Obesity

[GQ_jumper 4]

I find my self constantly subject to attacks due to the fact that I am very outspoken about my feelings towards the obesity epidemic our country is facing. The BS Dr. Phil attitude that our country has adopted, trying to force everyone to "accept people for who they are" has created a hostile attitude towards people that try to encourage others to improve themselves while facilitating lifestyles that are not only unhealthy and dangerous but a detriment to our society as a whole.

Obesity isn't just something that must be dealt with by those who are overweight, it affects all of us. I took the time to dig up a few statistics regarding the obesity epidemic.

-The US population is approximately 306 million, of which 34% is overweight according to the Center for Disease control.
-I found a number of different statistics from multiple sources estimating the cost of obesity to he health care industry being anywhere from $100 million to $100 billion per year.
-The reports that were showing costs being more towards the lower end of that scale were mostly looking at costs that fall onto the tax payers. Over 50% of health care costs related to obesity come from tax payer funded programs, so on the low end of the scale, over 50 million a year coming out of all of our pockets to cover these costs.
-The American Journal on Preventative Medicine reported that last year airlines had to use an additional 350 million gallons of fuel directly related to the transportation of heavier people than in prior years.
-Another report showed that obese people use an average of 18 more gallons per year driving their cars because of their extra weight.
-Also take into account that obese people eat more food, and wear clothes that take more material to produce.

So what do all those statistics mean to us? Well first of all when you consider the fact that we are facing record deficits due to excessive government spending we could consider all this money going to paying for people's poor life choices wasteful government spending. Not to mention the effort put into battling obesity by the medical industry that could be geared towards fighting diseases that we have no control over. If you're overweight it should be your responsibility to fight it, not the medical industries, you are taking effort away from people who fell ill due to conditions they have no control over. The airline industry is struggling as a whole so when you the cost of fuel coupled with the fact that the airlines had to burn an extra 350,000,000 gallons of fuel to support the obese that's a pretty good reason to be upset. And last summer's fuel prices, I know 18 gallons a year extra per obese person doesn't seem like much by itself, but at an obesity rate of 30+% that means we have over 100 million obese people in this country. That amounts 10 1.8 billion gallons of gasoline consumed by obese people driving their cars. And the mention of food and materials at the bottom of my list of statistics, well that's simple supply and demand. Obese people consume more food and use more materials to support themselves, I didn't find any statistics stating how much more exactly but it can reasonably be assumed that their extra consumption contributes to higher prices on consumer products.

So who should be upset by all this? Every one of us, people who support legislation aimed at protecting our planet and preventing global warming should be upset that the obese are contributing more than the rest of us to the consumption of fossil fuels. People who are sick of seeing our tax dollars being wasted should be mad that we have to pay to support people's poor choices. And everyone who is sick of high prices in regards to food, consumer products, fuel, and airline travel should be upset by this.

Obesity is not something that randomly chooses 34% of Americans and decided to ruin their lives, it is a life choice. I understand that some people have medical conditions that make it difficult for them to maintain a healthy weight, but these people are in the minority of the obese population. Genetics is another BS excuse, your body does not miraculously create fat tissue out of nowhere because your mom was overweight, as hard as that may be for some people to believe. If you don't put things into your body that can be converted to fat then you won't become grossly overweight. We all know that not everyone in this world is genetically inclined to having a beach body, but that is no excuse for becoming overweight. Our society encourages behavior that supports this problem, we give every overweight person that goes shopping a little scooter to ride around on so they can be less active. I almost never see these scooters being used by people with injuries, nearly always the obese. People sue schools when the overweight kids don't make the cut for the sports teams rather than using that as motivation to get their kids in shape. Restaurant chain's and food makers are being sued by obese people that refuse to take responsibility for their choices, these lawsuits cost the companies affected millions of dollars which result in lowered profits and the trickle down affect of that is higher prices for the rest of us and budget cuts which include layoffs. How would you like to lose your job because someone spent their life cramming twinkies down their throat and when they were diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition related to their weight they decided to sue your company instead of accepting fault and changing their lifestyle? It's pathetic how inactive, unhealthy, and out of shape our country has become and whether people want to believe it or not it does affect all of us. Doctors have predicted that by 2048 every adult in the United States will be overweight and annual health care costs related to obesity will top 1 trillion annually. That's a disturbing fact and I really hope one of these days people will come to their senses and stop encouraging the type of behavior that leads to these problems.

So next time you feel like calling someone insensitive for complaining about overweight people maybe you should take a second to consider how inconsiderate the overweight are to the rest of us. Why should I have to suffer for your poor decisions when I've spent a lifetime dedicating myself to a healthy lifestyle?

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

[billvon 3,114]

>So next time you feel like calling someone insensitive for complaining about
>overweight people maybe you should take a second to consider how
>inconsiderate the overweight are to the rest of us.

?? Do overweight people really bother you that much? They don't bother me (provided they're not trying to knock me down or sit on me or something.)

>That amounts 10 1.8 billion gallons of gasoline consumed by obese
>people driving their cars.

We'd be hypocrites if we claimed it was OK for us to burn more fuel to skydive (because we want to jump) but it's not OK for people to burn more fuel to haul themselves around (because they like to eat.)

Should people lose weight if they're obese? In general, yes - they'll live longer, be generally happier, save money, use less gas etc. All good things.

But that's up to them. If not, that's also their choice. It sounds like might be trying to create the same sort of hostility that Dr. Phil is, except in the other direction. I don't think either approach is productive.

[Amazon 7]

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>So next time you feel like calling someone insensitive for complaining about
>overweight people maybe you should take a second to consider how
>inconsiderate the overweight are to the rest of us.

?? Do overweight people really bother you that much? They don't bother me (provided they're not trying to knock me down or sit on me or something.)

>That amounts 10 1.8 billion gallons of gasoline consumed by obese
>people driving their cars.

We'd be hypocrites if we claimed it was OK for us to burn more fuel to skydive (because we want to jump) but it's not OK for people to burn more fuel to haul themselves around (because they like to eat.)

Should people lose weight if they're obese? In general, yes - they'll live longer, be generally happier, save money, use less gas etc. All good things.

But that's up to them. If not, that's also their choice. It sounds like might be trying to create the same sort of hostility that Dr. Phil is, except in the other direction. I don't think either approach is productive.

I remember cruising around Miami when I was about 22 years old, in a van with a couple PJ's who had returned from the SE Asian War Games in 1974. We came to a stoplight and there was a woman standing there who was decidely overweight. One of the PJ's kicked open the doors to the van, swung his legs out of the van.... looked at the woman and said " Who the fuck gave you the right to live".

I still remember that because I felt appaled that someone like the guy who had saved lives and was for all intents and purposes a hero... would have such a callous attitude to someone. I would LOVE to see what he looks like now.. 35 years later.

Perhaps there is a lesson there somewhere for the OP.

[kelpdiver 2]

lot of weird stuff here, starting with skydivers talking about not making unhealthy choices voluntarily. The general population rarely breaks their femur.

I had to laugh at this one:
"Another report showed that obese people use an average of 18 more gallons per year driving their cars because of their extra weight."

This is dwarfed by the extra 100lbs of shit people keep in their trunk, or that extra 1000lbs of metal because they wanted an SUV. Or the loss in gas mileage because we all decided in the past decade we wanted power instead of fuel efficiency. In the overall picture for our nation's gas consumption, obesity is a trifle factor.

Any guess how many gallons are wasted by people to drive to the gym?

As for excess fuel on aircraft, that fuel will still be consumed - but the plane might carry more cargo. It's their duty to set airfares appropriately. The fatties are not putting them out of business.

This one is a real doozy - and obviously stupid and false:
"Doctors have predicted that by 2048 every adult in the United States will be overweight and annual health care costs related to obesity will top 1 trillion annually."

The only way this happens is if the FatSo! advocates kill every athlete and anorexic in the country. The smokers may be gone due to the banning of cigs, but you still have the skinny fucks who sit on the couch and do nothing, but stay thin. My cycling buddy fits that mold.


---
the primary truth in this rant is the obvious fact that we could be spending less money if we collectively lived a healthier lifestyle. But it's hardly productive to say - it's their fault, so fuck em if they're sensitive about it.

solutions include:
restoring PE (real exercise) to schools from the K-8 level and on.
(maybe) stop subsidizing corn syrup
(maybe) more extensive bike routes (not lanes) and pedestrian walkways.

Our urban development has been built around driving from home to everywhere. Can't undo 60 years of it, but we could start doing it better.

[SkyBastard 0]

lol fatties lol

Dude #320
"Superstitious" is just a polite way of saying "incredibly fucking stupid".
DONK!

[Amazon 7]

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Our urban development has been built around driving from home to everywhere. Can't undo 60 years of it, but we could start doing it better.

The highway system and our cars are our most dangerous challenges to our lives. Millions of Americans daily are one accident away from death.. or injuries leading to lifestyle changes they could NEVER have believed could happen to them.

Its amazing what happens to your body when you spend 6 months in a wheelchair

[Lindsey 0]

All fat is not equal. While visceral fat...that abdominal fat...is known to be bad for our cardiovascular health, that butt and thigh fat may just be good for you. You know, "fat bottom girls!" That butt and thigh fat, it appears, may be cardioprotective!

So, if that's the case, are you still gonna rant about fat chicks?

~linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[GQ_jumper 4]

Perhaps there is a lesson there somewhere for the OP.

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Feel free to actually read the article and understand the point I'm trying to make instead of looking at a post from someone you typically disagree with and looking for excuses to knock them.

I have never in my life treated an obese person the way your PJ buddy did, maybe you should make better choices in who you surround yourself with. I do not ridicule the overweight, but at the same time I have no sympathy for them when their life takes a turn for the worse.

It's funny how so many people on here are constantly bitching and whining about all the wastefulness in our country leading to our current situation. Our own greed contributed to the state of our economy, and as a result there is a constant string of threads in here ripping apart the people that caused this problem, among the many others we are facing. So why is it suddenly so bad to point out one of the other problems facing our country? You and the others who have responded to my thread have tried to justify the wasteful and excessive lifestyles of the people I was posting about. I didn't put a single insult in my thread, merely pointing out how we as a nation need to change our attitudes and lifestyles for our own benefit much the way you and many others are always arguing for changes in the government that will benefit all of us. Yes in all honesty these people do disgust me but I typically keep those feelings to myself and rather than try and belittle them for it I work to encourage change in their lives. So how dare I bring up a list of points that may encourage positive change. There is absolutely no downside to encouraging health and fitness, so why am I the bad guy here?

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

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[chuckakers 426]

a. Why do you care if someone decides to live their life in a way that makes them fat?

b. What exactly do you propose we do about it?

c. Pass me that gallon tub of Rocky Road.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[Amazon 7]

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Perhaps there is a lesson there somewhere for the OP.

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Feel free to actually read the article and understand the point I'm trying to make instead of looking at a post from someone you typically disagree with and looking for excuses to knock them.

I have never in my life treated an obese person the way your PJ buddy did, maybe you should make better choices in who you surround yourself with. I do not ridicule the overweight, but at the same time I have no sympathy for them when their life takes a turn for the worse.

It's funny how so many people on here are constantly bitching and whining about all the wastefulness in our country leading to our current situation. Our own greed contributed to the state of our economy, and as a result there is a constant string of threads in here ripping apart the people that caused this problem, among the many others we are facing. So why is it suddenly so bad to point out one of the other problems facing our country? You and the others who have responded to my thread have tried to justify the wasteful and excessive lifestyles of the people I was posting about. I didn't put a single insult in my thread, merely pointing out how we as a nation need to change our attitudes and lifestyles for our own benefit much the way you and many others are always arguing for changes in the government that will benefit all of us. Yes in all honesty these people do disgust me but I typically keep those feelings to myself and rather than try and belittle them for it I work to encourage change in their lives. So how dare I bring up a list of points that may encourage positive change. There is absolutely no downside to encouraging health and fitness, so why am I the bad guy here?

You never know what the future holds for you.... The guy who rearended me at a stop sign doing 65 MPH in an F-250 pickup truck walked away unscathed. I didn't.

Be disgusted all you want.. but PLEASE remember this conversation 35 years from now... if you survive.

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[rehmwa 2]

The only thing that bothers me is the demonizing of fit and thin people.

My daughter is thin. Healthy as all get out, she eats fine, she's still skinny, always has been. Doctor says no big deal. The last doctor visit, she told us (quietly) that it was really nice to treat a healthy kid instead of the fatties she sees more and more of.

You'd be amazed at how many yuppie parents of fatso lardass kids will meet her and tell her she's "too skinny". This while arguing at PTA meetings that it's unfair their little Jonny can't have snacks all day like at home.

Well, compared to their couch potato snacking spoiled brats, I suspect she looks so.

Good body image should be about celebrating those that take charge of themselves and have something to be proud of. Not just 'acceptance' of a couch potato so they don't cry.

I know people that are fat or thick, those that work hard and try their best to take care of themselves I accept and are proud of them - no matter what results they get. They are doing their best. That's a lot different than accepting a friend that is systematically killing themselves through neglect. The tough part is, you have to know the individual to find out which path they are taking.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[TrophyHusband 0]

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but you still have the skinny fucks who sit on the couch and do nothing, but stay thin. My cycling buddy fits that mold.

am i the only one that sees the flaw in this statement?

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[Amazon 7]

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but you still have the skinny fucks who sit on the couch and do nothing, but stay thin. My cycling buddy fits that mold.

am i the only one that sees the flaw in this statement?

Metabolism

[SkyBastard 0]

:D

you'll probably find apart from the cycling buddy (haha) most people that don't do excercise much but don't get fat actually don't stuff themselves with pies all the time.

fucking hell it isn't rocket science.

Dude #320
"Superstitious" is just a polite way of saying "incredibly fucking stupid".
DONK!

[Shotgun 1]

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So next time you feel like calling someone insensitive for complaining about overweight people maybe you should take a second to consider how inconsiderate the overweight are to the rest of us. Why should I have to suffer for your poor decisions when I've spent a lifetime dedicating myself to a healthy lifestyle?

Hmm . . .

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2618890;search_string=drinking;#2618890

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2316799;search_string=drinking;#2316799

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2702235;search_string=drinking;#2701902

Uh, yeah. Whatever, dude.

[jcd11235 0]

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This is dwarfed by the extra 100lbs of shit people keep in their trunk, or that extra 1000lbs of metal because they wanted an SUV. Or the loss in gas mileage because we all decided in the past decade we wanted power instead of fuel efficiency. In the overall picture for our nation's gas consumption, obesity is a trifle factor.

Don't forget the people that fail to keep their vehicles tuned and their tires properly inflated. I would expect such inactions to result in more than an extra 18 gallons of fuel burned annually.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[kelpdiver 2]

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but you still have the skinny fucks who sit on the couch and do nothing, but stay thin. My cycling buddy fits that mold.

am i the only one that sees the flaw in this statement?

Ok, I'll add that the cycling thing is quite recent for him. He went the first 33-34 years doing remarkably little. Only a couple years ago did he discover vanity through some woman. Now he's just as thin, but climbs like a goat.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Our urban development has been built around driving from home to everywhere. Can't undo 60 years of it, but we could start doing it better.

The highway system and our cars are our most dangerous challenges to our lives. Millions of Americans daily are one accident away from death.. or injuries leading to lifestyle changes they could NEVER have believed could happen to them.

Its amazing what happens to your body when you spend 6 months in a wheelchair

You said it. I got the milder version of that when I unsuccessfully jumped my motorcycle over tire debris. I wasn't to run or cycle for 7 months while the shoulder knitted. Fortunately I only had superficial damage to the legs and was mobile, but after spending 8 months in PT, I spent the next 18 months regaining general fitness.

[BIGUN 1,483]

I have a female friend that is obese. She was in a horrible car crash when she was younger and spent almost a year in the hospital. She can walk but does so slowly so people don't ask her why her foot is turned out. Her undergrad degree is in Nuclear Physics, a Master's in Engineering Management, and a J.D. in Patent law. She will spend an hour talking to anyone she meets no matter what their social or educational status and can relate to anyone from janitor to food service to Physicist to diplomat - and can make any one of them laugh. When she makes someone else happy; it makes her happy.

She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever met.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[jcd11235 0]

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I have a female friend that is obese. She was in a horrible car crash when she was younger and spent almost a year in the hospital. She can walk but does so slowly so people don't ask her why her foot is turned out. Her undergrad degree is in Nuclear Physics, a Master's in Engineering Management, and a J.D. in Patent law. She will spend an hour talking to anyone she meets no matter what their social or educational status and can relate to anyone from janitor to food service to Physicist to diplomat - and can make any one of them laugh. When she makes someone else happy; it makes her happy.

She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever met.

Well said. To quote T.A. Preston, Jr.:

"I was a poster child for famine when I was just a kid. Hell, I had to get out of the bathtub before I pulled the plug; I was scared to death I'd go down the drain all my life."

I resemble that (Preston's) remark. Over the years, I've met many people who some might consider overweight or obese that live far healthier lifestyles than I do, including quite a few in my own family. They eat better (not to be confused with eating more) than I do, and they get as much, if not more exercise than me.

There are lots of reasons people might be overweight. In my experience, most of them do not involve being lazy. I'll have to refrain from joining the holier than thou crowd just because I've never had a doctor recommend that I lose weight.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[AggieDave 6]

According to my BMI I'm obese. I'm 6'1" and weigh 265lbs. Am I over weight? Yup, actually I'm kind of fat. Am I obese? I don't think so. I also bench 50lbs over my weight for reps. Do I care that since I'm "obese" that you think personally have a problem with me? Nope.

As a side note, in my physical last year my blood pressure was fine, my heart is strong and my cholesterol is good.

Here's a recent picture. Sorry that its a serious "I'm a dork" picture, but its all I've got right now. What do you think? Does my obesity offend you?


EDIT: forgot to attach the picture

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[downwardspiral 0]

Wow dude....you must really hate fat people to have gone through all the trouble to justify your hatred with statistics. Why not direct your hate towards a group of people who deserve it and cost us far more annually than the obese? like....politicians.


But honestly you seem obsessed with fatties....I wonder what Freud would say about that?

www.FourWheelerHB.com

[GQ_jumper 4]

The only thing that bothers me is the demonizing of fit and thin people.

My daughter is thin. Healthy as all get out, she eats fine, she's still skinny, always has been. Doctor says no big deal. The last doctor visit, she told us (quietly) that it was really nice to treat a healthy kid instead of the fatties she sees more and more of.

You'd be amazed at how many yuppie parents of fatso lardass kids will meet her and tell her she's "too skinny". This while arguing at PTA meetings that it's unfair their little Jonny can't have snacks all day like at home.

Well, compared to their couch potato snacking spoiled brats, I suspect she looks so.

Good body image should be about celebrating those that take charge of themselves and have something to be proud of. Not just 'acceptance' of a couch potato so they don't cry.

I know people that are fat or thick, those that work hard and try their best to take care of themselves I accept and are proud of them - no matter what results they get. They are doing their best. That's a lot different than accepting a friend that is systematically killing themselves through neglect. The tough part is, you have to know the individual to find out which path they are taking.

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The attitudes being displayed in this forum are exactly the reason why we have such a problem in our country. That and the fact that people in here don't bother to read what someone posts, they see someone that doesn't agree with everything they see posting and start typing counter statements for the sake of arguing with someone.

Like you've mentioned its getting to the point where people who work hard to live a healthy life are becoming the enemy while attitudes that lead children to growing up and continuing the unhealthy lifestyle their parents led are becoming more predominant. But whatever, how dare I try and encourage people to take better care of themselves.

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

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[headoverheels 334]

Well I'm not going to say anything about a fatty with a gun. Keep an eye on that BP and cholesterol -- they tend to climb with age.

[philh 0]

"Obesity is not something that randomly chooses 34% of Americans and decided to ruin their lives, it is a life choice. I understand that some people have medical conditions that make it difficult for them to maintain a healthy weight, but these people are in the minority of the obese population. Genetics is another BS excuse, your body does not miraculously create fat tissue out of nowhere because your mom was overweight, as hard as that may be for some people to believe. If you don't put things into your body that can be converted to fat then you won't become grossly overweight. "

You are creating a ridculous straw man. Obesity is likely a lot more complex than you think it is.
There have been several genetic mutations that are linked to obesity. Two I can think of, off the top of my head are:
1. The regulation of leptin production. How full you feel after food depends partly on how much you eat and partly on the bodies production of leptin. Genes determine how well your body regulates leptin production and if your body is not good at leptiin regulation you may not feel full, no matter how much you eat.
You are right here that obese people's over eating is making them obese, but you are not addressing the issue: why do some people over eat when others dont? your bodies ability to regulate leptin production helps determine this and that could just be bad luck for the obese and good luck for you.So maybe you should be a little less judgemental.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=21729


2 Lets look at the otherside of the equation :excercise. Some people get more fatigued than others when they excercise , why? Again genetics explains at least some of this difference.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060907102347.htm

these are just two example I can think of straight away, Im sure I could find others. Thats not to say the enviroment (inlcuding pressure from tastier flavours of ice cream) is not important as well. But as a well respected skeptics once said (I Think it was Ben Goldacre)
"i think you''l find its a bit more complicated that".