Is Obesity a disability?

Ryan5 said:

Obesity is a cultural thing just as smoking is and just as people shooting each other in Chicago is. It's lack of education at its inner most core. Talk to an obese person sometime. 50% of the time they don't even believe they're obese or they believe the norm is something radically different from what it actually is.

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isn't that just denial?

BRB, I am going to go get a package of cookies. :2wave:

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Ryan5 said:

Obesity is a cultural thing just as smoking is and just as people shooting each other in Chicago is. It's lack of education at its inner most core. Talk to an obese person sometime. 50% of the time they don't even believe they're obese or they believe the norm is something radically different from what it actually is.

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Smoking is not always cultural, some times it is medicinal. Personally though, I've switched to vapor.

Nicotine helps with crohn's disease and several neurological disorders. Nicotine, the Wonder Drug? | DiscoverMagazine.com

~SAL said:

isn't that just denial?

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Of course it is. I'm simply stating the obvious.


For instance:


Someone who once or twice a month enjoys a cigar? Educated. (High quality tobacco, made by human, you enjoy more the aroma and quality of tobacco over the actual act of smoking seeing as you aren't inhaling)

Someone who chain smokes daily, weekly, cigarettes? Uneducated. (Low quality tobacco, made by machine, you inhale the smoke, inhaling is main point, little actual sensation)




The only real difference between good and evil, addict and citizen is moderation.

DVSentinel said:

Smoking is not always cultural, some times it is medicinal. Personally though, I've switched to vapor.

Nicotine helps with crohn's disease and several neurological disorders. Nicotine, the Wonder Drug? | DiscoverMagazine.com

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Bouncing a ball can be medicinal too mentally speaking for an addict. The idea that you have to smoke to quell some chemical addiction is bogus.



And smoking is cultural I'm sorry to say. I'd say completely.



Simply look at college educated people who smoke compared to working class people. You just don't see it in a Starbucks. Where are the smokers wearing Polo T Shirts? It's cultural.

Ryan5 said:

Of course it is. I'm simply stating the obvious.


For instance:


Someone who once or twice a month enjoys a cigar? Educated. (High quality tobacco, made by human, you enjoy more the aroma and quality of tobacco over the actual act of smoking seeing as you aren't inhaling)

Someone who chain smokes daily, weekly, cigarettes? Uneducated. (Low quality tobacco, made by machine, you inhale the smoke, inhaling is main point, little actual sensation)




The only real difference between good and evil, addict and citizen is moderation.

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I agree with moderation, in all aspects of life...yes. ♦

What I hate,and I've probably shared this before; is when my overweight friends say that I have it good bc I'm "naturally"skinny. Um....no, if you look at my moms side they are all pretty hefty,and I have the propensity to gain weight. However I'm at the gym 5 days a week, and yes I have kids and a busy life but I still fit it in. Then if I try and invite them to the gym( free passes)after they share their desire to go, they find excuses to bail.

~SAL said:

Once aspect of morbid obesity that has always puzzled me is when someone is bed ridden, needs constant care for person hygiene and eating.

WTF is the person who is cooking and delivering the food to the bed thinking?

To me, that is more puzzling than the bedridden morbidly obese person.

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It's probably very similar to the wife of an alcoholic, who hates her husband's habit, but she stops by the liquor store on the way home from work, to pick some booze up for him.

Ryan5 said:

Bouncing a ball can be medicinal too mentally speaking for an addict. The idea that you have to smoke to quell some chemical addiction is bogus.



And smoking is cultural I'm sorry to say. I'd say completely.



Simply look at college educated people who smoke compared to working class people. You just don't see it in a Starbucks. Where are the smokers wearing Polo T Shirts? It's cultural.

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Right. Did you bother to read the article? Or are you saying that Parkinson's, schizophrenia and other neurological disorders are addictions. I'm sure all those doctors appreciate you letting them know that all those are addictions, they were having so much trouble figuring them out.

DVSentinel said:

Right. Did you bother to read the article? Or are you saying that Parkinson's, schizophrenia and other neurological disorders are addictions. I'm sure all those doctors appreciate you letting them know that all those are addictions, they were having so much trouble figuring them out.

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Wow a low intellect will truly be a low intellect.


Stop putting words into peoples mouths then getting upset over your own falsifications. Grow up already.

Ryan5 said:

Wow a low intellect will truly be a low intellect.


Stop putting words into peoples mouths then getting upset over your own falsifications. Grow up already.

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Putting words into peoples mouths? Getting upset? Where ever did you come up with these concepts.

Me: Smoking is not always cultural, some times it is medicinal. Personally though, I've switched to vapor.
Nicotine helps with crohn's disease and several neurological disorders. Nicotine, the Wonder Drug? | DiscoverMagazine.com

You responded with:
Bouncing a ball can be medicinal too mentally speaking for an addict. The idea that you have to smoke to quell some chemical addiction is bogus.
And smoking is cultural I'm sorry to say. I'd say completely.
Simply look at college educated people who smoke compared to working class people. You just don't see it in a Starbucks. Where are the smokers wearing Polo T Shirts? It's cultural.

How does your response have anything to do with what I said. I was pointing out that nicotine can treat some diseases and you respond with nonsense about treating addiction. I never said anything about treating chemical addiction. So yeah, I said you didn't read my post (or didn't comprehend it, quite obviously one of the two). Since you responded the way you did, logically, what you refer to as chemical addiction must mean the diseases I point out and that were in the news article since I didn't talk about anything else.

But thank you for tips on fighting chemical addictions, since food can also be an addiction (according to some it is chemically caused). Maybe your advice will be helpful to someone. Of course, laughing at your complete non-sequitur of a post might help them burn a few calories also.

lizzie said:

It's probably very similar to the wife of an alcoholic, who hates her husband's habit, but she stops by the liquor store on the way home from work, to pick some booze up for him.

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that has to be one messed up relationship when someone can't even get out of bed and keeps gaining weight because they are being feed 10,000 calories a day...that's enough to feed four or five active people...seriously

it's kind of mind blowing when you think about caloric intake

~SAL said:

that has to be one messed up relationship when someone can't even get out of bed and keeps gaining weight because they are being feed 10,000 calories a day...that's enough to feed four or five active people...seriously

it's kind of mind blowing when you think about caloric intake

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It IS messed up, but then a lot of relationships are, in various ways. We all have our codependent tendencies. :lol:

lizzie said:

It IS messed up, but then a lot of relationships are, in various ways. We all have our codependent tendencies. :lol:

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haaaaaaaaaaaa...bingo...

I just hope mine isn't killing the one that I love ...here... have another "plate of brownies" right after you finish that first dozen eggs you are hoarking your way through, meanwhile I'll put another half a loaf of bread in the oven to toast... :shock:

~SAL said:

haaaaaaaaaaaa...bingo...

I just hope mine isn't killing the one that I love ...here... have another "plate of brownies" right after you finish that first dozen eggs you are hoarking your way through, meanwhile I'll put another half a loaf of bread in the oven to toast... :shock:

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When dh was alive, I only made what he requested, and never with the intent to kill. :lamo

~SAL said:

yes and learning to cheat it takes a huge effort

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The efforts to hide alcohol and drug addictions take huge efforts too. And it's still common.

~SAL said:

Not to mention how our society encourages it unlike when I was young everything now has apparently doubled in size. Sometimes when we eat out we will split an entree and an appetizer, it's a lot of food. That is not the norm. Most would have an appetizer and the entree and dessert. The likelihood of downing more calories than one needs in the whole day in one meal is probable. Do that twice a day and morbid obesity is almost a given.

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Yes, I am part of the generation that was always told...even forced....to 'clean their plates.' American portions are huge compared with other countries.

Lursa said:

The efforts to hide alcohol and drug addictions take huge efforts too. And it's still common.

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quite right....in order to expand the stomach after gastric surgery takes a long time and much pain, it must be done little by little as the stomach can only hold an ounce or so, yet the quest for food makes them do it

this would say to me that it is not merely physical and that we do not understand obesity triggers yet

lizzie said:

Endorphins don't mean that you have no self-control. Runners release endorphins too. Virtually anyone who will exert the self-control to limit their caloric intake on a regular basis, will lose weight.

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Yes but those endorphins can be addicting.

They say that chocolate releases endorphins.

Lursa said:

Yes, I am part of the generation that was always told...even forced....to 'clean their plates.' American portions are huge compared with other countries.

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same with Canadian portion sizes...in fact I know of someone who wanted to move to Europe and would not because she said she stands out too much in a crowd due to her weight, she is not even close to obese

European portions are much smaller than ours and often higher in fat yet they remain small...all meals have vegetables and frequently wine.

We have to learn to ramp up the taste in our food with spices instead of salt and whatever else they throw into our food.

~SAL said:

quite right....in order to expand the stomach after gastric surgery takes a long time and much pain, it must be done little by little as the stomach can only hold an ounce or so, yet the quest for food makes them do it

this would say to me that it is not merely physical and that we do not understand obesity triggers yet

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IMO the act of eating also needs to be replaced, not just the calories reduced.

Just like smoking while drinking....people that quit dont know what to do with themselves in some social situations without smoking. Or drinking. Or both!

~SAL said:

same with Canadian portion sizes...in fact I know of someone who wanted to move to Europe and would not because she said she stands out too much in a crowd due to her weight, she is not even close to obese

European portions are much smaller than ours and often higher in fat yet they remain small...all meals have vegetables and frequently wine.

We have to learn to ramp up the taste in our food with spices instead of salt and whatever else they throw into our food.

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Just go to the Canadian National Parks like Banff and Jasper: there are Europeans all over and they are thinner, ALL wear walking shoes, and walk & bike everywhere while many Americans go looking for shuttles and parking spots.

Kind of a tough call, this poll.

Obesity can be disabling, but isn't immediately disabling as it's clinically defined.

I'd probably qualify as morbidly obese (~320lbs) but I wouldn't call myself disabled. I might not be running a marathon anytime soon, but I can certain go shopping without needing the handicap spot. I even appreciate the occasional requirement to walk a distance, since I generally lack the motivation to go out and walk by choice (as it leads to several forms of pain...)

As to why I'm personally obese, that's the annoying thing.
People here say it's all about the calories but it's not. On a normal day I eat under 2000 calories; I don't actually eat a lot of food. According to the calculators I should be losing weight at anything under 3200! But I don't.

My biggest problem is my sedentary lifestyle. I work from my computer, I hobby from my computer, I game from my computer.

If I manage to get to the gym on a regular basis I do begin to lose weight and I bulk up pretty quickly, but one cold or week-long back pain and I've lost all momentum I'd gained and it's months before I get back into the swing of things.

Coming in late and posting blind.

Obesity is usually a symptom of something. It can be a symptom of overeating and/or being lazy which arent disabilies. It can be a symptom of something really wrong with a person, which would be a disability. If a person gets so obese they cant function normally, at that point it can be a disability to the point that they need help and special considerations to get back in shape and without these considerations they couldnt function anymore.

~SAL said:

It's a disability once it interferes with their ability to leave their home and support themselves/family financially. I worked with a girl who was extremely large and she married a guy who was extremely large. Both of them worked every day and made a good income. She did suffer from challenges created by her extra 200 lbs such as leg chafing and her shoes never fit properly because of the need to buy shoes in a larger size due to the extra fat on her foot.

She is the only person I knew personally that overweight.

She was molested at a young age repeatedly by a babysitter. She maintains that contributed to her need to constantly eat (extra padding and protection) I think it's possible.

It's a hard fight. She got a lap band placed and that worked for a while. Then her weight shot up again. The key she found that worked for her was bulimia. She is still what I would think of as quite big but nothing like she was. However if she does not stop the bulimia it may well kill her.

Sad but true.

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I know a girl who was gang raped by four men, tortured, and also passed around to a dozen people at a party at the age of eleven. She is not overweight.

Is obesity a disability? Technically, it fits the definition. It interferes with the ability to earn income and to support one's self, and it creates or exacerbates health problems. The real question is: is obesity a preventable disability? (Yes, for the most part). And if so, how should people with this disability be treated?