During tonight’s episode of Australian Story on the ABC, Michelle Bridges, trainer on Australia’s Biggest Loser and new mum, says she’s never met a happy obese person.
Which is a pity, because there are lots of us out there.
She tells Australian Story, “It might be seen that I have this agenda on people who are overweight or people who are deemed fat,” she said.
“Honestly, if you are happy where you are, more power to you.
“But I can tell you, I’m yet to meet someone who is morbidly obese and happy.”
By every measure, I am morbidly obese. I weigh in excess of 100kg. I’m about 160cms tall. My BMI is 42.
But, am I happy or unhappy? That can be a little harder to quantify, but happily there is solid science to help us out.
Sonja Lyubomirsky is a professor at the University of California, and has dedicated her academic work to the study of happiness. She’s trying to figure out what makes people happy, whether or not happiness is a good and important thing and how we can create more happiness in people.
Lyubomirsky’s Subjective Happiness Scale sets out to measure a person’s happiness. I scored six and a half out of seven when I took the test earlier this morning.
In her book, The How of Happiness, Lyubomirsky defines happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”
I experience joy. I have a healthy marriage, two beautiful children who surprise and delight me. I experience positive well-being. I have a great job that I enjoy. I have creative outlets and spend time with close friends. I have a sense that my life is good, and worthwhile. I try to create worthwhile stories at work, and I aim to be a good and caring friend.
Alys with her son Will. Image supplied
So, all we need to do is to stick me in a room with Michelle Bridges and then she will be able to say that she has met someone who is both fat and happy. And honestly, I'd be delighted to anytime.
If we do meet, I would try to explain to Bridges the really serious problems that sit underneath her comments.
Fatness is the final frontier, the last "acceptable" form of discrimination.
Top Comments
Type 2 diabetes is really awful, and so many of us have it. It is about more than weight, but if you are "obese" you are most likely going to hit prediabetic by 45-50 or so. Plus or minus, but the vascular damage, dementia and overall health effects start before then and don't go away.
Nice you feel happy. But I suspect your happiness will taper off a bit when they start amputating your feet.
Heart disease, cancers, premature ageing - all are exacerbated by excess weight. You know that. And if your response is deciding to be happy about it, OK I guess. Not my problem, so long as I don't have to pay for fifteen years of your kidney dialysis.
As a society, we simply can't keep doing what we do to ourselves. Our diet is killing us, and more importantly robbing us of years that should have been healthy and spent with loved ones. You do have the right to do whatever you like to your own body, but don't kid yourself. There are consequences.
watch chubby chaser over on SBS, fat used to be beautiful