53). There are many other harmful activities which people engage in which shorten their lives and yet we seldom focus as much attention on these habits as we do toward fat people. Along with this erroneous thinking is the presumption that certain illnesses are exclusive to the overweight person.

Another myth of fatness is the belief that all overweight people are unhealthy. Fatness implies illness, yet this is quite untrue. The reality is that certain illnesses are associated with being fat; however, extra poundage is not the definitive cause of the disease. Many fat people have never had any of the illnesses which our society believes are caused by being overweight. High blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease--to name a few--are illnesses which happen to plague the thin woman as well as the heavy woman. Furthermore, a slim woman afflicted with these diseases is not blamed for having these illnesses and lectured to focus on her weight as fat women commonly are. Shanewood quotes Lynn McAfee, "It's gotten so oppressive that it seems as if thin people are presented as the healthy master race and fat people are the sick, inferior race" (19). Many overweight people eat healthily and moderately, exercise regularly and are in excellent health. For those overweight persons who do not already practice healthy habits, a moderate change in the types of food eaten and moderate exercise is often all that is needed to improve health problems. Losing weight is not the cure-all it is assumed to be. These beliefs are simply evidence of "our society's deeply held moral and aesthetic prejudice against being heavier than a thin ideal" (Fraser Fear of Fat 1). Reflecting on these thoughts, let's examine some myths about dieting.

A nother misconception is the postulation that one-diet-fits-all. Most of our society tends to believe if a diet works for one person, it will work for any and every other person. It is also generally accepted that fat people could be slender, if only they possessed enough willpower and self-control. As Shanewood explains, we believe that every person's body processes feeling hungry and feeling satisfied exactly the same when this has actually been proven to be untrue by scientists (18). Dieting sets up an unnatural relationship with food, triggering the body into an artificial state of starvation. A study on the effects of starvation during World War II showed how obsessed the participants became-- how "they talked and thought about food all the time" (Chalow). This is not unlike many American women today who compulsively talk about food and weight and diets. As a woman becomes more and more obsessed with food--her body having been forced to endure lengthy periods without adequate nourishment--the more likely she is to binge when she finally allows herself to eat. Additionally, it is only natural that as a result of overeating, weight is regained, plus extra pounds in preparation for the next period of starvation. What we fail to realize is that dieting actually causes our bodies to slow down their metabolic processes, thus hanging onto every pound tightly. Next, let's examine the ways in which dieting is risky.

Diets have an appallingly high failure rate and may actually endanger women's health. Four of this writer's eight sources report that 95 of every 100 dieters fail to keep the lost weight off (Chalow, Shanewood 17, Erdman 23, Atrens 115). Not only are those lost pounds gained back, but also in most cases the woman ends up even heavier than before she started the diet. Because of our society's obsession with thinness, many women feel compelled to test diet after diet, attempting to lose weight and attain the ideal body, a result which is difficult to achieve and nearly impossible to maintain. Additionally, many women attempt to diet down to a size which may be illogical for their specific body type. Podjasek explains how when women lose weight and end up below the "weight and size" that is appropriate for their body genetically and metabolically--they soon discover that it is not possible to remain at that size for very long. As the pounds start piling back on, remorse and apprehension replace the sense of accomplishment and happiness and the person starts feeling hopeless (31). In addition to feelings of hopelessness, desperation often overcomes the dieter and in an attempt to control her weight she may resort to risky artificial methods.

After realizing that diets aren't working, women often turn to more extreme measures in desperate attempts to lose weight. They beg their physicians for amphetamines, exercise excessively, induce vomiting, abuse laxatives and undergo surgery. Many young women are engaging in bingeing and purging or starving themselves until they actually die from bulimia or anorexia nervosa. In the United States alone, according to the American Anorexia/Bulimia Association, approximately 1000 women die each year from anorexia (Fraser The Body Beautiful 4). The majority of women diet and gain--a cycle commonly referred to as "yo-yo dieting"--repeatedly, for years until their bodies exhibit what Erdman refers to as "diet-induced obesity" (17). As a result of gaining and losing weight time and again, people unintentionally disrupt and reset their body's natural setpoint until they gain weight even when very few calories are consumed. Shanewood describes how Lynn McAfee's parents and physician forced her to diet and take weight loss pills beginning at six years of age. McAfee claims by the time she reached 15 years of age, "My body was so messed up from years of starvation and pill taking that if I went over a thousand calories a day, I gained a pound" (16). Add to these unhealthy dieting methods the possibility of contracting osteoporosis.

A silent danger to women's health as a result of dieting is the threat of osteoporosis. When teenaged girls embark on a strict dieting routine they fail to realize that they may be setting themselves up to have osteoporosis in later life. In females, the main period of development of bone mass occurs during the ages of 15 and 19 and is dependent upon the hormone estrogen. Estrogen production is dependent upon monthly menses and some young women diet until they experience amenorrhea, the cessation of menses. Young women athletes--gymnasts, ice skaters and dancers--are especially at risk as they must trim every iota of fat from their bodies in order to win competitions. These young women are unaware that when they enter their mid-thirties they may be more prone to brittle bones--osteoporosis--and fractures as a result of their teenage dieting. (Fraser The Body Beautiful 4). An interesting contradiction in light of fat versus thin is that some studies have actually found that being overweight is considered to be a health benefit with regards to osteoporosis. As Erdman questions, "When was the last time your physician told you that your weight would help build bone mass...?" (16). Now that we have explored some of the myths of being fat and have some understanding of why dieting is not beneficial, let's examine body acceptance.

A distressing number of women suppress their hopes, dreams and desires anticipating the day they finally become the right size, when the fact remains that bodies are unique in shape and size. Women who consider themselves overweight often postpone buying pretty, comfortably fitting clothes for themselves, they put off marriage, childbearing, securing better jobs--all for that magical moment when they are finally thin and therefore acceptable to our society--and themselves. Females of all ages, from kindergartners to grandmothers are critical of their bodies and labeling themselves obese and fat, when in actuality the bodies they inhabit are simply realistic, rather than stick thin model sized. Women strive to obtain the ideal body--the one they see in magazines, on television and in movies. Yet bodies cannot and should not be one size; our bodies are taller or shorter, more or less muscular, fatter or thinner. Heredity plays a factor in size and weight, in exactly the same ways in which we inherit the cleft in our father's chin or our mother's hazel eyes. According to Atrens, having one fat parent makes a person 50 times more likely to be fat and having been born to two fat parents increases that likelihood to about 80 percent (27). Women put their lives on hold waiting to become thin when they may have little choice or control over their body size. Next, let's examine some history on how our society viewed heavier bodies at one point in time.

The slender, muscular body has not always been considered the ideal. A hundred years ago the thin woman was pitied, while the plump woman was considered voluptuous and sexy. False thighs and hips were constructed for thin women so that they too, could have 'dimples' like their heavier peers (Erdman 6-7). Today women and girls refer to these (once thought of as sexy) dimples with disgust, and lament over their cellulite-ridden, ugly thighs. Through the years our image of the ideal body has become thinner and smaller. Marilyn Monroe--who was America's sexy sweetheart in the 60s--wore a size 12 and would be considered overweight in our culture today! Dr. Susan Wooley makes a passionate disclosure: women don't realize the valuable time and energy they are wasting counting calories and feeling guilt over eating food--when they could be spending that energy in so many more positive and enriching ways. Many women spend their entire lives worrying, feeling guilt and trying to diet away a mere five to ten pounds (Chalow). Women are counseled to look in the mirror at their fat, ugly, size 12 (which is by no means FAT!) bodies and berate themselves--which is supposed to help them to have the willpower to stay on the next popular diet and finally lose those extra pounds. If only women could realize dieting actually causes weight gain. Finally, let's contemplate scales and height-weight charts.

Throw away the scale. Frightening thought, isn't it? Too many women climb on the scale each morning to see what their mood will be for the day. The flat little box on the floor proclaims a pound was lost. The woman rejoices, in good spirits, unconsciously standing straight and tall, thus adding to the appearance of being slimmer. She happily walks past a department store window, admiring her figure, confident she is thinner today. But if the little box should indicate that a pound or two was gained, the same woman shrinks with disgust, loathing her reflection in any mirror or window and spends the day irritable and disgruntled. Her moods are dictated in conjunction with another implement which has designated her under the category of being overweight: the height-weight chart. Erdman shares some interesting historical facts of the height and weight charts created by biologist Louis Dublin in the 1940s for a life-insurance company. A significant fault, she points out, is the fact that most of the policy holders were Caucasian, well-to-do men whose "northern European ancestry favored tallness and leanness" (9). Women worry and fret because they weigh more than a chart says they should--when the charts don't take into consideration the many differences in the "ethnic diversity and genetic makeup of our population as a whole" (Erdman 11).

To work toward accepting ourselves, our obsolete beliefs regarding diets must be abandoned by comprehending the risks of dieting, learning the fallacies of being overweight and accepting our bodies in the many varying sizes they come in. In our evolving world, the time has arrived for fat prejudice to be realized and abandoned. Too much focus has been placed on what size a person's body should be. Join thousands of others who have united in the no-dieting revolution and find solace in the freedom of living life today--not after losing ten pounds.

How can we alter our mistaken concepts for our current society and future generations of young women? We must first take seriously the fact that diets are ineffective and actually cause us to gain weight. Even so called 'healthy' diets; for example, a low fat eating plan can trigger the dieting mentality. Deprivation of certain foods only creates abnormal cravings for these off limit foods. Cravings and intense feelings of hunger can lead to binge eating. While on a binge, hundreds and sometimes thousands of calories may be consumed in one sitting. Of course, this out of control behavior often leads to much guilt and frustration over the lack of willpower and self-control. We experience extreme guilt over eating food--FOOD--something which we cannot live without and which is necessary for our survival and well being. Therefore, making peace with food is an important second step.

There once was a time in most of our lives when we had some semblance of normalcy where food is concerned. A common complaint often heard from parents is that their youngsters are picky eaters. If only we had been allowed to remain picky eaters, instead of being coerced into becoming lifetime (and eventually overweight) members of the 'Clean Plate Club.' We would have retained the knowledge of how it feels to be satisfied; instead of eating too much, too little or foods we detested. Returning to that time in our lives when we ate intuitively could help us regain our equilibrium around food. Trusting ourselves: giving ourselves liberal, unadulterated, simple freedom to eat food--to eat what we like, to eat what we are hungry for--will relieve of us cravings and the tendency to binge eat. Some fear they will eat forever without restrictions, yet they will find that they actually eat less once they abandon the rules and guilt of the dieting mentality. Finally, as a result of making peace with food we may lose weight and finally achieve that slender body we long for, but we may not.

Part of this revolution may be that we will need to accept the fact that our bodies are going to be larger than the ideal. Instead of focusing time and energy into adhering to a strict diet and exercise regime, an alternative is to learn to accept our bodies as they are and embrace them lovingly. We do not loathe and berate our loved ones when we want them to be successful; instead, we compliment and encourage them. Accordingly, ourselves and our bodies deserve to be accepted and appreciated. We must gaze into the mirror at our beautiful bodies: no matter the size, physique or weight. Take special care to purchase clothing that complements your figure, clothing that is comfortably fitting and attractive. Become aware of personal internal criticisms about other sized bodies. Make a point to appreciate and admire all types of bodies, not just slim, muscular bodies. Change comes about slowly, and usually only with determination. By becoming more aware of these aspects, we can raise self esteem and make a difference for our present and future generations.

Created April 1999