How Very Sad.

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  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    I think i read somewhere or maybe it is just a urban legend that in the super obese the brain doesn't register that the person is full. I can see how easy it would be though. You gain 20 then another 20 and before you know it you feel akward and uncomfortable exercising and just doing physical things. A horrible thing =(

    it's not an urban legend. Damage to the hypothalamus has that effect, i.e. the person always feels hungry no matter how much they eat, in some cases ravenously hungry. Cases of extreme obesity, like this guy and that Saudi kid who weighed over 1000kg, are caused by a combination of that, and family members enabling it by keeping on feeding them way too much food even after they get too big to be able to move around to eat their own food.

    Emotional issues probably also play a role, as in the person hates themselves, doesn't see their life as being worth saving, so they just carry on with their one pleasure in life, eating. And then there are the emotional issues in the family members who go on feeding them and feeding them constantly.

    Anyway, the problem with the hypothalamus, calorie counting is about the only way to fix it, because someone with this problem can't rely on their own hunger signals to tell them how much to eat, but they can lose the weight and stay slim, though it will be harder than average as they'll be battling their hunger all the time. And there needs to be more intervention to help people in this situation, including addressing the behaviour of family members who continue to feed them way too much when they're too immobile to get their own food.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    A reasonable person would never let it go that far. Put on 60 kg of weight while "trying to deal with the overweight problem" is just ridiculous. Im not even sorry for him. At this point, its pretty much evolution 101. Just give him Darwin award, thank him for removing himself from human genome and lets move forward as a species.

    or move backwards as a species,because there's fossil evidence that even Homo erectus had compassion for weak and vulnerable members of their tribes
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    It's a shame appropriate mental health services were not provided, and there have to be some questions asked of those around such people who must facilitate the supply of food at a rate where he could gain 1 pound a week. If you were to starve someone it would be regarded as neglect or ill treatment, but it appears to be ok to facilitate someone's self destruction by overeating - either passively or actively.
  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
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    I watch 'my 600 lb life' it gives a crystal clear in sight. There is someone Enabling them to get that big.

    This is true. At 600 pounds, a person can't walk on their own, probably need help using the bathroom, and certainly can't go to the grocery store. Someone else has to help a person to get this large. I've seen documentaries on this issue. I think that A&E show Intervention did an episode on compulsive over-eating.

    I think there is a big difference between someone who is 300 pounds and 600 pounds, and it's not just the size. At 300 pounds, a relatively normal life is possible and an enabler is not necessary (although one may be present). At 600+, a normal life is not possible and an enabler must be present. That level of obesity seems suicidal to me. It is very sad.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    It's a shame appropriate mental health services were not provided, and there have to be some questions asked of those around such people who must facilitate the supply of food at a rate where he could gain 1 pound a week. If you were to starve someone it would be regarded as neglect or ill treatment, but it appears to be ok to facilitate someone's self destruction by overeating - either passively or actively.

    He actually gained 364 Ibs in less than a year.
    So, a pound a day, which is extremely rapid weight gain.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    I think it's legitimate to wonder how the circumstances outlined in the article come to pass but the piece doesn't address what support if any was available to the poor man. I would like to know more about the differences between normal obesity and super obesity as I remain to be convinced that the two are linked.

    I do not think he got much in the way of support. It appears he simply became a recluse and disappeared off the radar once he did. That seems to be the basis for a lot of the comments on the article...where was his support and why are those who reach this point, not given the same sort of services as those with other eating disorders.

    That's a very good point. You hear about anorexia and bulimia sufferers getting various forms of support and treatment both physical and psychological but I've never heard of obese or morbidly obese people getting that level of care on the NHS.

    I think anorexia and bulimia are at least given the credence of being a disorder or disease whereas the morbidly obese are just treated as fat and lazy. This may not be the case but it certainly comes across that way. I have honestly never heard of an overweight person being offered counselling or treatment (just gastric band after a certain weight).
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    my bad - I meant to type a pound a day but habit took over :-)
  • willowfae
    willowfae Posts: 8 Member
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    Honestly, I don't really understand how this can relate to Weight loss help. Many people on this part of the board is actually trying to become obtain an healthier lifestyle and get help for losing weight. Questioning how people can become overweight, let alone obese isn't a considerate thing to do.

    I disagree actually. It was only when I addressed how I had let myself get to a BMI of 45 that I was able to do something about it. Perhaps sharing ideas on how people get that way could indeed help other people to recognise their own behaviours.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    my bad - I meant to type a pound a day but habit took over :-)

    Hehe, no worries.
    I have actually wondered if he had something like prader willi syndrome, undiagnosed, but I am sure something like that would have been spotted when he was a child.
  • willowfae
    willowfae Posts: 8 Member
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    That's a very good point. You hear about anorexia and bulimia sufferers getting various forms of support and treatment both physical and psychological but I've never heard of obese or morbidly obese people getting that level of care on the NHS.

    I think anorexia and bulimia are at least given the credence of being a disorder or disease whereas the morbidly obese are just treated as fat and lazy. This may not be the case but it certainly comes across that way. I have honestly never heard of an overweight person being offered counselling or treatment (just gastric band after a certain weight).

    I agree. Whilst being obese isn't necessarily an eating disorder, binge eating which can lead to obesity certainly is. I should know. I had to find my own help and it is thanks to the help that I found that I am now going to be there for my children as they grow up.
  • Beckboo0912
    Beckboo0912 Posts: 447 Member
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    I think for many its hard, especially when you get that big to do much to help yourself abd most already feel depressed enough and have the give in attitude. Thats not to say its right or that they can't change but the first step is hardest for many. So to say how does someone get like that its hard for many to understamd. And more then likely he was enabled from a young age for one reason or another. There is william proudy syndrome...I think thats the name anyway, one of the symptoms is lack of a full switch. Sadly he slipped and didnt get the help needed.
  • willowfae
    willowfae Posts: 8 Member
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    whereas others, like myself, in spite of being prone to periods of overeating, and loving food, have some sort of mechanism that stops me passing a certain point. In the sense that, I literally cannot eat beyond a certain point, whatever the kind of food it is, and after a period of eating junk, I tend to naturally gravitate back to healthy food, as I start to feel sick.

    That's where a food addiction comes in. You can thank your lucky stars that you do behave like that :)

    I have sat there crying while eating food. Hating myself for eating it, but still I keep eating it.
  • Danimal718
    Danimal718 Posts: 90 Member
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    A reasonable person would never let it go that far. Put on 60 kg of weight while "trying to deal with the overweight problem" is just ridiculous. Im not even sorry for him. At this point, its pretty much evolution 101. Just give him Darwin award, thank him for removing himself from human genome and lets move forward as a species.

    Yea you've probably never been fat or dealt with a weight problem ever. Losing weight is easy...more calories out than in. Finding the root cause and eliminating it for why people consume more and maybe not put out more is the real issue. Your statement is just faulty logic.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Extreme unhealthy relationships with food are sad. And damaging. At both ends of the spectrum.
    I'm sure it's quite hard on the individuals involved and their loved ones.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    whereas others, like myself, in spite of being prone to periods of overeating, and loving food, have some sort of mechanism that stops me passing a certain point. In the sense that, I literally cannot eat beyond a certain point, whatever the kind of food it is, and after a period of eating junk, I tend to naturally gravitate back to healthy food, as I start to feel sick.

    That's where a food addiction comes in. You can thank your lucky stars that you do behave like that :)

    I have sat there crying while eating food. Hating myself for eating it, but still I keep eating it.

    Oh, I have done the same, in the sense I have binged on up to 8000 calories in the past, but after a run of eating like that, including the tears and self hatred, I seem to hit a point where I cannot do it anymore. I am very prone to addictions and believe me, I have had to remove certain foods from my home and keep them removed, because I will just keep eating them until they are gone, but the longest I have gone with consistently overeating, is 2 months, and by the end of that, boy was I a mess. I felt like crap, I was riddled with self disgust and it had served to make my depression even worse. I was too ashamed to get back to the gym even, but one day I did. I just went in there and that was that. So I can relate, to a degree.
  • dreams4sale
    dreams4sale Posts: 26
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    I would be interested in whatever this article or topic was - because to understand why we become a certain way it is important to explore it and ask the hard questions. Those who are hyper sensitive tend to struggle with weight loss and maintaining it. Honesty is the best policy, sometimes reality is hard to accept, but without that "getting real", lifestyle changes are not possible.



    Agreed^
  • Mygsds
    Mygsds Posts: 1,564 Member
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    Quote from other poster:

    A reasonable person would never let it go that far. Put on 60 kg of weight while "trying to deal with the overweight problem" is just ridiculous. Im not even sorry for him. At this point, its pretty much evolution 101. Just give him Darwin award, thank him for removing himself from human genome and lets move forward as a species.


    When I read this I was shocked... Who are you to say if someone should be here or not. Are you that perfect that you have no flaws?. You better check yourself because you have a PROBLEM..why don't you ask his family if he should be here or not...
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    The article said he was using stolen credit card information to purchase pizzas and have them delivered to his home. He clearly had some mental health issues that go well beyond just not paying attention to diet, not exercising, and letting oneself go. It's a shame that he wasn't able to get the type of help he needed, since it seems like he had pursued assistance in losing weight in the past.
  • matuskap
    matuskap Posts: 131 Member
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    But that is exactly my point. There is thousands of people who destroy themselves via some kind of abuse. The only difference is, this one used food. No different from heroin, cocaine or anything else. Whatever his problem was, he wasnt able to deal with it himself. Now you can play a psychologist and talk about this for ages. But in reality the only way to solve anything like this is to take a person like this, forcefully put him into a special institute where he gets forced to deal with it to >>forcefully<< show him how life of a healthy person feels like(because he actually doesnt even know). Now, ask an average person if he agrees with forced treatment like this and if it is moral. And still, if you ask a healthy person who was fat if he ever went back no one will say yes. But a fat person will tell you its his life, even tho he doesnt know the other side or how it would be. Am i gonna pity a person who destroys his life with some kind of abuse? No. And I am also not going to pretend some moral high ground by saying how sad it is and how its a problem of society. Yes it is problem of society, but only because this kind of "addiction denial" is allowed. Addict wont admit problem. So force him to at least try the other side of coin or let him kill himself and then cry because its sad and you think we should do something about it... Well there is a cycle for you to think about. Or do you have some magic solution? A free call line that gives advice...? Well i dont know you tell me.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I would be interested in whatever this article or topic was - because to understand why we become a certain way it is important to explore it and ask the hard questions. Those who are hyper sensitive tend to struggle with weight loss and maintaining it. Honesty is the best policy, sometimes reality is hard to accept, but without that "getting real", lifestyle changes are not possible.



    Agreed^

    The article is still linked in the first post.

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