I just don't care about the 'obesity epidemic'

chatogal

This thread's been reported as offensive!

actually, it is an interesting debate. Why is a debate on here always seen as offensive??

wild_wild_life

I won't die of any genetically inherited disease. I could get run over by a car or something but diabetes is not in my future.

I may be missing the context here, but you can still contract genetic, inhereted and acquired diseases if you are not obese. Obesity increases the risk of developing some health problems but being of a normal weight doesn't guarantee you will only die if you forget to look both ways while crossing the street.

Well said and why it's dangerous for weight to be equated with health. Many thin people get ill because they have a false sense that their size protects them from the ravages of disease.

What's your point? Many diseases have nothing to do with weight, you dont have to be a rocket scientist to know that. There are those that do and it's always either from weighing too much or too little. Are you now saying that being obese doesn't increase your risk for any disease?

Someone above seemed to be claiming they weren't going to develop any life threatening diseases because they weren't overweight. You're right, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that this is silly.

I don't think she is saying that being obese doesn't increase your risk of certain diseases, but simply that being overweight should not be "equated" with being in poor health.

wild_wild_life

This thread's been reported as offensive!

I'm curious, what's offensive about it?

DamePiglet

I won't die of any genetically inherited disease. I could get run over by a car or something but diabetes is not in my future.

I'm jealous. I think I wouldn't mind knowing if I was going to get cancer, kidney disease, etc.
'course no matter how healthy we are, we ALL die of one genetically inherited trait: being human.

shapefitter

This thread's been reported as offensive!

I'm curious, what's offensive about it?

In United Kingdom this topic is discriminating to the highest degree. End off.

wild_wild_life

This thread's been reported as offensive!

I'm curious, what's offensive about it?

In United Kingdom this topic is discriminating to the highest degree. End off.

I'm sorry you're offended. To me the debate over whether or not obesity should be considered a public health issue is an interesting one and not meant as offensive to anyone. I think people on both sides have made good arguments, although there may have been a minute in the middle there where it went off the rails a bit...

chatogal

This thread's been reported as offensive!

I'm curious, what's offensive about it?

In United Kingdom this topic is discriminating to the highest degree. End off.

good grief......save us from political correctness!!!

Oh...and by the way...who is being discriminated here?..sounded like a healthy debate to me...everyone giving their points of view etc

oh well...cant please everyone

jofjltncb6

This thread's been reported as offensive!

I'm curious, what's offensive about it?

In United Kingdom this topic is discriminating to the highest degree. End off.

Huh? Offensive? Discriminating? Perhaps these terms have a different meaning in Oxford's as compared to Webster's. Oh, sure, there may be some posts in these many pages that are "offensive", but the discussion itself? I struggle to see that.

But I also find myself frequently reminded that I should never underestimate other people's ability to find offense where I struggle to find it.

RonnieLodge

How does your curvy/chubby/fat/obese neighbor affect you?

Try getting on a bus, or a long plane ride and having a person who is obese sitting next to you. Spilling OVER you.

Try going into a hospital and seeing all the specialized bariatric equipment.

shapefitter

How does your curvy/chubby/fat/obese neighbor affect you?

This is a discriminating comment made by utter ignorance and thoughtlessness. Something the American public see as quite normal, from what I gather, but very damaging. Also a certain political viewpoint is characteristic of such a statement, which I will stay well clear off. Good bye.
Try getting on a bus, or a long plane ride and having a person who is obese sitting next to you. Spilling OVER you.

Try going into a hospital and seeing all the specialized bariatric equipment.

jofjltncb6

How does your curvy/chubby/fat/obese neighbor affect you?

Try getting on a bus, or a long plane ride and having a person who is obese sitting next to you. Spilling OVER you.

Try going into a hospital and seeing all the specialized bariatric equipment.

This is a discriminating comment made by utter ignorance and thoughtlessness. Something the American public see as quite normal, from what I gather, but very damaging. Also a certain political viewpoint is characteristic of such a statement, which I will stay well clear off. Good bye.

That one comment which was more observation than anything is what set you off? And the entire thread should be shut down? And you throw the whole country in and insinuate that a political viewpoint is to blame??? (Like, a certain political party is behind it? Really?)

I'm speechless. Truly.

Best of luck to you in all your health and fitness goals. :flowerforyou:

WJZR

I thought we were on this site... because we were fighting being overweight or obese! Let's have a little kindness here! I did not try to be overweight... it just crept up on me while I was working full time, caring for older parents, raising kids, not taking care of myself! Its an epidemic due to portion sizes being too large everywhere, including our own kitchen tables, and we are not out " hunting and gathering" anymore. Being overweight is unhealthy and also inconvenient!

MichMunchkin

How does your curvy/chubby/fat/obese neighbor affect you?

Try getting on a bus, or a long plane ride and having a person who is obese sitting next to you. Spilling OVER you.

Try going into a hospital and seeing all the specialized bariatric equipment.

In the case of the specialized equipment in a hospital: who's forcing you to look? If you don't need it, you don't need to look at it. That should end the affront to your eyes, no?

gallowglasslass

How does your curvy/chubby/fat/obese neighbor affect you?

Try getting on a bus, or a long plane ride and having a person who is obese sitting next to you. Spilling OVER you.

Try going into a hospital and seeing all the specialized bariatric equipment.

In the case of the specialized equipment in a hospital: who's forcing you to look? If you don't need it, you don't need to look at it. That should end the affront to your eyes, no?

The equipment must be paid for, and the cost is not entirely borne by the obese patients themselves. I think the point was the affront to the pocketbook, not the eyes.

jofjltncb6

I'm astounded that some people equate adults discussing the issue in an online forum with some kind of discrimination or disdain for the obese individuals themselves. Have we truly gotten to the point as a society where openly discussing an issue...from all sides...is no different than engaging in the actual behavior?

And let's say for the sake of argument that there truly is some level of discrimination involved here. Am I alone in the belief that the first step to reconciling and resolving any discrimination is an open dialog? Don't we first have to understand a problem before we can effectively address it?

There are a lot of issues that others worry about that I think are overblown...but this...this inability to engage in a simple discourse...and even beyond that, to actively trying to silence others who would be so brazen as to try to discuss it...I truly believe will be a significant factor in the undoing of civilization.

magerum

I'm astounded that some people equate adults discussing the issue in an online forum with some kind of discrimination or disdain for the obese individuals themselves. Have we truly gotten to the point as a society where openly discussing an issue...from all sides...is no different than engaging in the actual behavior?

And let's say for the sake of argument that there truly is some level of discrimination involved here. Am I alone in the belief that the first step to reconciling and resolving any discrimination is an open dialog? Don't we first have to understand a problem before we can effectively address it?

There are a lot of issues that others worry about that I think are overblown...but this...this inability to engage in a simple discourse...and even beyond that, to actively trying to silence others who would be so brazen as to try to discuss it...I truly believe will be a significant factor in the undoing of civilization.

I blame the increasingly popular attitude of "Don't say anything I don't want to hear or it's rude/bullying.", "Don't say anything unless you're in agreement with me.", paticipation trophies for everyone, & general over sensitivity.

DamePiglet

How does your curvy/chubby/fat/obese neighbor affect you?

This is a discriminating comment made by utter ignorance and thoughtlessness. Something the American public see as quite normal, from what I gather, but very damaging. Also a certain political viewpoint is characteristic of such a statement, which I will stay well clear off. Good bye.
Try getting on a bus, or a long plane ride and having a person who is obese sitting next to you. Spilling OVER you.

Try going into a hospital and seeing all the specialized bariatric equipment.

So you're offended by people bad-mouthing Americans? Yeah. I don't like that either.

arcana7609

I won't die of any genetically inherited disease. I could get run over by a car or something but diabetes is not in my future.

I may be missing the context here, but you can still contract genetic, inhereted and acquired diseases if you are not obese. Obesity increases the risk of developing some health problems but being of a normal weight doesn't guarantee you will only die if you forget to look both ways while crossing the street.

Well said and why it's dangerous for weight to be equated with health. Many thin people get ill because they have a false sense that their size protects them from the ravages of disease.

What's your point? Many diseases have nothing to do with weight, you dont have to be a rocket scientist to know that. There are those that do and it's always either from weighing too much or too little. Are you now saying that being obese doesn't increase your risk for any disease?

Someone above seemed to be claiming they weren't going to develop any life threatening diseases because they weren't overweight. You're right, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that this is silly.

I don't think she is saying that being obese doesn't increase your risk of certain diseases, but simply that being overweight should not be "equated" with being in poor health.

Thank you! Exactly my point.

I am sorry if some people are offended are upset by this discussion, but I think it's very important. People aren't used to hearing that health is more important than size. That is my one first point. My second point is that hating fat people, including yourselves contributes NOTHING to society or to your own journey to health.

beachlover317

How does your curvy/chubby/fat/obese neighbor affect you?

Try getting on a bus, or a long plane ride and having a person who is obese sitting next to you. Spilling OVER you.

Try going into a hospital and seeing all the specialized bariatric equipment.

In the case of the specialized equipment in a hospital: who's forcing you to look? If you don't need it, you don't need to look at it. That should end the affront to your eyes, no?

The equipment must be paid for, and the cost is not entirely borne by the obese patients themselves. I think the point was the affront to the pocketbook, not the eyes.

That's a short sighted view of hospital care. If that reasoning stands, then I should not have to pay for a hospital to be prepared to treat a diabetic - for luckily, I am not one. Nor, should I have to chip in to pay for respiratory equipment - for my lungs, at present, are healthy. It's the cost of treating all patients.

wild_wild_life

The equipment must be paid for, and the cost is not entirely borne by the obese patients themselves. I think the point was the affront to the pocketbook, not the eyes.

That's a short sighted view of hospital care. If that reasoning stands, then I should not have to pay for a hospital to be prepared to treat a diabetic - for luckily, I am not one. Nor, should I have to chip in to pay for respiratory equipment - for my lungs, at present, are healthy. It's the cost of treating all patients.

Yes, but it's given as an example of how obesity in a significant portion of the population can drive up health care costs. That's in addition to the effect on insurance premiums of a population more prone to the development of diseases that require expensive treatment.

That said, I do NOT think individual people who are overweight or have weight-related medical expenses should be made to feel bad, any more than someone with cancer should feel bad. I do think it's important to recognize that if measures were taken to lessen or prevent weight-related health problems (like losing weight), that would probably be a step in a positive direction for that person, and, if a lot of people were to do this, for society as a whole. But I certainly don't think obese people should be made to feel bad about themselves as a means to that end. I think this may be a really subtle point that I understand could leave people feeling unfairly attacked or victimized.

I also think there are a lot of people out there who do discrimintate against obese people, and not even necessarily for any reason related to public health.

The question is, how can obese people (speaking generally -- I think the people on this site are an exception) be encouraged to lose weight without applying that stigma?