Obese? Who me?

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How is it possible that a woman doesn’t notice she weighs 107.9 kilograms?

And by this I don’t mean she knows she’s big but doesn’t do anything about it. I mean how does she not know/see/feel she’s that heavy?

Well, Sara Bird says she didn’t realise the kilos were slowly piling on and was shocked when her doctor told her she was about as heavy as a baby elephant.

Now after much thinking the mother of two has come to the conclusion that she’s fatorexic. Yes, that’s right, she has fatorexia (and she’s written a book about it, natch).

As the 44-year-old from the UK says, “Just like an anorexic who sees a fat body when they look in the mirror, I’d been seeing a slim one. Where the anorexic wears baggy clothes to hide behind, I was wearing big clothes with the size labels cut out to hide my vastness. And while the anorexic pretends she is eating plenty, I was pretending to be eating less when actually I was constantly grazing.”

I’m sorry, but, um, what?!

Maybe it’s the cynic in me but I just can’t see how this can be put on the same level as anorexia. True, I haven’t had anorexia but I know there are plenty of scientific works explaining that is an actual disease.

As far as I know, eating too much isn’t. Of course if it there’s a good reason why someone is overweight (thyroid problems, for example) then it’s not the same thing.

Maybe I’m being harsh about this whole fatorexia thing. Or maybe women like Sara Bird should really think long and hard before they try to legitimise putting so much junk in their bodies then equating it with a recognised eating disorder.



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Comments (14)


  1. Bridge
    2010/08/05 03:27:50 PM
    I feel really stupid after reading this cause no i dont eat healthy and no i dont eat out yes i do not eat and only eat when i want to and i weigh over 120KG i feel so stupid for admitting that and still i can't see for myself how i really look. after reading this article i am so going to start to eat and do some exercising , i don't want to be this person i am right now i feel like i can't trust people around me and thats beaucase i cant trust myself.
  2. Natalie
    2010/06/24 09:49:34 PM
    I would be what one would call a 'big girl' but I am happy. Feeling sexy and sensual is all about confidence. It has nothing to do with my wobbly bits. There are days when I eat better than others and I am still healthy. It's amazing how we define ourselves by our size.
  3. Deborah
    2010/06/15 05:24:05 PM
    Why do the food industries have a lot to answer for? Each person choses what they put in their mouths.
    Again this would be like me blaming the cig manufacturers for smoking, NO, I chose to smoke. Why is it always something or someone else's fault ? Why not take responsibility for what you eat and how much you weigh. This is cheapening a real disease anorexia where young girls are dying! If you are over weight and fine with it then good, if your not, do something about it stop blaming advertisers, tv, food industries and start and make the right choice of what goes past your lips...
  4. Charlene
    2010/06/14 05:30:38 PM
    Isn't it amazing how weight issues can really get us all worked up? The food industries have a lot to answer for, that's for sure!
  5. Deborah
    2010/06/14 02:13:00 PM
    Leigh, what you are saying is that every fat person, ' WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT IT!' If that was the case then why are there fat ppl?? Dont think you need any type of degree to work that one out! As for Fatorexia come on give me a break.. That would be like me saying I don't realise I smoke what would I be then Noncigorexia? Why did she cut the labels out of her clothes maybe because she wore xxxxxx size and wasn't happy about it but she had to have known what size she was to want to cut the label out.. Stop making excuses for everything and sort it out if your fat start changing your eating habits. By the way, eating fruit and veg is way less expensive than McDonalds , KFC or other junk food! You can also eat lots of it and not put on weight, hows that for insight...
  6. Leigh
    2010/06/05 02:33:26 PM
    You don't have to physiology degree to understand this one..... please ladies...... If all the men and women out there realised what they looked like at a hefty 115 kg, THEY'D HAVE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!! I actually like the word FATOREXIA, that's exactly what it is. Anorexia in reverse....plain and bloody simple.
  7. Robyne Chabant
    2010/05/18 05:03:58 PM
    Oh no!! I really can't believe this lady!! Ofcourse you know you are growing like Shamu!! You are in denial yes, but you konw for sure that the kilos are piling on. It starts off with a few kilos.... easy you can get rid of those. But then after a few more it starts to become not important!! The cycle starts... you're fat so you eat because you are depressed... you weigh yourself and find out your fatter... sooo... "comfort" food.....you eat some more!!

    It is also emotionally connected!! If you are unhappy about your life you will gain weight.

    I stand to be corrected, but the British men don't seem to have a problem with fat women, maybe it's because a lot of them are fat themselves!!

    Not judging anyone here, I'm an overweight person myself, and I am definately not happy jolly about it!!


  8. Charlene
    2010/05/06 02:38:00 PM
    Yes, Theresa, I agree that healthy food costs a lot and it's great that you're trying to get as much of it in as your budget will allow. Also just want to addthat I'm not judging fat people, if that's the impression I gave. I was saying someone who eats a lot shouldn't be shocked when they're told they weight 107kg.
  9. Theresa
    2010/05/03 09:08:46 PM
    It's easy to judge others! And it is easy to say eat healthy, but you know what it really is not that affordable to eat healthy. Have you seen how much it cost to get fresh fruit & veg and not to mention all of the other "Healthy foods". I just try and eat as healthy as what my budget allows me to!
    I agree with Beverley if you are in denial about your size then it SHOULD count both ways!!!!!!
  10. Charlene
    2010/05/03 04:51:29 PM
    Beverley, I'm not saying fat people are slobs. I'm saying that Sara Bird shouldn't be making up a condition then writing a book about it as if it's science. She confesses to constantly eating so she knows why she is fat.

    Alf, I guess it's not surprising. I don't consider myself to be thin so I'm certainly not pointing fingers at Sara Bird just because she's big. However, it is a bit odd to me that she didn't realise she's getting big. Surely it follows that if you eat a lot and constantly you will gain weight unless you have a super-metabolism?

    Anisha, wow, well done for losing so much weight! And I say this not to celebrate thinness but because it is obviously very good for your health. For me your kind of story is one to be celebrated because you realised what was happening and you went out there and did something about it. You didn't blame it on anything and you started to make healthier choices. I think that's great!
  11. Anisha Thuthnath
    2010/05/02 06:17:51 PM
    Hi, I am a 28 year old female and three years ago I weighed 115kg's. For me it felt like a point of no return. I also ate constantly and also did not see an obese person when I looked into the mirror. Something snapped in me one day and it changed my whole life. I followed no diet or any healthy eating plan. I did not set any goals about how much weight I wanted to lose either. All I did was educate myself about the good foods that was out there and that changed my outlook about the way I looked at food. I gave up junk foods and I started my journey to eating my way thin. I am like a time machine when it comes to eating. I eat after every two and a half to three hours a day. I began to appreciate the foods that were good me. I have since lost 50kg's and am still going strong. I am so proud about the way that I have chosen to lose the weight because I have done it without starving or following any of the diets out there. When I tell people about the way that I have lost weight they find it hard to believe because people out there are under the impression that you have to eat as less as possible if you want to lose weight. I have managed to inspire a few people and they have lost weight too. I would love to share my story with everyone out there and inspire as many people as possible. YOU is most welcome to contact me on my cell (0794730664) if you guys wish to cover my story.
  12. Nats
    2010/04/30 08:49:49 PM
    Gmf. The cheek.
  13. Alf
    2010/04/30 06:00:30 PM
    I don't know about Sara Bird's contention but I do know that food has taken on a whole new meaning in recent years. It's no longer just nourishment for your body - you're confronted by food everywhere and there are so many people with a vested interest in consumers overeating. Food is glamorised (ironically often by quite slender people), whether in advertising, on food channels on TV, in recipe exchanges by email, dinner parties, fashionable restaurants, etc. So is it surprising that people like Sara are overindulging? I think not.
  14. Beverley
    2010/04/30 01:10:37 PM
    Typical - if you are thin then you have a disease, if you are fat then you are just a slob. Wake up why can't it be in reverse if you are in denial about your body size then it should count both ways.

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