Last night I forced Meeester to watch a programme on the telly that he had not wanted to watch at the time, so I had recorded it. He didn’t want to watch it because he said that doing so would be voyeuristic. This is after we had watched that bird off Shameless nimbly chew her own toenails on Celebrity Big Brother. Hmmm. The programme was “The Half Ton Son” about Billy, a nineteen year old from Houston- not the Scottish Houston, which has no drive in MacDonalds, to my knowledge but the US Houston which most certainly does.
Watching this documentary segued neatly in my brain to a debate that was raging over at Canadian Blogger Extraordinaire, Ex-Urban Pedestrian’s place about whether obese people should pay for an extra seat on an airplane or whether they should be allocated double seats as a matter of course. My comment was quite hardline. I claimed that being obese was effectively a life choice. Not a choice to be fat, but a choice to overeat, a series of choices made every meal time, every snack time, to ignore your better judgement, to ignore the signals given to you by your body, and eat more than you need. Watching the documentary about this boy last night who, at his peak, weighed over 67 stone, has done nothing to change my mind on this issue. Billy’s greed and eating problem was made doubly worse by a mother who was an enabler of his greed and a willing provider of too much food for her mollycoddled, spoiled son. She was as much to blame for his life threatening size as he was, if not more so. And he was quite happy to devolve responsibility to her.
Now according to the scales on WiiFit, just about everyone is obese, but how many people on a daily basis do you come into contact that are morbidly obese. Me, I used to work with someone who is. Yet, I never saw him eat. Other than that, no, it’s still not really that common to see people in the UK who have massive folds of fat hanging over their front bottom area, are wheezy just walking down a corridor, or who genuinely would need two seats on an airplane.
However in the US, it is extremely common, and I never really saw horrendously morbidly obese people until I worked in New Orleans in 1990. I was shocked and horrified at how human beings could morph into the size these people were. I genuinely had never seen people who looked like that before. And I live in Scotland home of the sliced sausage and the deep fried pizza! What were they doing that was different to the rest of the world?
As I worked in a restaurant which offered a limited selection of “All You Can Eat” items, I served a great deal of obese people. To a man, they all ordered Diet Coke with their 10 consecutive plates of deep fried shrimp or barbecue ribs. The first time I took someone’s diet drink order in this situation, I nearly choked from surprise. I thought they were taking the piss out of me.
The other waiters had a name for this type of customer, they were called “Salads”.
“Why ‘Salad’?” I asked.
“Because they always order a side salad and never touch it” said my colleague.
“Like some kind of coverup,” said another.
“Like the diet drink order?” I said. “Yes, like that. That’s a cover up too”.
People can be fat all over the world, but the level of obesity that I saw in the States horrified me. And running back and forth with the 7th consecutive plate of something that most people would only manage two of, for someone nudging 30 stone, yes, has made my opinions hardline about this. Little choices, mounting up to becoming something that becomes a health problem, which then becomes an addiction, which then becomes a human rights issue, which then becomes someone else’s fault for offering “All you Can Eat” items, or “Supersize” items, or no extra seat on an airline.
But this all started with little choices. Theirs, their mother’s, whoever...but choices all the same.
Not often we have a serious debate on the Misssives, but what do you think?
Stop Press: Gordon McLean of top blog Informationally Overloaded, who commented earlier here, has written his take on being fat. Read it.
Stop Stop Press: And XUP has opened the debate ever wider. This one will run and run...Read that too.
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56 comments:
I have struggled with my weight over the years, but I have to say that in general, I agree with the choice element. It is a person's choice to eat whatever they do. I know when I'm indulging myself too much. When I'm overweight then it's nobody's fault but mine. Similarly, when I manage to lose any weight( I lost over three stone last year) then it is my achievement.
There was obviously a point in this kid's life where he got past the point of no return. I can see how that happens...
I'm in agreement with the most part, unless there's some medical problem, like a thyroid thing, then it's entirely down to choice and I might add a disgusting example of overindulgence in a world where so many have so little.
PS My WiiFit has us all underweight in chateauthekid.
btk
I saw that programme. It was 90% that mother's fault. Even though that guy was nineteen, he was still treated like a baby and force fed practically. I wonder how he got on away from her?
And what shocked me is that the mother didn't seem to have been given any dietary guidelines for him after his surgery other than, "Give him less".
I haven't watched this yet, but I think I probably will do now. I don't have much to say on the piece because I 've not seen the program yet, but I would agree that the woman biting her toeanils was pretty gross.
I'd rather watch Half Ton Son than her chewing her feet.
CP x
Hmmmmmmmmmm.
Is it a choice if you don't understand why you do something? If there is a psychological reason for over eating?
The stereotype of a woman retreating after a break up with a big bar of chocolate is a stereotype for a reason. She is making a choice to eat because it comforts her (various chemical reasons for that).
On a day to day basis, if you are at any level unhappy or unfulfilled then food is a comfort blanket for many. They probably don't realise it though.
So yes, it's a choice but it's an uninformed one for many. They know they are overweight (everyone who is knows this), and they probably know that they shouldn't be eating XYZ. But part of their brain ignores that and that isn't always by 'choice' for (I think), choice requires conscious thought and the part of the brain that overrides the fact that I've just had lunch so I don't really need a Wispa, is operating subconsciously.
So. Ummm. I kinda agree, just not completely.
I've actually got a post on this drafted (being overweight not the TV programme) so might polish it up and post it later today.
As for the 'feeders' that's a whole other issue! (and also a fetish for some... anyhoo...)
I have to agree with the US portions thing. When one of us ordered Lasange in Las Vegas, it was immense. Huge. We thought we'd accidentally ordered for all 6 of us.
I can understand the Diet Coke thing though. There's something addictive in it that I don't think is in normal Coke. Every 6 months or so, for the sake of my teeth and my general good health, I go Diet Coke Cold Turkey. I get the withdrawal and hey, a couple of months later I'm back on the stuff...
Alan: When I posted my thoughts on this I hesitated. I thought I would come under immense fire- I'm still expecting it. I'm glad you agree about the choice thing. And whilst I do agree that a psychological compulsion to over eat cannot be ignored- we do have a brain that can decide. Three stone weight loss is to be heartily congratulated.
BTK: You can eat ridiculously in the US and eating out is cheaper than over here. Waste appalls me...so maybe I should be kinder to thoise that clear their plate, hm?
Alex: oh sure, that mother was a huge factor. For those who haven't seen the programme- the mother lost her first child and to say that she was clingy to Billy is an understatement. But Billy made some key choices in the hospital and afterwards that bullied his mother into reverting to her old ways. I lost sympathy for him then.
Gordon: It's also an educational issue as a you say. If you've been taught to eat that way, you will find it hard to break out of that lifestyle. But who is really that stupid to not know that eating a Big Mac Meal and then asking for a second in the same sitting is not a good decision? No-one.
I think that in a lot of obesity cases there is a devolvement of responsibility. Those that change their lives take that responsibility on. Those that blame others, never will. I look forward to your post.
Neighbour: Yes, the portions are ridiculous- apparently in Canada too (my folks remarked upon it when they were on holiday there). but it, for me, comes back to personal responsibility every time. I may sound simplistic, and I take onboard all arguments about psychology (and agree mostly) but I think it eventually comes back to that.
Catspuke: It's not an easy watch...toenails are to be clipped not bitten. She is a manky mare.
I like your hardline attitude on this Misssy, it's not often you are this controversial.
"I've got big bones" All covered in fat.
"I've got an eating imbalance" Two hands and one mouth.
"It's my glands" That are the size of bean bag chairs and stuck up your jumper.
Wii Fit has my svelte body down as obese as well, it must be malfunctioning, can't it see my body is a temple. The Temple of Doom!
No excuses count in my books, even the glandular thyroid ones that are thrown about, if they ate less, they'd weigh less, nobody needs a doctor to tell them that. It's entirely a lifestyle choice.
I am obese right now and it is not as simple as being about food.
The debates that thin people have over this astound me.
I saw that programme on Billy and there is no doubt in mind that his mother is mad, not just eccentric but ...really really nuts and what she did to that kid by overfeeding him and keeping him a prisoner in his bed is really child abuse and she should be charged and put in a mental hospital. Also he won't be able to recover because she is totally emotionally smothering. It was a sad tale.
Re Americans eating huge amounts. I think it is just a part of their psychology - everything has to be bigger and they always expect the biggest. Like many drive Mini Vans and SUVS. Also the idea of a 'normal' house is four or five times what we would have in the UK, it is 'normal' to have a triple garage and also to have a bathroom for every bedroom (why??) - The average American uses six times the world average amount of energy! And then they use environmentally friendly lightbulbs to 'save energy'...right!
That said I am not friends here with anyone who is obese but that may be because I am very superficial!
Jaggy: No I don't often bring up anything serious here. But I think I sometimes need to open the Misssives a little wider than just being about funny stories,and well...me, really.
Taexalia: I expected this comment somewhere along the line. I'm sorry, but I think it's irrelevant whether I'm thin or not.
I do have an opinion on this- particularly as a mum, and frankly what I saw last night made me really angry. I have suffered from depression, anxiety, low self esteem, stress- I know what that feels like, and it can make its connection with many actions and behaviours. But obesity IS about food fundamentally- it's physics. Yes, it has other attendant factors- of course it does.
Morbidly obese people DO have a choice- my argument is that it has to be them that makes the choice and to claim ignorance of that choice beggars belief.
I love you Taex and you are my chum and I don't wish to come across as being intolerant- I'm not-but I have every right to comment on the extreme morbid obesity in the US, thin or not. In the same way an obese person can talk about any other body issues.
Emma: That's an intersting theory- Americans must have everything bigger. Maybe it's a frontier thing- all that space to fill, all that natural wealth at their disposal, all that empire building.
Misssy M
I remember that YOU were known to sit like a yogi and bit your toenails
Willie x
We are starting to see more and more morbidly obese people these days in the places I work (healthcare) but I have to say doctors are on it. People come in with other problems and their weight and BMI are assessed as well. Good old NHS- it may not be perfect but at least we don't have to wait til things get too bad til we go to our doctors for free.
What Emma says is interesting about the US attitude..but I think their health care system which seems to only be for the educated and wealthy, plays a large part too.
I only saw the preview of that programme but I tend to think that healthcare professionals would have intervened in that boy's life well before that point if he were in the UK. I would hope so.
Ange
Father: You mistake me for another sibling. I was the nose-picker.
Ange: What surprised me was that no-one had intervened in the dysfunctional relationship...maybe you're right.
Also Dad, Check you web surfing from work! That oil won't get ashore itself, you know!
Being from an American I'd like to defend our name now....but I can't. Listen, we're still the kid at the party. We are the country of INSTANT GRATIFICATION. We want something, we take it, and that applies to food as well. It doesn't matter the reprecussions, what matters is I want it, it's here, I'll take it. It's too easy to go have surgery or get on some pills then to actually practice some self control.
Having been overweight before - and people don't believe me, but that's mostly because there aren't any photos left :^) -, I know how hard it is to break the cycle. You're unhappy, you eat, it sort of feels better, so that becomes your response. I think it's not just about food, and compassion is essential to understand the issue.
Also, it is very hard to just not eat, because unlike, say, drugs, you kind of need to eat to live.
I'm not overweight now, but I am constantly afraid. Because there is so much that is said about people who are, and their willpower or lack of it, that I just don't want to be there again. Also, I didn't like how I felt about myself. It's like being trapped in your own body, and it seems so hopeless! You get the feeling that if you could get your thin body once more, you would make different choices, and you would do so many things differently, but to have to overcome the weight, it seems impossible!
Of course, it isn't. But it is so much work. Hence the fear. I still have nightmares where I wake up and am fat again.
Did you see the Claire Sweeney programme last week? She gave up her healthy eating plan and fitness regime and ate whatever she fancied for 6 weeks. She put on two stone. The thought of it had me doing extra press ups. Weight, generally, is down to personal responsibility.
Sx
Haven't seen the show, didn't know about Billy, not sure what I think about the issue... I sorta found myself agreeing with Gordon, and maybe another (near-controversial) analogy will make it obvious why: battered spouses who return, over and over, to their batterers.
Now, as you say, "this all started with little choices. Theirs, their mother's, whoever... but choices all the same." Nodding in your direction on that one, sure.
I'm just not confident that reversing the choices we make -- or that others made on our behalf -- is always as simple as asserting, breezily, "No thanks, I don't want to [fill in godawfully bad habit] anymore." Sh!t like this can be buried so deeply that nothing can root it out. I couldn't possibly bring myself to say or think anything worse than Holy crow -- thank gods that isn't me.
(Disclosure: US native/resident, not particularly overweight but not where I'd like to be, either. I'm just sayin'.)
Amanda: In this case it was surgery they opted for- but really they had to- the guy couldn't even leave his bed/chair. They wanted to insert a gastric band but had to cut off 5 stone of fat from his waist area to be able to get to his organs.
Being from teh US you won't be aware fo this but recently a TV personality in the UK claimed she had lost lots of weight through eating sensibly and then it was revealed by a newspaper that she had, in fact, had a gastric band fitted. People WENT for her. I think this reaction was because people wanted to believe that all it took was eating sensibly and that she had given them false hope. I can understand why people got upset are her lying about it.
Maria: I can understand how you are afraid. It's the same with anything that made you unhappy- you worry that you'll be there again- relationships, depression, illness. You prove my point though- you decided to change your situation and took personal responsibility, no matter how hard that was. I hope I don't come off as lacking in compassion- I do have compassion.
With morbidly obese people I don't think compassion actually helps much- the softly softly approach didn't work with this boy. What did help was his mother screaming at him "Do you want to die??" As soon as she got tough, he reacted and moved into a rehab facility to tkae control of his own life.
Scarlett: Conversely there was a TV programme on about a year ago where Louis Redknapp dieted to become Size 0. That was a real eye opener as to the health issue there. She looked horrible.
JES: Knee-jerkedly it's made me refuse a second Rice Crispy square to my daughter one hour before her tea. Need to forget about Billy and try and be normal, I think...It's an extreme case.
How very unfair of you Misssy, you're having an interesting debate and I'm too busy writing a business proposal to join in. Grrrrrrr.
Shame..Bobo. We need a psychologist's view- never mind- I'm sure we'll still be debating the morra.
I just have to weigh in on this issue.
I am morbidly obese, but working hard to change that, and agree with you wholeheartedly. Yes, there's a huge emotional aspect to this, but ultimately it's all about choices.
My fat should not earn me any favours from airlines. Flying long-haul is pretty uncomfortable for me, but fortunately I don't need an extra seat. If I did, I'm fine with the idea of either staying home or paying for it... Airlines are businesses, after all!
As for Americans, I write a health and weight loss blog and my communities are mostly American. They believe themselves to be so educated about nutrition, but they've been so misled. Most Americans these days wouldn't recognize real food if they saw it! They are addicted to the substances added to fast foods and they literally live to eat. Of course this time of the year lots of people have some resolutions that include "getting healthier", but they're already fretting about how they're going to handle the Valentine's Chocolate. Every occasion in the USA is an opportunity to pig out. Valentine's Day is all about chocolate, Superbowl is spicy chicken wings and beer, St. Patricks Day is green beer, corned beef and potatoes, Easter is lamb and chocolate, Independance Day is barbeque, summer is for ice cream, Halloween is tons of candy, Thanksgiving is turkey and all the trimmings, Christmas is cookies, chocolate, cake, eggnog, turkey, pudding, etc. And the eating is not restricted to the day in question, it can start two weeks before the event and continue for two weeks after.
When I visited the States last year, I was shocked at the poor quality of food in restaurants! And these people love it! They lap it up! A large percentage of Americans eat fast food every single day. Some more than once per day. And they don't do anything physical. In the grocery stores you see people in motorized carts provided by the store, doing their grocery shopping! I was gobsmacked!
So yes, I'm fat, but that's because I ate too much delicious food, not the shit they stuff themselves with. And have you seen them eat? It's not pretty!
Hanlie: This is all very interesting. That description of US holidays beggars belief. Yet it lends a little more understanding to whole US obesity thing.
I wish you all the best in your quest to change your physical situation. You seem determined, and that is to be admired.
I'll comment first and read the rest later...
I first found TGI Fridays in NO and you are spot on. The portions are huge and so are the patrons. The two of us would have struggled to finish one plateful, never mind the side salads. Oh and the first thing my mate said when we hit Bourbon St was, "Is everybody fat here?"
Hands up - I am overweight, but not obese. Yet. I do believe it's a matter of choice. You can choose not to finish those enormous gut-busting meals; hell, you can choose to eat somewhere that serves sensible food, I'm sure there are still a few tucked away somewhere.
Misssy I haven't challenged your right to comment, I have simply used the freedom of speech I also have to pass my comment. Sorry if it isn't in agreement but hey ho.
I'll leave it at that, having read some of the rest of the pleasantries here.
Yep, I agree with you missym. It is about choice, we all have the information to eat and be healthy.
There was another prog. on last night about people who had surgery and gastric bands on, to hlep them lose massive amounts of weight. They all seemed to then go on to have further surgery to remove all the excess skin, Yuk! It scared me half to death.
The one saving grace was the man who had a humungous weight loss from eating less and moving more. And, he didn't seem to want/need skin removal surgery - hurrah!
Phew, made me think that I should not be obese anymore - and I went for a walk, after my (smaller) bowl of porridge this morning!
I feel I am allowed to comment on this, and any other, body-image-health-issue, as I am fat.
Ooh, just re-read that - I didn't mean to imply that thin people shouldn't comment on issues of obesity. It was a tongue-in-cheek remark to say that we All have valied opinions, fat or thin. Cheers.
As a North American (though Eurpopean by birth), I have always been deeply ashamed and embarassed by our penchant for excess. I'm horrified by the size of houses - they get bigger every year; by the size of vehicles that suck up most of the resources on earth; by the grotesque amount of food -- and not good food -- we consume. We're paying for it in the ever-increasing obesity of our people and now with the economic downfall. No one seems to get it yet that this has been caused by our over-consumption. People are crying the blues because they have to give up their 6 bedroom house and their hummer.
Before you get to weigh 200 kg you have to weigh 80, and 100, and 120 kg first. What baffles me is that these people seem to lack the ability to say; "this is getting out of hand, I need to make some changes before I kill myself".
Although I agree that it is a choice (or rather a series of bad choices) that makes people morbidly obese, I do think that parents have a major influence in how their kids deal with food, health and body image issues. If your ten year old weighs 100 kg, I'm pretty sure there's some bad parenting involved.
The reason why the problem with obesity is so incredibly bad in the U.S. is that they have a completely different view on food (and a lot of other stuff). Quantity is valued more than quality. They would actually rather have a lot of crappy food, than a little bit of great food, and they see nothing wrong with that.
This has had some *really* interesting comments and a wonderful post by Misssy to start it all off.
To begin with I am fat, I always have been, even as a child I was, I wasn't huge by any means but I could have done with losing a few pounds. My parents loved me, made me eat a healthy and a balanced diet, I loved running about our garden and taking the dogs for walks. I had friends who did bugger all, ate crap and were rakes, I still do in fact. I am not saying being fat is anyone's fault but my own, however, I don't think it is solely choice. You all know that annoying person who stays a size eight despite forever eating chocolate. We are not all the same, some of us seem to burn off calories but sitting very still, whilst others have to go on mile long walks.
I have been in control of my diet and exercise since a young age, thanks to full time working parents, it is my fault I am the size I am. But it is not as simple as all that.
There is also a question of scale, and why I hate the BMI stuff. If I was a size 10 for instance I would be dead, if I was a size 18 I would be my ideal weight, though no doubt the BMI would show me as still being overweight. For instance if Misssy was a size 18 by all appearances from the few photos I've seen she would be overweight. I don't know how similar we are height wise I'm 5ft8 but one persons overweight is another's perfect '10' is all I'm saying.
People's bodies work in different ways, just like out minds do, even if you managed to get the point where you've got the motivation and wish to loose weight for some people it falls off for others it is a constant battle.
Obesity is a problem and if I have children they're going to damn well eat their veg and take the dog on bloody long walks every day. But I'm not going to put them on prisoner-of-war-esqe rations if they're slightly over-weight, when I say slightly I do mean slightly, I don't mean they're so round you could roll them down a hill.
Finally, I would rather be fat and happy than miserable and thin. I have been bullied all my life it is only now that I am 24 that I have come to accept I can still be overweight and beautiful. Yes I am putting myself at risk. And yes, I am trying to loose weight, but it is not my number one priority, because loosing weight doesn't make me happy long-term, and there are other things that do.
Pants: In the TV programme the mother blamed herself. She knew that her son was the size he was because of her. Yet even after horrific surgery, she took him home and asked him if he wanted a 2turkey dog". I imagine that this is a US equivalent of some Bernard Matthews reconstituted piece of turkey offal fashioned into a hot dog. The boy hadn't even opened his mouth to a ask for anything. food was how she showed her love.
Random: Not everyone is built skinny. Body shape does differ and I do sometimes think that large ladies, in particular, are made to feel less than beautiful. I know he's not everyone's cup o tea but I applaud the Gok Wan show for embracing body shape across the board. Everyone looks at someone else and feels a little bit of envy rather than looking at what they've got. I have a borderline flat chest and as i get older I don't have much fat reserves on my face to stop the wrinkles really kicking in- skinny girls can look gaunt and age quicker. Nigella is right abut choosing your ass or your face. P You might look and me and think, man I was I was skinny, I look at you and think I wish I had some of that rack.
It's all about health- by your account you're a healthy person- these folk I've seen in the US who cannot walk with the aid of support due to their enormous weight are not. There is a world of difference between someone like you and them.
Oooh great post and comments! I wish I'd seen the program (I think!) I don't know an awful lot about obesity so I'm not sure I'm qualified to comment. I do remember though, many years ago taking a French family of three out on safari. The father and daughter were massive and the wife was pretty thin. One of the first things he said to me was "I am this size because I have a condition" and explained whatever it was. Thyroid I guess. And I remember feeling really really sad that he felt he had to explain this every time he met new people.(oh and we ate with them every meal time and they ate normally!) I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say. I suppose just that I'd feel sad if someone like that had to pay for an extra seat on the plane. I suppose you can't exactly say, when you buy the ticket "Okay, are you fat because you eat too much or are you fat because you have a condition" haha.Although I hear what others are saying that to get to 200kg you first have to be 80, 100 etc
Oh and this year there's someone coming out on safari who is 200kg (I think) and she's asked for a special reinforced toilet and bed and chair that she's paid extra for to be made up. Good on her!
Oh and I love that here (in Africa) when people want to compliment you they break out in a big smile and say "My but you've got FAT!" And you have smile and say "THANKS!"
Okay, I'll shut up now.
Missy, is it your opinion that anorexics and bulimics are also just making "little every-day choices?"
I wish you'd write about something everyone would want to comment on...hehehe
Miranda: I don't know much about thyroid problems and it would be unwise of me to comment. What strikes me is that I'm completely out of my comfort zone when I do serious posts like this- it's been an experience and as soon as you even mention your opinion on body matters, you do open yourself up to being uncaring, simplistic and ill-informed. Hmmm, no wonder I tend to stick to fluff!
CB: I see obesity as being completely different from anorexia and bulimia- I think A and B are psychological conditions that go against human nature to nourish one's body- I think they have more in common with self harming than overeating. But hey, I never claimed to be a psychologist.
However, I did want to have a debate on the extreme morbid obesity problem in the US. My main question posed is : Why over there and not so much here? It surely can't be that more Americans are psychologically damaged per capita??? That would be an offensive comment and a ridiculous one. It must be something else.
Amanda: Ha! ha! I knew the floodgates would open! That's what you get for being a little bit bored on a Wednesday morning waiting for a client to get back to you! I'm going to write a post about the existence of God next, then I'm going run away, and lock myself in a cupboard until it's all over and let all the fundies and atheists have a big old scrap!
I find it difficult to maintain a healthy weight. I know people who are thin and yet have similar lifestyle and habits to me (bastards!)who find it easy.
I guess it is easy to criticise others for not being able to control things which we find a piece of cake (sic)
It IS a question of choice, I suppose but one man or woman's easy choice is another's difficult choice.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is, "My names Bigrab and I'm a fat bastard!"
...and I see extreme obesity as being at the opposite end of the same spectrum as anorexia and bulimia.
Maybe the rates of obesity are so high in the US because here it is so socially acceptable - even encouraged - to overeat. On the one hand, you have a culture that promotes unhealthy eating habits and on the other hand, you have a culture that shuns people for it.
It'd be interesting to look at rates for all eating disorders - not just overeating - by countries and see how they compare. Does the US have a higher rate of Anorexia compared to, say, the UK?
I think it is a larger issue than your comment box allows for.
http://bigrab.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/john-prescotts-battle-with-slimmers-disease/
Rab: Yeah, I never ever said it was easy choice. And you are not a fat bastard. I declare it so.
CB: I think it's an interesting idea-that a country may have a collective psychology.
Ah where's our resident psychologist Bobo, when you need him?
Rab: How AMAZING would it be for Prezza to comment? C'mon John!
Ain't quite that simple - where I work we have a lot of monsters who don't eat enough to keep me functioning at all, let alone well. All sorts of meds can interfere, some in a dramatic way. And do you think my punters have any choice at all in the meds they get? Or in their diet?
That said, my BMI has nudged over 25 which makes me obese (1.76m 82.1kg)and it was my choice to eat more.
But then I'm a smoker - nobody became a smoker except by their own personal choice - you do have to work at nicotine addiction. That said, I went to the smoking cessation wifie today...
Living here in the states I see this also. The worst part is that they have this "So I don't care" attitude about the whole thing. It cost us millions every year taking care of these people. They should just get out and do some thing. Sitting there eating then just going from the table to the couch is not helping!
Thank you Misssy you just made me smile and feel very good about myself :-) lol I know you think there is a difference, but I think sometimes people tar everyone who's overweight with the same brush.
And thank you again for posting such a well written interesting post that has produced such a debate.
Donny: This trip to the smoking cessation wifie is excellent news. I look forward to the new smoke free, liberated you.
Ken: I wonder what this boy's hospital bill was? Read an earlier comment on what a UK health professional thought. She reckons that our healthcare system would catch children like this early.
In regards to the question of why Americans are fatter than people in other countries -- I think it's the chemicals in the food. For one, high fructose corn syrup, which destabilizes blood sugar a lot more than table sugar and also promotes fat storage, is in practically everything. That's not true in other countries. Also, MSG is in practically everything, especially fast food, and its only purpose is to get you to eat more. MSG is often hidden, because it only has to be on the label if it's an added ingredient. But it occurs as a byproduct producing soy protein isolate, hydrolyzed soy protein and lots of other things. These added ingredients are in everything. People in the States eat out of control because they are being poisoned by these food additives. And they basically have no idea that it's happening -- all any one seems to care about is calories, fat and sugar, which in comparison to high fructose corn syrup and MSG, are totally meaningless. I spent a month in Lithuania a couple of years ago, and I was amazed at how skinny the women were, and how fattening the cuisine is. It's all breaded, fried, high fat food. Yet they're skinny. It made me wonder what could be so different that is causing us Americans to be so fat yet the Lithuanians are so thin? I now believe that the chemicals are the answer. People in America look distorted, like they've been experimented on in a lab, which I think is not so far from the truth.
I couldn't agree more. The point you made about Billy allowing himself to pass reponsibility to his mother describes perfectly the obese mentality that exists mostly in the states.
People ignore their better judgement at mealtimes and pawn off their self harming habits as a psychological problem, while trying to defend their stupid choices in food. It's a case of undereducation and denial.
I almost posted about this programme the other day, but got sidetracked. Parts of it were heartbreaking to watch, and I felt that the mother was definitely to blame to a large extent - perhaps to replace the child she lost, she wanted Billy to remain with her. It struck me that she'd fed him to a point where he was imprisoned, and totally dependent on her.
I agree that being fat is a choice. I am in the camp that puts on weight very easily, which, combined with the fact I love food, and am greedy, is not ideal! But I am also vain, and I would rather make healthy choices and exercise - even though it bores me to tears - and maintain a slim figure, which is where I feel healthy and attractive. It worries me, though, that at a size 10/12 (I'm 5ft 6, so this is fine for my height) I often feel large in clothes shops where the stock of size sixes and eights seems to be taking over. Ten years ago, a size ten was considered slim...
I have a friend who had a gastric band fitted a few years back and it changed her life. But, the only way it changed her eating habits is that if she overeats, she pukes. Nice. She maintains that she will never have it removed, as she would simply overeat again, and go right back to where she started. This astounds me. Moreso in that she had the op on the NHS and is in line for a tummy tuck and breast uplift, also on the NHS, to correct the loose skin. That is a lot of surgery. Surely the heart of the whole problem lies in educating people, and getting to the psychological roots of why people overeat, and helping them to challenge that behaviour?
Just watching it on channel 5 right now. Man, that's Bad, with a capital B!
Anon: It's the processed food thing isn't it? you are less in control of what you eat if you are not cooking your food yourself. Very interesting what you say about Lithuania. Would we all struggle to maintain a healthy weight if we lived in the US?
Jimi: How many women give their kids food to keep them happy. i know I sometimes do. I work from home and sometimes my daughter is home from school when I still haven't met a deadline and need to keep working. I fall into that trap sometimes of letting her have stuff she shouldn't just for an easy life. I've become hyper-aware of that since watching this programme.
Cat: I also know someone who has a gastric band. It hasn't worked because essential behaviour has not been changed. I also wonder if messing about with the digestive system like this might not lead to really dangerous conditions later in life. The amount of elderly people that have severe digestive problems anyway can be very debilitating. Having half your stomach cut off or half being put out of use - really, is that wise? Is this so called miracle fix not asking for later trouble. We'll find out, won't we? Anne Diamond and Fern Britten are maybe inadvertedly encouraging people with weight problems to consider surgery when otherwise they might have presevered with other, safer means of losing weight.
Missy,
Yes, definitely it's the processed food, but as far as I can tell, the store bought food in the US is quite different from what it is in the other parts of the world. A friend of mine who is from Australia but lives here (the US) went back to Australia and commented that when she went to the grocery store and bought their store brand pudding, the ingredients were milk, eggs and sugar. Here in the US it's a huge long list of chemical concoctions. Everything has fifty things in it that you can't pronounce.
Yesterday I went to the grocery store and looked at SlimFast high protein diet bars. The first ingredient was soy protein isolate, (which contains MSG in it). So the DIET bar makes you fat! Unreal! And so unfair to all the people out there who think they're doing the right things and are really trying, but just keep gaining weight.
Of course being overweight is caused by a lot of factors -- emotional eating, family and cultural eating habits, exercise or lack of it, and genetics. But I think it takes toxic chemicals added to the mix to make people as fat as they are in the States. Those same people with those same problems living somewhere else might be a little overweight, but nothing like the mammoth creatures you see lumbering through malls in the United States.
Anon: The the FDA in the US needs a kick up it's fat arse. They are allowing food companies to poison their populus.
Wow. Your post has really got people talking and some very interesting and varied responses too. A little sad that some people are referring to obese/overweight people as 'these people' like they are some lesser sub-species though.
Anon: Just watched Gok Wan on telly talking about his obese childhood. He speaks to other fat children kept on a spiral of overeating fueled by loneliness and bullying because of their size. Not nice to watch.
Yet an obesity expert agrees with my point on personal responsibility. Yes, there are myriad reasons why someone overeats but only they can change the habit. It is bloody hard for some people; stuck in a rut, fighting an inherited lifestyle, incredibly crippling self esteem issues- ton name a few reasons (many echoed here by my most excellent and insightful commenters). But in the end if they want out of the trap they have to do it themselves. It convinces me even more that gastric bands and surgery are useless. It's psychology training that is required.
I would never ever poke fun at someone with a weight problem. There, but for the grace of God, go all of us.
You can eliminate weight naturally with help of some herbs/Diets , its worth try
I feel bad for the kid he should be eating healthier. Fred Smilek is the acting president of the Society to Save Endangered Species. It was founded two years ago by Fred Smilek along with his two best friends Charles and Jonathan. http://www.fredjsmilek.com
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