Just gave my first negative rep (on MC)

[Prudence]

It's probably not the best thread title. But the sentiment that stirred the ire is valid, I think. It certainly hanks my hiney that there are still any kind of blanket statements that are okay.

For this example: I work out daily. Actual sweat streaming down my face where the hell is my inhaler oh my god I can't breathe working out. I try to watch my diet as much as I can. I don't eat after 4:30pm and I don't get to bed until 11 or midnight. I'm up at 5. I eat small meals. I'm out of the house from 6:20am-9:30pm most nights and it's hard to find snacks/meals that are cheap and suitably portable. The most likely source of my inability to lose weight is that I don't get enough sleep + too much stress = cortisol packing the pounds onto my midsection as I'm clearly in some kind of crisis.

Regardless, I don't think of myself as lazy or stupid or careless. I can work, I can go to school, and I can fight my biology -- but only two out of the three at any one time. And frankly I'm astonished that there are people (and I'm generalizing to my own experience, not MC) who will say to my face that I'm obviously lazy and I must just sit around eating pizza all day because they know someone who lost a gazillion pounds on their thigh master so clearly I just lack will power and am a sub-standard human being.

You don't think I can see myself in the mirror? Why do you think I work out daily? Why do you think I starve myself on the weekends? Truthfully, if I could make myself throw up I *WOULD*. Every single day. I've tried. More times than you could possibly count.

But people are entitled to be as pigheaded as they want. Some of it is still sanctioned. (By the way -- anyone see the news article that apparently obesity isn't quite as bad as they thought? Oh, but they're not going to publicize that widely... My favorite part:In fact, people who are overweight have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight, federal researchers are reporting in an unexpected outcome to the newest and most comprehensive study of the effect of obesity. )

Sure, some fat people are lazy slobs. And some [stereotyped group] are [stereotypical behavior]. Yippee. Why is any of it okay. If you're purple, what more should I know by looking at you then that you're purple? Do I automatically assume that you eat people?

And while we're covering the reasons I'm substandard, I'd like to just get them all out.

I'm female, so I'm obviously not as good with computers. [So said the hiring manager in the registrar's office when she told me that it came down to me and a guy for a secretary position, and since they needed that person to use the computer a lot (Word, for pete's sake. I've had a word processor since I was 5!) they would be more comfortable if they had a guy in the position.]

I have acne, so I clearly don't bathe; eat lots of grease; roll in a vat of chocolate twice daily; etc. [Said to me at least weekly since I was in the 4th grade.]

I wear glasses, not contacts, so I'm clearly not concerned about my appearance.

I get good grades, so I must study all the time and never have fun. [No, I'm just smarter than you, asswipe, and I got it the first time.]

Gah. I'm not supposed to post this late at night because my humors get all out of whack. LoT, meet my bile. Bile, meet LoT.

I'm sure judicious application of leeches can fix this.