Act Five, An Immodest Proposal. First, they take a caliper to the thigh. I look down at the little colored tablets. Is this how you're judging people? It's saying that no weight is better than any other weight, which, given the health risks associated with greater weight that Lindy acknowledges, it can be hard to get your head around. Elna Baker's memoir, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance, is about being a twenty-something Mormon virgin in a town, New York City, that doesn’t take kindly to that type.When she joined us for a conversation in 2012, Baker had evolved. She tried so hard for everything that I now got so easily. And then they never spoke about it again. Skin fold testing. So I had to pack the wound with gauze and keep packing it. In the before picture, she is painfully shy and not as happy. Stuff like this is all around us. But by the mid-'70s, diet plans were as ubiquitous as they are today. I remember being confused by it. More than anything, this passage from his 2005 book, The Commitment, sums up the overall tone of his stance at the time on fatties. And my worst fear was, what if I am? So when the Pounds Off program started making headlines, plenty of people said it was discrimination. Even if they're at a bar holding hands, looking exactly like a couple, people say stuff to them like, so you guys roommates? 10 more pounds, Hispanic guys noticed me. It's a cruel, subjective opinion. Or at least, that's how I remember it. I didn't matter until I was this size. And then you're welcome to come back next semester if you make the weight. Act Two, It's a Small World After All. All the techniques and tools ideal for making outfits, especially in trendy jersey fabrics. After that, I knew him. She is also an executive producer for the radio program This American Life.In October 2009, Penguin Books published her book The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance (ISBN 0525951350), which chronicles her experience as a young, single Mormon living in New York City.. Do they have arms? And within the next few days, he contacted Dr. Carl Hamilton, the provost of the university-- and this is, I understand, how this took place-- and said, I really don't want to see significantly overweight, obese students graduating, because it indicates that they have not met the goal of the university to be physically disciplined. You said being black adds another layer of bullshit to being overweight. Read Full Summary Cookies policy, Copyright 2019 © Elna International Corp. SA | All Rights Reserved, Welcome to elna website – Swiss Design – Sewing machines – Embroidery – Quilt – Overlock. And I'll just say we have unbeeped some words here on the internet version of our show. Now I just have to keep going. And I held his hand. I've been honestly in a bit of a crisis. The day I was trained, I put it together. You know what I'm saying? Sean Cole. And Oral Roberts was maybe the most famous televangelist and faith healer in the world. She says, "Dan was a great boss. Elna Baker Tyler. I was timid, pleading. Like, you can go into a car dealership, for example. Quotes [] The ACLU got involved. Then I faked debating which ones to choose. You know, he just loves a conference room. A lifetime of being talked down to about nutrition, being kept secret by men I was dating, being both invisible and too visible finally foamed up and spilled over. Really, I am awake because I am on speed. Why are the kids here? Remember, I was Mormon. Cool clothes did not seem to exist for her. Then Dan wrote a blog post entitled "Ban Fat Marriage." I emailed Dan privately in November of 2009. I mean, this was just my favorite one of these fat acceptance blogs. I have wanted to change this body my whole life. What he's rejecting is me. When I'm on it, I can legitimately say, I forgot to eat. They said it was super difficult to comprehend that such a thing had existed. Not really. Once I did all that, I realized I still wasn't actually thin. And they said, you're over this weight. Wait, it's almost 10:00 PM on a school night, and we're at a bar. OK, here's something that I just heard about, though I guess it's been out there for a little while now. Trim, assemble, finish in one step. I know this, because I drew a map in my journal of the city and marked the location of each kiss with an X, geolocating it. Then I took the first pill, phentermine, which is similar to amphetamines-- speed. That is in no way a tame statement of fact. And so what we're going to do today is we're going to present some excerpts from her book. But it was a painful month. That's crazy, of course. And to get back to our story, her boss is saying these demeaning things about fat people. Iowa should ban fat marriage. It's undeniable. Subject-- hello, could you lay off the fat people shit? Summary: On 07/04/2010, Elna Baker passed away and was 77 at the time. This whole nonstop anxiety conversation happens in my head all the time for just basic life functions, like, oh, I have to go do this, you know? I tried for the life I wanted, hard. This American Life is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange. And so I was like, oh. 20 more pounds, white guys noticed me. So I wasn't like, oh, this feels really big and uncomfortable. I would never do that now. There's something about you--. But then I'd think, don't be paranoid. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Well, I was praying. "Nope, not at all," I wrote. You know, like fat rolls and arm fat and bellies and staring at them and saying, OK, what if I found that objectively beautiful? Dan is friends with Lindy today and had no interest at all in coming on to the radio to revisit this fight that they had a couple years ago. And those costs include premature death and lower average life expectancies for Iowans.". So I tried the same thing at a different deli, this time on purpose. Quite the same Wikipedia. It wasn't about saving money. "Just take it," he said. Floating in the deep end of the wave pool with DJ, Terry observed that there was an awful lot of water being displaced. And for my part, I see how so much of love is physical attraction, especially at the beginning. Really, genuinely. I've lost 25 pounds since last summer, Julie. The owners of water parks in the US must be saving a fortune on water and chlorine bills. As a result, this can save resources and energy, and ultimately helps protecting our planet for future generations. And it got really emotional really fast. A few days later, Dan Savage wrote a response, by the way, three times longer than Lindy's post. The way that we are taught to think about fatness is that fat is not a permanent state. I was unemployed, and I had never been in a relationship. You don't totally admit to yourself you're fat, because, well--. In fact, without this program, I don't think I could survive, because I'd feel like-- I've just been reborn, actually. Stories on This American Life; Moth Stories; Youtube; RISK! Summary: Elna Baker is 63 years old and was born on 08/19/1957. And I remember sitting across from him in his home having dinner. Paul Brynteson loves to exercise. The following is a heavily edited version of a letter I sent to Elna Baker of the radio show This American Life: Dear Elna Baker, I recently listened to the This American Life podcast “But That’s What Happened,” which focused on your exploration of bishops’ youth interviews within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So here in the podcast and the internet version of our radio show this week, we are adding this. And then you have people who are-- I like to call them Lane Bryant fat, which means they can still buy clothes at Lane Bryant, which goes up to 28 in size. It all came down to their percentage body fat. Pretty much all of them have tried already. How much weight would you have to lose to be Lane Bryant fat? That's how radical this is. Andrea Kaiser QM2 Officer. I thought we were falling in love. She says, as a fat teenager, she felt like a monster. YOU ARE NOT BREAKING NEW GROUND HERE!" [MUSIC - BETTY FORD BOYS, "PHYSICAL FITNESS"]. It wasn't enough to take diet pills. Then Oral Roberts had another idea-- to push the fitness program even further. The comedian and author recently shared the story of her 110-pound weight loss with the popular podcast This American Life.After being overweight or obese most of her life, she finally decided to the lose the weight in her early twenties and signed up at a weight loss clinic in New York City. Specifically, lose 8 pounds each semester and 1% body fat. As I bent forward, I heard it split even more. I didn't know how a substance could alter your state of being. And I know some of your best friends are fat or whatever, but you sound like a bigot. And his response, I thought, was really interesting. I know exactly how messed up it is. I have never been thin enough for Asian men. I tried to put my finger on it, but I just couldn't figure it out. Why was Aham doing intense face? What does the dining room look like? It's not about health. My job was to walk down the line of people waiting to go into the theater and divide them into three groups-- dots, generals, and CBS twos. I didn't feel like I'm comfortable in my body or my own skin before. Yeah, I mean, I think there are different kinds of fatness. But then there's a lot of people who don't like that attitude in me. Hello, I'm Elna Baker, this is my website. Yes, it does. Nine months in, I started seeing a guy from my building-- a kindergarten teacher who left love notes on my door. I was free before. Home Editorial help from Julie Snyder. A year out of college, I took stock of my life. And here was ORU with all its students running around in headbands and tube socks. I'm not having it. My question is, what if they try and try and try and still fail? I was like, really, God? She has performed her humorous stories for The Moth, BBC Radio 4 and Studio 360. Aham took me out for dinner on my 32nd birthday, then suggested a quick nightcap at our neighborhood bar. This is who I am, which-- right now, anyway-- is so rare, it feels like a radical act. She had me lay back and pushed wads of gauze in my leg crease like she was putting the stuffing back in a teddy bear. Such dolls were subjected to ridicule and 'torture' for comedic purposes since they were considered as … But again, I think it's because they're Lane Bryant fat. I was a huge flirt with lots of guy friends. Who are these hordes of fat people chasing you around, insisting that eating pot pies all day is awesome and good for your health? There was a paper banner that said my name. It was me. With an elna sewing machine, you chose our brandâs high quality standards and excellent after-sale service. Aham took my hand and led me to the back. Then it didn't work. Did you conceive of yourself as fat? Fat people are told all the time they're choosing to be unhealthy. As new Elna, I threw out all my pictures of old Elna and all the pictures in my parents' photo albums too, because I didn't want people to see them. I don't think so. And when I looked at those photos, they made me feel bad, because in the pictures, I looked happy. But not all of us of have been able to get to that space where we don't care what other people think. Quote, "Why stop with gay people? I just thought it was funny, and it made everyone laugh. "Hey, Dan. They were tested on a bunch of stuff-- their lipid levels, their lung capacity, and their body fat. We've arrived at Act Three of our program. When I hold my arms and legs out, I still look like a flying squirrel. I enrolled in a weight loss clinic. This episode was chosen by Doug Fabrizio. No, not human babies. I am a writer, comedian & storyteller.I OFTEN WRITE ABOUT BEING MORMON, OR STUFF ABOUT MY BODY OR WEIGHT. I'd only been kissed a handful of times when I was fat. And she did as a culmination of a bunch of experiences and changes in the way that she thought about being fat. His name is Dan Savage. You're saying, I happen to be this way, but I don't want to be this way. And who's to know which way that decision is going to go? Right away, they suggest the diet they think best. No matter what excuses they drum up about family values and, yes, health, it's all "ew." David Siegel Karen\'s Boss. Our program was produced today by Susan Burton, Elna Baker. And so we began doing skin fold testing that fall. I am usually up until 4:00 AM. And why should I, as an employee, have to swallow that kind of treatment at my job, in the same newspaper I was sweating blood into for 36K a year? Elna Baker states that there were dolls to be sold and there were other just meant for the display. And then they prayed with us. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print. She is also a contributor to the podcast This American Life.. As part of the 2016 New York City Mormon Transitions Retreat Elna shares experiences regarding her faith transition away from Mormonism. Roxane's black. Mike Doyle Dr. Mitchell. She said the problem with "overweight" is that it implies that there is a correct weight for people. "Almost every day, I hear some kind friend say, Sophie, dear, I think you're much too stout. Contact What are you talking about? And that's where I struggle with the fat acceptance movement. I was hired to be a page at the Letterman show. She told me she was a size 22. CBS two was for fat people, elderly people with a visible illness, people who looked like they might be disruptive, and goths. And I was just pretty devastated for the first couple of months that, you know, that that was the only thing that seemed to be important, right? In response, I threw up a quick blog post. But it was based on the way I looked. Of course, they still didn't agree. It's mean. There's a Tumblr called, "hey, fat chick!". Black people know what I am. Yeah, and check in. And then I'll be back, and we'll unpack and everything. It was a full-blown grand gesture. I don't think I've ever actually heard somebody just say those words except in a much smaller context, like somebody puts on a dress and it's like, oh, I'm fat. For some individuals, I suppose if they were four pounds over and they didn't meet a goal that they were supposed to meet, not allowing them back in school-- for some individuals that could be a turning point where they could change their life around, and that would never happen again. I wanted to know, is this is a thing? We're the same height and used to be the same weight. I'm Ira Glass. First, anyone who denies the existence of the obesity epidemic in the United States hasn't been to a water park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It wasn't enough to lose the weight of an entire adult woman from my own body. All this took was not eating. And that's how it's supposed to be. Let's not talk about it, and I promise I'll fix it. Instead it made me sad. I'd scribble CBS two on their ticket. But then there's this. And so he told me. Elna Baker. You can't change it. I'm taking control over my body. I lost weight so fast-- close to 100 pounds in 5 and 1/2 months-- that it was like going from one human to another. She wasn't strident about this. 112422278, citing Oakwood Cemetery, Bedford, Bedford County, Virginia, USA ; Maintained by Mander (contributor 47110820) . You know, in the book of Romans, Paul says that all-- 8:28's the verse in case you want to look it up-- all things work together for good to those that love God, who are the called according to His purpose. --to be that. Thanks, as always, to our program's co-founder, Mr. Torey Malatia. If you are able, we strongly encourage you to listen to the audio, which includes emotion and emphasis that's not on the page. What if I decided that's beautiful? It was me. You may know that there's a Christian weight loss movement. He's a runner. And it turns out that my memory sucks. Not that any of that matters, because it is entirely none of your business.". Here's something I never tell people. So why am I putting off figuring out how to live with that? I say I have insomnia. So obesity in America affects a higher percentage of black people than white people. Because, um, I don't believe you. I learned how to do the worm, and I would do it in dance circles. But I always felt like if I didn't mention it that maybe people wouldn't notice. Yeah, it is normal. And on top of that, they're ruining America with the terribly expensive diabetes that they don't even have yet? I was unemployed, and I had never been in a relationship. And people will say, you know, this is the first-class line, as if I don't belong there. Says she grew up being told the same thing that lots of fat girls are told-- that she'd never have a husband or a family if she stayed fat. It was the unfairness that got to me. You would never have been attracted to me before. I will take another one at 4:00. The university wants to know what percentage of a student's weight is fat. Eventually, I resorted to surgery-- in fact, four different surgeries. She got into a fight with the paper's editorial director. I just mean she has access to spaces that people like me do not. But it felt like there was an invisible force blocking me from achieving my dreams. I wish they'd cut it out. And if you listen to our show a lot, you know him. It's about "ew." We went for a walk. I am receiving divine help. But we're working on it. Daniel Engber takes us into to a particularly extreme moment for this movement. Yes, it is. Act One, The Day the Scales Fell from Her Eyes. Some people think so. 10 days? I have to go over the lab. Here's Dan. She'd stay home when friends went hiking, biking, sailing. In the abdomen, in the back, in the triceps area. He was deliberately missing the point. That's a good fat person. ELNA BAKER welcome; Bio; Read; Book; Listen; Gallery; Contact > 1 2 3 4 Here's something that surprised me. I got a scholarship to NYU. I was hoping that losing weight might change all that. Occasionally someone would shout something out at me. You would never have talked-- I mean, you would have talked to me. You have no idea what I eat, how much I exercise, what my blood pressure is, or whether or not I'm going to get diabetes. And he spent a big portion of his life teaching people how to stay in shape. I'm Ira Glass. Has that happened to you at a car dealership? The social costs of Iowa's obesity epidemic are pretty staggering. I think every individual is different. That's the medical term? What it do to see that? You've said this thing-- fat is all I ever think about, and it's exhausting. Of course, how Lindy writes about fat people was changed by this as well. We'd lived in the same small building for four years. And so I don't need to be thin, but I want to be in better shape. And if I don't think I'm going to be comfortable, I simply won't go. I don't like what I am. Of course, I'd lost the weight to fix two specific problems. Soon it was a scam I ran all over the city. Take it? That's the premise. A warranty is automatically included with our products when purchased new from an Authorized Elna Dealer demonstrates that we positively believe in their longevity. 25% for males and 35% for females would be a good cutoff. I have lived in this body my whole life. I'm not concerned with whether or not fat people can change their bodies through self-discipline and choices. Because if you were concerned about my health, you would also be concerned about my mental health, which has spent the past 28 years being slowly eroded by statements like the above. The post was called, "Hello, I Am Fat." We're in the way. When you come out as gay, most people accept it, because they know you can't do anything about that. "Being fat is its own punishment. Here's how the provost from back then, Carl Hamilton, explains it now. It had to be more complicated. Explore it with elna and follow-us into our inspirational planet. It's dehumanizing. It does seem weird to me too. Shame doesn't work. No further manpower needed on the shame front. It's because they see me, and they see my skin. Before I will go out to eat, I research a restaurant extensively on Google. That's what I was. Exactly. Paul would be in charge of making that home a fit one. But part of it is being able to say, I feel good and fine about looking this way and being this way. Like, at the time, I was like, how is this possible? But I don't think it's difficult at all. They're art photos. Our editor's Joel Lovell. He fiercely and persistently defended his, quote, "refusal to take the self-esteem-boosting/public-health-shredding position that you can be obese and healthy. Act Four, Cross Trainers. Ha! Stay with us. Elna Baker (born January 1982) is an American writer and comedian. With quality and endurance translating into product durability, your sewing machinesâ extended lifetime means that you donât need to replace it with a new one in a short time. I'd hear comments that I would ignore. And plenty of others said basically, sure, it's discrimination but in a good way, like it could inspire lazy people to get in shape. Two of the biggest things in Paul's life were coming together-- God and exercise. What do you do with them then? In order for my legs to heal, I had to sit alone in a room for a month without any underwear and my legs spread eagle. That if you're fat, you must be lazy or lack self-discipline, that there's something wrong with our country that so many of us can't control our weight. And when the last black rider gets off, music starts. It was a very popular and, I imagine, gratifying ticket at the time. And you're the very last person that the dealer will walk up to, because they think you can't buy a car. She read for me-- and this is what we're going to close out with today-- the story of their engagement. I looked at my pile and began debating what would stay and what would go. Roxane Gay. Elna Baker (born January 1982) is an American writer and comedian. I don't want to pretend that I'm OK with it, and it's not judging anyone else. That's who you are. When I arrived at Oral Roberts University, within a month, he met with all the new faculty. And it seems like when I read you, I feel like, oh, well, that's a huge part of what you actually don't want to accept. What if they're fat forever? I began my diet with a prayer for grace. This is from my journal. Usually those were the only rows you saw on television. But they're not required to lose weight. When you're over a certain size-- it's been explained to me by a few people now-- complete strangers walk up to you on the street and tell you to lose weight. And then not to mention the fact that you're knocking stuff over. "This is my body, over there. By Elna Baker. Top By. I wanted to get a job and find love. In my memory, I asked him to please, please consider his words more carefully before writing about fat people, to remember that we're human beings with complex lives, not disease vectors or animals. I don't want to get thin. So I'm doing it. She was then an ex-28-year-old virgin and ex-Mormon comedienne. And I look at Google Images. When I brought it back, we talked for 20 minutes. It's not the one I wanted to believe. Maybe you remember her story about confronting an internet troll. And I talked to her about this in our interview. They included something called a circumferential body lift. Born again by losing weight. We found 13 people public records in all 50 states. And then I said, let me go over. And then in certain cases, they checked their measurements by dunking students in a giant bathtub. Our friends, our families, the kids, a cake. The job she wanted in her case was she wanted to be an actress. By the way, we double-checked with Lane Bryant. Oh, my god. Summary: Elna Baker has passed away, we regret to report; date of death was 07/20/2009, Elna was 66 years old at the time. Every student had to get a certain number of aerobics points per week. Yeah, I'm sure people in the audience-- I mean, well, a guy came running out with a chair. You do happen to be the boss of me, but you are not the doctor of me. Old Elna longed for someone like Andy and never got him. I know that all of this is wrong. They would put you on this chair and lower you into the water-filled-- I would just call it-- it was almost like they were putting you in a big beaker. Everyone was there. You guys, I've been working really hard on not showing this to people. Paul was shaken up. I started recording a conversation with my husband a few weeks ago about some of this to help think through the ideas of this story. And the women in these photographs were so proud and just full of life. For the record, she says she's only destroyed one chair. Were you afraid it would be hurtful to them? There's a bunch of Tumblrs along these lines. I was like, OK. And then--. It's not like when you come out as gay or transgender.