Should Obesity be considered a disability

[Redefine91]

I recently learned that being seriously obese is now considered a disability.


Specifically it was the handicapped parking spots now being available to the extremely overweight

Should it be allowed? Isn't (in 95% of the cases) Obesity under the control of the individual. Overweight people can eat healthier and excercise more. But people with Cerebral Palsy can't just make some lifestyle changes and be all good.



Opinions?

 

[Redefine91]

I know it is pathetic


The people who need the aerobic excercise most are the ones who get the parking spots designed specfically to limit it.

 

[FallingSkyward]

Haha, sorry(wow that was a fast reply!), I deleted the post after I realized you said "extremely" but I'll repost it so people don't think your insane:

"Ridiculous.

There's going to be no handicap parking left in this country for the people who can't HELP being unable to walk.

Instead of enabling fat people, how 'bouts we show them a bit of tough love and designate spots for "fat parking" at the way far end of lots?"

 

[Neildo]

The people who need the aerobic excercise most are the ones who get the parking spots designed specfically to limit it.


Instead of enabling fat people, how 'bouts we show them a bit of tough love and designate spots for "fat parking" at the way far end of lots?"

Heh, touche.

- N

 

[Bowser]

Waddlers rule. Try passing one in the grocery isle.

 

[Sandoz]

By giving the morbidly obese advantages, we only encourage their behavior. I believe (and know) getting thin is only a matter of willpower and determination. Not so with fixing Down Syndrome.

 

[Bells]

So you think simply making them exercise will do the trick? Walking those few extra steps is the key to being skinny? Ermm ok.

What of those who are confined to a wheel chair? Would you have their wheel chairs taken from them? You do realise that disabled spots are specifically designed for people using wheel chairs, so forcing them to use normal parking spaces may result in their not even being able to get out of the car.

Do you all honestly believe that someone is obese simply because they have no self control when it comes to food? Ermm ok. They can range from being genetic and hereditary to being environmental, physical and physiological as well as psychological. Were you aware for example that damage to the hypothalamus can result in the indivdual not being able to regulate their apetite?

So what about those who are grossly obese and it is not caused by simply eating too much and a lack of self control? Do you make them pay for what you perceive to be their over-eating? Will you make someone who suffers from a genetic disorder which has resulted in their being pre-disposed to becoming obese walk because you think the fatties need to walk it off? Do you think any amount of "determination and will power" will somehow make them skinny when their obesity is a direct cause of their genetic dispositon?

 

[Sauna]

Do you make them pay for what you perceive to be their over-eating?

Do grocery stores give food away for free?

Does eating too much affect the brain, the capacity to reason?

 

[leopold]

So you think simply making them exercise will do the trick? Walking those few extra steps is the key to being skinny? Ermm ok.

it might do more good than you think.
not only will they be forced to walk the entire lot they will think twice about getting those twinkies.

Do you all honestly believe that someone is obese simply because they have no self control when it comes to food?

i honestly believe they consume more calories than they burn.
can you deny that?

Were you aware for example that damage to the hypothalamus can result in the indivdual not being able to regulate their apetite?

ever hear of hormone replacement therapy?

So what about those who are grossly obese and it is not caused by simply eating too much and a lack of self control? Do you make them pay for what you perceive to be their over-eating?

i'm sorry bells but i have no problem with calling a pig a pig.
wanna feel sorry for me cause i choke my head off and smoke 2 packs a day?

Will you make someone who suffers from a genetic disorder which has resulted in their being pre-disposed to becoming obese walk because you think the fatties need to walk it off?

there is one and only one reason for obesity and i stated it at the begining.

Do you think any amount of "determination and will power" will somehow make them skinny when their obesity is a direct cause of their genetic dispositon?

see above.

 

[S.A.M.]

it might do more good than you think.
not only will they be forced to walk the entire lot they will think twice about getting those twinkies.


i honestly believe they consume more calories than they burn.
can you deny that?

ever hear of hormone replacement therapy?

i'm sorry bells but i have no problem with calling a pig a pig.
wanna feel sorry for me cause i choke my head off and smoke 2 packs a day?


there is one and only one reason for obesity and i stated it at the begining.

see above.

1. No it won't, if people are already severely obese, their cardiovascular and respiratory systems are compromised and they cannot actually exert themselves easily. They'll just find other ways of getting food.

You only need to eat one slice of bread extra for 10 years to gain twenty pounds. The mystery is not why some people are obese, the mystery is why everyone is not. Lack of activity is a serious factor, but genetics and metabolism also play an important role. Poor nutrition in the form of energy dense foods and poor education regarding food choices also play an important role.

2. Burning more calories than you consume is not as easy as you think.
Especially when a majority of the diet consists of energy dense foods and lifestyle is sedentary.

3. Hormone replacement therapy is not feasible when hormones are in excess, only when they are deficient. High cortisol levels lead to obesity. How would you replace cortisol in the body?

4. Its interesting that you compare obesity to smoking. Food addiction also requires therapy and treatment, which includes but is not limited to exercise.

5. That said overweight people can generally reduce and maintain their weight through exercise. Morbid obesity on the other hand is a medical condition.

 

[Baron Max]

Do you all honestly believe that someone is obese simply because they have no self control when it comes to food? Ermm ok. They can range from being genetic and hereditary to being environmental, physical and physiological as well as psychological. ...

Interesting. Does that mean that none of those problems occur in places like Ethiopia and the Sudan and in central Africa?

Researchers should go to those places to find a "cure" for obesity, huh?

Oh, wait, we already have a "cure", don't we? It's called don't eat so fuckin' much and you won't get fatter'n a pig!

Bells, ye're just makin' excuses for the fat-asses of the world. Admit it! Just like many people make excuses for murderers and violent rapists.

Baron Max

 

[S.A.M.]

Interesting. Does that mean that none of those problems occur in places like Ethiopia and the Sudan and in central Africa?

Researchers should go to those places to find a "cure" for obesity, huh?

Oh, wait, we already have a "cure", don't we? It's called don't eat so fuckin' much and you won't get fatter'n a pig!

Bells, ye're just makin' excuses for the fat-asses of the world. Admit it! Just like many people make excuses for murderers and violent rapists.

Baron Max

What happens to Sudanese and Ethiopans who move to the West?

 

[leopold]

cough, cough, hack, choke, gag, cough, hach, gag, can't breath, help, choke, gag, cough, hack, please, someone feel sorry for me, cough, choke, gag, hack, cough, choke, cough

 

[S.A.M.]

cough, cough, hack, choke, gag, cough, hach, gag, can't breath, help, choke, gag, cough, hack, please, someone feel sorry for me, cough, choke, gag, hack, cough, choke, cough

Ignorance is no excuse for self-pity.
http://www.qualityoflife.org/bariatric/causes-of-morbid-obesity.cfm

Causes of Morbid Obesity
The reasons for obesity are multiple and complex. Despite conventional wisdom, it is not simply a result of overeating. Research has shown that in many cases a significant, underlying cause of morbid obesity is genetic. Studies have demonstrated that once the problem is established, efforts such as dieting and exercise programs have a limited ability to provide effective long-term relief.

http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/morbidobesity.shtml

Treatment

The role of genetics in causing obesity is being explored for development of future drug treatments that could specifically target certain genes.

Surgery is currently the most effective treatment for morbid obesity resulting in significant weight loss and accompanying health improvements. The benefits of surgery are typically viewed to outweigh the risks. The overall mortality rate is about 1 percent. An appropriate nutrition and exercise plan is an important part of post-surgical weight loss and maintenance.

After surgery mortality rate is reduced and improvements seen to numerous health risks of obesity or symptoms of those risks. Overall, quality of life, self-image, mobility and stamina are reported to be better. The list in Table 4 indicates some of the health improvements found in various systems of the body.

Discrimination

Persons with obesity are victims of employment and other discrimination, and are penalized for their condition despite many federal and state laws and policies.

The most disturbing type of discrimination is within the medical community either from insurance providers or healthcare workers. Some health insurance providers realize the serious health effects of morbid obesity and cost benefits of its treatment. Some providers continue to deny insurance coverage, and some that once offered coverage of surgery for morbid obesity are now excluding it.

Discrimination from healthcare workers is reported to be likely due to a lack of understanding of the causes and consequences if left untreated. Teaching medical students about obesity management, including sensitivity training, is one direction that may lead toward improvement.

 

[leopold]

Ignorance is no excuse for self-pity.
http://www.qualityoflife.org/bariatric/causes-of-morbid-obesity.cfm

the fact of the matter is this:
fat people consume more calories than they burn, period.

 

[S.A.M.]

the fact of the matter is this:
fat people consume more calories than they burn, period.

So why don't they burn as many calories as other non-fat people?

Or why do they consume more?

Genetic Factors
Numerous scientific studies have established that your genes play an important role in your tendency to gain excess weight.

* The body weight of adopted children shows no correlation with the body weight of their adoptive parents, who feed them and teach them how to eat. Their weight does have an 80 percent correlation with their genetic parents, whom they have never met.
* Identical twins, with the same genes, show a much higher similarity of body weights than do fraternal twins, who have different genes.
* Certain groups of people, such as the Pima Indian tribe in Arizona, have a very high incidence of severe obesity. They also have significantly higher rates of diabetes and heart disease than other ethnic groups.

We probably have a number of genes directly related to weight. Just as some genes determine eye color or height, others affect our appetite, our ability to feel full or satisfied, our metabolism, our fat-storing ability, and even our natural activity levels.

 

[leopold]

So why don't they burn as many calories as other non-fat people?

Or why do they consume more?

i'm not a fat person so i don't know.

i also feel that a person shouldn't have to run their ass off.

but the facts still remain.

maybe with intervention at birth people will be able to deal with obesety that has a genetic cause. in these cases the person doesn't know they are prone until it's too late to really change their eating habits.

 

[S.A.M.]

i'm not a fat person so i don't know.

i also feel that a person shouldn't have to run their ass off.

but the facts still remain.

maybe with intervention at birth people will be able to deal with obesety that has a genetic cause. in these cases the person doesn't know they are prone until it's too late to really change their eating habits.

Changing eating habits does not work for all forms of obesity. The body just drops its basal metabolic rate (the rate at which it maintains itself), conserving the same amount of energy and making activity even more difficult.

 

[S.A.M.]

Indeed, if obesity is a form of disabilty because of sickness, it then reasonable to suppose that a nation with a very high incidence of obesity is a very sick nation. The first propostion makes sense only to the extent that the second is also conceded.

Chronic dietary habits are environmental pressures which select for genes that can survive them.

e.g.The African diaspora is made up of individuals genetically adapted to environments with poor dietary resources.

Putting them in an environment of diet surplus puts environmental pressure on genes less adapted for food surplus ie hunger and satiety mechanisms, energy conservation and use are all directed towards an environment where food is scarce. This is the reason why immigrant populations from countries where starvation is the norm, tend to get overweight at an accelerated rate as compared to local populations.

The rapid changes in eating habits over the last 50 years accompanied by changes in lifestyle are contributors to the obesity epidemic in the country, but the underlying causes are genetic.

 

[invert_nexus]

Putting them in an environment of diet surplus puts environmental pressure on genes less adapted for food surplus ie hunger and satiety mechanisms, energy conservation and use are all directed towards an environment where food is scarce. This is the reason why immigrant populations from countries where starvation is the norm, tend to get overweight at an accelerated rate as compared to local populations.

I seem to recall some recent research about overweight Danes... I think it was Danes... There is an epidemic of overweight Danes because their mothers were pregnant with them during the end of WWII when food was scarce in the region. This set their bodies up to be far more conservative in metabolism. It sucks every last calorie from their food rather than being wasteful.