tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post7478675557462843102..comments2023-09-21T04:06:12.405-04:00Comments on She Dances On The Sand: Fat is a symptom, not a disease, Part Four: Drug side effectsRioIririhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04358432680088606342noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-36447383097757105602008-06-02T16:10:00.000-04:002008-06-02T16:10:00.000-04:00So tell me, fat-haters, are you really so shallow ...<EM>So tell me, fat-haters, are you really so shallow and juvenile that you would rather see someone institutionalized than fat? Hanging themselves instead of fat? I've really begun to wonder if the fat-hate is not just about fat, but about an excuse to be misanthropic to anyone who is socially vulnerable.</EM><BR/><BR/>I think there is more to it than that. Fear probably plays a part. I know people who would rather be "beautiful" than healthy, and for whom "fat" and "happy" are mutually exclusive. The notion that it may be possible to get fat through any other means than lack of self-control terrifies them, so they choose not to believe in it. Even if it has already happened to them.idontusethisanymorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414820440423373221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-9034297392243768142008-06-02T15:24:00.000-04:002008-06-02T15:24:00.000-04:00Latest Sarah,Lexapro has done wonders for me. Whi...Latest Sarah,<BR/><BR/>Lexapro has done wonders for me. While you shouldn't feel *bad* for feeling this way, you should also examine why. Why are you disappointed in the extra fat you now carry? Societal issues? Why let someone else determine your self-worth for you? At the heart of being unhappy at being fat, is unhappiness with the self. When we throw off the shackles of berating ourselves for not being thin (which, incidentally, is less healthy than being fat), we can start focusing on more important matters, like our families, ourselves, our jobs, our hobbies.Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04321700447909213669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-39753846523672145742008-06-02T12:15:00.000-04:002008-06-02T12:15:00.000-04:00I totally agree with lavalady and shira; the fat h...I totally agree with lavalady and shira; the fat haters seem to fall into two categories. The first knows that the weight gain just seems to happen and is not a result of changing eating habits, but have no problem making draconian recommendations about what you have to do to take the weight off at all costs. (Of course they have no intention of following their own advice--they're thin, after all. I sort of agree with you that it might be good for these folks to take a drug that causes weight gain so they might also gain a better understanding of how it really works and maybe stop acting like such assholes.) The second group is of course the people who think you're lying when you say you're active and don't eat that much. You really can't win with these people.<BR/><BR/>sarah, I for one certainly don't think it makes you a bad person to struggle with changes in your body, especially ones you don't have any control over. (I think the post addresses mainly people on the outside looking in, who either think they have all the answers for SSRI weight gain or would rather people be depressed than fat. Assholes.)<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I do think that putting your energy into learning to love your body at its current size is the best strategy. One superficial step might be to make sure you always have comfortable, attractive clothes that fit your current body and that you love (if you can afford to add to your wardrobe). But all that being said, I know that loving and accepting your body is hard work and much easier said than done. I'm sorry you are struggling right now, and good luck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-52290692877214501832008-06-02T11:13:00.000-04:002008-06-02T11:13:00.000-04:00can't there be some in between, though? antidepre...can't there be some in between, though? antidepressants have saved my life. i would never not take them because of the possibility of weight gain. but seeing it on my body is hard. it makes me feel like my body isn't my own any more. i'm grateful beyond words for the SSRI I take every day. but this post makes me feel like I'm a bad person for caring that I've gained weight. I don't hate anyone. I'm not a fatphobe. I'm just having a hard time right now.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11813023808982058233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-70527129263667126072008-06-02T10:21:00.000-04:002008-06-02T10:21:00.000-04:00There's also the fact that a lot of drugs cause we...There's also the fact that a lot of drugs cause weight gain but doctors won't admit it; the most obvious example is oral contraceptives, which can aggravate insulin resistance and cause massive weight gain, but the information leaflet says things like "It won't cause you to gain weight, but it may increase your appetite, so watch what you eat!" - thereby laying the blame on the patient. The female patient. Also, with drugs where weight gain is an acknowledged side effect, the attitude isn't one of "well, it might make you gain weight, but it won't be your fault, so don't worry", it's "it'll make you gain weight so make sure you work EXTRA HARD to avoid becoming FAT OMG".<BR/>I have PCOS, fibro, chronic myofascial pain and lipoedema (the lipoedema makes weight gain inevitable and weight loss quite literally impossible), and the Pill made me gain 120lbs over a total of seven months - 77lbs of that was in the first 2 months. Of course, the doctors insisted that all of it was my fault because I was eating too much. Then I couldn't lose it. You know how this sort of story goes. I am more than a little bitter, and very pleased you've been doing this series.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-71251934391887136642008-06-02T10:20:00.000-04:002008-06-02T10:20:00.000-04:00There's also the fact that a lot of drugs cause we...There's also the fact that a lot of drugs cause weight gain but doctors won't admit it; the most obvious example is oral contraceptives, which can aggravate insulin resistance and cause massive weight gain, but the information leaflet says things like "It won't cause you to gain weight, but it may increase your appetite, so watch what you eat!" - thereby laying the blame on the patient. The female patient. Also, with drugs where weight gain is an acknowledged side effect, the attitude isn't one of "well, it might make you gain weight, but it won't be your fault, so don't worry", it's "it'll make you gain weight so make sure you work EXTRA HARD to avoid becoming FAT OMG".<BR/>I have PCOS, fibro, chronic myofascial pain and lipoedema (the lipoedema makes weight gain inevitable and weight loss quite literally impossible), and the Pill made me gain 120lbs over a total of seven months - 77lbs of that was in the first 2 months. Of course, the doctors insisted that all of it was my fault because I was eating too much. Then I couldn't lose it. You know how this sort of story goes. I am more than a little bitter, and very pleased you've been doing this series.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-76621638146312795572008-06-02T10:15:00.000-04:002008-06-02T10:15:00.000-04:00Maybe you should start asking doctors where they w...Maybe you should start asking doctors where they want you on the Hilton/Hawking scale.<BR/><BR/>You can be more toward the Paris Hilton end - (conventionally) attractive, physically able, but mentally deficient.<BR/><BR/>Or you can be more toward the Stephen Hawking end - far from attractive, physically impaired (if they believe all disability is incurred by fat), but mentally impressive.<BR/><BR/>I dunno about you, but I'd rather be on the Hawking end than the Hilton end.bookwyrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03730364648178496486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-30695223703045273992008-06-02T10:14:00.000-04:002008-06-02T10:14:00.000-04:00Maybe you should start asking doctors where they w...Maybe you should start asking doctors where they want you on the Hilton/Hawking scale.<BR/><BR/>You can be more toward the Paris Hilton end - (conventionally) attractive, physically able, but mentally deficient.<BR/><BR/>Or you can be more toward the Stephen Hawking end - far from attractive, physically impaired (if they believe all disability is incurred by fat), but mentally impressive.<BR/><BR/>I dunno about you, but I'd rather be on the Hawking end than the Hilton end.bookwyrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03730364648178496486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-77670221493997429792008-06-02T08:08:00.000-04:002008-06-02T08:08:00.000-04:00Thanks for this post. I have been taking a new dru...Thanks for this post. I have been taking a new drug to deal with my mood disorder, and have been thinking about my weight gain vs. my not wanting to kill myself all the time.<BR/><BR/>The fatophobes will never say never. They'd just say that I could start exercising more and eating fewer calories, and voila!, I'd be thin.<BR/><BR/>Yeah, right. Seeing as my (mostly) invisible illness has made just eating <B>regularly</B> a problem and I've still gained...<BR/><BR/>It does suck that I am both fighting a serious chronic illness and fighting fatophobia at the same time. <BR/><BR/>Thanks again for the post and this series!LavaLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00853877245976052565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356827408135871543.post-73088480712374417862008-06-02T06:17:00.000-04:002008-06-02T06:17:00.000-04:00I've been on Lexapro since 2005. It has been a lif...I've been on Lexapro since 2005. It has been a life-saver for me. Of course, my new lease on life is probably seen as negative by fat haters. I'm actually confident in my abilities and not afraid to go out in public anymore while being fat!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com