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

PJilly

Nor should they be entitled to park in the handicapped spots due to any health issues caused by their choice of being fat.

Yep... I COMPLETELY agree on this one! It was particularly enraging when I had to go about daily activities during my last 5 weeks of pregnancy already 3cm dilated, 60% effaced and at -1 station... I was homicidal over things like parking spaces.

Just to play devil's advocate here for a minute... Couldn't someone argue that it was your choice to become pregnant? That you aren't as deserving of that handicapped spot as someone disabled through no choice of their own? Personally, I think once someone has a bona fide disability, there isn't much point in assigning blame when deciding who is deserving of a parking spot.

myofibril

It's just that, at a glance, you can't tell what most of someone's shortcomings are just by looking at him or her.

Yes, exactly.

Human beings are very adept at statistical discrimination. Most people are really not that prejudiced, racist, sexist and so on. However, there simply isn't the time in our day to day lives to assess the relative merits or failings of everyone we meet fully. Therefore we tend to rely on judgments based on stereotyping or generalising to a large extent. Unfortuntanely they are assessments based on lack of information / full information which can lead to incorrect conclusions.

If you manage to unshackle yourself from your unconcious and lives consciously the world and people in general is a much different place.

Gagal81

I think its great for people to love themselves no matter what they look like but yea I think anyone over weight should try to lose weight. NOT necessarily to be "skinny" just for health reasons. Just because problems haven't happened yet dont mean it wont.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes run in my family members that are over weight. I see what can happen being over weight and I want to avoid that for myself.

fteale

do you think smokers "ought" to quit smoking?

some people quit, some people don't. some get cancer, some don't. the only difference is that people judge fat people WAY more than they do with smokers.

You think?! Where I live (Southern UK) smokers are judged WAY more. It is really not at all socially acceptable to smoke. The very few smokers I know do it in secret as they are so embarrassed about it.

fteale

It is interesting that America is a country where people are most vehemently opposed to a state funded medical system, and yet is also the country with the highest proportion of obese people.


*disclaimer, I haven't actually checked the stats on other countries, but the obesity rate in the US is a lot higher than anywhere in Europe, at least. Where we do have state funded medicine.

The US isn't that much higher than much of Europe or other countries with state-run, state-funded healthcare as it turns out. http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/the-world-is-fat/

Ok, not that much higher, but some.

Is weight a regional thing in the US? It very much is in the UK. When we lived in London, in a very well off area, I almost never saw overweight people, let alone obese ones. Where we live now, also in a very affluent area, most people are a healthy weight, maybe 20% overweight, and about 5% obese, and yet when I have visited other areas of the UK, I have been really struck by how in some places a good 80% of the population are visibly overweight.

Leanne1795

It is not for me to judge how others choose to live their lives.

myofibril

Is weight a regional thing in the US? It very much is in the UK. When we lived in London, in a very well off area, I almost never saw overweight people, let alone obese ones.

There's a concept known as "food poverty" which has shown some interesting links between wealth and the ability to access good quality produce, make informed decisions, skills needed to create healthy food and so on. Is it more difficult for less well off people to maintain a healthy lifestyle than their wealthier counterparts? Absolutely.

Makes me wonder if being surrounded by slim, healthy and generally attractive people where I live in London makes it easier for me to keep my weight under control. Must be something in the water...

fteale

Is weight a regional thing in the US? It very much is in the UK. When we lived in London, in a very well off area, I almost never saw overweight people, let alone obese ones.

There's a concept known as "food poverty" which has shown some interesting links between wealth and the ability to access good quality produce, make informed decisions, skills needed to create healthy food and so on. Is it more difficult for less well off people to maintain a healthy lifestyle than their wealthier counterparts? Absolutely.

Makes me wonder if being surrounded by slim, healthy and generally attractive people where I live in London makes it easier for me to keep my weight under control. Must be something in the water...

I think there's also the fact that in London, everyone walks everywhere! I put on weight when I moved out as suddenly I had to drive to the shops.

myofibril

I think there's also the fact that in London, everyone walks everywhere! I put on weight when I moved out as suddenly I had to drive to the shops.

I can't speak for all of London but where I live that is certainly true. Coupled with the fact that parking tends to be a complete nightmare you tend to be on your feet quite a bit.

I tracked my daily activity with a Fitbit tracker and I was astonished at the amount of time I spent on my feet, walking, standing etc. I guess it's not a huge surprise then how I manage to stay in shape despite eating a fair amount of junk and doing no other cardio work other than that what I do for fun (football, cycling etc.) There's a lot to be said for being generally active...

Swimgoddess

Nor should they be entitled to park in the handicapped spots due to any health issues caused by their choice of being fat.

Yep... I COMPLETELY agree on this one! It was particularly enraging when I had to go about daily activities during my last 5 weeks of pregnancy already 3cm dilated, 60% effaced and at -1 station... I was homicidal over things like parking spaces.

Just to play devil's advocate here for a minute... Couldn't someone argue that it was your choice to become pregnant? That you aren't as deserving of that handicapped spot as someone disabled through no choice of their own? Personally, I think once someone has a bona fide disability, there isn't much point in assigning blame when deciding who is deserving of a parking spot.

Apples & oranges princess. I didn't exactly say that I was turning my nose up at the person with cerebal palsy on a wheelchair lift getting in and out of their van, now was I? Having a healthy pregnancy and strong history of precipitous labor in itself doesn't make me a handicapped parking candidate in the first place. All it did was make me jump more easily to the unavoidable (as msf74 put it) "generalization" that the heavy person exiting the car obtained their permit from obesity-related disability and not an obesity-causing disability. When in all honestly, there's no way of knowing... it's the chicken & the egg argument revisited. Didn't change how I felt, but did I act on it? No. At most I wasted a moment of my time on being a little pissed.

As for questioning one's "choice" to get pregnant... look at your own kids and ask yourself why you bothered. I know I wouldn't take my choices back for the world.

bcattoes

Yes I think they "ought" to lose weight because extra fat on your body is, by itself, a risk factor for many diseases. Even if they don't currently have health problems it's likely they will develop them later. I feel it's even more important if they are parents because they have a responsibility to teach their children.

PJilly

Nor should they be entitled to park in the handicapped spots due to any health issues caused by their choice of being fat.

Yep... I COMPLETELY agree on this one! It was particularly enraging when I had to go about daily activities during my last 5 weeks of pregnancy already 3cm dilated, 60% effaced and at -1 station... I was homicidal over things like parking spaces.

Just to play devil's advocate here for a minute... Couldn't someone argue that it was your choice to become pregnant? That you aren't as deserving of that handicapped spot as someone disabled through no choice of their own? Personally, I think once someone has a bona fide disability, there isn't much point in assigning blame when deciding who is deserving of a parking spot.

Apples & oranges princess. I didn't exactly say that I was turning my nose up at the person with cerebal palsy on a wheelchair lift getting in and out of their van, now was I? Having a healthy pregnancy and strong history of precipitous labor in itself doesn't make me a handicapped parking candidate in the first place. All it did was make me jump more easily to the unavoidable (as msf74 put it) "generalization" that the heavy person exiting the car obtained their permit from obesity-related disability and not an obesity-causing disability. When in all honestly, there's no way of knowing... it's the chicken & the egg argument revisited. Didn't change how I felt, but did I act on it? No. At most I wasted a moment of my time on being a little pissed.

As for questioning one's "choice" to get pregnant... look at your own kids and ask yourself why you bothered.

Princess? I was playing devil's advocate, suggesting that there are different ways to look at any given situation. You may look at an overweight person and say they don't deserve a handicapped spot because their disability was their own doing. I was just making the observation that a pregnancy-related disability could be viewed similarly by someone else. Personally, I think if someone is disabled and needs a handicapped spot, they ought to have it. I'm not interested in assigning blame at that point.

mfkfoster

I think it's completely personal decision. I am obsese I hated being like this. So, I decided to do something about it. I didn't have any health issues at all. I went to the doctor every year for a physical and let me tell you he always looked for something to scare me into losing weight!
I was pregnant twice with no complecations, both children are completely healthy. I husband who is skinny has health problems. He has sleep Apnea, high Cholestrol, Polyps, and now they think high blood pressure!
I joined MFP in November and I have lost 60 pounds so far but still want to lose another 64. At this weight (160) I will still be considered overweight but I don't care. I will not kill myself to fit into someone else's ideal. I'm still healthy and probably the healthiest in my family and I'm the heaviest!
So I hate when people automatically think fat=health problems!

hikeout470

I have just caught up with this thread, and personal decision my rear end! When ones personal decision affects the lives of others, it becomes just pure selfishness, self centeredness. Hurting others. However you want to define it. You may not be hurting many people, but chances are, those you hurt will be the most important people in your life.

You clogg up the department stores with your personal scooters (paid for by tax paying citizens), take up handicap services that were created for non self imposing handicaps, and complain to thinner people making them feel uncomfortable. Enough is enough!

LaJauna

I truly believe that people come in all shapes and sizes:)

I used to say, "I am a Saint Bernard in a Chihuahua world."

LaJauna

I have just caught up with this thread, and personal decision my rear end! When ones personal decision affects the lives of others, it becomes just pure selfishness, self centeredness. Hurting others. However you want to define it. You may not be hurting many people, but chances are, those you hurt will be the most important people in your life.

You clogg up the department stores with your personal scooters (paid for by tax paying citizens), take up handicap services that were created for non self imposing handicaps, and complain to thinner people making them feel uncomfortable. Enough is enough!

Most people who are overweight/obese do not have a clue how to overcome their food addictions then a drug addict. Do you really think they like living that life? How about some compassion?

bcattoes

I have just caught up with this thread, and personal decision my rear end! When ones personal decision affects the lives of others, it becomes just pure selfishness, self centeredness. Hurting others. However you want to define it. You may not be hurting many people, but chances are, those you hurt will be the most important people in your life.

You clogg up the department stores with your personal scooters (paid for by tax paying citizens), take up handicap services that were created for non self imposing handicaps, and complain to thinner people making them feel uncomfortable. Enough is enough!

Why would someone need a personal scooter if they had no health problems, which is what the OP questioned about?

LaJauna

Nor should they be entitled to park in the handicapped spots due to any health issues caused by their choice of being fat.

Yep... I COMPLETELY agree on this one! It was particularly enraging when I had to go about daily activities during my last 5 weeks of pregnancy already 3cm dilated, 60% effaced and at -1 station... I was homicidal over things like parking spaces.

Just to play devil's advocate here for a minute... Couldn't someone argue that it was your choice to become pregnant? That you aren't as deserving of that handicapped spot as someone disabled through no choice of their own? Personally, I think once someone has a bona fide disability, there isn't much point in assigning blame when deciding who is deserving of a parking spot.

Apples & oranges princess. I didn't exactly say that I was turning my nose up at the person with cerebal palsy on a wheelchair lift getting in and out of their van, now was I? Having a healthy pregnancy and strong history of precipitous labor in itself doesn't make me a handicapped parking candidate in the first place. All it did was make me jump more easily to the unavoidable (as msf74 put it) "generalization" that the heavy person exiting the car obtained their permit from obesity-related disability and not an obesity-causing disability. When in all honestly, there's no way of knowing... it's the chicken & the egg argument revisited. Didn't change how I felt, but did I act on it? No. At most I wasted a moment of my time on being a little pissed.

As for questioning one's "choice" to get pregnant... look at your own kids and ask yourself why you bothered. I know I wouldn't take my choices back for the world.

Should be make gastric bypass a mandatory surgery for the obese to force them to lose weight? We force drug addicts into rehab. Maybe forced fat camps? Man I could make some money off of these fatties! Sorry. I was being factitious. (Sarcasm intended)

BethanieK

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?

I think people "ought" to do what they want in regards to their health, appearance, etc. However, being obese tends to cause problems later in life, just look at the studies done in every medical journal. I'm not in the habit of judging people, but I'll admit, when I see someone who is morbidly obese, scarfing down 2 super sized meals at McDonald's, I wonder what exactly they are thinking.
All in all, if people truly WANT to change, then they will, and since I am only in control of my own actions, I don't bother preaching to someone else.

Swimgoddess

You don't need to define "facetious" to me LaJuana, MUCH less if you can't even spell it right yourself

and WTH does

Should be make gastric bypass a mandatory surgery for the obese to force them to lose weight? We force drug addicts into rehab. Maybe forced fat camps? Man I could make some money off of these fatties! Sorry. I was being factitious. (Sarcasm intended)

have ANYTHING to do with the posts you quoted? I fail to see where you made a pertinent reference.