For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for April 22, 2010

Bet you don’t see them eating cottage cheese!

I’m sure I speak for most women here when I say that I’m with Anne on this one… :D

Definitely, Tanya…especially when it’s skinny women giving advice.

Unaskedfor advice on any subject irks me no end…

Funny thing is Elly probably doesn’t think she’s skinny.

And what’s more annoying than hearing “fat advice” from skinny friends, is hearing them talk about how they need to lose weight…

Wow… telling someone that they need to lose weight is never a good thing to say. That’d put a crimp in my friendship and I think I’m pretty easygoing.

Heck, all Anne needs to do is look around the pool/beach and realize that she looks just like everyone else.

They’re not obese. Big difference. If Elly wanted to talk to her about weight she could have been a little more diplomatic with her. Nobody likes a steam train!

The worst is when heavier people constantly talk about their weight. This is especially true when they’re around people who take the time to work out and who put the effort into eating right. I can’t stand when people dwell on the fact that they’re overweight, so if you don’t want to hear that yes, you are overweight, then stop talking about it all the time and do something about it.

anne should give elly skinny advice, then they’d be even! ;)

Only thing worse is getting parenting advice from folks without kids. Why do naturally thin people eat whatever they want and then see those of us who live on celery as having some sort of moral fault? “All you need is will power.” Girl! You just sucked down a bloomin’ onion! BY YOURSELF!

Unsolicited advice about any topic is usually a no-no… no matter how much of an expert you think you are. As a friend it’s sometimes best to ask, “Um… would you like some advice or are you venting?” Because both fat and thin people need to vent occasionally.

Overweight people are the ones we can talk about proper nutrition and exercising. Obese people have different issues. These are the people who need psychological help. These are the people who are using fat for instance to push people away. Some obese people have been sexually and physically abused in their childhood and teen years. Also there is a lot of emotional eating involved. Eating to not feel emotionally or suppress negative feelings not unlike using alcohol or drugs.

How unbelieveably RUDE of Elly! Elly isn’t exactly thin either, but she is a raving loon, and a tactless, thoughtless one at that. Anne could give her advice on pretending to be sane.

This must be why Anne rarely comes around in the future.

Jaeldid, now I want a Bloomin’ Onion! The dipping sauce is sooooo good.

Anyway, Elly will blame it all on Jon.

how do you find these so easily, howtheduck! It was even funnier this time around in this context. LoL

Right BigHug – what a nerdy thing to say – but I don’t think either of them would fit the category of “obese.” They may need to shed a few pounds, but obese – no.

It can also be uncomfortable from the other direction – I’m reasonably thin, but I go to WeightWatchers to stay that way. I do notice that some of the really heavy people seem to resent the “Lifers” who continue to come after reaching their goal, but frankly as soon as I stop going, the weight comes right back on.

Right on, Tanya Howtheduck: amazing Susan001: ain’t it awful being born 100 years too soon?

The really bad thing is that being overweight is so American. We stand out where ever we go.

Hey MrsLuke: This was my first chance to read the funnies all week, so I had to go back to Sunday and read on. Your entry on April 19 about the article in the Washington Post on August 27, 2008 entitled “Something for everyone to hate,” was so enjoyable and informative, I would like to suggest to everyone in the FBOFW club to go back to 4/19 and look for your entry. It is so worth while. I’m going to go back right now, and read it again. Priceless.

Hey, everyone, Let’s hear for MrsLukeSkywalker!!!

It’s been enjoyable to read all the individual and yet similar stories about struggles with weight. I suspect Lynn may have had such a discussion in mind when she drew this strip. As to the characters, it’s wonderful that Anne and Elly have the kind of relationship that they can talk openly with each other about sensitive issues. Far from being offended, Anne is simply venting her frustration with her own struggle, as many of us have done above.

Don’t bother with 4/19’s link unless you want to better understand where some of the sour thoughts come from here,

Happy Earth Day to you, Happy Earth Day to you. Happy Earth Day, dear Planet, Happy Earth Day to you.

Right Susan001, but remember the ladies were all crammed into those horrible corsets. Actually I wore the girdles in the 60s – the ones you had to hop around the bed to get into every morning (and I only weighed 115 lbs). I tried a corset once – it wasn’t worth it!!

I was thinking this morning that one reason the poor are eating twinkies & coke is because broccoli (and other healty foods) are simply more expensive.

Solomon said it well, 3000 years ago:

Proverbs 22 1 When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, 2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. 3 Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.

fat advice from fat friends would be point less rite

howtheduck:

Thanks for the great reminder link from this past January that’s now so relevant to today’s comic strip! It was funny then and it’s even funnier now!!!

I wonder if Anne would still feel the same way about her “thin friend” if she could have seen Elly rolling around on her bed, trying to stuff her her too-overweight body into a pair of too-underweight pants and then covering up what still left over (after she finally got them zipped) with an overly-large sweater!

And if the bon bons went straight to their hips, it didn’t matter because they had those frouffy skirts which hid it all. Part of the problem with the corset was that it just rearranged the fat, til it was sticking out the top and bottom of whatever you had on – so you only got thin in the middle and you definitely could not breathe.

So fat advice is better from fatter friends? That doesn’t work either…. Advice without being asked for it is never good though!

howtheduck: Once again, you come through with super links!

Ah, those ever-elusive “last 10 pounds” to lose … they’re unfortunately my constant companion too!

But my favorite strip had to be Elly’s threat to feed John “Alpo in the meatloaf” if he dared say anything about her rear-end! Absolutely hilarious!!!!!