Is being fat a disability??
Replies
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dis·a·bil·i·ty
/ˌdisəˈbilitē/
noun
noun: disability; plural noun: disabilities
a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.
However, being OBESE or MORBIDLY OBESE does.
Im Obese and I can jog..So I disagree
Morbidly obese and can jog. And jump up onto 6' walls. And work as hard as anyone else.
/shrug
So you weigh 350+ lbs and can jump up onto 6' walls?
325+ with a BMI of around 43ish. And yes, yes I can.0 -
Fat is the bridge to actual disability problems (blood clots, high blood pressure, diabetes, joint pain, inability to walk/breathe, etc). There is people working without limbs or moving only a part of their body and you are requesting medical leaves and special benefits because you are shoving pizza down your throat? Nope. No excuses.
I am 259 pounds and 24 years old, I have caused this to myself and I am accepting it. I am trying to change it. As to depression, I'm there and I am doing my best to overcome it.
How are you going about overcoming your depression?
I have attempted suicide several times and I have encountered several problems due to self harm, so after the last suicide attempt I am going to a psychiatrist specialized in Suicide and Self harm (paying for Q700 an hour visits on my own since my family is not backing me up) taking Lamotrigine and Risperidone and really, having my partner at my side, walking with our fitbits, traveling, doing new things.0 -
When I see a fat person on a mobility scooter I always ask myself the following question. "Are they fat because they have a disease or injury, or do they have a disease or injury because they are fat?"0
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I think my post was totally misconstrued...if you remember, I was referencing FMLA....my point was should you be able to take FMLA or receive a check because of being overweight....I still stand behind my opinion. If you are clinically depressed...then depression is your medical disablility not being overweight, if you have thyroid issues, thats your medical condition not being overweight....if you have no other issue except you dont move and overeat...you have no disability and you can change your circumstances...
as for the person next to me....I have worked with them for 14 yrs and yes I know their story including the fact that they had to see someone before they got the lapband to make sure they had no clinical issues such as depression before the dr would do the surgery....
I think that it was construed properly. I'm not sure anybody has yet addressed the passive aggressive behavior toward your co-worker...0 -
I think one of the biggest problems with obesity is that most people see it as a personal issue and not a societal one.
I remember volunteering at a food bank in a very poor county in Georgia. I (very naively) thought that the people I was going to see would be starving. But they weren't. They were almost all obese and the prayer circle held every morning confirmed that most people and their loved ones were suffering from heart disease, diabetes, etc.
I started to look around at the food that we were providing - and everything was highly processed. We rarely got donations of fresh fruit or veg but we were loaded up with white bread, pastries, sugary cereals, etc. It was like a vicious cycle - their lifestyles were causing health issues that caused them to have to spend more and more money on medical care or impacted their ability to work, which further impacted their ability to buy healthy foods, which just compounded their health problems.
It's easy to put blame obesity on individual people, but obesity is linked to many other social issues in the US. There's a reason that certain lifestyle diseases are more prevalent in certain communities than others... and until we begin tackling obesity at higher levels than just the individual, it's going to continue to grow as an epidemic.0 -
Having never dealt with depression, I don't think I can comment.
Obese, morbidly obese, super obese etc. is definitely in my opinion debilitating and can facilitate a whole host of medical issues.
It's sad really, but even sadder is to judge when I've never been in that position.
Agreed.
To me it's like saying lung cancer isn't a disabling if you got it from smoking. Or liver failure if you got it from doing drugs. Or having lost both legs while playing chicken with a train. Doesn't matter how you got there, once you're there, you're not able to do what you used to do, therefore you are disabled.
Not to say everyone who can reverse such a condition shouldn't try, but they'll likely have much more success with some help.0 -
dis·a·bil·i·ty
/ˌdisəˈbilitē/
noun
noun: disability; plural noun: disabilities
a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.
However, being OBESE or MORBIDLY OBESE does.
Im Obese and I can jog..So I disagree
Morbidly obese and can jog. And jump up onto 6' walls. And work as hard as anyone else.
/shrug
So you weigh 350+ lbs and can jump up onto 6' walls?
325+ with a BMI of around 43ish. And yes, yes I can.
That's awesome man.0 -
I think one of the biggest problems with obesity is that most people see it as a personal issue and not a societal one.
I remember volunteering at a food bank in a very poor county in Georgia. I (very naively) thought that the people I was going to see would be starving. But they weren't. They were almost all obese and the prayer circle held every morning confirmed that most people and their loved ones were suffering from heart disease, diabetes, etc.
I started to look around at the food that we were providing - and everything was highly processed. We rarely got donations of fresh fruit or veg but we were loaded up with white bread, pastries, sugary cereals, etc. It was like a vicious cycle - their lifestyles were causing health issues that caused them to have to spend more and more money on medical care or impacted their ability to work, which further impacted their ability to buy healthy foods, which just compounded their health problems.
It's easy to put blame obesity on individual people, but obesity is linked to many other social issues in the US. There's a reason that certain lifestyle diseases are more prevalent in certain communities than others... and until we begin tackling obesity at higher levels than just the individual, it's going to continue to grow as an epidemic.
This is the third rail of the discussion. Expect a wave of people denying that healthy food is more expensive even though it clearly is.0 -
dis·a·bil·i·ty
/ˌdisəˈbilitē/
noun
noun: disability; plural noun: disabilities
a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.
However, being OBESE or MORBIDLY OBESE does.
Im Obese and I can jog..So I disagree
Morbidly obese and can jog. And jump up onto 6' walls. And work as hard as anyone else.
/shrug
So you weigh 350+ lbs and can jump up onto 6' walls?
325+ with a BMI of around 43ish. And yes, yes I can.
Fat doesn't mean unfit.
However, anorexia means that exercise MUST be restricted because of the pressure it places on the weakened heart.
That's a disabling condition due to as free a choice as getting fat due to depression.0 -
America doesn't have an obesity problem, we have a heart problem. And I'm not talking cardiovascular. OP, do you have any close friends/family that are morbidly obese? When was the last time you invited them out for a hike or included them in a healthy activity? To the man judging his "lazy" neighbor, how about you? You know her so well, why not try including her? Does it make you folks feel good about yourselves to speak about others with such righteous overtones? Grow up already.0
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The OP either gave up or is trying to back squat 160 lbs to see what its like.0
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Having never dealt with depression, I don't think I can comment.
Obese, morbidly obese, super obese etc. is definitely in my opinion debilitating and can facilitate a whole host of medical issues.
It's sad really, but even sadder is to judge when I've never been in that position.
Agreed.
To me it's like saying lung cancer isn't a disabling if you got it from smoking. Or liver failure if you got it from doing drugs. Or having lost both legs while playing chicken with a train. Doesn't matter how you got there, once you're there, you're not able to do what you used to do, therefore you are disabled.
Not to say everyone who can reverse such a condition shouldn't try, but they'll likely have much more success with some help.
Yes, if a person arrives at one or more of those conditions, they do have a disability. However, if the reason they got lung cancer was from smoking; lost their legs playing chicken with a train, do we, as a society, owe them the same level of empathy and or assistance that we have for those who are disabled through no fault of their own?0 -
dis·a·bil·i·ty
/ˌdisəˈbilitē/
noun
noun: disability; plural noun: disabilities
a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.
However, being OBESE or MORBIDLY OBESE does.
Im Obese and I can jog..So I disagree
Morbidly obese and can jog. And jump up onto 6' walls. And work as hard as anyone else.
/shrug
So you weigh 350+ lbs and can jump up onto 6' walls?
325+ with a BMI of around 43ish. And yes, yes I can.
That's awesome man.
It is all about body composition and lifestyle. I am reasonably active and am one of those that got fat due to depression.0 -
325+ with a BMI of around 43ish. And yes, yes I can.
But we all know that you're not normal....you're wheird. :laugh:0 -
I think that it was construed properly. I'm not sure anybody has yet addressed the passive aggressive behavior toward your co-worker...
Was it passive aggressive or completely lacking in empathy?
Outside of silicon valley, are sociopathic behaviors considered a disability, like depression?0 -
It depends. If you are a girl with 10 lbs too much and you think you are "fat", obviously it is not a disability. If you are an individual of 400 lbs or more that needs huge assistance to move, it is.
Can you do something? saying there is something you can do about it may be a bit too simplistic. You do not know the condition that brought a person to get there.
Could have they done something earlier? probably, but they didn't.
If you fall and break your back and become handicaped, using the reasonning "there is something you can do about it", you could say, you should have attach yourself, or whatever (playing the devil's advocate here). SO yes, there is almost always something you can do about it for everything. But for those persons if was not done, so I will say yes, in some case it is a disability.0 -
Yes, if a person arrives at one or more of those conditions, they do have a disability. However, if the reason they got lung cancer was from smoking; lost their legs playing chicken with a train, do we, as a society, owe them the same level of empathy and or assistance that we have for those who are disabled through no fault of their own?
Yes.
That's not even a question. Morally and legally.0 -
325+ with a BMI of around 43ish. And yes, yes I can.
But we all know that you're not normal....you're wheird. :laugh:
Wheird is as wheird does. And he does it right!0 -
dis·a·bil·i·ty
/ˌdisəˈbilitē/
noun
noun: disability; plural noun: disabilities
a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.
However, being OBESE or MORBIDLY OBESE does.
Im Obese and I can jog..So I disagree
Morbidly obese and can jog. And jump up onto 6' walls. And work as hard as anyone else.
/shrug
So you weigh 350+ lbs and can jump up onto 6' walls?
325+ with a BMI of around 43ish. And yes, yes I can.
That's awesome man.
It is all about body composition and lifestyle. I am reasonably active and am one of those that got fat due to depression.
Exhibit A: Bam Bam Bigelow
This guy wrestled at weights fluctuating from 300-425lbs and could jump and do mostly everything the smaller guys could. Totally legit.
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OP
DO me a favor, go load up 160#'s on an Olympic bar hoist it up on your back and go walk a mile. Come back to this thread after and tell me how disabled you feel. Please go try, not trying to be an *kitten* at all, but I think once you feel what the people you are talking about do you might feel differently.
But work up to is really slowly - like 1 pound a month. That's what everyone does as they gain weight. You should be fine once you get there. And by that logic, an overweight person's muscles should be stronger than that of a regular weight person who doesn't lift.
Yeah. Actually when an overweight person diets, they are generally stronger than a person who has always been the weight. You do, in fact, build muscle to carry around fit. It's a bit silly to think that you don't.0 -
Being obese or morbidly obese most definitely can be a disability because it often interferes with normal activity, even with no underlying health problems. Whether it is subject to FMLA is dependent on other factors. In some cases, yes, and in other cases, no. That's a matter that is determined by those whose job it is to make distinctions. It isn't my job, and I'm guessing that it isn't the OP's job, either. Yes, some obese people are more than capable of performing job functions, but some aren't. It isn't for me to determine if it's a disability or not because I don't work in that field or see the specific case file. As for OP's coworker with the lap band, my guess is her distaste for her as a person leads to her being overly judgmental of the woman. OP doesn't like her, so she's looking for more reasons to justify the dislike. It shows a distinct character flaw, and a disappointing one at that.
Judging what other people purchase at a grocery store is lame. Eating only clean foods or lean meat and veggies is whoever's prerogative, but I don't walk around the grocery store judging those sorts of people for thinking they're better than the rest of us who like to bring home frozen pizzas and pop tarts.
There are plenty of thin people out there gaming the system when it comes to FMLA, SSD and SSI. I'd be willing to bet that if you look at the statistics on it, people gaming the system would look just like the overall population with respect to the percentages of obese versus normal weight.
^ I like you:)
She is awesome, isn't she?0 -
I think that it was construed properly. I'm not sure anybody has yet addressed the passive aggressive behavior toward your co-worker...
Was it passive aggressive or completely lacking in empathy?
Outside of silicon valley, are sociopathic behaviors considered a disability, like depression?
Lacking in empathy would be just stating the question here on the message board.
But the OP made it pretty clear that she was singling out a co-worker.0 -
I know, I know, everyone's having a good time judging the OP for judging. I'm kind of the party pooper...
There is an important legal question here: what constitutes a disability that legally entitles one to receive benefits?
Does anyone know? Surely there must be a protocol for determining these kinds of things. Any legal people out there? Medical people?0 -
The Judgy McJudgersons are out in full force today. I know - it takes one to know one and I am too often guilty.
^^ Very much this... on both sides.0 -
The OP either gave up or is trying to back squat 160 lbs to see what its like.
Crap. Now she's hurt her back and we're all going to have to pay for her choices when she stops being able to work because of it.0 -
dis·a·bil·i·ty
/ˌdisəˈbilitē/
noun
noun: disability; plural noun: disabilities
a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.
However, being OBESE or MORBIDLY OBESE does.
Im Obese and I can jog..So I disagree
Morbidly obese and can jog. And jump up onto 6' walls. And work as hard as anyone else.
/shrug
So you weigh 350+ lbs and can jump up onto 6' walls?
325+ with a BMI of around 43ish. And yes, yes I can.
That's awesome man.
It is all about body composition and lifestyle. I am reasonably active and am one of those that got fat due to depression.
Exhibit A: Bam Bam Bigelow
This guy wrestled at weights fluctuating from 300-425lbs and could jump and do mostly everything the smaller guys could. Totally legit.
His backflips used to trip me out!0 -
My thoughts are why did you feel the need to post this?
And that your view on depression is ignorant.How is the view from way up there, OP?Once again, judgment is judgment. It comes easily, for there is no personal responsibility in judging others. Having insight and empathy are qualities of substance that at your age, should already be in place.
^All these0 -
I know, I know, everyone's having a good time judging the OP for judging. I'm kind of the party pooper...
There is an important legal question here: what constitutes a disability that legally entitles one to receive benefits?
Does anyone know? Surely there must be a protocol for determining these kinds of things. Any legal people out there? Medical people?
I think that was covered by page 2. A doctor has to complete FMLA paperwork.0 -
Lots of things can make you disabled. For instance lacking empathy and compassion can stunt your ability to see how horrendously to behave to other human beings. I am sure special modifications are made to accommodate people with these disabilities.
Heavy eye rolling and such.
Yes. I'm undecided about the topic but the lack of empathy is totally distracting. I've gotten so frustrated reading this whole thing because this unteachable OP is impervious to new information and unable to examine her own behavior. Waste of time.
^And all of the above x1000000000000000000 -
I really thought I'd find the lack of empathy surprising. In fact, I don't, I totally expect it from this forum at this point.
We keep it classy round these parts.0
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