Dear Heather ... The Thin Commandments

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

Dear Heather,

I like your blog and I like reading it, thanks for putting in the work to keep it updated. I hope you're doing well, I noticed you haven't been writing as much as you usually do. But I digress, the reason for my note is I've been reading some weight loss motivation books lately and I came across these Thin Commandments. I wanted to know if you'd heard of them and if you have any comments on them.

If you aren't thin, you aren't attractive. Being thin is more important than being healthy. You must buy clothes, cut your hair, take laxatives, starve yourself, and do anything to make yourself look thinner. Thou shall not eat without feeling guilty. Thou shall not eat fattening food without punishing oneself afterwards. Thou shall count calories and restrict intake accordingly. What the scale says is the most important thing. Losing weight is good/gaining weight is bad. You can never be too thin. Being thin and not eating are signs of true willpower and success.

Haley

Dear Haley,

My first thought when I read this note was that you couldn't be serious, was this really in a book on weight loss motivation? Being thin and not eating are signs of true willpower and success? My sister-in-law is skinny as a rail and she doesn't eat properly and it's not about willpower - child has a great metabolism and that's what she was born with. She doesn't even exercise regularly - it's enough to make a sane person crazy.

What the Scale Says is the Most Important Thing?

Okay so if my scale is broken or speaks in a foreign language, then I'm all set? The scale is ONE measurement and only one. An athlete with a lot of muscle can weigh over 200 pounds, but I wouldn't call him or her obese if their BMI and other measurements were befitting their musculature and not due to fat.

Being Thin is More Important Than Being Healthy

Seriously?

If You Aren't Thin, You Aren't Attractive

And my response to that is a big, fat pffffft. I've known some exceptionally beautiful women who were not classically thin - Marilyn Monroe anyone? And I've known plenty of skinny people who were not what I would call attractive, but then beauty is often found in the eye of the beholder.

So no, I can't say that I have ever read these thin commandments anywhere - except maybe in a 'destroy your health and self-esteem' catalog (not that I like to read those anyway). As for this list? I'd call it all hogwash, crumple it up and throw it away. Any list that espouses looks over health is pretty nuts in my book.

Do you have a question you need answered? Send it in to Dear Heather!

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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