Maybe it's not the weight!

From Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting, by Gina Kolata:

By then he was truly fat, weighting 202 pounds...he was only 5 feet 5 inches tall..."I have been compelled to go down stairs slowly backwards, to save the jar of increased weight upon the ankle and knee joints, and been obliged to puff and blow with every slight exertion, particularly that of going up stairs."

Okay, look:
I am fatter than that. I am shorter than that. I HAVE ARTHRITIS! And I do not have to "go down stairs slowly backwards to save the jar of increased weight" blah blah blah. If the guy quoted was having those issues, it wasn't his weight causing it. It's said that he changed his diet, and "began to feel better immediately". Well, he cut out starches and sugars. He probably had diabetes (this was in the 1860s, so no insulin or blood sugar testing), and once his diet change got that under control, the symptoms of joint pain and shortness of breath went away.

I love how people talk about fat people's joints getting so much damage from omg fat. Your joints are MORE at risk if you're engaging in a lot of athletic activity; doctors started seeing a huge increase in sports-related injuries, and I've seen some say that they are seeing 70-year-old joints in 30-year-old people because of our national obsession with vigorous exercise. (I am sorry that I don't have a link for that; I thought I did, but can't find it now). It's funny, too, because when I look up information about this, they talk about how "All of that running, jumping, and pounding can easily damage tendons, cartilage, or bone", then, invariably, add "but omg don't be fat too, because fat is bad" as almost an afterthought.

(But wait, I thought we were all supposed to exercise ourselves to death so we didn't get fat, because fat is bad? It looks like you're doomed either way, and, honestly, I'd rather take the less painful route to bad knees.)

I have a better idea than all of these dire warnings: How about, in each individual case, we determine the actual cause of the joint pain, and deal with it that way? And, by actual cause, I mean, the doctor doesn't look at a fat person and say, "Your joint pain is because you are disgustingly fat. Eat less and exercise more. Goodbye," without so much as an x-ray or even looking at the joints in question. I wonder if my aunt could have been spared knee replacements if the doctors had caught her rheumatoid arthritis before she entered Stage IV, and had the cartilage in her knees completely destroyed--not by her being too heavy, but by her immune system going haywire and eating up the cartilage. I am just thankful that they caught it when they did, before the RA caused her organs to fail, but still.

As for being out of breath? I had asthma when I was a skinny child and teen. Because it was unmanaged, I had to deal with asshole gym teachers screaming insults at me for not being able to run a mile without wheezing and coughing. Now that I'm fat, of course, people will tell me I'm "out of shape". No, dumbasses, my airways are inflamed, and I need medicine to open them up. Asthma affects people of all sizes. If someone makes a dietary change, and their breathing is improved, don't be so quick to assume it's fat-related. My asthma improved remarkably when I cut certain allergens out of my diet (and I haven't had a major emergency since I eliminated peanuts from my life).

It just annoys the hell out of me when people assume that TEH FAT is causing the problem, when it isn't the only factor involved.

All things in moderation

...including comments here.

I have left up troll comments in my post called "The 'O' Word" to be an example of the disgusting, hateful words that are directed at people who dare to not hate themselves for being fat. I don't want such ugliness to mar my blog, but I think it's important for others to see it.

From this point forward, however, I am moderating comments and removing the spew. Sorry, trolls, but if you want to piss and moan about us, you'll have to make your own blog to do it. Nothing's stopping you.

I do want to say that, given the cruel, hateful nature of the things that were said, I don't believe that this shit has anything at all to do with concern for our health. So take your patronizing bullshit elsewhere; we're not falling for it.

Donations

I would like to remind readers of the Paypal donation button in my sidebar. I'm bringing this up because I have acquired (at no cost to me) some gorgeous postcards that I'd love to send to anyone who donates at least $2 (and who includes their address in the paypal information).

Additionally, anyone who purchases an item from My Etsy Shop will have one of these postcards tucked into their order! I would actually prefer that you purchase an item than just donate, so that you get something for your money. If there is a particular subject you would like to see photographed and in my shop (no nudes of me, folks, sorry), please let me know; I love doing commissions! I also have the photo of me in my profile matted and ready to sell, so if someone's actually interested in it, I'll be happy to put it in the shop.

Those who donated in the past received a handwritten thank you note; the note will be written on the back of the postcard for future donations, while supplies last. I am really excited about the cards, and I am eager to share them with others!

For those who are unaware, I am currently not able to work a "regular" job. I do occasional reptile shows for classrooms and birthday parties, but I have not had enough appointments to make ends meet. My husband makes almost enough to pay our bills, but I have a difficult time getting enough to pay for things like medication.

Thank you for your support, those who have already donated; I appreciate the help so very much.

It's about health, you know

I have been reading Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting, by Gina Kolata.

One of the things she mentions early in the book is, right around the turn of the 20th century, upper-class woman would corset themselves into 10-inch waists, then carefully cultivate an image of illness and frailty. The fashion of being invalids who were sickly and swooning all the time, pale and thin, was unattainable for working-class women, who needed functional bodies to survive in the real world.

A "functional body" is one that is not corseted to a diameter of 18". For a woman to have the strength and endurance to work and raise her family, she needs to eat and breathe well. A woman who has servants and wealth may have the luxury of voluntary debility, but for such a state to be a desirable trait that a man would seek in a potential spouse? He isn't interested in a healthy, happy partner; he wants a living decoration, a waiflike doll to control and use. Working class men did not have as much "luxury"--they needed strong, healthy spouses for their families to succeed, and therefore needed to accept that they would not have as much control over their wives.

The craze for thinness, especially in women, has its roots in keeping women subservient to men. If we are hungry, undernourished, and sickly, then we are easier to control. Fat is a feminist issue.

The hardest part

The hardest part of fostering cats isn't giving them up to their new families. I thought that WAS pretty hard at first (and I kept Ptera and Anya because of it), but it got easier as time went on.

No, the hard part is when you have to let them go, and it isn't to an adopter.

Pretty Lady, our beautiful calico girl, went in for her spay surgery today, and instead of having surgery, she was euthanized due to feline leukemia.



We are very sad, but we are trying to look at the positive side: She was living on the street, with a deadly illness, in the winter. She would not have survived long, and she would have suffered immensely. We gave her a few days where she was warm, sheltered, well-fed (she gained weight while with us!), and, most importantly, loved. She had none of those things before coming into our care. She also was very dirty, and I could tell that she felt so much better after her bath. She was so grateful and loving toward us. Her tail curled in a unique way, and she would arch her back and walk up to us purring when we came in to say hello. She was a sweet, patient, loving kitty who just wanted someone to love her back, and I am glad we were able to give her that, if only for a short time.

The vet who does our spay/neuter clinic was Aakhu's vet ten years ago before we changed practices (not because of her, but because the other vets there weren't very good), and she is a very compassionate, kindly person. I am sure that Lady's last moments were painless, and that Dr. J was respectful of her. Dr. J was also very compassionate and kind to me on the phone, and I appreciate that.

I am also glad that, fortunately, we kept her separated from the other fosters, and the boys all tested negative. They were neutered this morning, and we will be picking them up, plus an empty carrier, this afternoon.

A telling quote from "Rethinking Thin"

From Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting, by Gina Kolata:
"Baumann, of California Medical Weight Loss Associates, said that doctors there prescribed [phen-fen] for people who were at least 20 percent above their ideal weight. 'A lady who weighs 120 and should weigh 100 pounds is obese,' he said..."

I'm sorry, but NO. First of all, this "should weigh" bullshit is so subjective that it is practically meaningless. A woman who "should weigh" 100 pounds, even according to the b.s. Met life height weight tables, would have to be under 4'10". So, okay, it's a bad example--but, the fact that he uses that particular example tells me that this has absolutely jack and shit to do with health, and everything to do with making women conform to some insane, unattainable, unsustainable ideal. No adult woman of a normal height* is "obese" or even "fat" at 120 pounds, no matter how much self-deprecation individuals of that size heap upon themselves.

This "20%" rule quoted by the doctor is clearly used to justify making money off of people for weight loss treatment who did not need to be losing weight. Putting a 120-lb woman on phen-fen so that she doesn't eat as much makes absolutely NO sense. If someone is not naturally 100 lbs without having to diet, then they should not try to force themselves to be that weight.

I understand doctors freaking out about those of us who are 220 lbs, because they've been brainwashed into thinking that someone of this size is inherently unhealthy. It's based on incorrect information, of course, and we are working to change it, but I understand it. I DO NOT understand a doctor encouraging a slim woman to lose even more weight, though, except that the woman herself is dissatisfied with her size and asks for help. I think the appropriate thing in that situation, though, is to tell the patient that they do not need to engage in weight loss to the point that they are "underweight"--but how often do you think doctors do that?

It's also quite interesting to note that no one is ever satisfied with their size. If a 250-lb person loses 100 lbs, down to 150, they are not likely to be satisfied; they will move their goal to a lower number. The 120-pound woman wants to be 100 pounds, and at 100-pounds will then want to go below three digits. And so on. And, no matter what you do, it won't ever be enough for some of these fat-hating doctors. Sure, you made it down to 120, but you COULD be 100, so here, have some pills. Have some surgery.

My final observation: The example was a woman. I'm dismayed at how women are so often targeted for needing to be thinner, thinner, thinner, especially by male doctors. Call my cynical, but I really believe that Dr. Fathater's personal aesthetics are more important to him than women's health.

* By normal height, I mean above 4'10", as people under that size may qualify as Little People, depending on other medical factors.

Four foster kitties at once!

We picked up three fosters this weekend, making our total fosters in house four, as we'd picked up a girl earlier in the week. We've had as many as six before, but all six of those were young kittens, while these are all adults. The new ones are all boys, and all from the warehouse situation where we got Isaac. The female is a stray that was trapped in our neighborhood by a kindly older woman; I happened to be the volunteer that was willing to take in an adult cat at the time, and the location (four blocks away) was simply a bonus, especially in the snowstorm we were having at that time!

Salvador, who is a tiny guy, very underweight; his growth seems stunted:


Leonardo, who is very regal, quiet, and sweet. Docile as can be:


Ansel, who's friendly, but fought like a demon when getting his claws trimmed. He forgives us, but is a little wary yet because of it:


Ansel again:


And the three of them (left to right - Leonardo, Ansel, Salvador):

Salvador is very goofy and friendly; he tries to run out the door at every opportunity, and will roll around ecstatically while being touched. He seems to have sexually matured, but he weighs a little over three pounds. His feet are also very oddly shaped. I am going to have the APF vet, Julie, tell me if she sees any developmental problems with him. She's also going to have to give me an age estimate on everybody, including Pretty Lady, the girl we picked up earlier this week:

Her white parts were BROWN; I had to give her a bath when we got her, and her rinse water was brown and gritty, poor baby. She was super docile for her bath, and for pretty much everything we had to do to her (Advantage, worming, vaccination). She loves people and is a HUGE flirt.