“Throwing out the diet and embracing the fat” is not a perfect description of fat acceptance, but very, very good to see in mainstream media. Many fat blogs are named and linked to; four or five books are mentioned; and the obligatory “but people are healthier if they’re thinner” doesn’t get the last word — it’s immediately followed by:
What remains undisputed is that no clinical trial has found a diet that keeps weight off long-term for a majority. “If they really worked, we’d be running out of dieters,” said Glenn Gaesser, professor of exercise physiology at Arizona State University and author of “Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health.”
Both sides agree that regular exercise, at any size, improves health. “If you want to know who’s going to die, know their fitness level,” said Steven Blair, a self-described “fat and fit” professor of exercise science, epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina. His research indicates that “obese individuals who are fit have a death rate one half that of normal-weight people who are not fit.”
The Health At Every Size study is mentioned as well. Also props for the photo (of a scale being thrown out of a window) that is NOT a headless fatty! Between this and the cartoon that accompanied October’s story I hope The New York Times sets a trend ;)
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