Is being fat a disability??

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anissa333
anissa333 Posts: 175 Member
in Chit-Chat
On Wed my boss had to go to a 3 hour meeting about FMLA. She came back and said that there are key words that if you hear them being used you should direct your employee to HR..such as migraine, diabetes and such.

Joking around, I asked if fat was a key word....I picked up that can marked worms and broke it wide *kitten* open!! Everyone had an opinion...mine is its not a disability because you can do something about it. Someone brought up thyroid, ok thats a medical condition with weight gain as a side effect, but Jenny Worth became Ms Fitness Olympia with a thyroid condition so yes you have to work harder but its not a fat sentence by any means.

THEN the "victim" that sits next to me and has already had a lap band and lost some weight and gained some of it back....brought up depression and that making you eat and you cant help it....sorry I am calling bull on this one.....no quit being a victim and get off your *kitten* and do something!!!

So please tell me you thoughts? Oh and my parting comment....tell the person sitting in the wheelchair that being overweight is a disability....
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Replies

  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    I'm with you! 110%! The very thought offends me… and I am fat!
  • NutellaByTheSpoon
    NutellaByTheSpoon Posts: 41
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    No! Because one you can reverse the problem or make yourself that way. And thryoid will make it harder but you can still do it (I have hypothyroid myself) but you still shouldn't use it as an excuse.
  • jlf0x
    jlf0x Posts: 2 Member
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    No i don't believe it is.. on that comment of depression, i was depressed, and i ate to comfort myself but honestly, you can stop yourself doing that with will power, so i found myself a hobby that doesn't include eating which is a much better substitute.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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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.

    Being FAT does not limit movemt or activities. However, being OBESE or MORBIDLY OBESE does.

    Therefore, depending on how you use the term "fat", it can be considred a disability. It doesn't matter if you can do something about it or not, in that state, it is a disability. The only difference is you can easily fix this disability, compared to other disabilities.

    ETA: I will argue that being obese is indeed a disability. Have you ever seen an obese person walk, clap their hands, or tie ther shoelaces? It's nto exatly easy for them. You would go so far to say that their movement is limited, not unlike a disability.

    Being fat is not a disability. That being said, most people are only considered fat by society when, in fact, they are actually obese.
  • 57chantalthi
    57chantalthi Posts: 6
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    Some consequences of obesity become a disability. Most could have been avoided with a healthy diet and exercise

    There might be exceptions but most preventable.
  • jnichel
    jnichel Posts: 4,553 Member
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    Imma side with you. If a person is fat because of a medical condition, then the medical condition is the disability. If a person is fat because they sit around all day, watching TV and eating blocks of cheese dipped in gravy, well they're just fat and should stop using the scooters at Wal-Mart.
  • cbhubbybubble
    cbhubbybubble Posts: 465 Member
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    I'm hypo thyroid and was fat...still fat, but not as fat.... and I don't see either as a disability. Hypothyroid is a medical condition and if managed, doesn't affect my day to day life. If out of control, I suppose it could fall into a disability for some.

    Clinical depression is another matter, however. You can't just "suck it up" with a mental illness. Mental illness - depression, bi-polar, etc- is often misunderstood as weakness or worse and it's not. It's real and debilitating for many.
  • TrevorJ76
    TrevorJ76 Posts: 33
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    It's not a disability, but the sad part is it's becoming accepted as the norm--"Big is Beautiful," plus size models and the way that mom who got in shape after her kids got destroyed on facebook. Couple of years ago I was an Instructor at Air Force Basic Training. I lost count of the 18 and 19 year olds who came into military service unable to do a single push up or run 1.5 miles in under THIRTY minutes. It's become an accepted way of life. Calling it a disabilty is just another of the excuses that fly around.
  • anissa333
    anissa333 Posts: 175 Member
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    I was in Walmart a couple of months ago and this young girl came in and I would say she probably has cerebral palsy...she was walking with crutches and she had that kind of sideways walk if you know what I mean...hard to explain. I was walking out as she came in, and she walked over to where they kept the riding carts and there werent any.....I had seen two of them in the store with those massive people in them. It just broke my heart that this sweet girl who had no control over her issue, was going to have to struggle around that store....
  • star_rekt
    star_rekt Posts: 10
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    Nope! I'm fat too, and I don't see it as a disability.

    And honestly, as someone who has a legitimate disability (Cystic Fibrosis), it offends me a little that people use their weight as a disability.

    Like, there are definitely somethings that you can't do when you're fat/overweight/obese that you can when you're thin or healthy. But I don't think that's an excuse for someone's weight to interfere with their jobs (and to be fair, not all jobs are hindered by weight). I also think that if you know someone who falls in the overweight/obese category and they are making changes in their life, you should give them your unconditional support--even if that support is tough love at times.

    But nah, it just seems a bit entitled to claim weight as a disability. Losing weight is hard and it takes time, and most of our society just isn't interested in or motivated enough for something that doesn't give them instant gratification.
  • Laura732
    Laura732 Posts: 244 Member
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    Being fat probably is not a disability but being fat probably could cause disabling conditions such as joint problems. That said, Obesity is a multi-pronged condition. There's the addiction factor of food, the activity (or lack thereof), and the head games involved. Everybody has a reason why we ended up the way we did. So I agree with you, Fat people can do something about it if they choose to.

    At my heaviest I was disgusted with myself. So much so, that I came to the conclusion that Obesity is really a legal form of suicide. I've known two dangerously obese people in my life, the one that died, they just said it was the result of cardiac issues. In reality, it really was 'complications from obesity'. The second heavy person I know, is still trying.
  • cosmicpeaches
    cosmicpeaches Posts: 16
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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.

    Being FAT does not limit movemt or activities. However, being OBESE or MORBIDLY OBESE does.

    Therefore, depending on how you use the term "fat", it can be considred a disability. It doesn't matter if you can do something about it or not, in that state, it is a disability. The only difference is you can easily fix this disability, compared to other disabilities.

    ^ Agreed. Plus, 'disability' means different things to different people. I have known people that class it as a disability and some people that don't. Maybe if someone was very obese (400+?) and it restricted their movement and caused them other medical conditions, it would be a disability, but not something they couldn't fix.
  • _Resolve_
    _Resolve_ Posts: 735 Member
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    When I was 375lbs I had lots of medical conditions that I would call disabling, not being able to walk more than 50 yards without excruciating back pain would be one of them. After an MRI it was determined that the main problem was my weight (big surprise) and I started the long process of physical therapy to be able to walk again. I never once thought of being put on disability but I can tell you more than once I wish I had a handicap card for my car so I could actually make it into a store without having to sit down. Being fat is not a disability but it can lead to having a disability, what you choose to do about it is up to you.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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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.
  • anissa333
    anissa333 Posts: 175 Member
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    Yep and look how much you have lost....how inspiring is that??!!?? That walk from the back parking lot was hard, but you did it and look at you now...I think thats my main point. Its hard, but it can be done...
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
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    I think that being fat can be a "side effect" of a disability. Some disabled people aren't able to be active. Some disabled people are very poor and can't afford to purchase the healthier foods. Yes, the could probably eat less and lose weight, but looking at them and making the assumption that they are obese or fat because they are lazy is wrong in my opinion. Some disabilities are invisible on the outside. That doesn't make that person any less disabled. Just because the girl with what appeared to be CP used crutches didn't make her any more disabled than that fat person who was already using the riding cart. Her disability was just more apparent. Maybe the fat person on the cart had COPD or was in heart failure and on steroids. You can't know, but you judge because they are fat.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
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    Judgment will always be judgment.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    Yep and look how much you have lost....how inspiring is that??!!?? That walk from the back parking lot was hard, but you did it and look at you now...I think thats my main point. Its hard, but it can be done...

    Just because something is a disability, doesn't mean you cannot fix it.

    By definition, having a broken leg is a disability.
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
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    I don't see being fat as a disability. The conditions that result from being fat is what I call a disability but more often than not, losing weight will cause many of those conditions to lessen or even go away. High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and some pains in hips and ankles, ect. I think it gets used a lot as an excuse to not have to do the work to get rid of the weight and not wanting to change their eating habits. That's just my opinion though.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    I think that being fat can be a "side effect" of a disability. Some disabled people aren't able to be active. Some disabled people are very poor and can't afford to purchase the healthier foods. Yes, the could probably eat less and lose weight, but looking at them and making the assumption that they are obese or fat because they are lazy is wrong in my opinion.

    Some disabilities are invisible on the outside. That doesn't make that person any less disabled. Just because the girl with what appeared to be CP used crutches didn't make her any more disabled than that fat person who was already using the riding cart. Her disability was just more apparent. Maybe the fat person on the cart had COPD or was in heart failure and on steroids. You can't know, but you judge because they are fat.

    :drinker:

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