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Apr 29
2010
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If you are very fat, then I bet your prime dream is to be thin. It’s natural to have such a dream. Just being thin, you’ll have a gorgeous boyfriend / girlfriend, have a better career, meet better people, join popular clubs, throw out parties, and married to a tycoon. You may even become a model, Hollywood artist, superstar, icon of the 21st century successful male / female, you name it! Who can resist such a temptation? Being thin is like a worm transformed into butterfly.
Is that so? Are the happiness and perfection guaranteed just being thin? Let’s consult this idea with the expert. A dietitian Keith Ayoob from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University called this situation as ‘the Lottery Effect’. It means that people are assuming ‘being thin’ equal with ‘winning a lottery’, which they think will certainly guarantee a secure life for them. But in the reality, things are really different! And fat people who have become thin are shocked by the unexpected reality, for their problems are still there – unemployed, bad habits, bad relationship, etc.. The only thing that is really change, is their body size, not their problem size.
Many reality shows (example ‘the Biggest Loser’), TV advertisements, movies, magazines and lifestyle are selling this ‘thin = happy and perfect life’ fantasy to fat people. Indeed, some of these fat-turn-thin people do have it – got a gorgeous boyfriend / girlfriend, enjoy party life, become a supermodel, etc.. But these privileges do not belong to many, just a few lucky pals. Most of the fat-turn-thin people found that their conditions are so disappointed, not worth it, and later stressed up and regain more weight.
Let’s check out some testimonies from these people. First, Jen Larsen (36), four years ago weighted 316 pounds, now she is 5 foot 7 inches with weight 140 pounds. She failed a lot of diet programs and finally did a bariatric surgery, and she became a good-looking Jen Larsen. She admitted that her life became more simple – she had more energy, her knees weren’t hurt anymore, her backache gone, and she was far from heart disease, cancer and diabetes. When she was a fat girl, she thought that the only thing that stopped her from becoming a successful writer was her weight. So being skinny would come out with a mega-boost of self confidence. After she had the perfect shape, she found that her life was not become any better than before. So for her, thin is only a fantasy sold to fat people.
Second is Jennette Fulda, a brilliant woman. She was once 372 pounds and now 180 pounds with 5 foot 9 inches. She said, ‘You can be fat, accomplished and pretty darn happy, which I think people forget that.’ When she was a fat woman, she has been suffering from headache, and she thought being thin would solve this problem. But the fact is, after she was thin, the headache became worse and she couldn’t do any activities which finally caused her regain 50 pounds weight. Being thin will not guarantee your health.
Somehow I agree with Lee Kern, clinical director for Structure House, a weight loss facility in Durham N.C.. He said, ‘People expect a lot from weight loss, things that weight loss alone can’t deliver. People think it just isn’t worth it and relapse all the way back. And then they learn the hard way that success and happiness aren’t linked to the number on a scale.’ So, be grateful if you are fat and do what you want, just don’t envy the thins. OK?
