Being Plus Sized

Plussized.com.au is where you'll find fashion and health tidbits for the plus-sized individual. Read on and explore the plus-sized world with us.

Being a woman or man of size isn't as rare as it used to be, what with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, but it is a challenge to find apparel- and health-related information that focuses away from the morbid implications of obesity to an acceptance that people can live healthy lives at all size levels.

Whilst weight loss is still a desirable goal for many, the fact remains that many of us are big-boned and naturally fit into a more volumptuous mode. Balanced information about being plus sized won't hide the risks of going above one's ideal body weight to height ratio, but will offer a realistic approach to eating and living, helping people of plus sizes live as they deserve.

The retail clothing industry needs to go up to the size 14 norm that the median Australian woman is at now; this is the plus sized philosophy take on women's fashions. Fully two out of every three adult Australian men are above their optimum weight and body fat level.

To go beyond judgemental opinions about one's body type and negative self-perceptions, there's one important philosophy to consider. Size acceptance is the will to accept oneself at one's size right now, emphasing good nutrition and exercise habits without the sense of deprivation or restriction, making stable weight progress and overall fitness the goal instead of crashing one's diet and activities in an effort to lose weight.

Genetic metabolism is one reason why certain people can never go below a baseline weight, and forcing weight loss on them can actually do more harm than good. Within limits, one's body size and health need not correlate to thin=healthy and fat=not healthy. In the size acceptance paradigm, one is beautiful and worthwhile no matter what size and shape one has, physical activity is something to be embraced and a healthy relationship with food is better than alternating fasts and binge eating.

Rather than relying on standard Body Mass Index charts, one's normal weight is determined by one's physical activity intensity, physiological status and a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet. One's baseline weight may go under or over the narrow range given in these BMI charts.

In a nutshell, size acceptance ties in with being plus sized through these tips:

Health at all sizes: paying attention to psychological and physical health without fixating on an ideal weight or making weight loss a targeted goal.

Self-worth and acceptance: appreciate the many body sizes and shapes we all have, instead of looking to approximate an ideal body type that mass culture says should be the norm for everybody.

Eating with joy: listen to your body's cues for fullness and hunger, rather than adhering to a draconian meal plan, promoting health through proper nutrition instead of crash-dieting

Moving with joy: experience physical activities for health and the pleasure of moving, rather than targeting weight loss through exercise.