Funny this topic came up...I just posted on it in my journal and in response to a woman who was feeling depressed. Just gonna cut and paste my opinion here. Sorry to anyone who already read it elsewhere...
From my journal:
"Read a post by someone who's lost over 100 pounds but finds herself depressed. Made me remember my weight loss from 8 or 9 years ago. Lost over 100 but I actually got angry at men for taking notice of me...for people in general being more congenial. Somewhere inside I resented the heck out of the fact that being skinnier made people treat me better and with greater respect. After all...I was the same person, but suddenly I was worthy of attention and being taken more seriously? VERY irritating! The truth is, that overweight people ARE treated differently...and when you go from the one side of the coin to the other...it can upset you to see that. It's emotionally depressing on a subconscious level, I think...and it affects your happiness with yourself because part of you wants to snap back to being big and kick the world in the seat of the pants. I dont know...but I do remember that...still makes me angry, I guess. I already see a difference now in how my customers relate to me at work...the weight loss makes life better on a social level...dealing with people is easier because they treat you better, but,(somewhere way down deep) something about it all makes you wanna lash out a bit."

So, YEAH...I think fat people are treated differently.


PS: TCastro...I just need to point out that most people who are comfortably thin simply have a genetic disposition to be that way. For some of them...it's a happy circumstance that will change over the course of time as they age. But fully 90 percent of the "skinny" or "average" sized people that I know dont eat any differently than I used to...they're simply a different body type with different metabolisms. Many of them eat far worse than I ever did. Of course it CAN be true that a fat person may eat like a horse and snack on junk food all day long...but many eat relatively normally and still gain weight...as I did. Take the same diet that I eat now and add in a bagel for breakfast and a starch with my meals...I'd gain weight....but I wouldnt exactly be making a pig of myself. So I think the "fat people eat poorly and aren't motivated to eat right and excercise" theory just doesnt stand up.

Just my opinion.