Fat shaming vs. necessary dialouge on obesity

MysticSlayer

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senordesol said:
MysticSlayer said:
senordesol said:
The hell are people so concerned about my waistline for?
Well, there are the economic [http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-consequences/economic/] and environmental [http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/global-shift-obesity-packs-serious-climate-consequences/] problems associated with obesity, and those aren't limited just to being personal affects. In the long run, they have the potential to affect the entire human population, including those who chose to live healthier. Sure, one person being overweight isn't going to contribute significantly enough, but just like people who waste electricity and water add up to have negative effects on carbon emissions, the millions of overweight and obese people begin to add up. It also doesn't help when you consider that people in wealthy nations are eating themselves to death while people in poorer nations are starving. Granted, I doubt most people caring about obesity really know about these issues. They are probably just very concerned for people's health or they are just judgmental jerks that enjoy sticking their noses into other people's business.
Well, shit. Using that logic; any risky behavior whatsoever is a threat to the human species if expansive enough.
And if that risky behavior is widespread enough that it has begun showing that it does or has potential to have a negative affect on those who didn't choose to make the harmful decision, then we tend to have campaigns and sometimes laws written to limit that behavior. It's why we have rules on the road, numerous rules and campaigns against drunk driving to limit the harm to those that don't drink and drive, campaigns and limitations to smoking to protect the health of non-smokers, etc.[footnote]Yes, I understand part of the motivation is to protect those making the bad decision, but that's hardly the only reason.[/footnote] If someone could show that skateboarding and mountain biking had incredibly negative affects on these same factors while not having any real positive benefit, then we'd probably have campaigns to limit those as well.

This isn't some massively abstract idea where someone realized they didn't like obesity and then decided to claim it had negative effects on the economy and environment without evidence. It is based on actual numbers and evidence with the calls for ethical action following that evidence. Trying to turn it into some abstract "we can apply this to things that don't have this evidence" is more a distraction than actually addressing the problem.

Edit: Added some stuff for clarity
 

Compatriot Block

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Your attitude towards an overweight person becomes a problem when it's either none of your business or based on condescension. While obesity in general is a public problem, an individual overweight person who you are not related to probably doesn't want your help, and that should be accepted.

"Fat acceptance" because a problem when being fat stops being seen as a medical problem that you need to take steps to solve. There is a big difference between "I realize that this is unhealthy, but I'm still a human being who deserves respect" and "I don't need to work on solving this, it's not a problem and people should support me as I am now."
 

vIRL Nightmare

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Look, obesity is an actual problem and all though you don't need to be an athlete you should do something for your body. I'm 6 feet even and I'm generally around 215 lb. I'm a bit on the heavy side, I do however go hiking or jogging every other day for an hour or two, and because of this I'm only a bit on the heavy side. I could be so much worse and frankly I'm uncomfortable being as I am now and loathe the idea that if I really let myself go I couldn't function normally in society. That there by the way is the catch. Functioning normally in society. Not struggling to go about what is considered a normal work life, not "needing" a scooter to go around the store, and so on. I don't say this as a matter of my convenience I say it because it's tragic that people are ok not caring to the point of committing a morbid suicide. What's more it's frustrating that any attempt to bring awareness to the issue is met with, "you're hurting our feelings you evil monster".
 

Zhukov

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thaluikhain said:
What is this "necessary dialouge" the title mentions? That fat people are a disgusting blight on society and shouldn't exist?
"Disgusting blight on society" is putting it rather strongly, but yeah, kinda.

It's a bit ridiculous that eating too much has become a serious burden on the health systems of many countries. We have a significant proportion of the population steadily eating themselves to death but, thanks to modern medicine and the forgiving living conditions of the first world, still stay alive long enough to be a burden and raise fat children.

Yes, some people have conditions that make them fat despite their best efforts, but the vast majority of fat folk have no such excuse.

Note that I don't say this as some kind of supermodel fitness enthusiast looking down my perfectly sculpted nose as the fatty masses, but as someone who used to be fat and is still heavier than I'd like to be.
 

Thaluikhain

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Zhukov said:
thaluikhain said:
What is this "necessary dialouge" the title mentions? That fat people are a disgusting blight on society and shouldn't exist?
"Disgusting blight on society" is putting it rather strongly, but yeah, kinda.
My point was that every fat person knows that they are considered a disgusting blight on society. There's no dialogue, no information that is being passed on because fat shaming has already been a big thing for many years.
 

Lovely Mixture

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valium said:
I still fail to see how that PSA is fat shaming. It is taking a more direct approach with scaring people into trying to be healthier, rather than walk around the issue.

The PSA is still crap, it seems to be making the same mistakes as the people who walk around the issue.
I agree with this.

When I watched the PSA I felt pity. The same pity I feel whenever I see a large person.
 

A Weakgeek

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Well, talk to a person with an obesity problem like it was a drug problem. Make them aware of the long term problems that are mostlikely going to lead up to it. Try to avoid shaming/guilt tripping the person, rather try to emphatize that they can find the will and the way to quit.
 

maxben

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Ihateregistering1 said:
Now, for all of the people who keep saying "well it's none of your business if someone is fat or not!": sorry, but BS. If you live in any modern nation on the planet, tax dollars help pay for your healthcare (and yes, this includes the United States), and in some they literally pay for all of it. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more established and well-documented scientific fact than "obesity increases the risk for multiple diseases and health issues". The obese rack up larger medical bills than the non-obese (yes, even with shorter lifespans), they are twice as likely to file disability claims, and miss an astounding 12 times as many work days as the non-obese (US data at least). Everyone pays taxes, therefore it is everyone's business.
That's ridiculous. You pay tax money in general, but you don't get to have a personal say in which roads get fixed. Just because rural roads are less useful and cost more to build and maintain, you don't get to whine about it (I mean, you can, freedom of speech and all that, but you are not morally in the right). That is just not how taxes are meant to work. You should never use taxes to undermine individual freedom in this way, that is ridiculous and just goes to prove the libertarian position and is anti-liberal.

And anyhow, I personally would like old people and disabled people to be refused medical attention for money reasons first. Sure they didn't choose it, but if you're telling me that the point is the bottom line of me having to pay money for it through my taxes then it should be my business if they receive healthcare.
 

senordesol

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Mike Lemond said:
More accurately, obese people are a disgusting blight on society and shouldn't exist.

Nothing wrong with having a few extra pounds, but when you get into the obese territory, there's no reason for it. People should have at least enough respect for themselves to not neglect their own bodies so flagrantly.

If you like to go with the argument that most obese people are genetically predisposed to be fat, let me stop you right there. According to Wikipedia, the obesity rate in America in the 60's was 12%. In 2010, the obesity rate was 35%. Did all those people gain the "fat gene" within two generations? Are only obese people breeding? I am no statistician, but I would guess the answer is no to both questions.

The decisions you make affect not only yourself, but the people around you. Your friends and family, the people at work or school, etc. Obesity is a decision, and one that no human being should consider.

tl;dr: Put down the French fries, spend a few minutes on the treadmill.
...Wow.

Just...*sigh*.

You know, if you really want to connect with someone --really do them some good; a great place to start is to actually treat them like a human being who is entitled to some basic dignity and respect. Opening with 'disgusting blight on society that shouldn't exist'...is probably not a strong move.

Reducing the problem to "Put down the French fries, spend a few minutes on the treadmill." is bullshit. It's bullshit and you damn well know it!

As someone who knows a lot of big people and is a portly gentleman himself, I know for a fact that once you reach a certain poundage; it's no longer a 'decision'. You cannot simply 'decide' to not be fat. It's not like quitting cigarettes where all that's required is to stay away from tobacco.

It requires to change practically EVERYTHING about who you are. It requires you to give up just about everything you enjoy (Pleasure eating and sedentary activities); and replace it by torturing yourself with exhaustive exercise and unsatisfying nourishment (while your body fights you every step of the way). And you have to do this for years --for the rest of your life in some cases.

So if you're going to treat someone like they're sub-human because *you've* made some different choices, then kindly walk West until your hat floats.
 

Boris Goodenough

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senordesol said:
Reducing the problem to "Put down the French fries, spend a few minutes on the treadmill." is bullshit. It's bullshit and you damn well know it!

As someone who knows a lot of big people and is a portly gentleman himself, I know for a fact that once you reach a certain poundage; it's no longer a 'decision'. You cannot simply 'decide' to not be fat. It's not like quitting cigarettes where all that's required is to stay away from tobacco.

It requires to change practically EVERYTHING about who you are. It requires you to give up just about everything you enjoy (Pleasure eating and sedentary activities); and replace it by torturing yourself with exhaustive exercise and unsatisfying nourishment (while your body fights you every step of the way). And you have to do this for years --for the rest of your life in some cases.
Actually it is that simple: quit soda, (most) fast food, sweets, chips, walk fast for 30 min every day, sleep 7-8 hours.

Effective exercise never becomes inexhaustive, you learn to enjoy it.

If you think you need to eat unsatisfyingly when losing weight, you are cooking wrong, plain and simple, here's a couple of dish as examples:
3-4 L/XL eggs
200 g of spinach (frozen or fresh)
Half a can of red kidney beans.
Salt
Pepper
Chili
Thyme

Defrost spinach on high medium hot (75%) pan with a bit of olive oil, add beans. Wait till they have been heated, season the mixture, add eggs, stir til it is done. Eat!

~250 g salmon fillets
Various greens (can be frozen)
Salt
Pepper
Chili
Tarragon
Other half of the canned beans

Season fillets with salt, pepper, chili, and tarragon on the scaley side, cook at high medium hot (75%) in a pan with a bit if olive oil. When it is more than half way through with the cooking, which takes some time, flip it for just a little so it is done on the other side. Add the beans here to heat them up.

(Defrost) Greens in pot with water with vegetable broth, salt, and pepper, bring to boil. Sive it.

Food!

Edit:
Breakfast
Oats with a bit of coco powder (mix first), add banana slices and 0.5% milk (or 1.5%).
 

giles

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senordesol said:
As someone who knows a lot of big people and is a portly gentleman himself, I know for a fact that once you reach a certain poundage; it's no longer a 'decision'. You cannot simply 'decide' to not be fat. It's not like quitting cigarettes where all that's required is to stay away from tobacco.

It requires to change practically EVERYTHING about who you are. It requires you to give up just about everything you enjoy (Pleasure eating and sedentary activities); and replace it by torturing yourself with exhaustive exercise and unsatisfying nourishment (while your body fights you every step of the way). And you have to do this for years --for the rest of your life in some cases.
Sorry, but
It's bullshit and you damn well know it!
I used to be over 100kg a last September. I had sleeping problems and was generally unhappy. I managed to change within just a few months. I figured something I should at least try becoming a better version of myself, so I took drastic measures - daily exercise and switching my eating habits. And you know what? It makes me a lot happier. I now invest more time in my nutrition - I learned how to cook and ACTUALLY eat with pleasure in a way that's both good for my sense of taste and for my body. This is the fucking opposide of unsatisfying nourishment. No more cheap fat or sugar fixes, but varied tastes from quality food.
"Pleasure eating"... how's that, in principle, different from doing drugs? You eat with the express purpose of abusing the reward system in your brain. That is not loving food. That's being fucking lazy about food - go for the shortcut of pleasuring your brain with sugar and other crap. A person who loves something is not lazy about it.
It takes effort to learn how to properly nourish your body. It takes a effort to develop a new routine (Notice I didn't say exercising takes effort. That's an important difference. The only part that's difficult is developing a new routine for yourself). If you exercise hard you WANT to eat good food so you can keep up the exercise. I never changed who I was, I simply discovered a new side of myself that I never considered.

You know what? It feels good to be fit. It feels good to be strong and muscular. It feels good to exercise, precisely because it's hard. It's satisfying to push through. This is something you have to LEARN when you pick up exercising - don't listen to the voice that tells you to stop. It's a lie, your limit is way higher.
 

senordesol

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giles said:
senordesol said:
As someone who knows a lot of big people and is a portly gentleman himself, I know for a fact that once you reach a certain poundage; it's no longer a 'decision'. You cannot simply 'decide' to not be fat. It's not like quitting cigarettes where all that's required is to stay away from tobacco.

It requires to change practically EVERYTHING about who you are. It requires you to give up just about everything you enjoy (Pleasure eating and sedentary activities); and replace it by torturing yourself with exhaustive exercise and unsatisfying nourishment (while your body fights you every step of the way). And you have to do this for years --for the rest of your life in some cases.
Sorry, but
It's bullshit and you damn well know it!
I used to be over 100kg a last September. I had sleeping problems and was generally unhappy. I managed to change within just a few months. I figured something I should at least try becoming a better version of myself, so I took drastic measures - daily exercise and switching my eating habits. And you know what? It makes me a lot happier. I now invest more time in my nutrition - I learned how to cook and ACTUALLY eat with pleasure in a way that's both good for my sense of taste and for my body. This is the fucking opposide of unsatisfying nourishment. No more cheap fat or sugar fixes, but varied tastes from quality food.
"Pleasure eating"... how's that, in principle, different from doing drugs? You eat with the express purpose of abusing the reward system in your brain. That is not loving food. That's being fucking lazy about food - go for the shortcut of pleasuring your brain with sugar and other crap. A person who loves something is not lazy about it.
It takes effort to learn how to properly nourish your body. It takes a effort to develop a new routine (Notice I didn't say exercising takes effort. That's an important difference. The only part that's difficult is developing a new routine for yourself). If you exercise hard you WANT to eat good food so you can keep up the exercise. I never changed who I was, I simply discovered a new side of myself that I never considered.

You know what? It feels good to be fit. It feels good to be strong and muscular. It feels good to exercise, precisely because it's hard. It's satisfying to push through. This is something you have to LEARN when you pick up exercising - don't listen to the voice that tells you to stop. It's a lie, your limit is way higher.
Well I'm happy that it was that easy for you.

It's NOT that easy for everyone, and just because it *was* that easy for you doesn't mean you should assume that it's that easy for everyone. That pleasure you get from exercising? Doesn't exist for everybody. The ease in which you dropped your weight? Doesn't exist for everybody.

I was a swimming instructor for a while. Every day I was in a pool; treading water, swimming laps, reffing water polo, eight hours a day; five days a week for months at a time. Shockingly, while I did lose a *little* weight, I was very far away from a beach body. Now could I have worked out an extra hour at the gym afterwards? Maybe; but -surprise, surprise; somehow that pleasurable motivation you discovered from pushing yourself that hard was absent in me --go figure.

When you make statements like 'it's fun to exercise', what you're really saying is 'it's fun for me to exercise'.
When you make statements like 'it just takes some effort' what you're really saying is 'it just took me some effort'.

And that's the crux of it: it's a personal choice according to personal tolerances based on personal conditions.

You had to voluntarily develop a routine and discipline that changed your entire lifestyle. Best of all, you found a way to make it fun. It's good that you did it, but do not so easily dismiss what it took to do it; and what it takes for someone who might be quite a bit heavier than you to do it.

Boris Goodenough said:
I can't have eggs, and I don't like fish. What else ya got?
 

Ihateregistering1

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maxben said:
Ihateregistering1 said:
Now, for all of the people who keep saying "well it's none of your business if someone is fat or not!": sorry, but BS. If you live in any modern nation on the planet, tax dollars help pay for your healthcare (and yes, this includes the United States), and in some they literally pay for all of it. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more established and well-documented scientific fact than "obesity increases the risk for multiple diseases and health issues". The obese rack up larger medical bills than the non-obese (yes, even with shorter lifespans), they are twice as likely to file disability claims, and miss an astounding 12 times as many work days as the non-obese (US data at least). Everyone pays taxes, therefore it is everyone's business.
That's ridiculous. You pay tax money in general, but you don't get to have a personal say in which roads get fixed. Just because rural roads are less useful and cost more to build and maintain, you don't get to whine about it (I mean, you can, freedom of speech and all that, but you are not morally in the right). That is just not how taxes are meant to work. You should never use taxes to undermine individual freedom in this way, that is ridiculous and just goes to prove the libertarian position and is anti-liberal.

And anyhow, I personally would like old people and disabled people to be refused medical attention for money reasons first. Sure they didn't choose it, but if you're telling me that the point is the bottom line of me having to pay money for it through my taxes then it should be my business if they receive healthcare.
You're confusing a few things here.

"That is just not how taxes are meant to work. You should never use taxes to undermine individual freedom in this way,"
This would work if individual freedom wasn't already infringed upon quite regularly by Governments. If we lived in a truly libertarian society, your tax dollars would only pay for the Military, Police, Courts, and Basic Infrastructure. Your logic, for example, says that people have no right to know how welfare money, or food stamp money, or public education money is spent. Yes we do, it's OUR money.

Likewise, I never said anything about "undermining" individual freedom, like banning fatty foods or penalizing the overweight, I simply pointed out that, when you do something that costs taxpayers more money, it is, in fact our business. And I'd make the same argument with smoking, extreme sports, excessive alcohol consumption, etc.

"And anyhow, I personally would like old people and disabled people to be refused medical attention for money reasons first"
Pretty much irrelevant. There is nothing anyone can do to stop from getting old (short of suicide) and for the most part there's not much people can do to avoid being disabled. On the other hand, the vast majority of people who are obese cannot lay the blame on genetics or disease (the most liberal estimate I've ever seen of this is that around 8% actually have legit medical excuses for obesity).

So interesting question: since we don't decide how every dime of tax money is spent, but we do elect the representatives who spend it, if we elected a representative who ran on the platform of denying Government provided healthcare to obese people, would you therefore say that's ok? I mean, we're spending the tax dollars the way a representative government should (by your definition), correct?
 

Neonit

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I just want to point out that, obese people most of the time? They dont do extreme sports. Meaning, no broken legs or arms.
So there is that about "medical costs".

But hey, what do i know. Im fat and i havnt been in hospital for the last 15 years. Meanwhile i see people with broken legs or arms every winter break...

Still, i consider myself lucky. Im a man, and a tall one at that. No one has tried to insult me on that basis since i was 13. I pity the women though.....

And just to be clear, there is a BIG difference between a friend sharing his concerns for my health (which i very much respect, and see as sign of true friendship - better that that indifference) and a random person calling me a fatty. One has a positive effect on my resolve to keep trying eating healthy.
The other has a chance of causing depression which guess what - costs money to cure.

Im all for more information and help on this subject. I think its a problem that can be solved by information. Most of the people have no idea how to lose weight, because for every 10 people on the internet there are 11 opinions on how to do it, and most of them contradict each other.
 

giles

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senordesol said:
It's NOT that easy for everyone, and just because it *was* that easy for you doesn't mean you should assume that it's that easy for everyone. That pleasure you get from exercising? Doesn't exist for everybody. The ease in which you dropped your weight? Doesn't exist for everybody.

I was a swimming instructor for a while. Every day I was in a pool; treading water, swimming laps, reffing water polo, eight hours a day; five days a week for months at a time. Shockingly, while I did lose a *little* weight, I was very far away from a beach body. Now could I have worked out an extra hour at the gym afterwards? Maybe; but -surprise, surprise; somehow that pleasurable motivation you discovered from pushing yourself that hard was absent in me --go figure.
Getting fit is like... 70% nutrition, 15% exercise and 15% regeneration. I don't know or care what you eat so... with only exercise, it will take time.

When you make statements like 'it's fun to exercise', what you're really saying is 'it's fun for me to exercise'.
No, that one is true in general. The body is hard wired to give you pleasure when you exercise. For example this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner%27s_high feels fucking amazing
Yes, it's also hard wired to complain at first, but pleasure and pain are just two sides of the same coin. Without struggle the concept of reward loses meaning. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_%28psychology%29
Or, as someone I know used to say, "Do you know how to get the best feeling in the world? Wear shoes a size too small all day and when you take them off in the evening, you'll be in heaven."
When you make statements like 'it just takes some effort' what you're really saying is 'it just took me some effort'.
???
Developing any kind of routine takes effort, not just getting into exercising. I don't see how this statement could be wrong. Do you mean to say for some people it's literally impossible? Yes, some people can't do some exercise due to a medical condition, but I'm pretty sure there is a way for everyone to do something if you really want to. There are athletes with all kinds of physical conditions.
 

senordesol

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giles said:
senordesol said:
It's NOT that easy for everyone, and just because it *was* that easy for you doesn't mean you should assume that it's that easy for everyone. That pleasure you get from exercising? Doesn't exist for everybody. The ease in which you dropped your weight? Doesn't exist for everybody.

I was a swimming instructor for a while. Every day I was in a pool; treading water, swimming laps, reffing water polo, eight hours a day; five days a week for months at a time. Shockingly, while I did lose a *little* weight, I was very far away from a beach body. Now could I have worked out an extra hour at the gym afterwards? Maybe; but -surprise, surprise; somehow that pleasurable motivation you discovered from pushing yourself that hard was absent in me --go figure.
Getting fit is like... 70% nutrition, 15% exercise and 15% regeneration. I don't know or care what you eat so... with only exercise, it will take time.

When you make statements like 'it's fun to exercise', what you're really saying is 'it's fun for me to exercise'.
No, that one is true in general. The body is hard wired to give you pleasure when you exercise. Yes, it's also hard wired to complain at first, but pleasure and pain are just two sides of the same coin. Without struggle the concept of reward loses meaning.
Or, as someone I know used to say, "Do you know how to get the best feeling in the world? Wear shoes a size too small all day and when you take them off in the evening, you'll be in heaven."
When you make statements like 'it just takes some effort' what you're really saying is 'it just took me some effort'.
???
Developing any kind of routine takes effort, not just getting into exercising. I don't see how this statement could be wrong. Do you mean to say for some people it's literally impossible? Yes, some people can't do some exercise due to a medical condition, but I'm pretty sure there is a way for everyone to do something if you really want to. There are athletes with all kinds of physical conditions.
The fucking point is the amount of lifestyle choices one has to make to A. Be fit and B. Go from fat to fit may be simple on paper; are not always so simple in practice. I am NOT suggesting it is impossible. But it is a considerable asking, and for anyone to judge another as 'sub-human' or 'lesser' for declining the challenge is a pretty scummy thing to do.

The body loves to exercise you say? I've tried sports (3 years), karate (11 years), weight training (1 year), swimming (2 years), and aerobics (1 year). Never found any of those particularly fun, fulfilling, or rewarding. You're trying to insist things to me that are simply untrue. 'It complains 'at first', you say? The hell does 'at first' mean? The first decade?

And if someone would rather put their thought and energy elsewhere? That they'd rather do work they enjoy for twelve hours than do work they don't? Are we calling them lazy and unmotivated? See, *that* is the thing that's irksome to me.
 

Booklover13

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So a few things I think people need to consider:

1.Obesity can be caused by other medical issues. I have friends for whom medical issues make loosing weight nearly impossible. I know one person who has been told they should completely avoid stairs and that they are not allowed to run because of non-weight related ankle issues. I know another girl whose medications are known for preventing weight loss.

2. It is far easier to maintain a weight then to lose it. Most people can not keep weight off because their body is freaking out. Going below a certain weight will put a person's body in starvation mode. Note that this is based on what the brain considers "normal." This set point is easy raise and hard to lower. Your body will fight to get back to that point and this is why a majority of weight lost is eventually back. I'm not saying that it isn't possible, just that most people with success stories are exceptions not rules.

3. Time is a zero sum game. I am not going to blame someone for choosing their child over exercising, or deciding that an hour of overtime is worth more than an hour at the gym. The work out that works for you does not work for everyone and we live in a busy world. You may have the time to train and run in marathons, but a single parent supporting two kids might not. You have time to cook something yummy but someone coming off a 12 hour shift that still has even more to do before bed does not. Unless you know them, you don't know, and it's just as bad as any other stereotype.

Now this all adds up to what can we do? For one, approach it like depression. You don't tell a depressed person to just be happy. You don't blame them for how they feel. You do not say that you were depressed and and got over it so they should too. No, you treat each person as an individual, who needs to be approached as such to get better. You may recognize there are common themes and causes but you do not judge the person by them. You help them. You offer support, and do not try to force it on them. You recognize that sometimes some people just can't be helped and it ends in tragedy. At the end of the day the ball is in their court, and question is if you are going to be a team mate or the person on the other side of the net, trying to make them miss.
 

prowll

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Silentpony said:
This is a sensitive topic for a lot of people, so I'll try to be both delicate and a little indelicate, as feelings sometimes do need to be hurt.

Basically reddit and youtube are all over a 'new' obesity PSA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmp67YDlHY

and a news article:
https://www.yahoo.com/health/shocking-anti-obesity-psa-sparks-debate-94551060722.html

I've read comments on Youtube, reddit and Yahoo but I honestly can't for the life of me see the 'fat shaming' people claim the video portrays. I struggled with being overweight in High School. I joined cross country, ran 6-10 miles every day, no matter how slowly, for almost three years. Fat problem melted away. It was hard work, my feet bled, my bones broke, I cried and wanted to quit. But it wasn't an insurmountable obstacle.

So my question would be this: where/what is the line between fat shaming and the necessary harsh words that people need to start working out/eating healthy food? Is it 'get off your fat ass and workout!' or 'you WILL die from preventable complications if you don't lose weight'? I get that for a lot of people weight is very personal and leads to mental disorders, but as the PSA demonstrates, is there such thing as too much coddling? Not being tough enough or just saying 'NO! No more McDonalds! You get steams carrots and baked chicken!'
I know I always hated eating peas and broccoli as a kid. But now as a mid-20s adult, broccoli is one of my favorite foods!
Where's the line? Before you say anything, ask "Is it any of my damn business anyway?" and the answer to that is going to tell you if you're over the line.
My wife? It's her business. She can harp on me about being fat all she wants. (And does. And works out with me.)
My parents? It's their business. They can harp on me about it all they want.
My close friends? Like brothers, it's their business, and they can be a support group. (I have a few martial artist friends. Great for workouts.)
My work, my associates, other people? Not their business. They need to shut the hell up.
 

Orekoya

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Sep 24, 2008
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Mike Lemond said:
Nothing wrong with having a few extra pounds, but when you get into the obese territory, there's no reason for it. People should have at least enough respect for themselves to not neglect their own bodies so flagrantly.
There's a certain kind of arrogance in a statement like "there's no reason for X." I mean my husband is permanently crippled. Some of his medication was taken off the market, and was put on two different ones that had side-effects of weight gain and joint degradation. He gained 180 pounds in less than five months of being on them along his joints from the waist down being pretty much shot. That was nearly two years ago and he still has the bulk of that weight given he isn't physically able to exercise and dietary has been doing only so much - he's only lost maybe 40 pounds of that. But does he have no reason? Many drugs for psychiatric disorders, depression, epilepsy, inflammatory disorders, diabetes, and hypertension can also affect weight.

This isn't to condone casual obesity but honestly that mentality just irks me. Many things can have an effect weight beyond solely eating like a porker. Saying there's no reason cuts out the circumstances of an individual's situation and you're just left with the end result, which can't be examined to find out how somebody ended up obese or be used to help them lose weight. Simply put: that mentality leaves people acting like idiots, screaming to put down the fork, instead of actually being helpful. Worse, it pollutes the cause and message of those who are trying to be helpful.

Mike Lemond said:
tl;dr: Put down the French fries, spend a few minutes on the treadmill.