This Is Why I Hate Society - Tumblr Posts

'fun' fact: you can starve to death and be fat the entire time. this piece of information saved my life, so i'd like to share it as widely as possible.

there's a common misconception that starvation will necessarily make you emaciated, and that if someone is fat they must be getting enough to eat, or an excessive amount.

this just isn't true. fat is an organ, not an inert storage of 'excess' calories. the old idea that gaining weight is caused by taking in more calories than your body needs, and its corollary that reducing caloric intake will automatically result in weight loss, is simply not true. the human metabolism is just way more complex than that.

one thing that can commonly happen is that, faced with repeated or long term caloric deficit, the body chooses to prioritize fat accumulation over other things in hopes of assuring survival. this can occur due to food insecurity, eating disorders, illness, dieting, or other factors.

caloric deficit can sometimes cause weight loss, certainly. but not in everyone, and not in the long term. 95% of dieters, for example, regain the lost weight and often more in addition. the science overwhelmingly supports this, including studies created by people who were trying to find long term weight loss methods. intentional weight loss is impossible in the long term in most cases, and the methods people use to attempt it are harmful to their health.

so yeah. whether due to anorexia, food insecurity, illness, or anything else - a person can be starving and still fat. or become fat(ter) due to repeated or ongoing caloric deficit, or both.

you can be fat and need a feeding tube, though medical fatphobia often makes medical professionals insist otherwise, to fat people's detriment or death. people can starve to death while fat.