The Big Divide

The Health Blogosphere seems to be divided into pretty strong categories. One that I’ve noticed in particular is the size stratification.  In my most un-PC way, I’ve dubbed them the Fat Bloggers and the Fit Bloggers.

I am a Fat Blogger. (I’m calling myself fat too so don’t be insulted!) These blogs are the blogs that chronicle the weight loss efforts of larger ladies (and gentlemen I suppose). There is also a sub-division between those who have 50-100 pounds to lose and those who have to lose more than half their weight. That’s me, the latter.

The “I’m basically losing my identical twin made completely of fat” bloggers are less cheery. Many of these blogs are accompanied by a feeling of hopelessness mixed with extreme optimism (“This time, I swear I’ll do it!!!”) and a heavy dose of Weight Watchers. They are primarily lifecasting blogs and the commenters are all generally of the same blogging caste. Their discussions are less about nutrition and more about calories (or Weight Watchers points) and feature a weight loss ticket at the top of the screen. Goals and what they should be doing are discussed more often than what they actually are doing. They also tend to be a little older than most in the health blogging world and are generally in their forties.

Diet Coke and Lean Pockets are often on the menu and they NEVER photograph their meals. They regularly use terms like “lardy,” “chubby,” and “elephantine” to be jovial. They have nicknames for their different sections of pudge. These are the jokes that make skinny people chuckle uncomfortably.

The 50-100 pound to lose group is generally made up of individuals who mix learning to be happy and taking “me” time with diet and exercise while trying to get back into those skinny jeans. They are optimistic and emphasize balance. They stress feeling beautiful where you are while still improving your imperfections. Many of these are also Weight Watchers members and mix up the daily Diet Coke with a Vitamin Water. Lean Cuisine and Amy’s Organics are their lunch time meal of choice but they never forget the need to get their veggies.

Their blogs feature photos of their particularly healthy meals with recipes. They discuss the art of all things in moderation and tell stories of “that one incident in yoga…” These comprise the majority of weight loss blogs and they also have the most followers. When they discuss their starting weight and before picture, they talk about how huuuge they were and how gross they looked. Never mind that they were still smaller than most of the population of the former group. All of the smaller groups are guilty of this, in fact.

Although there is some crossover, rare though it may be, the Fit Bloggers are another species completely.

These too can be split into multiple blogger castes. Here we have the “I’m Just Finishing My Weight Loss” and the “My Body is My Temple” bloggers. These are a more varied species and are frankly a little foreign to me.

The “I’m Just Finishing My Weight Loss” bloggers are the ones that all of the aforementioned fat bloggers hope to be someday. They have a neat little summary of how they lost the weight (minus those months of relapse and the weeks of hating their life and their diet… come on, we all have those moments). They have a book coming out in July and will soon be doing blog tours. Their blogs have a nice shiny new look because their agent has had them have it revamped to help the marketing for said book. Before and after pictures are proudly displayed along with all of those pictures that they used to keep hidden in their bottom drawer. The old fat pictures are now a trophy for how far they’ve come.

They’re exploring Zen and the art of weight maintenance through yoga, oatmeal, quinoa, running, and chocolate in moderation. They aren’t taken in by the allure of Vitamin Water and instead opt for Crystal Lite. They’ve just finished their Couch to 5k program and are signing up for the half marathon this summer. They’ll keep us posted on every detail of the race, though, and even Tweet while running those long runs.

The last groups are the “My Body is My Temple” bloggers. You will see every meal they have eaten for the last five years… with recipes. Their blog designs are impeccable in pastels and they have resources for any weight loss question you could possibly imagine. Either they have never needed to lost weight or can boast an amazing 10 or 20lb weight loss. They have before and after pictures to illustrate this amazing feat and HATE the way that they looked in those HIDEOUS before pictures. They know the key to a happy and healthy life and it’s running, no; yoga, no; strength training, no; spinning, no; veganism (depending of course on which one you ask). Balance is key.

They are mostly in their 20s and are “married to a wonderful man.” Their “hubby” is often mentioned in passing, especially when they could get him to eat something strange but healthy. Much of their food is strange but healthy. They know the dangers of artificial anything! They know better than to eat anything that comes out of a microwave and wouldn’t ever drink Crystal Lite. “Green Monsters” are their beverage of choice and, oh yeah, they were the ones teaching that yoga class from that one time…

Now while seeing yourself in a stereotype can be a little jarring, it’s OK! If you are any of the above or exhibit any of the traits of the above, clearly you aren’t alone. The point is, we need to identify these stereotypes so that we can break out of them.  Everyone fitting these descriptions too well is what makes the health blogging world a little stale.

As with any caste system, breaking out is a little difficult but it will be worth it. I can only offer a small bit of advice to each group, but I also recommend some time for all of us spent thinking critically about where changes can be made.

To the Fat Bloggers, remember that at some point a person who has not yet started their weight loss journey might stumble upon you blog and it could be an incredibly valuable tool for getting them started. That was me, in fact. Before I started making changes in my life I was blog hopping and it wasn’t the fit bloggers who inspired me but the experiences of the fat bloggers who were staying strong and making progress. Rather than focusing on what you should be doing and the changes you want to make, tell more about what changes you have made and how that is impacting you.

To the Fit Bloggers, find an aspect of health and fitness that isn’t on every other blog. We Fat Bloggers know what you eat and how much you run; that isn’t the interesting aspect of your lifestyle. What we don’t know is how you look at it all and how you think about what you eat. We know where you’ve been, but just seeing pictures isn’t enough — we’d love to hear more about how you got where you are.

To all bloggers, remember that if you can offer something to the other group, you’re going to be able to increase your traffic and build a bigger audience. While it’s OK to write to a specific audience, it’s worth considering the idea that maybe you have something to share with people who may not look like you or be at the same point on their journey. Think about writing to your past self or your future self, not just you at this very moment.

Both Fat Bloggers and Fit Bloggers have a huge amount to bring to the table of healthy living and weight loss wisdom. While those who are just at the end of weight loss and starting maintenance are my favorite bloggers, I learn from all castes and blogger types. I hope that I’m not the only one.

Tagged as: Kendra