America is fat and anyone who considers a size 6 skinny is crazy cause i know someone who is a 6 and is overweight she is 5'4 tho. I hear so many people calling Keira knightly too thin when she has bulky thighs. A lot of people arent too skinny. The person judging them is too fat. America is too used to fat chicks on the street that when they see someone who is healthy and excersizes regularly, they consider them skinny. its called normal yall ive seen it. My sis is 5'7 and had 6 kids and was still a size 0/1 , never dieted super healthy. america is just fat thats all

Another thing people might want to consider before judging others for being overweight/obese-- with the latest findings that more Americans than previously believed are either celiac or gluten sensitive, you must consider that that obese person over there might actually be STARVING to death due to inadequate absorption of nutrients. After many, many years of being accused of eating unhealthily, I was finally vindicated that the diet I was eating-- full of multigrain bread, whole wheat, oats, etc.-- was the absolutely wrong diet for me. My gut is finally healing after years of trying to digest something I couldn't digest. I've been on a gluten free diet for about six months now, and I'm not only feeling much better, I've dropped twenty pounds. I still have a lot more to lose, but at least I've finally found out that what I was eating WAS really killing me.

So the next time someone wants to judge someone else for how big they are, think again that there just might be an underlying medical problem that all too often goes undiagnosed by doctors. I can't even begin to count how many doctors I've gone through in my life, trying to find someone who would actually listen to me and take me seriously. I even had one doctor laugh when I asked to be tested for celiac-- he said that all celiacs are malnourished and thin-- boy, would I like to see his reaction now.

Dr. Keith, is there such a thing as "Anger Illness" directed toward doctors? I'd definitely qualify for that show. LOL

Pat

Hi. I often fought gaining weight as a teen, and fought the weight battle for years following my teen years. I quit talking to doctors about it because they'd say "you can't put on what you don't put in" and some such stuff. Frankly, I have always strived to eat healthily and correctly and have always been made to feel guilty if I did indulge occasionally in a dessert or fatty food.

I have since been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. My endocrinologist feels I have had it since my teen years and the weight I did gain eventually could have been avoided if this diagnosis had been made much earlier. I feel we are too quick to judge overweight teens and adults before looking for symptoms of Cushing's. Not everyone has all the symptoms, and it's very hard to find even an endocrinologist who really knows how to diagnose correctly. I recently had surgery to remove a tumor from my pituitary which was causing the disease.

The levels of ACTH and cortisol that are produced by the tumor causing Cushing's Disease/Syndrome make a person feel very hungry constantly and even when one manages to curb that or fight it, the endocrine factors of the disease still cause the weight to pile on. If any of you have taken a steroid like cortisone or hydrocortisone for any length of time, you can understand what I'm talking about. Try living like that constantly.

There are some good support forums and helpful sites on the internet. A good primary care physician is key, too. Please be careful of pre-judging before testing for what might just save a life.

HAVE THESE YOUNG WOMEN BEEN TESTED FOR CUSHING"S DISEASE? I am recovering from Cushing's and am concerned that they might have never been tested for this or if they were most physicians even endocrinologist are not up to date with current testing. Too many of us were told that we did not have Cushings only to get fatter and fatter. There are specialist that are experts at diagnosing this rare endocrine problem. Most of us with Cushing's would have never been diagnosed without these specialists that work with Cushing's specifically. Many of us spend years before being diagnosed and then our health is gone. Cushing's can occur at any age - even in infants. Please consider that this might be your problem if you suffer from weight gain especially in the middle, other symptoms are insomnia, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney stones, red round face, a hump at the back of the neck, stretch marks,depression, anxiety, muscle loss in legs and arms. You can have just a few of the above and still have Cushings. I found help through internet searches, without this I would have never gotten a chance to get well

I TOO AM A B.B.W THAT HAS RECENTLY DROPPED 100 POUNDS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS I HAVE GAINED AT LEAST TWENTY POUNDS BACK, I DO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE WAY THE LADIES FEEL ABOUT BIG WOMEN, WOMEN IN GENERAL. I FEEL BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER WETHER YOU ARE PLUS SIZED,MEDIUM, SMALL OR EXTRA SMALL(WE ALL KNOW THE SIZE ZEROS) AND WITH THE COMENTS THE LADIES MADE I AM ALMOST ASHAMED TO CALL MYSELF A BIG BEAUTIFUL WOMAN WITH ALL OF THEIR NEGATIVE COMMENTS, I AM ALMOST AFRAID TO CALL MYSELF A WOMAN. I WOULD HOWEVER LIKE TO BECOME A MODEL FOR THE B.B.W MAGAZINE, I FEEL I HAVE A LOT OF POTENTIAL AND CLASS SOMETHING THESE WOMEN DON'T SEEM TO POSSESS. THEY SHOULD INVEST ALL OF THIS NEGATIVE THINKING INTO SOMETHING MORE USEFULL SUCH AS, GETTING A DEGREE, BECOMING SOMETHING OTHER THAN ANOTHER MEAN AND BITTER TOWARDS WOMEN. ALSO FOR THOSE THAT HAVE PROBLEMS WITH BUYING NICE(NOT SKANKY) CLOTHES TRY LANE BRYANT, RAINBOW, DOTS I LOVE THEIR CLOTHES AND THEY FIT WELL. I AM FIVE FOOT SEVEN AND TWO HUNDRED TWENTY POUNDS AND MY CLOTHES LOOK WELL, AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT MY HUSBAND TELLS ME. NOT ALL B.B.W'S ARE PROMISCUOUS, AS SAID. I HAVE ONE AND ONLY ONE AND THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT!

Say it loud and say it proud, ladies! I too am a plus size woman and understand what Destiny and Desire must have gone through in the past. It's a struggle, being overweight, and it's a nice relief to see that these two women have the confidence that people of many sizes don't. They represent large women perfectly. :) So, all the props to them!

i saw the show and wow i was so proud of those girls!..they should have no shame at all..why does thin always have to be in?..but i hope they are healthy...when it comes down to it its all about being healthy, not just physically but emotionaly too! i may be young, but im so glad that im growing up to know what really counts in a person. California/US raises too many teens to be way to aesthethic and spoiled...ah! what a generation.

I would like to know where Destiny & Desire buys their clothing I am a BBW and have problems dealing with it sometime because I can't find clothes to fix me.

I love being fat at 6'2" and 350 pounds. I'm not lazy, sloppy, etc..... I'm healthy and have the doctors' records to prove it. I'm a lot healthier than my twin who is 5'3" and 97 pounds. She is always worried about her size and that in turn leaves her unhappy and unable to enjoy life to the fullest. I live each day to the fullest, love the attention given by others, and am having a great time. I too plan on gaining more weight as I think the scale goes up, so does my sexiest and appeal. Thank you for showing the rest of the world {and esp. the skinny women who look down there noses are us fatties} that we are large, proud, and a force that's not going to take it sitting down anymore.

i am watching this show of yours for the first time and its about BBW well you said that if shes that big she must be over eating. i am i think around 340-360 and i barely eat if i dont remember to eat i will eat something small and qick like soup and only one meal a day. so i think that statement was wrong and sounds like you are saying that all big woman over eat. maybe you need to get your facts straight before commenting!because you sounded like all the rest of the ppl that just assume and you know what they say about ppl that assume!

5'5 and 275. I have yoyo'd up and down with my weight. I have decided to cut out the crap from my diet, by only shopping outside the isles. I don't exercise. Being in Oregon it is wet 8 months out of the year, and I am working poor, so the gym is out. I know excuses excuses. But who wants to work out in a living room the size of a postage stamp? It's impossible! So I have settled for being fat. At least I have a beautiful face, and know how to dress fashionable!

I am by no means a "skinny" girl at 5 foot 6 inches and 170 pounds I really have no place to talk, however, my thoughts on the subject of being obese are maybe that as well as a genetic condition, can these women that want to continue gaining weight instead of losing the weight think that it may be easier to gain then put the work and effort into losing. I know from personal experience that weight lose is a horrible battle, its hard work not only just to lose the pounds but keeping them off. Any comments on this idea?

I really think its unhealthy to be overweight. My brother passed away last year from a heart attack because he was overweight. Besides being unhealthy I think it looks disgusting, like the person doesn't care about there appearance. Those women really need to start caring about themselves and their health. They say their doctors would tell them when they should stop gaining weight. I really want to know what doctor their going to, because they should be stressing to these women that they need to lose weight!

Ok. I look like a brunette Christina Applegate. I weigh 280. I too fight men off. My new roommate who moved in last week, married with 3 kids, wants to be my "boyfriend"! I am looking to do web stuff. If anyone is reading this and can help me out, please contact me! I say to these two...

YOU ROCK! FORGET what others say. They don't walk in your shoes, don't live your life, so it is not their place to judge!

I am a BIG girl. I have been like this since i can remember but im happy with myself. And i have tried so many things to be slim but they never work out. So one day i decided to accept myself for who i am especially under peer presure. But at the end it all comes down to the same idea no matter your size that if you dont love yourself, noone will. You must do things for yourself.

The african american lady that is on stage that is hour glass shape that is in good health you can tell she is having trouble breathing because she is sitting her body type has to kind of lay on angle to breath right now if this was good for us we would not been born with the spines that we have I think it is an escapegoat to cover the fact that it is very hard to stay in shape and over weight is bad for you health and like the one mother she is having a hard time walking now wow these women are young just wait a ten or fifthteen years they will be on ssd.

I just want to thank the show for doing the show on bigger and fabulous women! It is so inspiring! Thank you for showing these women (and the men in their lives) realistically and for addressing issues like confidence, social biases, and health. I am a bigger girl and it is wonderful to have real and beautiful women as role models. Thank you!

I think it's great plus size women are finding the confidence with themselves and their beauty. However, I still think society's image of plus size women (and people in general) is twisted, especially the idea that someone can be "fit and fat".

It's not impossible, if your eating right, being active, getting exercise, it's more than probable. You can be within the 300 to 400 pound range, and not have any health issues. Just look at Nikki the Gaining Goddess, she is in fantastic health condition for her size and weight.

Being overweight is a challenge. It does not discriminate. This Country has the largest discrimination in the world. Some people need to stop hating so much because they fear that we may compete against skinny people. God does not like ugliness.

I am a big woman and yes somedays I can be lazy and just want to be fat. But I also have days where I want to go jogging or excersize. I have always been big and no matter what I eat or try I stay the same. So hey I guess I was ment this way, If I stay like this forever I still am healthy and I will never be held back from my weight that is if I can keep my confidence and determination going then I will be happy.!!!

I am plus size, Do I like it heck no I don't. But I was always told that. It's whats on the inside of a person that counts. Not's what on the outside...An I have always looked at it this way. If someone can't except me for who I am, Then there the ones who need help....

I do not feel that this is a realistic view on being overweight. I myself am a plus sized girl, I am 5'8" and 220lbs, and for me that's too much. I do have a lot of self confidence, I am very positive, but I do know that I am not as healthy as I could be...last year at this time I was 175lbs and I was doing things that I hadn't been able to do in years, I was sent into a depression and I gained some of my weight back...before the weight lose I was 380lbs, very unhappy, very unhealthy, very much lying to myself that I was all these wonderful things when in fact I was miserable. There's no such thing as being healthy and fat...I see myself as being more than a little overweight right now, and I'm working on loosing the weight, I don't lie to myself and tell myself that I'll be a size 9 or smaller because I know that I will never get that far, but I do feel that a size 18 is way too big for me!!! These girls are very pretty, but they would be very much more attractive if they would loose some of the weight, and they would feel better and would be able to do more in their lives. I am a big beautiful woman, but I want to be just a beautiful woman without the big part in it. I only agree partially with the myths, because I know too many girls that are larger girls who are everything on that list...there are a select few that are not that I have known in my life. Thanks for letting me share my views on this, I could go on more but I won't get all worked up about it anymore than I am.

Loved them all and they are SO SO SO true. I'm heavier than my husband has ever been and eat about half of what he does.

first off let me say I'm 5'6"
and weigh 320 so I know about the fat experience and have been fat my whole life but I'm now loosing serious weight. These girls can't move, run, jump or anything unless it is at a snails pace. Breathing is hard for them and don't talk about bending over to put shoes on you feel like your head is going to explode. I could go on and on but there is no such thing as fat and happpy but there is a thing as fat and lying to yourself.

all rite! someone is speaking the truth, thxs dr keith

i am totally inspired by destiny and desires self esteem and positve out look on being a beautiful but plus size woman.... i too am a plus size woman and have very low self esteem..... they inspired me to realize that no matter what size i can be beautiful and sexy...... i have been with the same man for almost 9 years.....must be doing something right.... he says i am beautiful and sexy and there is no one else out there that can compare to me and no one else out there that he wants to be with