Do you have simpathy for fat people?
 

I just saw a report about some obese defense group that's going to sue UAL about their new policy on obese people. I just lost 50 pounds in 6 months and have no sympathy what so ever for fat people who complain about having to pay for 2 seats.

Only for people with medical conditions that CAUSED the weight, and mental dont cut it.

I'm overweight and I empathize with the social stigmas attached to it but I feel that way about everyone. I don't believe anyone should be ridiculed for any difference; physical, political, spiritual or otherwise, unless it is in some way hurting another person or cause.

I don't feel bad for people just for being fat, though. Just like I don't feel bad for someone for being Anorexic or a drug addict. And while our genetics sometimes make us predisposed to obesity, most of us are overweight from overeating and/or under-exercising. I am insulin resistant and have underlying medical issues, but ultimately the choice is mine and I feel like people's choices should be respected and that they should be judged primarily on their intellect, morality and personality. Gluttony isn't any different than people that are greedy, promiscuous, drug abusers, alcoholics or just a general asshole. Some choices we make for our lifestyle do not change who we are or what we can do so they should not have any impact on the way we are treated as human beings.

I have been on both sides of the fence.

I was 460 lbs 12 months ago ? I have lost over 200 LBS so far.:thumbsup
Not all ?Fat people? are fat by choice. My problem was 100% medical and I tried everything to lose it.
Many times I bought 2 sets when I traveled and did on my own.
I?m not against the airline wanting to charge for 2 seats for someone that don?t fit because it is unsafe and cuts into the person next to him or her.

Good point, I do think they should not penalyze people who have medical conditions that will make you obese no matter what you do.
I should have been more specific and say that I do not have no sympathy for fat people who are fat because they just don't care and eat crap and then complain it's Burger King's fault...

i wonder, if a woman is thin but has fat tits, would they double charge her too? i see these big titties spilling out into the next seat all the time. its so annoying!

I have lost nearly 100lbs now but I am still fat and have a lot more yet to go. My weight also has turned out to have had a lot to do with a medical condition and it is taking a long time to drop but I am still doing it.

Even at my heaviest I never asked for sympathy. However, I do think it is possible to not hold disdain for people at the same time as not treating them as victims.

I have a very healthy diet these days and have been eating in such a way for over two years now. I will admit that as time has gone on I do look more at what other people eat and wonder how they eat it. That goes for thin and fat.

Yeah, that's just plain ignorance and has little to do with being fat because they'd have that same train of thought with anything in life. e.g., "Nothing is my fault", always looking for someone to blame, entitlement, passing the buck, etc. There's not an epidemic of obesity in the US, there's an epidemic of people not willing to take responsibility for their own lives and choices. If you're fat or poor or whatever your hang up may be, there's usually no one to blame except for yourself, rare and unusual circumstances aside. And I say this as someone that is insulin resistant (PCOS) and with horrific genes that leave me wide open for all the worst diseases. But the fast food I ate through my teens years while sitting in front of my computer 12 hours a day did not help at all. And after losing a good amount of weight, I know that I am in complete control of my body and it's not McDonald's fault. :upsidedow

Not all fat people are fat because they let themselves get that way. :2 cents:

you can't be obese if you aren't consistently eating shitty food (usually in large quantities). you don't become obese on a healthy, well balanced diet. i have zero sympathy for these people because its a personal choice and just because someone opted to destroy themselves, it doesn't have to affect my life. however, if they were saying "please help me get healthy" that would be another story. i would do everything humanly possible to help someone who was truly trying to help themselves.

calories are energy... as is fat. 1 pound of fat is 3500 calories. you can't store energy if you are using what you consume. you can only store it if there is excess and you are taking in more than you are expending.

I like big-boned girls...

I only have sympathy for people that can't spell sympathy.

I have sympathy for the devil, does that count? ;)

It depends. It depends why they are heavy. If it is because of some medical reason, yes, of course. If it is a result of taking a medicine to cure one thing, and have the side effects of weight gain, then yes.

If it is flat out gluttony...my first instinct is to say no, of course not, they should get off their asses, put down the cheeseburgers, and get to work. However, the flip side of that is that once a person crosses into that, to me, it becomes an untreated mental health issue.

So I dunno.

For clarification, to me, sympathy in this instance would be because of the health risks of being obese and the limitations it gives to everyday life (airline travel that has been mentioned being one of those things). I don't have sympathy in the regards of there being a certain body type that society says is acceptable.

lol, thats what I was gonna say.

fuck me i am fat :)

im quite overweight myself but I don't consider it a norm, and in my case - a temporary state

I don't really have sympathy for fat people

Hmmm... no beer. That's a little extreme, don't you think?

Medical related yes... being a lazy ass motherfucker and eating badly...no

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

As much sympathy as I have for people that can spell sympathy correctly.

simpathy is new age

I saw this program on the TV the other night about this really fat woman in England, who had waited 10 years to have her stomach stapled so she could lose weight. I was thinking -- over the course of 10 years she could have lost all that weight by herself, but she kept on eating and eating, and eating. It would have been cheaper / safer to chain her to a radiator and feed her some crackers and chicken noodle soup for six months. That would have done the trick.

Depends on health vs. lazyness and their general attitude towards maintaining health vs fuck it I'm too lazy to masturbate

99% of the people who claim medical reasons for being obese are just too lazy, eat too much and the wrong stuff. and don't exercise. hell, i was recently laughing my ass off when i saw electric carts for clients in a supermarket in Phoenix. hillarious.

i am not exactly slim either, but i know it's 100% my own fault and i can't blame anything or anyone but me. but putting the blame on someone or something else seems pretty popular nowadays.

:2 cents:

the only way obesity is going to be "medical related" is if you are medically prevented from eating the same or less calories that you expend. people LOVE to blame "medical factors" on obesity such as medications etc. because they "may" contribute to.... However, the laws of physics are the laws of physics. if you burn 2200 calories a day and eat 2200 calories a day, you can't gain weight. thats not some wild, crazy idea that doesn't apply to Aunt Phyllis... thats the fundamental laws of physics at work. energy is energy.

I think that one of the greatest disservices we can do to people that are obese is to rationalize or validate what they've reasoned to be "causes".

it costs x amount of energy to do your thing eat day
the food you consume contains x amount of energy
at the end of the day, you have a deficit or surplus

a wide variety of things can affect how you metabolize food. however, at the end of the day, you simply can't eat 2000 calories a day, expend 2000 calories a day and gain weight. that's an inescapable fact of physics.

we are all unique to some degree. our individual diets, metabolic rates, physical activity levels, medical issues, medications or whatever can all play a role in how difficult or easy it is to keep weight off. but the ultimate responsibility for being obese can only fall on the individuals shoulders for their failure to manage their eating/exercise in accordance to their needs.

You might think you sound smart and to some extent you've got some valid points there, however you are completely disregarding the whole point of the medical issue.

One of my best friends is obese, and her entire family is obese, and it sure as fuck isn't from not eating healthy or not exercising. She herself ate healthier than I did, exercised more, and while she isn't the same size as her mom & dad, she will certainly never be "small" or even what society would deem "average"

Her metabolic rate I am guessing, has some medical reason why it does not function at the ridiculous rate that mine does. (I eat like a horse & have difficulty gaining weight)

Now I agree that many of the people who claim medical issues are full of shit, however I do realize that sometimes, it really really is out of that persons control. Claiming otherwise and attempting to refute something which HAS been scientifically proven before, and for a number of different medical reasons, just makes you sound ignorant.

p.s. Sarah MaxCash, you look AMAZING in your avatar!!!! Congrats & good on ya!

Thanks Sin :) Still loads to go.

Congrats to both of you! :thumbsup:thumbsup

How do you know at first glance how someone became heavy/fat?

I've lost 100lbs myself over the last year, but without knowing me before, one would never know this and may jump to all kinds of conclusions about me, my lifestyle and my diet.

I'm actually jealous because they eat whatever they want whenever they want. The non medical problemed ones, that is....

I didn't know that they need sympathy at first place!
They are human beans like everybody else!
Fat people, slim people ,we're all people!!!

and therein lies the problem :)

I am more tolerant towards "fat" people as a general rule of thumb however there is one group which I will confess, makes me lose my head real fuckin' fast...

I -HATE- with a passion, seeing fat people on those goddamn scooters which were designed for elderly people!!!! I will just start raging... fuck it pisses me off. And I've heard the excuse before about how "Their ankles can't support their weight" -- Well then they should get off their goddamn asses and walk off some of that weight! All the scooter is doing, is keeping them weak, and helping them stay fat / get more fat!

To me, a fat person on a scooter is a fat person who has given up on themselves, and it pisses me off... they should leave the scooters for the old people.

I agree with you..and isn't that a sad thing with anyone gives up on themselves?

As far as actual "medical reasons"... I would be way more lenient with somebody that actually has some sort of chemical imbalance then somebody that say is in a wheelchair and "can't exercise." Yeh, maybe you "can't exercise," but you can take control over your caloric intake.

Everyone has different battles and there is no one solution for all. People need to analyze their situation, create goals, and find a way to reach those goals despite the barriers that they may have in their life. Everyone has barriers... don't use that as an excuse.

It isn't sad enough to make me look at a fat person on a scooter and think "poor thing"

We are continually finding things that we have in common.

:thumbsup:thumbsup Soon enough we will meet and it'll be like peas & carrots.

Sin -- That's not really what I meant. More like "what a shame" @ humanity than individually I guess.

Ahh okay gotcha :)

you are disregarding the incontrovertible laws of physics.

1 pound of fat = 3500 calories.
a person requires XXXX calories per day to maintain their body weight/body function at rest (Basal Medibolic Rate/BMR)
a person expends XXXX calories per day

what you are saying is a common misconception. "oh my friend eats like a bird....". Thats never true. your friend eats like a bird when you're around and then she chokes down a bag of cookies when no one is looking. that's how the weight is maintained.

the fact remains that you can't become obese without having a significant net surplus of energy over time. i.e. taking in more calories than you expend.

you can't eat healthy and exercise and be obese. "eating healthy" means eating your bodies caloric requirements from good, whole foods and in the right proportions of macro nutrients. you can't burn 2500 calories a day and eat salads and boiled chicken all day, taking in 1600 calories a day and gain weight. You can't add exercise to that and burn another 500-1000 calories leaving the total net calories at 600 and a total deficit of 1900 per day and gain weight.

to gain weight, you have to have a net surplus of calories.

to gain significant amounts of weight, you have to have a significant net surplus of calories over time.

to maintain significant amounts of weight... you have to consume enough calories to maintain that weight.

this is not rocket science. its simple, 6th grade physics. 1 calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water, 1 degree Celsius. its not an abstract idea. its basic math.

i am not saying this to be cruel. I am saying this because i am tired of a world where being obese and unhealthy is a "medical condition" because thats the easy excuse. we are now supposed to look at obesity as a handicap rather than look at that person and think "ok, that is a prime example of what not to do and why you need to exercise and eat healthy". that is a tremendous disservice to everyone alive.

significant segments of the populations of the USA and UK are obese. this has nothing to do with "medical reasons"

If they are taking up 2 seats then they should pay for 2 seats.

If you bring on extra baggage you have to pay a extra charge so.. If they want to bring on their extra weight they should have to pay.

I don't hate on fat people tho. I don't believe it's easy to lose weight. I also don't believe it's easy to be fat.

Like it or not, people are judged by their appearance.

While you do not really have a choice regarding some things, like your skin color, or you are balding, etc., but most people DO have a choice with regards to their food and exercise choices.

Having said that, it is easy to dismiss fat people as lazy, and careless. The idea that you cannot even take care of yourself, means, to employers for example, that you can not take care of anything.

True or not, fat people, like some ethnicities, will always be frowned upon, and looked down at, by those around them.

On the other hand, there are guys who prefer fat chicks, and there are girls who like big teddy bear types, so nothing is in stone.

Given the choice however, I believe most people would prefer to be thin, which explains why the weight loss business is a multi-billion dollar industry.

I dunno sympathy is a hard word to use in the case of people who are over weight. Maybe understanding... or empathy. But sympathy?

And you are disregarding the incontrovertible laws of medicine, that sometimes shit doesn't work the way its supposed to. The human body is a tad more complex than mere physics, if that were the case cancer would be cured.

Human physiology, is about more than just physics, there's also biology & chemistry involved as well.

As much as I try, can't figure out how someone with weight disorders will affect your life, unless you're the owner of UA :helpme

on a side note, I feel simpathy for people who deserves it, no matter if they are fat, thin, black, white, christian, jew or whatever. Oh, and I bet 99% of the people in this board have overweight. I had 30 lbs overweight over my ideal weight a couple months ago and already cut 20lbs, but I know I will get them again eventually, it's a fucking rollercoaster. And I'm a very healthy person, just imagine people with real overweight problems. The WHO considers obesity a disease in all its aspects, happily I prefer to pay attention to doctors rather than GFY :winkwink:

everyone has problems in some way or another

haha.

wow.

"mere physics"

i am having serious doubts as to whether or not you even knew what the word "physics" is at the moment you typed that.

when its being labeled a handicap.
when its being labeled a disease.
when an airline is being told that they have to give a free seat to an obese person
when we have to start adapting our lives to someones irresponsible behavior
when our insurance has to pay for a horrible personal choice which becomes labeled a "disability"

etc etc etc

... it affects everyone.

moreover, it sends a horrible message to everyone and validates poor behavior and poor choices of an individual and paints the individual as a victim.

I agree with Scooter on this one...
I was once 330 pounds and finally took it upon myself to finally do something about it. I lost about 160 pounds over the course of about a year or so. I will admit that it was not a medical condition...it was simply the circumstances of my life...to much to explain. At the end of the day I had to make some very dramatic life changes that effected my family and my work, but it had to be done or I was going to die.
In any event, in most cases I do have sympathy for MOST fat people as i was once in their shoes.

I recently asked a very successful friend of mine, who is around 50 lbs overweight, if it was easier to make money or to lose weight. Without a nanosecond of hesitation he said it was much harder to lose weight.

Some countries seem to have less of an obesity problem than others.

Let me ask you guys this question:

If the govt were to outright BAN food products that were unhealthy for its citizens, would you be upset?

For example; transfats, white breads, growth hormones and antibiotics in meats and milk, aspartame, etc.

Would that be a problem for you? Would that be considered "big govt" and/or "socialism"?

The govt wants to keep pot illegal because it supposedly does not have any medicinal purpose, well then why are cigarettes legal? Think about it...

for the record... i am 5' 9" and 225 pounds. i have quite a bit of muscle, lift weights 5 times a week and am probably about 30 pounds over weight with a 36" waiste. i know what it takes to lose weight. i know how hard it is. i know how difficult it is for me. i have to write everything down, plan out my meals, weigh out my food, prepare all my food for the day and take it with me, i have to keep a log of what i am eating, i have to do at least 40 minutes of cardio in the morning in addition to hitting the gym in the afternoon etc.

no one here is going to be able to show me someone who has a good diet and exercise program that can't lose fat. its absurd. everyday, i see the same shit in the gym... obese people claiming they have their shit together, that hire a trainer but won't listen... that give 70% effort, won't write down what they are eating and don't stick to meal plans who can't wait to talk about their "genetic" problem.

i have tremendous respect for someone trying to lose a lot of weight and that is putting in the hard work and effort to get it done. i have zero respect for people with excuses who can't own their own consistently poor decisions that got them where they are and keep them where they are.

[QUOTE=Pleasurepays;15752059]when its being labeled a handicap.
when its being labeled a disease.

that affects YOU because...

when an airline is being told that they have to give a free seat to an obese person

that affects YOU because...

when we have to start adapting our lives to someones irresponsible behavior

that affects YOU because... (please detail the steps you had to take to adapt to fat people)

when our insurance has to pay for a horrible personal choice which becomes labeled a "disability"

that affects YOU because...
etc etc etc

... it affects everyone. sorry, too vague and still can't see how it affects you. Or me.

moreover, it sends a horrible message to everyone and validates poor behavior and poor choices of an individual and paints the individual as a victim.

well, I can agree with that, but I think it's way worse to play fascism against people than being fat. Anything and everything you mention would exist for people who's fat for medical conditions, such as pituitary gland affections. So unless you're proposing a "Final Solution" and send everyone who is fat or overweighted to a concentration camp or something, I can't see how you plan to solve this, how do you plan to label those who are fat because of medical conditions as opposed to those who are fat because of your own prejudice and definition about people being "lazy".

And as we're at it, do you plan to bomb McDonalds? Do you have an alimentary health plan for kids and/or schools? Do you have a health plan for the whole US? Are you going to ban all unhealthy food? and as we are at it... what is your definition of unhealthy? and what is WHO or FDA or government definition of unhealthy? should 99% of food factories in US (and the world) close because of your own prejudices? And all that just so a greedy company can discriminate fat people? Geez... :helpme:helpme:helpme:helpme