Project FAT SHAME An Epic Fail

It seems like lab rats might soon be out of a job if we continue to conduct experiments on ourselves. Morgan Spurlock did it in 2004 for his documentary Super Size Me, when he subsisted solely on McDonald’s for an entire month to prove that the fast food industry contributes to the obesity epidemic by encouraging poor nutrition in exchange for profit.

In 2014, twins Alexander and Chris Van Tulleken (both doctors) conducted their own month long experiment called Sugar vs Fat in order to determine which diet is worse for us. One was given a fat free, high carb and sugar diet, and the other was given a carb free, high fat diet. Since they have identical genes, the outcome would be based on the diet, not genetics. Ultimately, they concluded we should avoid processed foods made with sugar and fat.

Then there’s little ol’ triangle me, doing 12 in 12, where I’m currently in the midst of testing 12 diets in 12 months to find out which claim works best for my body and my lifestyle.

And then there’s Katie Hopkins, a British journalist who decided to fat-shame every plus-sized person on the planet by conducting a six-month trial called To Fat and Back. Hopkins, a self-described fitness fanatic, was sick and tired of the excuses we fat people make for not losing weight, so she decided to show us just how easy it is. Apparently, she’s been vocal of her distain of anyone who can’t fit in size 4 jeans, publicly stating, she would never hire an overweight person because they look lazy. Geesh, she makes Simon Cowell look like a boy scout!

So off she went, gaining as much weight as she could for the first three months, and then trying to lose it in the last three. Hopkins started her experiment with a BMI of 19.6, 15% body fat, and weighing in at 124 lbs… on her 5’7” frame, she is considered clinically underweight.

It looked like her little experiment wasn’t going to work at first…. She couldn’t gain any weight in the first two weeks when she was eating 5,000 calories a day, so she had to up her intake to 6,500. This tells me her body burns at an exceptional rate, not like the “fatties” she’s trying to prove her point to.

She managed to gain 43 lbs in 3 months, taking her to 167 lbs. Then it was time to lose. She returned to her old workout routine, jogging several times a week and going to the gym. When it was time for her final weigh-in, she came in at 136 lbs, 12 lbs heavier than she started. Not so easy, hey Katiekins?

“This is a stupid project. I hate fat people for making me do this.”

You’re right, your project is stupid. I’m no doctor, but I can tell you if Hopkins, Spurlock, the Van Tulleken twins, and I conducted the same experiment, we’d all get different results, BECAUSE WE’RE ALL DIFFERENT!

What’s sad, besides Hopkins lack of compassion, is that her experiment was nothing more than a publicity stunt. She had an opportunity to affect change, but she failed miserably. She never discussed the many reasons why people are fat: medical issues, thyroid problems, genetic predisposition, socio-economic status, depression, and how the food industry contributes to the problem. But according to Hopkins, these are just excuses.

“All fat people want is an excuse. But fatties have the one thing disabled people don’t have. They have a choice. Nobody’s forcing them to shovel food in their faces.”

I’m not saying that I don’t own what I’ve done myself, but to call me, and the millions like me, lazy is ludicrous! We are striving for a healthier lifestyle – just look at the profits the diet industry makes – BILLIONS! And if weight loss was as easy as she claims, we’d all be slim!

If I was lazy, I wouldn’t have spent most of my adult life searching for a solution. It’s people like Hopkins that have me on the defensive. What appears as lazy is actually mental and emotional defeat in a lifelong battle with addiction. If I could go back and tell my slender self not to head down that slippery slope, I would… but I’m not sure I would have listened to myself. My addiction became my addiction for a reason. The same would apply to a smoker, a drug addict, or an alcoholic. It appears Hopkins has an addiction of her own, she’s addicted to proving a point and she doesn’t care who she steamrolls over to make it.

If you haven’t had the joy of watching Ms. Hopkins defend her theory, I’ve taped a scene where she sits with psychologist, Emma Kenny for your viewing pleasure.

Sorry for the lack of funny in this post – Hopkins knocked the jolly out of this fat girl today. But here’s a little something to tie you over until my next post when I promise to be hilarious.