Really Obese People
Not trying to be mean, and I have lots of friends who are too large, but, really! I know eating can become a disorder, but have it looked at then.

I hear about your bad back, your bad knees, the fact that people treat you different, that your furniture doesn't last as long, that toilets are too small, that people are prejudiced, that you're 30, but someone thought you were 50, and best of all, "I can't help it, it's my genetics" as you're stuffing the third calzone of the night in your face while eating french fries and onion rings.

And no, just because I choose to exercise and watch what I eat, does not mean I have it easy.

Sorry the shocks in your car seem to go bad prematurely.
( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 18:24, 16 replies)

Genetics
that seems to be the favourite excuse.
I have a friend who's getting so large that its giving her health problems and that's her excuse despite her parents and two sisters being quite slim.
(FootOfTim, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 18:29, closed)

A kid at school said it was his glands
Until everyone started calling him "greedy glands".
( An Egg ,D, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 22:30, closed)

i was fat, now i'm not.
interestingly, during my weight management course, the doctor informed me that they have actually identified 2 different gene types that can make you fat. one can easily be treated, but is very rare. the other needs a damn good diet and lots of exercise.
or, failing that, surgery.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 18:35, closed)

I suppose many bodies are predisposed to certain things: alcoholism, drug sensitivity, etc.
I have a bad back and a bad knee and was threatened with all sorts of nasty surgery if I gained weight - it's quite an incentive.

I was also fortunate to have a hippie mother who didn't believe in white flour or sugar, gave us fruit as treats and never gave us chocolate. Now I reach for a carrot or fruit when I want a treat. Good parenting, says I.
( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 18:40, closed)

we didn't have much choice
the north west in the early '80's was a very poor area, we ate whatever was cheap, usually fried and definitely fattening.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 18:43, closed)

I can assure you, buying Raisin Bran instead of CocoPuffs or Capn Crunch is much cheaper
It just tastes like you've poured milk on chaff.
( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 18:45, closed)

cereal was seen as too expensive
when toast for 15p a loaf was available
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 18:56, closed)

I grew up in the grim-up-north in the 70s and 80s and I'm an adonis.
I can only assume that you spent too little time fighting and dancing.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 20:00, closed)

I'm on the fence here.
I'm a mid-30's alcoholic guy whose only excersize is the walk to work and, yes, I've put on a few pounds in the last decade -- but I know people who are far more careful with their diet and excercise than I am yet still have a higher bodyfat ratio. I also know a few people whose diet and alcohol abuse is worse than mine and yet they are thinner.
My conclusion is that everyone should decide how they wish to live their life and that fitness is more important than weight alone and is a personal thing.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 18:48, closed)

I see your point: good fitness may not lead to the same body type for each person - that is individual and genetic
So a Norwegian may never have the phenotype of an American Indian. And it shows the fallacy of weight, which can be reduced by bulimia, etc. Point is, much of the healthcare dollars governments and insurance companies expend are directly related to obesity, making it a shared cost.

A good friend is a nurse and she says that hospitals are mainly for obese people and people who smoke. And none of it is pretty.

I know addiction... hang in there.
( BrokenCoccyx doesn't mind if you grope on, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 19:27, closed)

But smokers and eaters are much more likely to die younger -- and so will not become troublesome old people.
I know the Us is different, but here in the UK a smoker pays so much in tax per packet that they're practically paying for a healthy person's healthcare too.
I'd also speculate that obese people don't really cost that much -- strokes and heart disease hit a long time before people eat into the taxes or insurance they paid.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 20:18, closed)

Nah.
That might sound convincing, but the truth is that obesity costs a massive massive amount in healthcare. The US counts the cost into the hundreds of billions of dollars a year. We're not at their levels yet because (a) we're not quite such fat fucks and (b) we have a much more cost efficient health service on account of being dirty pinko commies ... but fat biffers are still a burden on the state.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Thu 7 Apr 2011, 9:13, closed)

They're only a burden till they die though.
So are unlikely to need nursing care into their 90s and may not draw a pension.
I know you're probably right and fatties represent an overall cost -- but I don't think it's anywhere near as high as people make out.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Thu 7 Apr 2011, 11:19, closed)

A
previous appointment I had with my Doc I asked her what I what have to eat everyday in order to weigh, say, 300lbs (I was curious) and so she made a list.
"Bloody hell" was my response when I read it, I personally have no idea how someone could possibly eat so much, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
(Sadarse works like Mist condensing mud flaps, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 21:53, closed)

"It's me glands"
Well actually in my case it was. I put on about 2 stone, it turned out my thyroid was packing up. He put me on some pills and the weight fell off me again.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 22:06, closed)

"It's me medication"
I lived with a bloke who started taking medication for an unrelated problem that increased his weight by 50%. Came off the drugs, weight luckily fell off again (he disliked being forced to buy clothing).
(mmmm curry doesn't really understand this sig lark, Wed 6 Apr 2011, 23:45, closed)