Would you rather...(please answer!)

OK, this is going to sound like a bizarro, what-is-this-doing-on-Weighting-Game question, but homur me, please. It's for a higher purpose, I promise.

The Question:

If you had to choose, would you rather be

A) 40 pounds overweight and smart

OR

B) skinny, but unintelligent?

Please leave your answers in the coments section. And before you start typing, no, you cannot pick A and say "I'd be smart enough to hire a trainer and nutritionist." Just give me your gut answers along with any thoughts on the topic.

Thanks!

L

Comments

first? loserville: population MizFit for being the first to comment :)

Im work-procrastinating.

A.

for sure.

why? the obvious reasons:
I simply dont think the aesthetic-vessel matters all that much if Im 40+ pounds overweight but healthy (may I be healthy?).
if I couldnt read and be challenged intellectually?
now THAT would zap joy from my life.

and so many of the uberskinny (old nicole richie, the olsen twins et al) seem so unhappy already.

in rambling,

M.

Ur gonna hate me..my first reaction was B.

I don't know why, may be a phase I'm going thru, this is the first time I've ever been under 200 pounds in my whole life!! Things might not be goin' too well, right now, but at least I'm thinner, I'm sorry, but it's made it easier 2 deal with all the crap going on right now.

Yes, I'm older, yes, I'm a Mommy, but as a fat mommy, although I was active, I couldn't physically do as much as I can now and I have 3 babies (one I babysit) under the age of 5 I have 2 chase after, feed, wipe, and take care of all day. Plus u don't get harassed or as many dirty looks, and don't even get me started on the boyzzzzz...(:

I think this point in my life it wouldn't really matter how smart I was..then again, just how DUMB r we talkin', anyway? Yes, I DO know grammar and how 2 spell..just mah style.'kaaayyyy?

Definitely A.
As someone who is currently "pleasantly plump", I don't think gaining a few more pounds would hurt my self-image that much. I have a husband who loves me and great friends. Weight fluctuates, but I hope I never lose the intelligence God gave me. I've worked so hard to be a thoughtful person in the world and that is worth far more to me than anything...

A. Although I have had to work REALLY hard to get to this place where I accept my fat self, and I agree with the previous comment that asks that health / a healthy lifestyle goes along with it. If I have to sit on the couch watching soaps and eating doritos all day, pass.

If you're thin and dumb, what happens if you are disfigured in an accident? Or diseae? Or when you age? Age is WHEN, not IF. The people in your life who desire you for your looks won't be so keen when you're sporting wispy hair, a grandma moustache, and saggy boobs; no matter HOW thin you are. How much better to be comfortable in your own skin with the security that comes from intelligence, something to be deep down proud of, something no one can take away from you.

That said, there are days when it really tempts me...

A. Although I have had to work REALLY hard to get to this place where I accept my fat self, and I agree with the previous comment that asks that health / a healthy lifestyle goes along with it. If I have to sit on the couch watching soaps and eating doritos all day, pass.

If you're thin and dumb, what happens if you are disfigured in an accident? Or diseae? Or when you age? Age is WHEN, not IF. The people in your life who desire you for your looks won't be so keen when you're sporting wispy hair, a grandma moustache, and saggy boobs; no matter HOW thin you are. How much better to be comfortable in your own skin with the security that comes from intelligence, something to be deep down proud of, something no one can take away from you.

That said, there are days when it really tempts me...

I was going to say that being thin and being accepted ONLY for my physical appearance would make me unhappy. But in this case, maybe I'd be too dumb to notice?
(I still choose A.)

You beat me to it, Alyssa! I was just going to ask that in the case of "B" - am I too dumb to know that I'm dumb? It's kind of like the alzheimers/parkinsons question. With alzheimers, sure you've lost your mind but at least you're happy about it.

My gut instinct though (after being a smartass) was to say A. I prize my intellect over everything save God & family.

I would say A as i would prefer to be knowledgable. A little knowledge helps a lot in life :)

A - 40lbs overweight but smart

That's a hard choice!

I would hate being overweight, but what good would life be if you were dumb?

Ugh. I value my brains, my goal is to be a physicist! You don't need to be hot to discover astrophysical phenomena.

That being said... I've struggled (way too much for 'someone like me,' so my mother tells me) with body image, and the "I'd give up anything to be skinny" attitude.

But my brain -- that I can't give up. It's tough, but I pick A.

Definitely A ~ You see, if were 40 pounds overweight and smart, it wouldn't take me long to figure out what I needed to do to implement the changes to lose that 40 pounds and get healthier. It may be harder to deal with being unintelligent. I could elect to educate myself, if I were smart enough to realize the importance of an education. I'll take intelligence any day! :p

Actually, I'm suffering from an eating disorder, so right now my answer is B. Someday, hopefully, I will be able to proudly and confidently be able to say A!!!!!!!!!!

I am on the fence with this one

The former hungry waif from the high-school/borderline eating disorder days would say B, but the sharp witted free-spirited liberal college student Hungry Waif would have choose A. Now, i cant say. I definetly think intelligence trumps beauty, but as MizFit, asked, coulf i be 40+ but a fit and healthy one? I am assuming that if i am skinny and stupid, i am unaware of my stupidity so it wouldnt really matter....gah leslie, i hate this, now i am not going to be able to sleep. Can i compromise and be semi smart and at a normal weight....

a. i can always lose the weight!!

swinging by by to see what others thought.

HW above got me thinking about how I would often look at the 'blissfully ignorant' when I was leading what I THOUGHT was a life o'painful awareness (ahh youthful college days) and be envious.

now? I realize the blissful ignorance was, perhaps, comfort in ones own skin.

hence my selection of B.

It mightcould take some time to achieve the comfort in my own skin (who knows? judging by my 30 or so pounds over weight in college and being pretty darn comfy in my epidermis perhaps NOT?) but Id get there and have brains to boot.

great question, L.

A. I enjoy intellectual chatter to much to give it up just to fit an aesthetic ideal. That, and I'm pretty sure my husband would leave me if I became an airhead.

Seriously, though. I know most women are constantly struggling to lose weight, but I would much rather be hired/rewarded/looked up to for being smart and happy and a good person than to be looked up to for my physical appearance.

You know, if ALL the smart people were 40 lbs overweight being super skinny wouldn't be the in thing anymore:) Society would have to change. Geeks rule!

i'd pick A, but i'm 40lbs overweight and consider myself fairly intelligent, so perhaps i'm biased!

about implementing the resources or whatever: i've been this way for several years and it's never really bothered me, only until recently when i started reading articles about health issues due to extra weight, and yeah, now i'm already down 20lbs so you're 100% correct Renae!

New to the Weighting Game, but my choice is A...You can always lose weight, but being smart is a skill (talent?) you are born with.

Knowing how hard it is to lose weight, I have to say B. Don't hit me! It's just that, for anyone who has struggled with their weight, 40 lbs. is huge. I guess it's lucky that people aren't really in charge of making these choices for themselves, lol.

A.

Several articles have documented that more intelligent people are often also much more unhappy.

As a clinically depressed overweight nerd, I selfishly pick B and I know that's not PC, but there you have it. No punches pulled.

The skinny thing is a bonus, but if being a little dumber made me less depressed, lots of days I'd jump on choice B in a heartbeat.

Bleh.

Definitely A. Maybe because so much of my life, that is who I was...no bombshell definitely, but smart. Smart was what I always, if you pardon the expression, hung my hat on.

I can live without people admiring my looks. I can be happy without men panting after me (haha...good thing!). Life without insight, without wisdom, without the intelligence to recognize the truly remarkable things and people which I encounter...

That would be bleak.

Also, as we used to say in grade school: "Yeah? Well, I can lose weight, but you'll always be stupid!"

:-)

V.

I'm already 40 pounds overweight and really smart, so this was totally easy. I love myself already!

And for everyone who thinks being "overweight" is a death sentence: I work out 5 days a week, I'm a lifeguard and swimming teacher, I eat healthy (I just heated up some homemade kabocha soup to take for lunch) and I have been active all my life and I'm still fat. I've NEVER been thin, no matter how much I work out or how little I eat.

Even though I weigh 200 lbs, I'm strong, flexible, have great cardio endurance, and my blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure are all normal.

Don't assume that being fat means you're unhealthy, OR that being thin means you're healthy! Health is dependent on family history and lifestyle, not weight!

I'm new to weighting game but let me tell you........ this question has my head SPINNING! I value myself as an inteligent person, a full time working mom of two at the age of 24. however, I think I hafta go with B.

My family would love me despite my stupidity and I also would be able to feel good about myself! Of course, that's not a good example for the kids.... wow what a conundrum

I'm kind of ashamed to say this, but I picked B. i'm 5'11" and about 165lbs right now, up from 140 two years ago. I know I'm at a healthy weight, but if I was 40lbs overweight, I'd probably be around 215 and I think at that point, my self-esteem would be so low it wouldn't matter if I was the smartest person on the planet. Also, I also maintain that stupid people tend to be happier. It's kind of harsh, but those are my thoughts.

I would pick A, because what our culture considers attractive usually fades with age anyway and intelligence and knowledge grows with age.

Also it's a byproduct of living in our society to feel disatisfied with your body in some way whether you're skinny or overweight.I've never met a thin person that doesn't want to change something about her body. So i don't think you'd necessarily be happier if you were skinny and stupid.

I pick A,

but thinking about it, 40lbs over what weight? the weight I am now? my goal weight? the weight I should 'be' for my height? These are all different.

Sometimes I feel like as I lost weight I got more stupid. Does that make sense?

I went from super thin to overweight in what seemed like the blink of the eye (thyroid issue). I've seen several lows in people's attitudes to overweight people.

My daughter, mom and I visited my grandparents- we took the video camera to get video of my daughter on the lake. I wasn't feeling well (soon to find out I was pregnant again) and my mom begged me to go on the row boat around the lake with her, and said she just wanted me with her while she rowed. So I handed my grandfather the camera and got in the boat with my mom- and we had fun making my daughter laugh as we sang songs.

When I got home and sat down to show my husband the video- it came upon the lake video- someone walks up and comments on us- then my grandfather says- isn't there something wrong when a thin older woman is rowing her fat daughter around... I was mortified, hurt and so sad- he had to have not realized it had sound...

I'd choose fat- can change that, I've lost 41 lbs since having my son and I'm still working on it every day.

I am 40 pounds overweight, and a certified personal trainer. Sure, I can stand to lose the weight, but for now, I am working on being healty and fit and I know the weight will come off sooner or later. I am more intent on working on accepting and loving myself for who I am and loving myself/body in spite of what might be seen as faults. I have a great PT business...many great clients who hire me because I am who I am, because I know what I know and inspire them. I have learned to hold my head up high in the industry, in spite of those who think I must not be a good trainer if I dont LOOK like they think a trainer should look. Not for one single second would I want to give up a smidgen of my intelligence for the loss of a few pounds, or even a "perfect" weight!

Well, I am 40+ pounds overweight AND smart, but evidently not smart enough according to the respondents of this survey. So many respondents (here and on the Today show this morning) assume that being smart would somehow help you 'overcome' being overweight. Not true. Being smart and overweight only helps you assess a few realities: most of the happy and healthy people around you are not overweight; you can't change the attitudes of others, and the world around us is not fat-people friendly.

For these reasons, I would choose thin and stupid because the advantages outweigh (pun intended) the disadvantages.

I use to be 320 pounds. I am now 173 after having gastric bypass in 2006. I am still 20 lbs. over the ideal weight for my height but I feel so much better now. All the things they told me would get better by losing the weight never happened but I do feel a little bit better. I have some medical problems that didn't change with the weight loss but the way I look at myself did change. I look better, I move better and I feel better about myself. Other people look at me differently. People use to avoid me because of the weight. At 320 lbs. people use to avoid looking at me. They would hide their eyes around me, but now they look at me. They would look at the food I would eat or buy the store. I would eat the same amount of food as everyone else. I never gorged on food. I never ate in secret or overate at meals. But I never got enough exercise. I have medical problems that made exercise hard for me and I would avoid doing a lot because of the pain.I still have the pain now but I just push thru it.

I'm with Ron White...
"YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID"

I would still say B.
I've been 70 lbs overweight and now I'm at a healthy weight which I've maintained for years (through eating LOTS of healthy food and lots of exercise). I had to give up on being skinny to get to a "normal weight". The reason I say B pains me daily..the society we live in can be soooo judgemental and critical...I wish I could say A but the pain I went through was too much...not even going through a life-threatening illness came close. I just wish that there was a way to un-normalize body hatred...that's what I want...

I have been both too thin and too fat in my life and honestly feel more secure and personally content when overweight. Maybe less intelligent people don't catch on to the fact that who you are on the inside is more important than what you look like. It's kind of interesting that celebrity guests on talk shows and the Today Show are always greeted with a comment about how "good" they look. It's like feeding their ego's is the first priority....maybe making the rest of us a bit insecure when we aren't complimented on our appearance all the time.

I think it is so easier said than done to pick A or B. There are major pros and cons I see for each. A is great because if you are really smart you can achieve so much, make a great income, contribute to society & help other people. However, I agree with Leslie, looks do matter to many, and you might not be taken as seriously, skipped over or ignored simply because you are curvier.

Conversely, B is great because you will fit in with mainstream vlues, celebrities & fit in tiny designer clothes, but also be VERY envied and women will withdraw from you leaving you without many friends. White men will be more attracted to you, but they will also probably take advantage of your lack of intelligence and you'll become arm candy to show off to his buddies.

If you are overweight, you could have physical health problems & also emotional struggles which is not preferred, but if you are skinny you might also have 'health' problems, pregnancy complications and could risk blowing away in turbulent winds. It's a pickle!

In 53 years I have been both A and B. I much prefer A. I have had no problem getting dates or a husband being 40 pounds overweight.( I had my pick form lots of great and awesome men. None of them were heavy, stupid, mean or poor providers) Being stupid and skinny only got me taken advantage of by lots of people. Being stupid does not mean you are happy. I wasn't happy at all. (neither were the other skinny and dumb people I ran around with)You have no idea how stupidity breds stupidity. Do you honestly think all of your problems go away just because you are skinny? Well they don't. Being dumb makes it much harder to pay the bills. Only a handful of skinny people make a living because of their weight. And they are not stupid and skinny. If they were, someone would have taken advantage and exploited them. I tell all young women to get a good education. As no one can take that away from you.