Why is being fat/obese socially acceptable?

techdiver

McCruiskeen wrote: »

I think the OP is just being mean.

That was not at all my intention. I was very over weight myself and did not even realise that I was to be honest. If you read back to my earlier post I explained this.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=65490785#post65490785

techdiver wrote: »

I don't agree with belittling people, not at all. It is however damaging to a persons health to continue to overeat and under exercise. It is however even quite difficult to try to explain this to some one.

My example was when I pilled on weight no one commented on it, in fact when I told people what I weighed, they would always say - "Ah shur you carry it well", or "you don't look fat though, you look well built". All of this was crap, I was fat and those comments were social sugar coating.

I was just trying to pose the question from a health point of view that when doing something that is clearly bad for you is taboo for some one else to comment on as opposed to smoking and drinking.

Hockney

Oooooohhhhh loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix...........

A_Border_Bandit

I don't mind people who are fat any more than smokers or drinkers. But when one of the "larger" people decide to sit beside me on the 5pm Friday bus home from Dublin and I can't put on my seat belt because they're covering it and I can't stretch my legs because their leg is touching mine I get really really uncomfortable...

And if I say anything, I'm the person being inconsiderate. :mad:

Penny Dreadful

topper75 wrote: »

Good intentions - so fair play. However these big mad dramatic elaborate solutions rarely work. Small things over time are better e.g. shop 5 mins away? leave the car and walk, use stairs not lift, etc. It takes months to change your body shape in a sustainable way.

Being supportive also helps a lot whether it be supportive of someone who decides to stop smoking, improve their diet, etc. Joining bootcamp is hardly in the realm of big mad dramatic elaborate solutions. It is a fun way to exercise, you meet a lot of people, you can learn to have fun with exercise. Also at something like bootcamp you have people at various stages of fitness and possibly weight loss and so have someone at your level when starting off and you can see someone whose weight and fitness level you wish to attain and so work towards that.
Bootcamp is a first step, and who knows, once that step is taken doing things like walking to the shop, taking the stairs not the lift will become second nature.

Rothmans

douglashyde wrote: »

We have a tax on smoking and on alcohol because those things cost our healthcare system money. Lots of money..

So how do you tax food? You can't.

So what you now have is fat people costing our healthcare money and not contributing anything extra.

However on the thread topic - I would not consider being fat/ovese socially acceptable.

Did you ever see that episode of Bull Island where Michael Martin tried to introduce a fat tax.
He went around trying to measure people waists with a measuring tape.
Crude but funny

topper75

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

Being supportive also helps a lot whether it be supportive of someone who decides to stop smoking, improve their diet, etc. Joining bootcamp is hardly in the realm of big mad dramatic elaborate solutions. It is a fun way to exercise, you meet a lot of people, you can learn to have fun with exercise. Also at something like bootcamp you have people at various stages of fitness and possibly weight loss and so have someone at your level when starting off and you can see someone whose weight and fitness level you wish to attain and so work towards that.
Bootcamp is a first step, and who knows, once that step is taken doing things like walking to the shop, taking the stairs not the lift will become second nature.

OK - maybe I need to learn more about this bootcamp. Cos the same term in other contexts refers to a short intensive effort at achieving a goal that would otherwise take a greater deal of time - e.g. training up military recruits for war who have no military training otherwise, students cramming an ultrafast course before an exam etc.

The idea of doing intense exercise over a short duration and expecting to walk away with a different body shape is laughable. Fat loss does not occur on these terms. This is an important point. However, if, as you point out, it is seen as a first step - then fine.

Hugo Drax

techdiver wrote: »

As the title says.

Society makes a big deal of advertising the dangers of smoking and alcohol abuse.

With the smoking ban and higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol, will it ever become acceptable to come out and say to someone who is obese that they are in fact fat and need to loose weight? I have read many articles etc that claim that obesity is set to move to top spot in the scale of biggest risk to health and the leading cause of death.

It is acceptable to tell some one to cut down on the smoking and drinking but not the eating....

Any thoughts?

People say it to me all the time!!

My doctor actually said it to me....

I think the threshold for what's "obese" may be too low....

I am approx 3 stone over weight, defo on the heavyside but I'm hardly in the John Candy range....

ocokev

Was in Disney land a few years back and the amount of obese families there is disgusting.
One particular family mum,dad and 2 kids after they got their tickets, got onto the disabled carts and drove 10 meters to the shop and filled their baskets with coke crisps big bag of M&Ms peanut type etc, and when off whizzing around for the day.
Came across them at one of the rides which none of them could go on.
Is this the kind of lifestyle we should be encouraging to our kids?

seraphimvc

heavy people damage roads.

m@cc@

techdiver wrote: »

It is acceptable to tell some one to cut down on the smoking and drinking but not the eating....

Any thoughts?

Hold on a sec, are you living under a rock that you think being obese is seen as socially acceptable?

techdiver

topper75 wrote: »

OK - maybe I need to learn more about this bootcamp. Cos the same term in other contexts refers to a short intensive effort at achieving a goal that would otherwise take a greater deal of time - e.g. training up military recruits for war who have no military training otherwise, students cramming an ultrafast course before an exam etc.

The idea of doing intense exercise over a short duration and expecting to walk away with a different body shape is laughable. Fat loss does not occur on these terms. This is an important point. However, if, as you point out, it is seen as a first step - then fine.

I have never done one of these boot camps before, as I train with sports teams regularly not to need to, but I imagine that they are quite useful for someone who doesn't understand how exercises works and doesn't know where to start.

Training as a group is often much more preferable for people as opposed to training on their own (I know it's that was for me), as you can bench mark yourself against other people. What these boot camps can do is give people the confidence to move to the next step. These boot camps are ran all year round so you can just continually enrol. They are not in any way to be mistaken as some sort of quick fix. As you said you will be doomed to failure in that event.

cynder

topper75 wrote: »

Good intentions - so fair play. However these big mad dramatic elaborate solutions rarely work. Small things over time are better e.g. shop 5 mins away? leave the car and walk, use stairs not lift, etc. It takes months to change your body shape in a sustainable way.

I booked in for the 8 weeks , prepaid on paypal.
the thing is im lazy, i cant do it on m own because as soon as i feel the first pain i give up, so going to bootcamp having people shout at me to do it, will encourage me and give me motivation.
Im going to the south of France in 9 weeks so i want a bit of the flab gone.

If it pees down of rain i still going. Ive been walking every evening as well. Under active thyroid runs in my family so i get checked or that once a year. i can starve my self for weeks and wont even drop a pound. so I'm really hope that boot camp works. Im gonna give it my all.

Also im a size 14. i used to be a size 8 with a bmi of 17 and could eat all around me, but hey after 3 kids things change.


http://www.bootcampireland.com

Penny Dreadful

topper75 wrote: »

OK - maybe I need to learn more about this bootcamp. Cos the same term in other contexts refers to a short intensive effort at achieving a goal that would otherwise take a greater deal of time - e.g. training up military recruits for war who have no military training otherwise, students cramming an ultrafast course before an exam etc.

The idea of doing intense exercise over a short duration and expecting to walk away with a different body shape is laughable. Fat loss does not occur on these terms. This is an important point. However, if, as you point out, it is seen as a first step - then fine.

I agree with your post (and initial one) to a certain extent. Its like joining the gym and not going, that won't do a damn thing for you just as eating a healthy breakfast but eating takeaway for dinner 5 nights a week will make no difference.
I think if bootcamp once per week (which on its own, if you don't change anything else in your life) shows someone that exercise can be fun and enjoyable and brings you into contact with others who are really into the scene (i.e. exercising a lot more often, eating a well balanced sensible diet, etc) then it can serve as that all important first step.
I work out almost every day. I run 30 mins in the morning before work and then in the evening time do a mixture of the following 6 evenings per week: spinning, bootcamp, boxfit, boxercise, body conditioning, flat abs, and a general gym work out too. I also have a good diet but then I always have had and find it difficult to understand how people don't like fruit, vegetables, home cooked dinners etc. I have had people who have joined some of the classes I go to ask how I got to be so fit, toned, etc and while that is of course a huge kick for me I am also more than happy to be able to give some help, advice or my own experience and that has often been someone's first step.

techdiver

m@cc@ wrote: »

Hold on a sec, are you living under a rock that you think being obese is seen as socially acceptable?

I really wish I had re-phrased the title and original post, because I am continually having to explain what I actually meant in the original post to people who haven't read all my posts thus far.

Example:

I smoke - People can chastise me.
I drink - People can tell me to cut down.
I'm obese - People are afraid to intervene in case they hurt my feelings.

That is my core point.

beegirl

I don't think that being fat/obese IS socially acceptable actually... I think overweight people must feel very self-conscious, probably more than smokers/drinkers because as somebody else said you can't pretend not to be obese for a little while - you are literally "wearing" your habits, potential health issues etc. for all to see.

Most of my family are quite slim, well for the most part anyway But one family member is really big - probably in the 'morbidly' obese category I would say - everytime we have a family occasion everybody comments on his weight... my mum gives him a good oul lecture every time she sees him too! As if he hasn't noticed already that he's overweight :rolleyes:

Also, somebody mentioned that there were 'fat' women in the Dove campaign... they are NOT FAT!!! Seriously, if people think this is fat then I think you have been looking at the likes of Posh/Cheryl Cole a little too much!!!

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/blog%20dove%20girls.jpg

partyguinness

<snip>

m@cc@

techdiver wrote: »

I'm obese - People are afraid to intervene in case they hurt my feelings.

That is my core point.

Knowing that they're saying it behind your back is better?

If anything, it's a shame that people feel they can't chastise people over their weight. Lives could be saved/lengthened.

prinz

Some people need that for self-affirmation, others post things about for instance their wife-to-be's alleged sexual preferences for the identical reason :rolleyes: for the thanks and the backslaps.

partyguinness

prinz wrote: »

Some people need that for self-affirmation, others post things about for instance their wife-to-be's alleged sexual preferences for the identical reason :rolleyes: for the thanks and the backslaps.

Really...?

That is shocking. Some people are so crude. Then again all the thanks may just be an unforeseen consequence.

prinz

partyguinness wrote: »

Really...?
That is shocking. Some people are so crude..

I know.

partyguinness wrote: »

Then again all the thanks may just be an unforeseen consequence.

+1, thanks.:D

kowloon

ocokev wrote: »

Was in Disney land a few years back and the amount of obese families there is disgusting.
One particular family mum,dad and 2 kids after they got their tickets, got onto the disabled carts and drove 10 meters to the shop and filled their baskets with coke crisps big bag of M&Ms peanut type etc, and when off whizzing around for the day.
Came across them at one of the rides which none of them could go on.
Is this the kind of lifestyle we should be encouraging to our kids?

Why would you go there if you can't go on the rides?

Hugo Drax

techdiver wrote: »

I really wish I had re-phrased the title and original post, because I am continually having to explain what I actually meant in the original post to people who haven't read all my posts thus far.

Example:

I smoke - People can chastise me.
I drink - People can tell me to cut down.
I'm obese - People are afraid to intervene in case they hurt my feelings.

That is my core point.

I'm obese but I don't really feel it..

Do you think the threshold for what is classed as obese is too low?

I take reasonably regular exercise, can run if I have to over short distances etc. but I'm still classed as obese.

I always imagined obese people were much bigger than I am!

cynder

beegirl wrote: »

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/blog%20dove%20girls.jpg

Now thats the shape i want back. i had it 3 years ago and if i put my mind and body too it i might have it back in 6-12 months. need to loose 2 stone to get back to a size 12 and 9lb 10oz.


The thing is i say im fat and my friends say ' no your not stop worring about it, you've had kids what do you expect'. They dont wanna hurt my feelings. Im happy with my body except for my belly.
I hate my belly:mad:

Duggy747

I see the point being raised here but I wouldn't really count an average person who may be a few pounds over.

It's the really fat, unhealthy people who I often see waddling and wheezing. They're always sweating and out of breath but yet continue eating really nasty stuff for their health. I've known quite a few people fitting this description who dropped dead before they hit 50.

It shouldn't be socially acceptable but then again if someone whinged to my face about smoking I''d probably punch them so............

techdiver

m@cc@ wrote: »

Knowing that they're saying it behind your back is better?

If anything, it's a shame that people feel they can't chastise people over their weight. Lives could be saved/lengthened.

That's my point.

I don't however believe in belittling or chastising people. I find encouragement and set goals work much better, but at least an acknowledgement of the problem is a start.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Hugo Drax wrote: »

I'm obese but I don't really feel it..

Do you think the threshold for what is classed as obese is too low?

I take reasonably regular exercise, can run if I have to over short distances etc. but I'm still classed as obese.

I always imagined obese people were much bigger than I am!

How do you measure your fat content? Does your doctor use the BMI index? If so, slap him, slap him very hard.

If you are fit and healthy yet over weight, like many people, then it's not so bad.

m@cc@

Hugo Drax wrote: »

I'm obese but I don't really feel it..

Do you think the threshold for what is classed as obese is too low?

I take reasonably regular exercise, can run if I have to over short distances etc. but I'm still classed as obese.

I always imagined obese people were much bigger than I am!

Obesity shouldn't be a social stigma. It should be a motivator to maintain your health and increase your life expectancy. What would it take for you to 'feel' obese? Do you even know?

Hugo Drax

Duggy747 wrote: »

I see the point being raised here but I wouldn't really count an average person who may be a few pounds over.

It's the really fat, unhealthy people who I often see waddling and wheezing. They're always sweating and out of breath but yet continue eating really nasty stuff for their health. I've known quite a few people fitting this description who dropped dead before they hit 50.

It shouldn't be socially acceptable but then again if someone whinged to my face about smoking I''d probably punch them so............

Yes but if you're more than 1 stone (14 punds) outside your medical ideal weight, then a doctor will class you as obese.

Fact.

Bonito

beegirl wrote: »

Also, somebody mentioned that there were 'fat' women in the Dove campaign... they are NOT FAT!!! Seriously, if people think this is fat then I think you have been looking at the likes of Posh/Cheryl Cole a little too much!!!

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/blog%20dove%20girls.jpg

The girls in the Dove ad are, IMO, gorgeous. Cheryl Cole, Victoria Beckham and the likes are horrible looking! I can't see any sort of attraction in them at all.

Hugo Drax

m@cc@ wrote: »

Obesity shouldn't be a social stigma. It should be a motivator to maintain your health and increase your life expectancy. What would it take for you to 'feel' obese? Do you even know?

Well I weigh 220 lbs...that's medically classed as obese believe it or not.

I should weigh around 180....