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OK, this was a fucking terrible interview. The host is into BBW and obviously totally enamoured. A lot of the interview had nothing to do with Ragen or her activism, and she mostly just parroted the usual sounding points from her blog. The most hilarious part is at the end where she claims she is intentionally not taking speaking engagements because she is training so hard for the IRONMAN.

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[4:05]

Host "GBev" introduces the show and special guest "Ragen Chinson".

[5:12]

Ragen has been "up to her usual shenanigans" speaking writing and blogging about size acceptance and HAES. 3rd annual Fat Activism Conference, IRONMAN training.

[8:55]

Host asks Ragen to "elaborate on the IRONMAN marathon". A few years ago Ragen did a marathon as part of a project to "do some athletic things outside of her comfort zone". She's always done sports and dance, but only things she was good at. If she wasn't immediately good, she just never did it again. She did a marathon and it was terrible, and wondered "what could I suck at more than this?". Ragen planned to be "done" in November but unfortunately she "just wasn't able to get fast enough" and has one more year of training. She will definitely be finishing and getting the medal in November 2017.

Hosts laughs at "get the medal" and wonders why she does it if she hates it. As we know, Ragen is doing it because she hates it. She is "pretty ready to be done with it".

[10:28]

Host directs people to www.dancewithfats.org, asks Ragen how she came up with her "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness" slogan. Ragen corrects him (danceswithfat.org) and explains the "good fatty/bad fatty dichotomy", the hoops fat people need to jump through in society, etc.

[11:58]

Host relates the story of a fat person who said they "didn't want to live in a fat body" and "disrespect their body" and would "rather be healthy". Host asks Ragen "as a larger person" if it's hard to lose weight.

Ragen explains this person has clearly got a bunch of concepts muddled together. You can "respect and love your body" at any size, "fat and healthy are not opposites", and all research shows only a very very small percentage are able to maintain weight loss. Most people lose in the short term then gain back more than they lost. The most surprising thing to Ragen on her "journey through the research" is that there has never been a single study showing weight loss improves health, because so few people maintain weight it is impossible to conduct a study. All obesity science is based on the premise that looking thin is healthier, despite the fact there are unhealthy thin people. In any case it is all a great big conspiracy by the diet industry. Losing weight to reduce social stigma is the same as giving a bully your lunch money to stop beating you up. "The problem isn't my body, the problem is people say negative things about my body".

[14:50]

Host asks Ragen about fat shaming. A lot of people on his Facebook BBW communities are "big women" and he is mad when people steal their photos. Fat people are the brunt of the joke in movies.

"That's really really not ok". Ragen has had her head Photoshopped on a whale, and people in "various internet hate troll communities" make joke pictures of fat people.

[17:10]

Host mentions a disrespectful Trump quote about "400 lb person sitting behind a computer". Ragen is triggered by Trump and explains he is anti-fat in addition to racist etc. Calling someone fat in that context is "bigotry". "The definition of bigotry is making judgements about people based on unrelated characteristics".

Marilyn Wann quote: "The only two things you can tell from somebody's body size is what their body size and what your personal prejudices are about people that size."

[19:25]

Host asks Ragen about her "health coaching" and experiences when she does her "speeches to universities". Apparently when normal people give talks they charge a fee for a single talk, but Ragen charges a flat fee for "as many things as they want". Ragen "often" speaks to university health care providers about how to provide non-sizeist compassionate care to fat people who want "evidence-based care". Sometimes Ragen talks to the athletic staff about how to create a size acceptance environment. Sometimes she teaches dance classes. She has been "lucky to get a lot of chances".

[21:06]

Host apparently attended one of Ragen's "classes" at the University of Oregon with his wife. He complains about how people in Oregon expect you to be healthy and order salads, asks Ragen how she approached the student body to "think outside the box" that it's "ok to be overweight and still be healthy".

Ragen tells him it's ok to be fat and unhealthy as well. Apparently she asks people to examine their stereotypes about fat people, including their internalized stereotypes. Health is not an obligation, nobody owes anyone health. Health is not guaranteed: marathoners drop dead of heart attacks. Health isn't within our control. Ragen talks about how oppressed fat people are and that the stress of weight stigma may explain the health problems of obesity, compares it to to the stress of race stigma.

[25:30]

Host asks Ragen about people who describe themselves as "thick in the waist and cute in the face". Apparently that is ok as long as you say "and" rather than "but". If you say you are fat but beautiful it is a problem.

Ragen sees beauty as a "skill set". If you look at someone and don't perceive beauty, there is something wrong with you, because everyone is beautiful. Fat people don't owe anyone a certain standard of beauty, just like trans people don't own anyone a certain presentation. We live in a society where the only way we can feel good about ourselves is by putting other people down. "This person has a self-esteem problem and they're trying to make it my problem, and I don't want their body image issue for Christmas, I want a Wii or whatever." [so hip and with it!]

[29:15]

"Do you think that we as a society dress or act or go to school for certain things to validate who we are as people?"

Yes, "huge corporations and industries make billions of dollars by making us believe we'll never be enough unless we're something other than we we are" [so close to sixty billion dollar weight loss industry] Ragen has a problem with "flattering" clothes. The stereotype of beauty is "very thin and very white" and heavily Photoshopped, "literally impossible to attain".

Host talks about MLK's activism in 1953, compares it to Ragen's ideas of making a "paradigm shift to the establishment".

[33:20]

Host asks Ragen about Fat: The Owner's Manual, her ridiculously poorly-edited ebook she self-published in 2012. She apparently wrote it to tell people they have "options" like not hating their fat bodies, "pursue health without pursing weight loss", etc. There is "good research" that attempting to lose weight with fitness is worthless. People read blogs like Ragen's and have "a-ha moments" but lose them because they are bombarded with anti-fat material elsewhere, so they need a manual to cement the ideas.

[37:12]

Ragen uses humour to deal with negative stuff in her life. It's super important to be able to laugh, and the internet has been really amazing for that. She went to school in Texas in the 90s as a queer woman, and it wasn't easy to find a queer community in Texas, but the internet helped. The fat community is amazing in terms of bloggers and BBW communities.

Host is shocked to discover "queer" is an acceptable term. Ragen explains she is reclaiming the term and prefers to LGBTQ+ because of inclusivity, like she uses "fat". Host compares it to his use of the n-word. He "believes in god and Sodom and Gomorra" but his job as a Christian isn't to judge people for what they do in the bedroom. Goes off on a tangent about religion and homophobia with awkward interjections by Ragen for a while.

[44:57]

"Why is ok that a gay male that is an intellectual can get farther and more attention than a woman like yourself?" [maybe because he graduated from college?]

"Oppression happens intersectionally". A white guy who's gay may be listened to more than a black gay man, or a woman or a queer trans man. People with multiple marginalized identities are oppressed individually for each identity and at the intersection of them.

[46:20]

Host likes Orange is the New Black because of diversity and female cast. More about homosexuality, fat actresses on the show. Ragen initially loved OITNB, but wishes there were a diverse show not set in a prison. Also the writing staff are apparently all white and huge racists.

[48:45]

Host applauds people like Ragen who are "making a difference", because people are "listening to the movement". Everyone is created equal and equal under the laws, but "should fat people have their own laws, should they be protected classes?"

Ragen talks about "fat as a protected class" with the example of Jill Andrews who does the Body Positive Awards in Canada who is petitioning the government of Manitoba to make weight a protected class. Ragen starts comparing fat oppression to the legalization of gay marriage. "It's not just about Reddit trolls emailing us and saying 'fatties gonna fat'" or shame, bullying, and oppression. Fat people face systemic oppression. Trump just appointed a known fat shamer to a major committee position. Fat people don't receive equal medical treatment or "transportation".

The book she linked to, Jayne Williams' Slow Fat Triathlete is interesting. It's funny how fat liberation activists will draw minute differences between levels of fatness when jockeying for oppression points (the fatter, the more oppressed), but when dealing with limitations on athletic ability all levels of fatness are the same. In other words, if someone as moderately overweight or "fat" as Jayne Williams can be a triathlete then anyone at any level of obesity can be. In this case, fat is fat with no distinctions to be made.

That sort of shifting standard is always evidence of low intellectual rigour or flat out intellectual dishonesty. I mean, maybe there's a way to address the seeming shift in standards but, if there is, fat liberation activists haven't cogently addressed it yet. And given that the shifting standards on whether fat is fat or different levels of fat matter are always self-serving I think this shifting standard is pretty obviously motivated by simple intellectual dishonesty.

ETA: The back matter of Williams' book suggests that she herself is less a fat activist and health-denier and more of a "No matter where you are in your life, it's constructive and healthy to get moving and have fun" motivational-style writer. For what it's worth.

I went through 4 pairs before finding these They're women specific, but fit me perfectly and stay in. They're cheap, the audio quality sucks compared to my headphones and speakers, but they stay in and they're apparently sweatproof. Works for me!

Generally you don't want anything covered in fabric to get coated in sweat. Headphones like those, get so gross so fast, and covered with salt.

It's taken me years, but I finally found a pair of headphones that work great for me. I used to go through a pair every 6 months because of some flaw with them. (I'm looking at you, Yurbuds, fuck you!)

http://smile.amazon.com/Sennheiser-CX-685-Adidas-Headphones/dp/B0094R4POC?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

So she mentions the following athletes (some of these are older links, but again simple research shows that none of these people have come out saying anything radically different than they were saying 2-5 years ago).

Dean Karnazes: studied dietetics as part of a bio-chem minor. Believes in the paleo diet and shuns processed food. http://clubindustry.com/nutritionweight-loss/dean-karnazes-ultramarathoner-and-food-science-professional-shares-nutrition-ad

Andy Holgate: in the following link recognizes his weight is holding him back in triathlons. Is keeping a food journal and updating his blog on weight loss. http://www.everymantri.com/everyman_triathlon/2011/09/cant-swim-bike-or-run-with-andy-ironman-lanzarote-bound-.html

an older post but Chrissie Wellington shares her food journal. It's not geared toward weight loss talk per say, but note it's also not "intuitive eating." http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/05/nutrition/how-the-pros-stay-lean_76179/2



Matt Long (I've read his book before) one of his main motivations for getting back on the road after his accident was he wanted to lose weight (direct amazon link to his book): http://www.amazon.com/The-Long-Run-Firefighters-Triumphant/dp/1609611799


I didn't find anything directly on Jaques Steinberg being related to diet (he's a journalist not necessarily an athlete) ...however the very book that Ragen is listening to features vignette about how weight loss likely saved one of the featured athlete's life. http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2011/09/you-are-an-ironman.aspx#axzz41frHuyOt



Another interesting point about this post relating to how Ragen is an amazing researcher...her title "Sufferfest" is trade marked name of a company that publishes cycling workout videos. She co opted their name for something entirely not related to their business. http://thesufferfest.com/

Well, these are my current running shoes: https://www.amazon.com/Saucony-Mens-Ride-Running-Shoe/dp/B00GUFKI4M

These are my current cycling shoes: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1134040_-1___

The first one isn't very good for cycling. The second one is impossible for running, considering the entire sole is carbon fiber and designed to not flex. Even if she has cheap MTB shoes, they're specifically designed to not flex especially at the forefoot.

Here is the mobile version of your link

That was always weird to me, because she could just go on Amazon and buy New Balance shoes that are 5.5 EEEE.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OX0CG8?psc=1

Or is she trying to say that the newer 5.5 EEEE are too narrow for her? If so, why not go to a 6 EEEE or even 6.5 EEEE?

Or maybe her feet are fat shaming her? I know when I went from 425 pounds to about 260 pounds, my shoe size dropped from a 14 EE to 14 D.

You should totally check them out because they are awesome

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Inspirations-Activities-Help-Your/dp/0983343721?ref=pf_vv_at_pdctrvw_dp

Rules: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201967050

There is already a fat woman on kilamanjaro and the summit in Russia is mostly a train ride. That's 2 of the 7 right there.

There's Mt Harney in SD. Plenty of walk up 14k s in CO that she could drive up and snap a selfie at the peak.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QW7VB1M/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

From photos of her abomination of a bike, she's running dual-sided pedals, specifically Shimano A530's. I run the same model, but that's because my bike is a cross bike, and I don't want to toss on my SPD shoes for every grocery run.

Nah just a massage device (not a euphemism), kind of like a foam roller but you use your hands for it, not body weight. Good for quads/hammys/calves.
http://www.amazon.com/Original-Tiger-Tail-Muscle-Massage/dp/B00ZPMAIO6

> god socks

You might want to give these a shot. I've only been using them over a month and so far no blisters. You might also want to try this one. The second isn't my favorite, but it is a little heavier and might provide a little better protection.

What works well for me is the fact they isolate individual toes. I've gotten a lot of blisters, but my pinky toe is one of the worst / most common areas for me.

Heck, there are bottle cage mounts you can slap right on the handle bars-

https://www.amazon.com/Topeak-66008009-CageMount/dp/B003SOROKE/

Never seen that on a tri bike but hey, why not? I don't think she needs to be too concerned about aero losses or adding too much weight...