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1. 1 On January 29th, 2008, ae said:

   you are awesome, awesome, awesome! thanks for being willing to put yourselves out there like this.

   posted on January 29th, 2008 at 1:23 am

2. 2 On January 29th, 2008, The Ethical Slut said:

   Yeah, what was with that “no white foods” bs!? What is she, a food racist? I guess she is a “doctor”…..

   Hated the skinny bitch.

   posted on January 29th, 2008 at 1:24 am

3. 3 On January 29th, 2008, Alexandra Erin said:

   So, in theory, if we drink vodka (alcohol made from potatoes), our bodies will be too confused to know what to do and we should never die?

   posted on January 29th, 2008 at 1:26 am

4. 4 On January 29th, 2008, Carrie said:

   I can’t believe they asked you for your weight when they didn’t for MeMe and the doctor lady.

   You rocked. Both of you were beautiful, healthy, and composed. I think I just would have slapped everyone but you and Monique and walked off.

   You did good. I’m more proud than ever to be a part of the FA/HAES movement.

   posted on January 29th, 2008 at 1:29 am

5. 5 On January 29th, 2008, red said:

   Got to your site via the videos at Shapely Prose – you were incredible on the show. You were poised, knowledgeable, and more than gracious to people (Meme Roth) who hate you for no reason. I hope to be at the place you are in terms of acceptance for yourself some day – but I know I have a lot of work to do.

   posted on January 29th, 2008 at 2:00 am

6. 6 On January 29th, 2008, Sarah said:

   It was so wonderful to watch and I cannot wait to see the after show ‘chat’.

   The asking of the weights was a bit wierd. I, even as a guest, would have asked Meme and the Dr what their weights were as well, and see if they answered as openly, without fear, and matter as factly as you. I don’t think they would have treated it like the simple number that it is, rather a reflection of their morals or something THEY do that you don’t that they think should be celebrated.

   Your hair is a winner!

   posted on January 29th, 2008 at 2:11 am

7. 7 On January 29th, 2008, Beth said:

   I saw the show, and I had to give kudos on sharing your weights with the viewers. That is brave, and something I could never do! It upset me, that every time you started to say something about being fat and healthy, you were interrupted. I wanted to hear what you had to say darn it!

   Anyhow, you’ve gained another visitor!

   posted on January 29th, 2008 at 2:23 am

8. 8 On January 29th, 2008, PurpleGirl said:

   MeMe Roth is quite likely the most annoying woman I’ve ever seen. You and Monique looked amazing! And also, Rachel, if I saw you walking down the street, I would not think you were fat at all! Not only because I don’t judge people that way, but because you look beautiful and perfectly healthy! And great job shooting down Roth’s stupidity!

   posted on January 29th, 2008 at 2:35 am

9. 9 On January 29th, 2008, JeanC said:

   You guys rocked! I had to keep hitting the mute button when MeMemememe opened her mouth, otherwise I would have had a broken TV. The viceral reaction I got the last time I saw her spewing was even worse this time around.

   I do hope they put the green room discussion up, I would love to see what was said.

   posted on January 29th, 2008 at 2:46 am

10. 10 On January 29th, 2008, Toni said:

    Yay for you! I have to admit, I couldn’t bring myself to watch the whole thing. The instant MeMe started to speak, I had the uncontrollable urge to vomit. And then I fast forwarded it to the part where the doctor started saying that it’s all about BMI. But you sounded great in the parts that I did watch! Kudos for not beating the crap out of everyone but Mo!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 3:05 am

11. 11 On January 29th, 2008, Shauna said:

    *de-lurks*

    You were amazing! They were spewing so much unreasonable bs that I wouldn’t have known where to start, but you kept calm and kept on point. You have every right to be proud of yourself.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 3:05 am

12. 12 On January 29th, 2008, Amanda said:

    Amazing job! You and Monique were so poised (and can I say gorgeous, too?) — you outclassed the hosts, the clueless doctor and (let’s call her “that other bitch”) by miles.

    I’d love to see the green room discussion, too. *crosses fingers*

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 3:26 am

13. 13 On January 29th, 2008, littlem said:

    Green room! Green room! Green room! Green room!
    Green room! Green room! Green room! Green room!

    Hee hee hee hee hee …

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 3:48 am

14. 14 On January 29th, 2008, littlem said:

    You all were cool. I probably would have asked Me!Me! and Dr. Bimbo how much they weighed myself.

    P.S. Nice outfits.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 3:49 am

15. 15 On January 29th, 2008, maura said:

    What kind of a tag do they use for weight-discrimination… fatist? weightist? anti-human-beings?

    Meme sounded like such an idiot, and she’s quite rude for talking over the host(s) and you!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 4:01 am

16. 16 On January 29th, 2008, Anna said:

    She ran away from you? What did you do, threaten to get your fat all over her?

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 4:06 am

17. 17 On January 29th, 2008, Arwen said:

    Good god, woman, you are both my HEROES.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 4:31 am

18. 18 On January 29th, 2008, jamboree said:

    You were amazing. Can I be you when I grow up?

    And also: I LOVE YOUR HAIR!!!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 6:12 am

19. 19 On January 29th, 2008, vesta44 said:

    I do want to see the green room interview, that should be quite interesting. And I would have loved to have seen rabidRoth running away from you, that had to have been quite amusing (understatement there….lol). I watched the show, and you and Mo were just totes awesome. Every time MMR opened her mouth to perpetuate lies, I wanted to deck her, but you ladies handled her so well without resorting to violence (you have a lot more restraint than I do).

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 6:46 am

20. 20 On January 29th, 2008, Devi said:

    The two of you came off as confident and poised. Meme came of as shrill and slightly hysterical. It was awesome. What was up with the advice at the end, though? No mention of physical activity at all – just throw away your potatoes, kids, and you’ll be on the raod to better health.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 7:13 am

21. 21 On January 29th, 2008, cp said:

    You were both awesome – beautiful, confident, sensible, knowledgeable. The others (both comperes and guests) looked like bigoted fools.

    You go girls!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 7:35 am

22. 22 On January 29th, 2008, Malcolm said:

    Well done. I’m glad the interviewers weren’t shrill and took a moderate (sane) stance, though they obviously didn’t know etiquette that well, or felt etiquette wouldn’t convey the point of the panel.

    You did very well, and I agree with the others that Meme did not come off well. The doctor came off as neutral and mostly irrelevant.

    It was a pity everything was so rushed. I’d love to see BMI knocked off its pedestal.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 7:42 am

23. 23 On January 29th, 2008, ottermatic said:

    Oh I want to see the green room footage! Run, Meme, run!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 9:11 am

24. 24 On January 29th, 2008, Tari said:

    Finally got to watch the tape! You guys were just freaking brilliant. Really well done. I would totally love to see that green room footage…I could tell from what I saw of MeMe that she was getting more and more desperate. You stomped her well in the time you had; I can only imagine how much fun it was with fewer time constraints.

    And I hate to stereotype the “other side,” but it was a little disturbing to see Juliet, MeMe, and the doc all look like Barbie photocopies, while you and Mo actually looked like individual women. Intersection between feminism and FA? Yes, I think so.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 9:16 am

25. 25 On January 29th, 2008, Tari said:

    P.S. Horizontal stripes? Awesome!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 9:17 am

26. 26 On January 29th, 2008, Michelle said:

    Rachel, I extend my proudest regards to you & Mo for the good work that you did. You stood your ground and MeMe and Dr. Ashton’s reactions showed how weak TEH FATZ WILL KILL YOU statistics truly are – I’m still unsure how she came to the conclusion that the BMI is not relevant to height and weight, HUH?

    :insert confused look here:

    Oh, and of course MeMe would run away — this is a woman who protested against cupcakes. For the love of GAWD! Good job Rachel! lol ;]

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 9:24 am

27. 27 On January 29th, 2008, Jeanne said:

    AWESOME!!!

    Rachel (and Mo) you both are amazing women!!!! THANK YOU!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 9:42 am

28. 28 On January 29th, 2008, attrice said:

    You and Mo’ were fantastic. Even with the, imo, obvious bias of the hosts, you came across as level-headed and informed where Roth sounded panicked and desperate.

    I’m really hoping they post the green room stuff.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 9:46 am

29. 29 On January 29th, 2008, Sister Honey Bunch said:

    I just found you. You and I are the exact same height and weight. Not that that really means anything, but hey. Just thought I would share.

    You did a great job!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 9:53 am

30. 30 On January 29th, 2008, Rachel said:

    You and I are the exact same height and weight.

    And don’t we look fabulous?

    Thanks so much for the kind comments, everyone. I really did try to take the high road with Roth. I even went up to her in the greenroom before the show and introduced myself (she didn’t reciprocate) and thanked her for being on the show. She said, in a very snotty tone I wish you all could hear, “Always glad to talk about the issue.” I knew then that she was going to be defensive and combative from the start so I said “As are we” and I walked away.

    And then, as you see, she was her own worst enemy during the show.

    Okay – I do have to work sometime today but I will try and post the details later.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 10:07 am

31. 31 On January 29th, 2008, stefanie said:

    That show was great. The best part was when Meme Roth showed her true colors, and came out with ITZ ALL ABUT TEH UGLIEEEZ. Health, schmelth.

    That BMI remark was great, too – “Uh, it’s not about height and weight. It’s about BMI!”

    You looked happy and relaxed, far more so than the other two guests – who presumably have done lots of interviews and shows like this.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 10:07 am

32. 32 On January 29th, 2008, twilightriver said:

    You are gorgeous and brilliant! I simply couldn’t bear to watch more than 10 seconds of Meme. The interviewers were on my last nerve with their incredulity about our desire for acceptance.

    Did I mention you are gorgeous?

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 10:11 am

33. 33 On January 29th, 2008, HillaryGayle said:

    I am so, so, so impressed. Thank you for proving everything I thought when I first joined the fat acceptance movement. Thank you for proving two overweight girls can go on national television and make a hateful woman look like a hateful woman. Wow, you two.

    (Oh, and I’m here via Shapely Prose and I am now subscribing to your feed. <3!!)

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 10:12 am

34. 34 On January 29th, 2008, Mickey said:

    Hey Rachel! You rocked that panel discussion so hard, and I utterly covet your hair. Thanks for being such an awesome public figure for FA and HAES, and congratulations on having the courage to state your weight on national television!

    I’m not surprised Me!Me! was so horrid towards you… I think her whole crusade is just her public expression of fearing her fat family, and all other fat people by extension.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 10:20 am

35. 35 On January 29th, 2008, Ms Ingrid said:

    You girls rocked! And you look awesome.

    You are on a great mission.

    I wish that some day guys will catch up with this movement and start accepting curvy women. As now they still prefer the skinny ones, so sad really. Not all of them, but still way too many.
    Always easier to find your man when you are skinny. That is one of the main reasons teens starve themselves.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 10:35 am

36. 36 On January 29th, 2008, BigLiberty said:

    “And I hate to stereotype the “other side,” but it was a little disturbing to see Juliet, MeMe, and the doc all look like Barbie photocopies, while you and Mo actually looked like individual women. Intersection between feminism and FA? Yes, I think so.”

    True that, I noticed the same thing. Since shows of this sort tend to populate their guests in order to make it as dramatic as possible, I wonder if Dr. NoWhiteFoods was asked to be on the show in order to make the contrast between she and MeMe and Rachel and Monique as visually distinct as possible? Like some twisted “us vs. them” nonsense?

    Considering my three year old baby sister knows more about nutrition than that quack doctor, likely the producers only looked at her photo and credentials and little else. Hmmph.

    Rachel and Monique looked great! You made me feel better about my appearance than I’ve felt in a long time…I know I’m beautiful, but for so long I’ve heard, “Oh, you could be a model if you’d just lose (fill in the blank #) pounds.”

    For the first time I realized that I don’t have to fill in that blank.

    Thanks guys…you’re saving women’s lives, seriously. I mean that. Every little bit of exposure will help someone, somewhere, who is struggling with his/her body image. Congrats!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 10:42 am

37. 37 On January 29th, 2008, Moderndayhermit said:

    De-lurking to say Bravo!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 11:10 am

38. 38 On January 29th, 2008, Shinobi said:

    You guys were awesome! Thank you so much for doing this. I REALLY wish I could have seen you PWN Meme. Next time someone should just follow you around with a video camera.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 11:13 am

39. 39 On January 29th, 2008, Charlotte said:

    First off, I love your hair! That cut and color looks great on you!
    You and Mo did a fantastic job on the show. Both of you were lovely and articulate. I was so proud to be part of FA while I was watching the clips. Way to lay the verbal smackdown on Meme!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 11:13 am

40. 40 On January 29th, 2008, FromtheGreatLake said:

    I’m just an outsider to this blog I have never been on it since I saw the show, but I do find it quite interesting. I’m starting to think that it’s more of not just a fat acceptance, which I think if you’re truly trying to help those who are fat be accepted you need to focus on the healthy part of weight. You need to realize that people need to get their numbers checked, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. It’s not about beauty it’s about healthy my friends. Also if you want to not follow in the footsteps of this woman meme you need to stop referring to her as a SKINNY bitch and stop hating those that are skinny, because frankly, you all seem to be under the impression that skinny means unhealthy and starvation….which I’m sorry but I don’t really see how your view is any less discriminating than meme’s view of fat people. Also a lot of the people that do encourage weight loss really are doing it because they are worried about the health of others and they have seen those they love die at the hands of obesity. I just ask that you remember to be equal on the matter of weight and to stop using harsh words to describe those that are not you.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 11:34 am

41. 41 On January 29th, 2008, BigLiberty said:

    ^I think, if you peruse the blog a bit more, you’ll realize that we do not believe people who are skinny are necessarily dying from starvation, nor do we loathe/envy/etc skinny people because they are skinny.

    And “dying at the hands of obesity” is a simple statement with many complex assumptions—which we are, very much, trying to debunk. Please read the blog more thoroughly before making accusations about its author/commentators that are untrue.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 11:54 am

42. 42 On January 29th, 2008, Rachel said:

    No one here is anti-skinny, GreatLakes, and if you have spent anytime whatsoever on these blogs beyond a moment’s notice, you would have recognized this. Skinny is just an adjective – just like fat is – and the fact that many feel Meme is a bitch is entirely irrelevant to her weight.

    Skinny doesn’t always mean unhealthy and starvation, but to the corollary, neither does fat always mean unhealthy and gluttony. This is the point we’re trying to make. i encourage you to read more before you make and post assumptions.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 11:55 am

43. 43 On January 29th, 2008, Sister Sassy said:

    Good job! I just found you here (actually sent sister honey over before I could comment) but I like my Jasmine rice, brown rice is so gross! Now I’ll go eat my pound of whole wheat pasta and drink some Malt Liquor.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 12:08 pm

44. 44 On January 29th, 2008, apophenia said:

    As I posted at Mo’s, brava to you both!

    I’m eagerly awaiting details on the green room discussion. And I was amused to note that the current M&J green room site features clips on such enlightening subjects as “Tips to Keep Your Pets Slim” and “A Believer in the Hallelujah Diet.” I’m sure that yours, when/if they add it, will be a welcome change of pace!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 12:21 pm

45. 45 On January 29th, 2008, Elizabeth said:

    Rachel, you looked and sounded completely amazing. You have every reason to be *so* proud of yourself and what you did for the FA movement. You didn’t look nervous at all, you stuck to your point, and you had facts to back it up. Really good work.

    I’m another “fattie” in the best shape of my life. 5′7″, about 200 lbs, strong and muscular and feeling great.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 12:31 pm

46. 46 On January 29th, 2008, Sara said:

    Truly awesome job. I would have lost my cool entirely, but you guys were just sublime – collected, kick-ass, informed…as you always are on your blogs. I am thrilled for you and for the issue to have received such coverage, even though it was obviously grossly biased against you (”so…you want ACCEPTANCE?!?!” No Mike, it’s called the Fat Acceptance movement because we want cheese), and any show that has Meme Roth on for the “opposing view” is looking for polemics, not reason and intellect (surprised them I’m sure when you handed them scads of both reason *and* intellect – my goodness, Teh Fatz are thinking creatures!!! Oh NOEZ!).

    I do fear for the good “doctor’s” medical career, however. “It’s not about height and weight! It’s about the BMI!” Um. Oh dear. And, of course fat isn’t a feminist issue at all….let’s hear what their HUSBANDS think of them!

    I dearly would love to see that green room footage, particularly since I think it would balance out the list of appalling footage already on that site, most of them dealing with diets, makeovers, scoring husbands (I’m not making that up), and advice on how to keep your pets slim.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 12:33 pm

47. 47 On January 29th, 2008, celsou said:

    Wow you and Mo were fantastic! You did us fatties proud:) MMR came off as shrill while you guys looked calm and confident.
    lol at the interviewer’s euphemisms for fat: chubby and my favourite, hefty:)

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 12:37 pm

48. 48 On January 29th, 2008, Rachel said:

    Yeah, I told the producer that fat is an okay word to use and I actually prefer it over those fat euphemisms. There were lots of things I told the producer and the interviewer that were glossed over – such as their claims that the fatosphere is new. Uhhh.. I told them that Paul started the seminal fat acceptance blog in 2000. And I also stressed the crux of fat acceptance to be a civil rights issue, yet they persisted in making it a health issue.

    I was very disappointed in the shows’ hosts, actually. The producer was awesome and seemed to really get what it was we wanted to emphasize, but the show’s hosts were clueless. And Juliet totally shot me daggers when I redirected her question on my diet to a discussion of BMI. She was really pissed at me during the break (or so it seemed to me).

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 12:42 pm

49. 49 On January 29th, 2008, DiosaNegra1967 said:

    long time lurker, first time poster chiming in to say: Y’ALL WERE FAB!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 12:51 pm

50. 50 On January 29th, 2008, red_delicious said:

    I can’t wait to see Meme Roth look like the dolt she really is!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 12:52 pm

51. 51 On January 29th, 2008, Stacy said:

    Hey Rachel – Just wanted to say “well done!” You and Mo were fab.

    (I’m waiting on the edge of my seat for the green room story. I only wish it was on camera as well!)

    Anyway, nice work!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

52. 52 On January 29th, 2008, SharonC said:

    Green room is UP!!!!!!!!

    You guys were once again fabulous!

    That doctor was unbelievably clueless – she heard you talking about all the health problems you had when you were thin and how you didn’t have those being fat and all she could do was to keep bleating on about more health risks for fat people. How screwed up is that logic?

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

53. 53 On January 29th, 2008, boots said:

    You guys blew me away. So articulate, and you made so many excellent points. I loved how you guys refocused the question about fat kids, because I was scared about where that was going. You guys had your talking points down, you put out actual hard-to-deny evidence to support your cause–I loved it. Outstanding. I really hope people listened and learned from it.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 2:00 pm

54. 54 On January 29th, 2008, FromtheGreatLakes said:

    Sorry to have offended you, but possibly you would want to have a first time viewer, who doesn’t want to spend hours upon hours perusing your many blogs to have a good first impression of your purpose. And yes someone on this blog did refer to meme as a SKINNY bitch that is why I used that context…if you think she’s just a bitch, no need to use an additional word as if it’s a bad thing.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

55. 55 On January 29th, 2008, spacedcowgirl said:

    Rachel, you were so awesome. Amazing. You did a great thing here and I am totally in awe of how expertly you handled the appearance in general, and all of the b.s. they kept trying to sling at you. THANK YOU so much for doing this.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 2:28 pm

56. 56 On January 29th, 2008, Rachel said:

    Sorry to have offended you, but possibly you would want to have a first time viewer, who doesn’t want to spend hours upon hours perusing your many blogs to have a good first impression of your purpose.

    You don’t have to spend hours perusing my blog. My message is consistent in every blog entry I write. If you don’t have the inclination to read and understand the scope of the site, it’s probably best not to criticize the messenger.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 3:06 pm

57. 57 On January 29th, 2008, Laura said:

    I think this might be my first comment on your blog, but I’ve been reading since shortly after you started it. I saw the videos from the show yesterday and was so impressed by the way you articulated your points and thought you did a great job advancing the cause. Well done!

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 3:07 pm

58. 58 On January 29th, 2008, lovekitten16 said:

    I think doctors are afraid of discussions on TV like the one that happened yesterday, because they would lose their hold on the scared feelings they put into their patients about the wieght issue.

    You ladies showed the doctors that their feelings were outdated and not very flexable (they both sounded like my doctor actually).

    congradulations ladies for showing the public that the doctors are not always right

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 3:16 pm

59. 59 On January 29th, 2008, Paul said:

    “I told them that Paul started the seminal fat acceptance blog in 2000.”

    Thank you, and I’m going to start quoting you by that. “As said by Rachel Richardson, TV celebrity and pin wearer!”

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 4:05 pm

60. 60 On January 29th, 2008, Orodemniades said:

    Meme is a sad, sad woman, isn’t she? I feel sorry for her.

    Also? You both so rocked.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 4:08 pm

61. 61 On January 29th, 2008, meowcat said:

    You both were wonderful and inspiring! I like how you explained that your message is one of mind/body health and loving yourself.

    I thought it was strange when the male interviewer made the comment about your husbands and what they thought about this. So typical to make it about whether or not your husband accept you. It is implied that if your man didn’t like you at a heavier weight then it certainly would not be ok for you to feel good about yourself. That is so annoying.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 4:16 pm

62. 62 On January 29th, 2008, BigLiberty said:

    [quote] Sorry to have offended you, but possibly you would want to have a first time viewer, who doesn’t want to spend hours upon hours perusing your many blogs to have a good first impression of your purpose. [/quote]

    Rachel said “You don’t have to spend hours perusing my blog. My message is consistent in every blog entry I write. If you don’t have the inclination to read and understand the scope of the site, it’s probably best not to criticize the messenger.”

    She’s right, you don’t have to spend hours perusing her blog. I spent about fifteen minutes scanning through, reading comments, checking out the categories, and reading the comments policy.

    PS: Sorry about the messy quotes. I don’t know how to format comments in wordpress…I’m used to using BBCode and HTML tags, I don’t know which applies.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 4:47 pm

63. 63 On January 29th, 2008, Rachel said:

    No problem, BigLiberty. To italicize, you use < i> before the quote and after (no spaces). Bold is < b> and < /b >.

    I thought it was strange when the male interviewer made the comment about your husbands and what they thought about this.

    Not so strange if you consider this. Neither Monique nor I could find our room reservations when checking in. We both checked in separately and it took the clerks several minutes to find our reservations each because we have different last names from our husbands. The show reserved the rooms in their names. Our names were nowhere on the room receipt or record at all.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 4:53 pm

64. 64 On January 29th, 2008, Laura Collins said:

    You were both absolutely wonderful.

    The rest of the people on that stage – including the hosts – looked scared, as well they should be.

    “You want acceptance?” That’s a question? That’s something we should have to earn, somehow?

    Unbelievable ignorance and sad, mannerless people.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 5:01 pm

65. 65 On January 29th, 2008, Jackie said:

    I just have to ask this. How on Earth did you not give into the desire, to punch Meme Roth in the face? I mean, I just watched up to the point where she was saying basically, Anorexia is no big deal compared to the obeeesity epidemic. I wanted to smack her.

    You also looked really cute on the show.

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

66. 66 On January 29th, 2008, nonegiven said:

    “those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences.”
    — C.S Lewis

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 6:05 pm

67. 67 On January 29th, 2008, Meowser said:

    Go Rachel!

    And P.S. I think it’s perfectly fair game to refer to someone as “that skinny woman” when she has made her entire career out of calling attention to her own (artificially lowered) weight.

    P.P.S. I hope everyone here, especially you big bad BMI > 30 types, had yourselves a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and a few shots of Jack Daniels. (And Rachel, don’t you dare try to cheat with tofu, that’s a WHITE food!)

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 7:38 pm

68. 68 On January 29th, 2008, Karrigan said:

    I also had to develop an eating disorder to get to 125 lbs, thanks for sharing – you were both great

    posted on January 29th, 2008 at 7:42 pm

69. 69 On January 30th, 2008, Jackie said:

    I watched both videos. It certianly seemed like Juliet wasn’t happy, that you and Mo weren’t letting her talk to you like you were some kind of freakshow anomalies. Like oh what do you do for exercise, cause it must be different than what I do, cause I’m not fat. Like some sort of childish mysticism around why they’re not fat and you are. Or perhaps trying to convince themselves, if they’re not exercising like the fat people, they won’t ever get fat.

    I also would like to reiterate, that it was completely stupid for Meme Roth, I mean among the myriad of other stupid things she’s said, to act as if Anorexia is pratically a non-issue. I wonder what she would say to parents who have had a daughter die of Anorexia. I think, even though this might’ve cause more contraversy amongst you and the hosts, something like “What do you call eating less than 800 calories a day?! Healthy? That’s Anorexia! But hey, I was thin, so who cares if I was STARVING MYSELF.”

    posted on January 30th, 2008 at 4:53 am

70. 70 On January 30th, 2008, Other Sally said:

    Wow, the hosts were almost as bad as Mimi. I wish they’d have let you talk more, especially with the doctor, and corner her on whether, going by BMI, she would insist that you need to lose weight because of “future risks” despite the fact that forced weight loss has been SHOWN to cause health problems.

    Re: the white food thing–that was stated in a really bad way, and had nothing to do with the topic at hand (wtf? why did she start talking about that?), but she was mostly right. Well, not about potatoes: they have plenty of nutrients, especially their nonwhite skin. But white bread and things made from refined flour, as well as refined rice, really are basically nutrient-free, empty foods. Everything nutritionally useful about them is taken out so that they keep longer. But that’s neither here nor there.

    I loved your comments about HAES! And your point that shaming people about their bodies is not going to make them exercise or be healthy; it’ll just make them depressed and withdrawn and probably less likely to be physically active.

    I do wish we could do away with the “skinny bitch” comments though. :-/ I was ashamed of my body most when I was in jr. high-high school, and was in fact very skinny–which everyone couldn’t resist pointing out to me. I was specially self-conscious about the fact that my figure was “boyish,” and it was especially frustrating because I couldn’t even do anything about that short of surgery. At least now I have boobs and hips, but I still cringe when people talk about “skinny bitches” or “real women with curves” vs “girls who look like adolescent boys.” Anyway, point is, surely we don’t have to insult the other’s people’s weight/figures either.

    posted on January 30th, 2008 at 5:08 am

71. 71 On January 30th, 2008, Rachel said:

    Hey Other Sally – The only comments I see here in relation to “skinny bitch” are in reference to Meme. I completely understand the inclination of many people who feel slighted and personally offended by Meme’s campaign to eradicate the nation of people like them to call her that. But, I do get your point and I would ask everyone to think of a more appropriate adjective to use – it’s not very different from calling someone a “fat bitch,” I guess. And I think we’ve all had our fair share of that.

    Maybe “misinformed” might be a better adjective?

    And I’ve already received a comment about the photos in the Flickr set – you know, the ones of Mo and I drinking a hot chocolate and posing by cupcakes. It’s called sarcastic humour, folks. Meme has said cupcakes are the same as a loaded gun. And the hot chocolate was actually ordered by Mo’s husband, who, as he reminded us, has the same BMI as Meme.

    posted on January 30th, 2008 at 10:22 am

72. 72 On January 30th, 2008, Other Sally said:

    I actually have never heard of Meme before, and looked her up, and was absolutely horrified by the stuff she says. Compared to her blog and her comments about American Idol, she was being an angel of tolerance on your show! So I very much see why someone would want to lash out against her, but yeah, I think there are plenty of other more pertinent ways to do so.

    She is an alarmingly hateful woman though. (And the Wedding Gown Challenge is just such mind-boggling nonsense that I can hardly comprehend it.)

    posted on January 30th, 2008 at 11:58 am

73. 73 On January 30th, 2008, spacedcowgirl said:

    Rachel, btw I agree with Jackie’s comment… it must have been so hurtful to hear MeMe pooh-pooh anorexia as basically an unimportant issue. It gives me a renewed appreciation for what it must have taken to put yourself out there like that. So thanks again.

    Re: “skinny bitch,” I think comments like that are totally inappropriate in the vein of “fat bitch” but this topic came up at Shapely Prose, and I have to reiterate that I am really sick of body acceptance/fat rights discussions proceeding according to the template where you talk about fat discrimination for a short while, then someone makes the discussion all about how “thin people get treated mean too!” and you have to spend the rest of the time reassuring folks that no, you don’t hate thin women, and yes, it sucks that some fat woman was mean to you once, and basically nothing productive is discussed after that. It seems like it ALWAYS goes that way. I am totally opposed to disparaging comments about ANY woman’s body–when will our bodies stop being public property for any person to judge worthy or not worthy?–but the larger issue here is fat rights and fat acceptance. And really, the (admittedly perhaps somewhat limited) corners of the fatosphere that I spend time in are about the safest spaces I can think of for women’s bodies of all shapes and sizes. You pretty much don’t see “real women have curves” or “eat a sandwich” (though folks might advise MeMe to “eat a cupcake,” seeing as she thinks they’re so evil) and I think that’s awesome. In fact one of the most irritating things about the M&J interview to me was that they persisted in characterizing the fatosphere as some kind of “big is beautiful” or “fat glorification” movement. Promoting fat civil rights is NOT the same as saying fat people are better than thin people, or that it is better or more attractive to be fat (how beside the point is that) and it really bothered me that they couldn’t or wouldn’t see that and insisted on framing the issue as somehow pitting fat against thin.

    posted on January 30th, 2008 at 4:34 pm

74. 74 On January 31st, 2008, BigLiberty said:

    I just wanted to comment here, that while we’re debunking some of the things said in the interview, this JAMA article states that there are 30,000+ ‘excessive’ deaths due to underweight in a year, and 110,000+ due to obesity (this latter number is in dispute, since there was a recent study that this number is actually closer to 30,000).

    While there may only be 200 death/year directly attributed to anorexia, _underweight_ is linked to far more. Another MeMeMistruth.

    JAMA article: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/293/15/1861
    Where I got the 26,000 obesity deaths number: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/article_detail.cfm/article/161?nd=1

    posted on January 31st, 2008 at 11:53 am

75. 75 On February 26th, 2008, Laura K. said:

    I’m late in getting to this but I’m glad I did! I stumbled upon this FA movement completely by accident and I am telling the whole truth that it may have saved my life.

    I’ve been skinny/normal weight until about high school when puberty really hit me hard and never let up. Sure I ate unhealthy a lot of the time but looking back, I wasn’t the ‘fat cow’ I was made out to be! I look back and pics of me hiding from camera and cry. I was beautiful!

    Since I got married and moved to Europe I’ve changed my lifestyle completely. I cant’ drive here so I bike or walk. I have to carry all my things up 4 flights of steps to our apartment. I eat healthier and rarely eat out. We have treats and don’t binge and don’t suffer.. we LIVE. Yet I’m at my largest weight ever and it was really taking a toll on my mental health.

    I cried a lot.. I didn’t let my husband see me naked anymore.. I was ashamed.

    but I used to get so angry! I eat right and I exercise! WHY am I made to be ashamed of that?

    I finally got help for depression and expressed to the dr my biggest concern was weight gain from the pills he gave… 25 lbs later… and finally found someone to actually talk to me about my issues and switch me to something that doesn’t add the weight.

    The day I found your group, it was such a special day. The clouds lifted and I didn’t feel ashamed so much. I realized that I do what is healthy and for some reason my body doesn’t lose the weight. I miss out on so much because I don’t want people to laugh at me or think bad things about me. How much of my life has been wasted because of that?

    So now I’m trying to heal. I’m trying my best to accept myself for who I am and not let a number rule my life. Who knows.. maybe if I stop freaking about it so much, it’ll fall off? LOL

    I’m pregnant with our 2nd child. I’m 23 weeks tomorrow. I’ve not only NOT gained, I’ve lost. One thing to love about being pregnant! I truly just don’t gain! So my son was huge and naturally the whispering about how it was my fault. I gained less than the lowest they recommend (without trying) so what more could I have done? Fat babies are healthy babies and the extra fat helps their brains develop well!

    I have a different midwife this time and she got my weight and height and threw the BMI at me and forced me to have a ton of bloodwork done because obviously I’m full of disease right? I want to FRAME the results. If there was such a thing as a picture of health, I own it! It was such a victorious day when she handed me the results and just quietly said ‘everything’s fine’ but quickly added they will still check me closely throughout the pregnancy.

    Go ahead bitch.. I have no fear!

    Is it weird I want to keep it in my purse and show it to anyone who looks at me sideways? LOL Yep! I’m FAT! But looookie here! I’m also healthy.. dare I say healthier than YOU even? Oh I pray for the day I have the guts to confront someone like that!

    Watching the video clips above really reinforced it all with me… your story touched me. You got to a healthy weight and you were anorexic. I bet everyone said you looked great too.. sigh.

    The BMI I have a hard time getting over. To hear that dr say over 30 is like.. ticking timebomb hurts me. I’m 36.5 BMI. Gosh I’m knocking on death’s door right? What’s weirder is I get people who can’t believe it’s that high by looking at me.

    Do you have any studies that show your body’s metabolism changing after pregnancy? I was overweight before but I’m .. obese with actually improving diet and exercise. I even had my thyroid checked TWICE! No answers.

    I feel blessed to have a supportive husband who thinks I’m beautiful and almost smacks me when I talk bad about myself.

    Still… hard to move on when you’re at the park running around with your 4 yr old and a boy comes up to you and says ‘wow you’re fat’. I’m ashamed to admit that I took my son away from that boy and made him leave the park and go home. A 5 yr old held me hostage really and I’m ashamed for that… and having to explain to my 4 yr old why we left. I didn’t want to lie. I just said the boy he was playing with said something very mean to me.

    Well I talk too much obviously! I wanted to write how you and your community have really helped me! I’m far from the place I want to be but after seeing your videos I feel like I will get there one day!

    Laura

    posted on February 26th, 2008 at 7:27 am

76. 76 On March 18th, 2008, Karen said:

    At 117 pounds, a weight a friend describes as “Auschwitz Survivor”, with a 21-inch weight, I was still a size 12 because I have linebacker shoulders and childbearing hips. So I ain’t never gonna be a size 4; I’d have to have bones removed to do that.

    20 years ago, I had a virus which changed my metabolism for the worse. When I’m in relapse, I can eat a starvation diet and not lose weight because my metabolism is so sluggish; as I go into remission, the extra weight comes off the healthier I get.

    Doctors who never saw me healthy try to tell me all my health problems are caused by being overweight. I was actually UNDERweight when I got the virus.

    My first specialist — the one who actually knew about CFS, as opposed to the ones who thought it’s just depression with depression-related eating — told me to focus on eating extra protein to build up my health, and not worry about my weight. He’d rather have me eating healthy and getting well than starving myself and getting sicker.

    Despite the extra pounds, I still have a classic hourglass figure. Nonetheless, there are nasty comments in my blog about my weight.

    One group of commenters “claims” to have seen a photo of me and pegs me at 70 pounds overweight. Heaven knows whose photo they actually saw, because there are only two photos of me online: one when I was healthy, and one at about 10 pounds more than what the chart says I should weigh. I maxed out at 40 pounds above the top “normal” weight on the charts; I have never been close to 70 pounds overweight.

    But they seem to think calling me fat is the worst possible insult, and that all people with CFS weigh over 300 pounds and eat nothing but Twinkies.

    My blog:
    http://journals.aol.com/kmc528/Lifeasweknowit/

    posted on March 18th, 2008 at 2:27 pm

77. 77 On April 1st, 2008, prettytwininglights said:

    Here’s the green room vid, but the audio is messed up some.

    posted on April 1st, 2008 at 12:43 am

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