Do you think fat people "ought" to lose weight?

Jeneba

You are one COURAGEOUS woman to post this topic! I love that you are active and fit - a lot of this is cultural: coming from the world of West African dance & drum, I can tell you that some of the BEST dancers are Large Women - because when they move even a centimeter in space, the motion of their bodies has an eloquence that smaller bodies can't even aspire to. And NO ONE would EVER DARE to call these people "unfit!"

candistyx

Being overweight is decreased risk of mortality than normal weight (obese is a different matter).

Can you please share articles and studies done on this? I have never heard this.

http://sjp.sagepub.com/content/33/6/478.abstract This one actually says that the mortality and morbidity is the same for all BMI groups (in women) EXCEPT in those with a history of cardiovascular disease (where the traditional concept fits).

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/87934.php

Scientists from the CDC had already reported back in 2000 using data from national surveys, that risk of death from all causes was significantly lower in overweight people compared to normal weight, and significantly higher in the underweight and obese. The purpose of this new study was to get more insights into the findings, using specific mortality data with longer follow up for deaths among US adults during the year 2004.

songbyrdsweet

I just don't like the word 'ought'.

I've never really thought about whether or not an overweight person should lose weight unless they asked me. It would be better for their health. But I really don't care. Why would someone care? :huh:

ibbray04

And I am obese and perfectly capable of moving around (and completely "proportional") so I don't buy it if anyone says that an obese person would be too limited by their fat mass to exercise to fitness because its totally untrue. Maybe a 500lb person is so limited, most people under 250... completely capable of exercise imo, unless they also have other problems.

You say that, but yet on your profile, under reasons to lose weight you posted: "3. So I can participate in active daily tasks without excessive fatigue."... That's a bit contradictory.

Either way, I think it's the person choice.

joyfulthanks

It depends on the relationship, I suppose. If I'm someone on the street with no connection to an obese person, then it's none of my business.

But if I'm the husband/wife, son, or daughter of a person who is choosing a lifestyle that will have a dramatic impact on my life when the inevitable health consequences of obesity eventually come calling, then yes, I think I have a right to want them to lose weight. We can even have an effect on people we don't know, since everyone's health care costs are increasing as a result of the high cost of obesity-related illness.

So I think unless folks are going to live in a bubble and don't plan to have any loved ones who will need to care for them, and plan to pay for all their health care costs out of their own pockets without using health insurance (either public or private), then maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to think about they way their choices will affect others beyond themselves.

And I'm saying this right now to myself as much as to anyone else.

Jennwith2ns

No, I don't care what other people choose to do and I only look down on those that judge others. I cannot STAND judgmental people.

candistyx

You say that, but yet on your profile, under reasons to lose weight you posted: "3. So I can participate in active daily tasks without excessive fatigue."... That's a bit contradictory.

Either way, I think it's the person choice.

I found 2 weeks after engaging in moderate exercise I was capable of this :P

sarahferran

I truly believe that people come in all shapes and sizes:) All walks of life:) At 17 years old I was a happy 250lbs:) I had it in all the right places and i never had any problems:) Then i started to get symptoms of heart issues. Palpatations and high blood pressure. At the age of 18 i was 311lbs. The Dr told me that i had High tryglicerides and high blood pressure:( He said that if i didnt loose weight i would be in for serious health problems later. I was put on meds for both problems. At 20 years old i was 370 and diagnosed with type two diabetes. I didnt know what to do. So i gave up. My eating got out of control. I could barely walk:( I had a beautiful little boy who i could not play with:( At 21 years old on the day of my R NY Gastric bypass surgery i was 484lbs. I figured i had nothing to lose. I tell you this at 255lbs and 25 yeas old. All the health problems are Gone:) I live a healthy active lifestyle. People "ought" To do what is best for them in the long run:) And that isnt the same for everyone. I think that if a person is overweight but happy with no health concerns and have no desire to change than that is great:) I also think that there comes a time in every overweight persons life when they truly are open to change and challenge themselves to be different. As far as judging or looking down...That is not my job:) I am a people person and love to talk and be friends. If they are 120lbs or 600lbs:) I hope this helps:)

candistyx

Another fun article:

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/31/Supplement_2/S278.full

Obesity is a well-established risk factor for many chronic disorders such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, as well as for increased all-cause mortality risk (1–3). It is therefore paradoxical that weight loss, whether only observational or even intentional (in some observational studies) is also associated with an increased mortality risk (4–10). This has now been documented from four Nordic countries (7–10) in recent epidemiological studies based on population-based cohorts followed over time, after an initial assessment of weight loss compared with weight stability or weight increase during the first few years of follow-up. Therefore, a clinical controversy exists.

It is just not as simple as "less fat == more health".

Seajolly

http://sjp.sagepub.com/content/33/6/478.abstract This one actually says that the mortality and morbidity is the same for all BMI groups (in women) EXCEPT in those with a history of cardiovascular disease (where the traditional concept fits).

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/87934.php
Scientists from the CDC had already reported back in 2000 using data from national surveys, that risk of death from all causes was significantly lower in overweight people compared to normal weight, and significantly higher in the underweight and obese. The purpose of this new study was to get more insights into the findings, using specific mortality data with longer follow up for deaths among US adults during the year 2004.

Thanks for that! Interesting findings, but in the first one, the study was done in rural Sweden. Didn't see any other contributing factors to the findings such as diet, climate, etc. Is this a very cold climate for most of the year? Does an extra layer of fat help prolong life because it helps keep the people warmer and more likely to survive the cold winters incase of food shortages? Really need more information before I can understand the outcome of that study.

In the second link, it makes a lot of sense that being modestly overweight would provide "the body with essential nutritional reserves during recovery from illness and major operations". So I totally understand that. That is a very good point.

IrishChick71

If someone is fat, and doesn't have health problems because of being fat, do you think they "should" lose weight? Would you in any way look down on them or reject them if they chose to live with their weight instead of struggling to change it?

Why or why not?

Should they lose weight? Depends on if their weight is limiting them in anyway or in any area of their life. If their life would be better from the weight loss then YES. If they can't stand to be photograghed because of the way they look, If they struggle to keep up with their kids, if they can't walk up stairs or take 10 steps without feeling out of breath, if they need 2 seats on an airplane or theatre? Absolutely YES.

I've never chosen my friends by the way they look. So I would never reject a good friend because of how big they are. That's pretty superficial. But I think if they want to lose weight and they give up just because "it's too hard" then turns around and eats a whole pizza by themselves, that's says something about a person. And yes, I think it does color the way I look at them to a certain degree if I was honest. But would I reject them as a person? Definitely NOT!

LeanerBeef

As a life long fat person I would tell that person they should try to lose the weight - if they're asking. In this world, I don't think there is truly anyone, or atleast not too many, people that are "fat and happy". If that person doesn't have any current health issues they are surely a candidate for many ailments down the road. I would also question if their not being fit would affect their daily activity - like it does anyone carrying too much weight. If someone thinks just walking from home, to car, to parking lot, to office and back without having a heart attack is enjoying life, I say they are mistaken. Again, they might not have an immediate health issue but can they play with thier kids, participate in a 5k walk, enjoy the beach, ride a bike, etc - can that person honestly say that the weight doesn't keep them from enjoying life to the fullest??? I think no matter what your size or situation, we all have our issues and hang ups but being overwieght is something that holds many people back from living the life they want. Whether you are talking about your love life, career, social life, whatever it may be, being "fat" is not a check mark in the plus column in the pursuit of happiness.

broadsword7

I look down on no one or reject them, nor look up to others, because of how they look. I look down on some, and look up to others, because of what they do.

suzycreamcheese

no, i really dont care about other peoples weight particularly.
I have thought at times that someone would look lovely if they slimmed down a bit, but never thought that they "should". I also think some people really carry their weight well and suit being a bit bigger.

as long as people dont moan about their weight whilst doing nothing about it, then i say live and let live

fteale

No. If someone wants to lose weight it is up to them and them alone. The only job of other people is to support them in the choice they make to the best of our ability. It only becomes someone else's business if someone is damaging their own health and we are worried about them for their own sake.

candistyx

It does shock me how vilified fat is... there are people who genuinely believe that people can't be fat and happy, that you can't be fat and healthy, even though there's plenty of evidence that you can.

I was/am fat and happy. I am only changing it for shallow reasons because I think I'd be prettier thinner, just as I might be prettier with longer/shorter/different colour hair and might change that. I know when I get older the look I want will be impossible at any weight and I will probably get back to this kind of weight then because it's really not that bad. I am happy, I have a great love life, I get A's at university (which takes self discipline and focus, the things as a fatty I must lack apparently), I have wonderful friends and family all around me. It's totally possible to be fat and happy, and you know what else... if you are unhappy, all the evidence out there says that JUST becoming thin won't change that. Being thin won't magically make you a different person or fix the things in your life that make you depressed.

And yeah it's possible to be fat and healthy. My mum is in BMI terms obese, she is old enough to have all the obesity related diseases and no sign of them yet, no elevated cholesterol, no high blood pressure (she actually has low blood pressure), normal glucose, normal insulin. In fact the main health problem she has is hypothyroidism, which is not caused by being fat but does *cause* being fat (and she almost has a flat tummy at a weight deemed "Obese").

WWH_AJ

Right now I'm having this issue where half of my friends want to workout and lose weight (vet tech students) and where my sorority sisters have kinda let themselves go during this summer, even though my "little sister" vowed to start losing weight and eating right because she was running into health problems. I don't look down on them because I think they should lose weight and know they can do so if they would just put effort in. They are still my friends and sisters, no matter what and when school starts back I'm going to frequently invite them to the campus gym to walk with me or play raquet ball. If they decline, oh well, it's lose, but if they do choose a healthier lifestyle, then I'm there to help them through the process and motivate them!

1234lbsgone

I don't look down on anyone for whatever reason. We all have our stories, our baggage, our demons. We start out innocent children and later something changes in all of us to remove that innocence. Nobody ever knows how a person came to be, sometimes we can't even figure ourselves out. I do my best to look at everyone as a human first. If there is a problem with my view of someone, I look at myself. More often than not, what I thought I saw in them is a problem that is really in me.

hikeout470

I feel it is the most selfish form of acting out that a person can do.

So ...methamphetamine abuse, anorexia, having unprotected sex with strangers, dangerous driving, cutting - all these things PALE in the face of the great evil that is being 200lbs? Really?

Yeah, pretty much.

avsingleton

yep, an over weight person "ought" and should lose weight. they might not have health problems now, but they will eventually. i wouldn't look down on an overweight person, i would treat them the same as everyone else.