Airplane seats. This was addressed during the whole Kevin Smith is too fat to fly nonsense. Since when should an airline seat dictate what sizes are acceptable? We know that airlines want to cram as many people onto a plane as possible. That’s how they make money. So why should this be any judge of what’s acceptable and what isn’t? Also, I am one person. When I fly, I am transporting one person from here to there. Not two people. Why should I be required to pay for two people, even if it is at a discounted rate? Especially when I fit into one seat. Are they going to serve me two meals? Give me double ginger ale and peanuts? Can I take twice as many pieces of luggage?

Also, I appreciated how Marianne and Crystal kept trying to recenter the debate on healthy living and not weight. First, most people don’t understand the first thing about nutrition. Most people who are a socially-acceptable size are probably that way by accident. Also, most overweight people I know DO work out, and they DO eat well. I understand this is a common point made, but it goes even further. A 300lb person walking down the street will be judged on sight. What if that person had previously weighed 400 lbs? The people who would judge them on sight would think this was admirable, but they will never know that. Or, if they did, they might argue that “well, you should never have let yourself go in the first place.”

Fat people are ridiculed when they try to do the right thing. I can’t stand the idea of going to a gym because I know how people can be. Also, it’s humiliating to have to check to see the weight-limit of a piece of equipment before using. I’ve wanted an elliptical for a long time now, but I can’t afford to buy the models that can support my weight! How ridiculous is that? Fat people can’t even use exercise equipment.

Also, when a fat person orders a water and a salad and a clear broth soup in a restaurant, you know there’s someone thinking “and when she gets home, I bet she’s breaking out the fried chicken”. I know people think these things because I’ve heard them said.

Society insists that fat people strive for a “normal weight” and then it does everything it can to discourage them from doing just that. How can anyone be expected to accomplish something when they’re being hated on all the time?

When MeMe speaks about her family, I am horrified. She’s obviously ashamed of them, but it also sounds like she hates them. She denied being fat-phobic, but her entire crusade points to her being so. She grew up ashamed of her family, afraid people would judge her because of them. So she decided to do everything in her power to avoid being fat, and her crusade is a manifestation of that. Maybe she thinks that if there is enough fat-hatred in the world, then all the fat people will feel as ashamed as she did and change their ways. That’s our problem. We haven’t experienced enough shame and hatred.

Kim Benson annoyed me for a number of reasons. First of all, it seemed like she thought everything Marianne said was childish, naive, and the words of a spoiled kid who is being defiant. Also, she kept saying “I did it, anyone can do it”. But not everyone wants to do it. That point keeps being overlooked. Many people LIKE being fat. They do feel good. They love food. It brings them joy, and their life is joyful because of it. So she felt horrible when she was fat. That sucks, and she did what she needed to do to overcome that. But if Marianne says she’s finally at peace with herself and that she feels good, who’s Ms. Benson to yell and say she’s wrong? Ms. Benson experienced a lot of self-loathing, and that is something I can relate to, but this experience makes it absolutely impossible for her to understand or accept self-acceptance. I think she’s jealous and bitter that she had to lose 200 lbs to feel good about herself, when here’s this Marianne person feeling good about herself without having to do that.

I think a lot of people have been writing that MeMe only eats 1200 calories a day. She actually said that because she runs 4 miles a day, she is able to eat as much as 1800 calories a day. Right away, if you to draw people into more healthy lifestyles, saying that you have to run 4 miles a day in order to eat 1800 calories is not going to do it. It would pretty much scare me away. That does not sound like a life I would enjoy. If it’s so hard to maintain, then there’s no way you’re going to convince me that size is natural. Also, I laughed when she said 2000 calories a day was fine if you were 6’5”. 2000 would definitely NOT be enough calories for someone that tall if they ever moved at all. Has she ever seen a tall, lanky person eat?

I weigh around 310. Am I in the best shape? Not by a long shot. But my cholesterol is good. My blood pressure is good. I’m not diabetic. All of my blood work is fine. My mother is a third my weight, but she is crazy unhealthy. She may not be overweight, but she is remarkably over fat. To see us together is like seeing a normal person next to a giant. It’s really a crazy sight. Yet, I would be the one judged. She smokes and drinks as if these activities are her personal crusades, but she only eats once a day–right before she goes to bed. She hardly ever leaves the house. She’s only 51. I work full-time. I’m a vegetarian. I was a double major and had a minor during my undergrad, and I’m currently a graduate student who makes fabulous grades. Occasionally I go through phases where I exercise like crazy. Now is not one of those phases. So who has the healthier lifestyle? The “normal” weight person or the fat person?

My father played football in high school and was in the Marine Corps for 20 years. He was also a scuba instructor. Since he retired we have had a restaurant; he’s been a commercial diver; and now he’s a truck driver. He’s gained some weight with age, but he’s not fat. However, he’s got horrible circulation issues that make it extremely difficult for him to walk now. Before he had surgery, he was in excruciating pain all the time. He’s just about to be 55, and the surgery was around 5 years ago. So despite living an active lifestyle, or perhaps because of it, his body has worn out. My parents are polar opposites, but in the end, they are both extremely unhealthy.

Meme embodies everything this blog fights against. I am grateful to you all for creating this venue.

Speaking of chemicals– made whoopee pies this weekend. What a delightful use of marshmallow fluff and shortening!

As far as fun and creative uses for donuts — when my dad was going to the University of Virginia, one of the foods served at the student snack bar was called “grills” — two glazed donuts grilled just long enough to crystallize (but not melt) the glazing. A variation on that was “grills with” — said donuts with a scoop of vanilla ice cream between them. Of course, my dad started college in ’67, so recreational pot smoking was pretty common…

Murdering gift giving jolly men in red suits will NOT be tolerated come the revolution!**

**Which I’m sure MeMe will offer to televise. As long as she is the host.

And ah hell, I can’t even bring myself to hate someone as neurotic as her. I just pity someone who has an existence that miserable and feels the need to force it out on others.