Be honest — would you rather be anorexic or obese?
I can remember an interesting survey I heard about some time ago…
A bunch of kids (they were quite young — perhaps 5 and 6) were asked if they would rather be fat or lose a limb (or some such nonsense.) They predominantly chose losing a limb over having too much weight on their frames.
Now, that’s just horrible.
First of all, who would ask kids such a question? And secondly, why equate being “fat” with the horror of losing a limb?
(Incidentally, I cannot find the original report — if you can, please comment and send the link. I’m not sure I remember the specifics after all these years, though I remember the outcome was anti-”fat”.)
Anyway, I just found another question similar to that one: Would you rather have a wife who is fat or one who is bulimic and looks good all the time?
Most guys who answered said ”fat”. Now, this wasn’t done scientifically, but it’s anecdotally interesting.
Personally, I’d rather have an overweight husband than one who was so obsessed with his appearance that he became impossible to live with. I also wouldn’t want to be with a guy who never allowed himself a taste of homemade cookies or who exercised to the point of potentially harming his body.
But be honest – would you rather be anorexic (or bulimic) or clinically obese (BMI of >25)?
3 opinions for Be honest — would you rather be anorexic or obese?
Lula
Jun 2, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Part of me wants to answer that I’d rather be anorexic-being obese terrifies me. But I don’t want to die either.
But then again, look at all the health problems obesity causes.
Honestly, then, I pick anorexic.
Syl
Jun 24, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I also have read about the survey about the kids in newspapers in Hong Kong.
Frankly said, I’m clincally obese (BMI>30). I wished that I’m anorexic. However, I hate the feeling of starving, vomiting and hate to be scared of food. More than I hate obesity.
In Hong Kong, anorexia is not in great awareness as people are “brainwashed” by the ads of slimming products. (I also have to thank those ads as people tends to use them more than starve themselves.) People usually regard fat as “lazyness”, “disgusting” and “loser”, which is similar as western countries.
Some of my classmate are too thin (BMI<19), and the still regards themsleves as fat. Just because their waistline was still not lean enough. Some of them even skip lunch, just because they want to keep thin or become thinner.
Once before, I was having dinner with a group of schoolmates. When we were ordering for meal, some of the girls didn’t order rice (main food in chinese meals). People believe that skipping starch can avoid gainning weights. A girl who sat beside me even did not put a pea in her mouth. During the whole meal, she just sat and watching others to eat. That made me feel a bit odd: a fat girl didn’t refuse to eat even she really ought to go on a diet, and a thin girl who don’t need any dieting just refuse to eat.
As I’ve mention before, slimming ads has “brainwashed” people ’s mind in Hong Kong. Just like what “Thinspiration” does, silmming ads usually protraits thin people as beauty. Some of the slimming ads even portraits big bulided people (not only fat people) as ugly. This have lower both thin, avarage, big bulided and fat people’s esteem. So, people have to buy the products. For people who don’t have spare money to buy those products, they choose diets, extreme workouts or meal skipping (most of them not yet starving themselves).
People even looking down at fat people, even discriminate them. Children would bullying at fat kids. I was one of the kids who were being bullied due to obesity. Kids would not playing with you if you are fat, and bad nicknames like “fat pig”, “big belly” or even worse would be called. Even some irresponsible teachers would picking on fat students, and labelled them as “lazy”, “stupid” and “untidy”.
Here’s my confession.
Although, I’m fat. I sometimes making fun of other people who are fatter than me, without hurting their esteem. I know it’s bad even I’m doing it on anyone else.(As I always recieve teases and being picked.) I just tried to adjust my sight, trying not to judge people by their outer beauty.
In the nutshell, being obese is bad to physical health, but being anorexic is bad to both physical & psychological health. If I can stay healthy with my weights, I rather be obese.
But NEVER be anorexic in any situlation.
Winter
Sep 5, 2008 at 11:36 am
Well, I think both is bad. I am actually a fat person with ENDOS. I am the extreme of the yo yo dieters. I am 5 10 with a large frame. Right now my BMI is 28, Right now I am 250(size 18), 6 months ago I was 313(size 22)(yuck) I want to get to 160. I have gone as low as 100(size3) and as high as 500(size 26)(although when I was this weight my boobs were huge).
I starve(fast) all the time (also use ipicac, laxitives, intestinal detox aneama’s)and work out 6 hours every day. I cry inside when I see my “thin” friends and how much they eat. I never eat out. never anything fried or sugary.
I do have liver and pancreas problems and hypo thyriodism, which also makes it difficult to lose weight. Sometimes I think If I never obsessed, I might be a heathier weight. I have freinds that are so shallow, if I was ugly, they wouldn’t be my friend. It hurts me because that’s how everyone is. I was a plus size model, but all I want is the weight to be off for good. I think I have had disordered eating habits since I was 7 when my brother poked my in the stomac and told me I had a spare tire. Next day I joined up for soccer and track. I have always been bigger, even when I was playing sports. My diet consists of soy, ricecakes, veggies, water, diet pills and diet soda. Why am I so fat? What I am I doing wrong?
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