This article is hilariously rude.

"I've been living in this room and have not gone outside for three years," said Umnuayporn, whose weight is roughly the equivalent of a grand piano.

Umnuayporn walked slowly to a trolley... She was rolled down the corridor... where workers had torn down an inner wall to allow her entry and demolished a section of the building's facade to take her outside. Umnuayporn... was lowered from the apartment by an elevator constructed outside. A forklift then transferred her to a waiting ambulance...

Even if it was a "thyroid" problem, at what point should she have sought treatment for that? When she couldn't lose weight? Maybe at the 200 pound mark? I don't know--I think it's on her that she didn't seek help long before she got to weighing 600 pounds. It's harder to lose weight as we grow older, but doing "nothing" doesn't seem to be the answer. My sympathies are quite limited for this woman.

I dont recall seeing anywhere where she asked for ANYONES sympathy!!!

All things being equal, fat people need more soap.

Most Thai women I have meet were quite slender, even when well into their 40's. This sort of massive obesity is something you usually find in a white trash trailer park in the Ozarks.

Hey AtomicZepplinMan;

Don't forget the people in Texas that go to the state fair and eat all that fried bananas, fried donut hamburgers and such. They all can be helped if they want it. The questions is do they really want the help or just the attention. Until people recognize their problem and want to change nothing will help. Spoken from a person who has been there and done that.

Thyroid problem my a$$.

Physics are physics. Your body cant make fat out of thin air. It needs input to do it, meaning food. The worst a dysfunctional thyroid can do is lower metabolism, make someone tired so they dont want to physically exert themselves. But still, you cant get this size unless you are eating volumes of food.

Theres not an obese person in the world who doesnt suffer from a mental disorder. Overeating. Due to stress. For comfort. Its the result of anxiety, and depression. Obesity is a symptom of disease. Theres so much obesity in America because we are all running to food for comfort - self medicating. All the nutritional counseling and PSAs in the world arent going to help until we acknowledge the real problem. The breakdown of the family unit. How many of you eat most of your meals together at a table with family every night?

This is a symptom of declining quality of life. We are overstressed, and we are overworked, rushing about, grabbing a donut here, a frozen high-fat tv dinner there... sitting the kids in front of the tv with a bowl of mac and cheese from a box.

The powers that be will not be acknowledging anytime soon that the obesity epidemic is really a mental health and cultural-breakdown epidemic.

Good luck Umnuayporn. Hopefully the doctors can help your condition.

So, with that being said, try to have a bit of compassion for the obese. Many are lonely, most struggling with depression, which only ends up exacerbated when the health effects of obesity start kicking in. depression-anxiety-obesity is a vicious spiral of disease.

I do have limits on my own compassion though- there are those who are fighting disease, and then theres some who simply wont even fight, who wont even acknowledge they have a problem, the truly lazy ones who just wont put in any effort. I have little tolerance for fat acceptance groups. I dont think obese people need to drag themselves around in shame, but they certainly shouldnt be contorting it into a positive life choice anymore than an alcoholic should be proud of his/her disease.

strengthinnumbers - I agree for the most part. It's amazing how many adults don't even know how to cook. For working parents who don't get home until 5 or 6 it's tough to cook and get dinner on the table at a decent time. We need a shorter work week because our society is definitely degenerating from the build up of stress and lack of time to enjoy your family.

Perhaps I can offer her my disgust then. If you make the news because you're frickin' 600 pounds and need a crane to lift you, then whether she wants sympathy or not is irrelevant.

StrengthInNumbers...OMG you are so right about the mental health issues regarding the obese...I've been saying this for years and no one will listen....denial is a deep and dark river and a LOT of americans are swimming in it. People eat so much in this country to fill themselves because they are EMPTY in someway and no matter how much food they stuff themselves with they are still empty...until they figure out why they over eat they will always have a food problem!

You are so right Queenie. You said it better than anyone.

Misty you are stupid. First of all that person is 603 lbs and second of all a forklift and a crane are two totally different things. They used a forklift NOT a crane you imbecile.

X-isle...want to split more hairs? Whatever the fk it took, you are way too damn FAT if you have to have any type of MACHINERY lift your fat body anywhere. Now run along and play.

Come on poeple. Personal responsibility has taken a back seat to just about anything. Then in America we are telling these people it's ok to destroy your health & sit in front of prime time TV all night. The obesity rate is rising & we have people PROUD of their size. Purely disgusting. These people need counseling. It is NOT hard to even dedicate 20minutes a day to physical activity. That is all it takes to maintain an a decent BMI. Their is no sympathy for a lack of personal responsibility

Imagine if someone stepped in front of her while thatwas happening what a horrible death that would be.

Was anyone else reminded of Violet Beauregarde from Willy Wonka when reading that part?

Shame on you, do you feel better making fun of other people that you know nothing about? I bet you're mother is proud of you......you're already less of a person than this woman will ever be (and I don't mean physically).

It makes up for his micro penis

I feel no shame whatsoever commenting on people with this "problem". People who can't take 3 steps by themselves to use the bathroom are nothing but a burden on society (not including legitimate injuries/diseases of course). A thyroid problem alone does not make a human being comparable to a grand piano. If people would've stopped bringing her food and enabling the behavior when she hit let's say 300 lbs she would've had to WALK to get food in order to stay alive. Imagine that. What a strange concept.

My mother would agree with me is she were still alive. You see, we were raised to be active and responsible members of society. We work and feed our family.

Thanks Ron. My deek is just fine.

"...and join the other walruses."

haha you beat me to it. i feel bad for laughing at your comment. well kinda... ahh not really. it was hilarious!

Nads-2262668 wrote:

My mother would agree with me is she were still alive. You see, we were raised to be active and responsible members of society.

Active and responsible... but your weren't raised to be compassionate or polite? Judging from the vast majority of Internet forums, most people unfortunately aren't.

I know that this article is about "fat" people but in my opinion its is very similar to "retards". Why put the burdon and stress of haveing to take care of someone who shouldnt have to be taken care of someone who is missing a cromosome or has eating issues on "normal" people. In animals the strongest and smartest survive... people who cant take care of themselfs would be DEAD you may think me of barbaric and cruel but THIS is creating stupider people"stupid" "fat" people who grow older and make more stupid or fat people. Tell me have you ever seen a fat person with kids or a stupid person with kids? The children are always stupid and fat this is makeing society a race dependent on others

Exactly Nads, its all these namby pamby, spineless, can't blame the person for their own actions, bleeding hearts that allow these people to get morbidly obese and burdon society. it is her problem. Did she pay for her own forklifting? doubt it. If it weren't for TV, who would pay for those in the US to be forklifted. You are paying for her to be fat and lazy. Ayn Rand is looking down, smoking a cigarette and LOLing.

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Yes, her condition may be related to a thyroid condition. My wife also has a thyroid condition and from what the doctors told her, this condition can make you lose or gain up to 20 lbs., after that it is the individuals diet that will determine their weight.

But, I hope this woman can lose the weight and enjoy life once again.

A thyroid won't make you magically gain weight. You still have to eat a LOT of food. I could see someone with a thyroid issue weighing over 200 to 250lbs. And that's still without eating healthy or getting proper exorcise. To be a woman, and weigh 300lbs. or more, your just lying around and stuffing your face. Sorry, I don't feel sorry for anyone in that condition. And someone was helping her get to that size, because she obviously couldn't go shopping or even cook for herself.

I was at the local wholesale club the other day, and there was a man riding in a motorized shopping cart, because he was too heavy to walk without complications. Do you know what was in his cart? Bags and bags of 2 for 1 potato chips, corn chips and cheese puffs! Somehow I don't think a thyroid was his problem either.

Thorndawg --

Wrong. I have a dear friend whose resting metabolic rate is the same calorie count as two saltine crackers. Seriously. She has spent thousands of dollars consulting medical specialists and trying a multitude of medical treatments. She exercises regularly (as in, runs about 20 miles per week) but will never be "thin". Her goal is to be healthy -- and her health is better than most of the skinny chicks she works with who smoke habitually to kill their appetites.

There's no way to deny that there are some who are overweight because they eat the wrong foods and make no effort to balance that out with exercise. With that said, there are millions of dollars spent every year on health care for people who suffer conditions they inflicted upon themselves -- like emphysema from smoking, cirrhosis from alcoholism, and STDs from casual sex. But we pay that money and move on, presumably on the basis that at least those people aren't fat!

You are wrong. Thyroid can make you gain weight for no obvious reason and make it virtually impossible to lose weight even with diet and exerciese. Both of these are symptoms of a thyroid problem.

I do however agree a shopping cart of junk food isn't going to help. He probably figures what's the point now, hopefully he can find some help out there.

Anyone else remember when the quarter pounder used to be the BIG burger? We have no concept of portion control anymore. When I do eat fast food I'm generally surprised at what they now consider a small or regular size - those used to be the large or family size orders of fries we all shared.

ThornDOG, did you ask that overweight man WHY he was riding in a motorized cart? No I know u didnt, so your ignorance automatically assumed he was riding it because he was to fat and lazy to walk?! Your a joke. My mother is overweight, and she has to ride those carts when she goes shopping also, but it sure the hell isnt because shes overweight and to lazy. She needs 2 complete knee replacements that make it extremely hard for her to walk around a store right now. So, see..Im sure you know what the old saying is about assuming. Then again, your posts show total lack of intelligence, so you may not.

And NO, an overweight person does not have to eat ALOT of food, it can also be from eating the wrong foods.

BetterThanU
ThornDOG, did you ask that overweight man WHY he was riding in a motorized cart? No I know u didnt, so your ignorance automatically assumed he was riding it because he was to fat and lazy to walk?!

I think you need to go back and re-read what I wrote. Nowhere did I say he was too lazy to walk! I said he needed a motorized cart because he was too heavy to walk without complications. Same as your mother. That doesn't excuse him buying up all of the discounted junk food. I think he needs to spend more time in the produce isle.

And about "assuming", I believed you just "assumed" I said or thought he was lazy. I believe your post shows lack of reading comprehension. School is back in session. I hope you pass this year!

How childish, so the school remark sorta fits the persona. By reading your post, it was pretty evident that your "complications" meant the fat made it hard on him to walk!! Deny all you want. My mothers weight has nothing to do with her walking, but I know some people look at her riding in those carts and think the same ignorant thoughts many here do!

BetterThanU -

I have a sneaking suspicion that it may be your mother's weight that was the primary cause of her knee joints degenerating. Excess weight is very hard on knees, ankles, hips... Heft a 50 lb box of stuff - now imagine the obese individual carrying that 50 or 100 or more pounds of extra weight around all day long. Thats going to take alot out of you physically - structurally, let alone the havoc that fat does to every other metabolic process in your body.

Obese people - if they manage to make it past thier 50s without dying of stroke or heart attack, will be faced with mobility issues due to joint degeneration.

BetterThanU - you admitted she was overweight, so dont you think the excess weight played ANY role on her knee's? I am 5'5 and about 170 - and the excess weight bothers MY knees and im only 31 (the excess weight in my chest area, also causes back problems). Of course, it's entirely possible that whatever profession your mother did most of her life affected her knee's too. But you mentioned she was overweight - not that she worked as a tree farmer all her life (or something else just as taxing to the body). Subconciously I think you get it...

I also have thyroid problems so I can understand how she could balloon up. The doctor messed up my medicine dosage just as I was miving to another state. I gained 45 lbs in less than six months before my new doctor figured out the medicine dosage was wrong. But i can't understand how you could let yourself gain that much weight and not go see a doctor to find out if something was wrong. Hopefully she can get her weight under control and start enjoying life again.

There are different degrees of thyroid problems Bookbud. All you can state is that yours doesn't cause you to balloon up to 600 lbs., you can't speak for her problems. If she had a tumor of some sort on her thyroid or a myriad of other problems it could cause this, especially unchecked. I had a sister-in-law who had the reverse problem with her thyroid. She was 6'1" and weighed 100 pounds, even though she consumed more than 10,000 calories a day. She required surgery on her thyroid and after that she put on 30 pounds almost right away. She was so happy to get up to a size zero. But it didn't solve her problem, she still couldn't get above 130, but at least she didn't look like she had been living in a concentration camp. It doesn't take much with the thyroid to cause extremes in weight gain or loss.

This poor woman's condition of weighing 600 pounds made her the"heaviest woman in the nation". What most people don't know is that here in the USA there are quite a few persons weighing over 600 pounds--- we just don't hear about them as they are confined to their rooms and never leave-- we in the medical industry call them the "hidden sick". My company manufactures barriatric mattresses to turn them to prevent decutitus (bed sores) as they are unable to turn themselves when sleeping, and which can lead eventually to death, which is what happened to one well known movie star. Many of these individuals get to the weight they are by showing no control and just eat and eat. Others do have medical problems such as discussed in previous replys, and no matter what they do, their weight just is a real problem. Whatever the cause for these unfortunate people, remember, "but for the grace of God"go I, and that "errare est humanum".

You sir, are a moron.

Logicalthinker hit the nail on the head. There's no incentive to make yourself better anymore and it';s being reinforced all the way at the earliest levels of development.

Why bother working when you can live off the government. Someone's always going to be there to foot the bill right?

So what happens when we all turn into fat overweight slobs with no drive to better ourselves? Will the ultra rich liberals in Hollywood pay for us all? Will our Senators who make money off bad financial deals for the rest of us...will THEY foot the bill? Or will they keep voting themselves and their voter block more and more money?

Disgusting....

Logicalthinker, you took the words right out of my mouth!

Logicalthinker, has it occurred to you that the reason you see obese people in the supermarket paying with food stamps is because there is a definite and direct correllation between obesity and poverty? Particularly in the U.S., the cheapest food is the least nutritious -- has it ever crossed your mind to compare the costs of fresh vegetables/meat/fruit to that of highly processed junk food? I'm guessing no, because it's so much easier to sit back and judge others with your under-informed "logical" conclusions than it is to approach an issue with an open mind and a little compassion. Do some research, for crying out loud, and then draw your conclusions! Criminy!

i presume that it hasnt crossed your mind that these people usualy eat better than me! as im paying for my groceries that i work hard to afford and can get only what i can afford these folks are checking out large beef roasts prime cut! T bones and even seafood! i saw a lady put steamed crab legs back after learning cooked foods did not qualify only to return back to the counter with un cooked crab legs! CRAB LEGS!!!! and i assure you that the little fat kid in a great area doesnt live off tax payer funded programs! and is simply fat and exempt from certain activities so it doesnt affect his/her asteem. and whats your reasoning for that? not poor, not getting so called lower value nutrition. and fresh vegetables meats and fruit are certainly avaliable to these people. it is their choice if the get the processed junk and sell the remaining balance of their benefits to support whatever drug habbit they need to support. you need to open your eyes as to whats really going on in the world. your liberal excuses are only feeding a fire that will continue to grow.

I'm pretty sure this is the first time in my life I've been called a liberal. Fascinating. At any rate, there will always be people within any program who abuse it. . . the shining example of that was the rapper O.D.B. arriving in a chauffered limo to pick up his welfare check.

To assume, though, that every person who is overweight is in that condition by choice is judgemental. The fact that every week a new obesity study is published that contradicts the last three should tell you that obesity is a complex issue, and it involves social, economic and physiological factors. If we understood it fully, it would be treated much more effectively than it is now. In reality, the poorest areas of our country (including farming and rural areas) are frequently underserved in areas dealing with nutrition -- fresh produce is poor quality and overpriced compared to surrounding areas. Same story with meat and fresh dairy.

As for the "fat little kid" living in a great area, I can't defend that. Your original post discussed people buying junk food with food stamps, not fat rich kids. I agree that those kids need some kind of intervention now, before this becomes a lifelong disease.

I only hope that the people around you are more compassionate than you are, though. . . particularly since those who have an obesity problem are usually acutely aware of that fact, and browbeating them or publicly humiliating them won't improve the matter.

Okie...I can go to my store, buy 20.00 worth of fruit and vegetables and get more than if I go buy 20.00 worth of twinkies and hohos........You can buy non crap food for less...It's called frugal shopping...So please stop trying to equate obesity and poverty that way....maybe equate the two with the fact that maybe it's laziness because you actually have to get up and cook something if you want to eat healthier...It's much easier to open up a can of crap than it is to stand there and cut up veggies and fruit......

these studies only go so far. and one is intitled to to their opinion as mine is that the vast magority of people that are overweight is a direct reflection of the choices they have made and the lifestyle they choose to live. weight is easily controled simply by eating properly and excercising to eliminate the amount of calories one consumes. i was born and raised on a small farm and have been conditioned my entire life as to what was good nutrition and what was not. my mother has a thyroid issue, she excercises daily and watches what she eats in return her weight has been steady. and i cannot buy into your statement that most dont acknowledge theyre over weight. when their waist size went up 3 to 4 sizes one has to notice this. im not saying they are bad people im saying they have brought this on themselves. an obese person has no business in a mcdonalds ordering supersized meals and a diet coke then doing nothing to combat the calories and complaining that they are fat!! if a addict can get on a program and not use and re learn to live then a fat person can get in a program or atleast a self monitered diet and excercise routine to overcome the problem. it is simply not healthy and its the leading cause of high blood pressure and diebetes. america by large is gluttonous and very overweight and lazy in comparrison to other nations. this cannot be argued. your same "studies" show this time and time again. i am a very compassionate person, however i lose that compasion if one continues to beat himself in the head with a hammer and complain to the world of a headache!

If someone's poor, s/he should make that 2000-calorie meal last a couple days instead of downing it in one sitting. THAT's saving money. And nothing is to say that poor people can't or shouldn't exercise. The United States is a pretty effed-up country at this point. Visit Africa; the people there are living in poverty, but you don't see them with a 2/3 rate of overweight people. Most people in this country don't know the true meaning of poverty. Everyone thinks it's their right to get fat and sit around.

rob68

thank you so much for a reaonable view! you have put my thoughts in fewer words. thats what these people look for is excuses and i cant find 1 reasonable excuse. i see more folks see what we do than okie mom whom seems to have plenty of excuses as to why its ok to do things and blame others. and she was confused as to why i related her post to a liberal rant.

Rob68 --

You're right; processed food is usually more convenient. With that said, there are numerous studies that agree on the fact that those who live in economically disadvantaged areas frequently have significantly restricted access to quality meat, dairy and produce. I'm not "trying" to equate poverty with obesity -- the connection has been exhaustively reported.

The big question is, where are you shopping? Is it a store in a middle-class or higher area? If it is, you have no idea what the prices look like in an inner-city grocery store or the "Mini Mart" in a small town surrounded by farm land. I live in a farm community with a number of smaller towns around us and a major city nearby. I can personally tell you that the produce at the grocery stores in the surrounding small towns (since my community doesn't have a grocery store) is lower quality with a 20% markup. If I stop at a store in Oklahoma City, by contrast, the produce is better quality, more varied, and cheaper.

But, as stated earlier, it's not just my observation or personal experience. It is a studied and known phenomenon. As also stated earlier, to assume that all obese people are lazy is judgemental -- and bigoted.

raina

love your thoughts on this aswell! only difference is these folks in africa have to work for a meal! its not just collected monthly in a mailbox as it is here for all the folks that are to lazy to work or cook and choose to buy the expensive pre made processed junk as some proclaim. and you are correct in so many ways i sure can afford to buy and cook fresh meals alot easier than paying much more for a low nutrition processed micro meal!

Um it is their right to sit around and get fat if they CHOOSE. Afterall, it is THEIR life!!

Anyway, why sit and humiliate and beat a dead horse about overweight people who buy junk food with their "foodstamps" (since this seems to have turned into a topic of people collecting foodstamps). How in the world are any of you going to sit and blame them for spending foodstamps on junk food, when you should be blaming the damn government!! They are given WAY to many foodstamps a month. I know a family that has 2 kids and the father lost his job, so they applied and got food stamps. When she told me how many they got, my jaw hit the floor. My family of 3 could eat on that amount for TWO months. So no wonder they get accustomed to splurging that extra money on junk food, soda, candy and all the extras. Cut way back on how many they get and eventually they will learn to spend wisely or go hungry the end of the month. If they choose the latter, then thats noones fault but their own. Start pointing the finger where the problem starts...our wonderful government *cough*. I dont bash everyone who recieves foodstamps, but I do get sick and tired of working my a// off to support the biggest majority of them who are able to work. Anyway, getting a bit off course here.

so your saying that you or the folks paying on govt funds dont have access to a walmart? and if not you are forced to shop at a mini mart where anyone knows the prices are higher! and what excludes these people that are forced to shop at a more expensive store from excercising? im sure being surrounded by farmland there is plenty of physical chores and things needed at any of them to keep said farm producing what one eats is not an excuse!!! its how one chooses to eliminate the calories said person ingests! again NO EXCUSE!!!! if i was forced to eat big macs every day of my life i would counter act that with loads of activity to work it off!

so for sake of debate......... we take food stamps out of this discussion. there done.... ok so now without poverty or foodstamps involved, what is americas excuse for being so overwhelmingly over weight? because lets face it... a very small portion of americas obese are food stamp recips. now what is the excuse for that? whats the reason some 40% or more of americans and even moreso the children are overweight? please weigh in on this okie mom.... so we pretend to agree that the very small percentage of overweight people in america on foodstamps is governments fault not their own, what is the reason for the very large percentage left that arent on stamps, why are they so obese and doing nothing about it?? i say its because we are a gluttonous , fastfood culture , and have lost touch with reality.

Okiemom.... are you kidding?!? You live in a FARMING community... I am sure the local farmers would be more than happy to sell to you for a reasonable price. I also don't understand why you would not buy from them to support your community... I too live in a farming community... I buy all my produce from local farmers... geez, seems pretty logical to me.

Okie..I live in New Mexico and shop at a predominately Hispanic grocery store....There are few "middle class" areas in Santa Fe...We all shop in the same stores except those with more money shop at Whole Foods or stores like that....I choose not to shop there because it's way more expensive....

And please stop with the "you don't know what an inner city mini-mart looks like"....Whether inner city or outer city mini-marts tend to be even MORE expensive....And that ALSO lends to the laziness factor.....So you have to go a bit further to get to your local grocery store...Boo freakin hoo....Get up and do it...Don't use excuses as to why you can't shop for healthier foods....

And I've never said anywhere or anytime that all obese people are lazy......

Logicalthinker --

The link between obesity and poverty is not the government's fault, and I never said it was. Stop twisting what I say to fit your own preconceptions. I do agree with you that we are a culture of convenience with a significant lack of self-discipline, and those factors contribute to our national obesity problem. However, there are those with biological issues who exercise and make the right choices when it comes to food, and still struggle with weight. My initial issue with your post was that it was judgemental, and I take exception with your self-endowed label of "logicalthinker" when it's obvious your logic is limited to only what you want to see, not what the facts are.

Countrygrl27 -- the community I live in farms mostly wheat. Thus, I can buy all the wheat I want, if I want to make my own flour. Lots of people around here do have personal gardens, my husband and myself included (organic, thankyouverymuch). There is a small farmer's market every Saturday, with all the okra you could ever want to eat offered for sale. So, buying my produce from local farmers would be very logical -- if they grew and sold much of anything besides wheat and okra.

I agree, logicalthinker, America is a gluttonous nation. It's become "normal" to eat garbage and sit in front of the TV and computer all day. And portion control is RIDICULOUS; people eat WAY too much in one sitting. Not enough people enjoy cooking at home anymore; they eat out, which is far more expensive and is more loaded with calories. People's eyes are bigger than a healthy appetite, so they mindlessly continue munching far beyond what their body actually needs. It's unfortunate.

again... those with "biological issues" make up a even smaller percentage of those affected by obesity, please entertain me and tell me what is the excuse that such a LARGE percentage of americans are overweight and lazy? it does directly corelate with laziness. does it not? we have eliminated the foodstamp recips and those with biological issues for the sake of opening my mind and seeing the "truth" as you have been so blessed to see. now thjat leaves the magority still, as the other 2 genres are "excused" based on your logic. so whats your logic on the MAGORITY of folks that dont have these predisposed exclusions? the ones that dont live in bungfu** , can shop at walmart, and have just simply let themselves go? and i am specifying and pointing out this group only, the group that makes up 90% of the overweight people in america.....

Okie mom: here are some sites to help!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14684391

http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/extract/35/1/24

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9JsqjBQS6ZYC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=obesity+and+poverty&ots=dlInguoOI6&sig=aIA8wA4BJtUByfzSaMzY4P9PO_4#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/paho/oap/2004/00000001/00000001/art00003

All scholarly articles and NOT all about the U.S. either!

But I doubt anyone will really pay attention.

Exercise costs nothing (walking, jumping jacks, crunches, push-ups, squats). Splitting a high-calorie meal into several smaller meals costs nothing. Even if you think the unhealthy food is cheaper or more convenient, it is 100% personal choice to eat more of that food than your body requires. You could gain weight eating lettuce if you ate enough, and you could lose weight eating potato chips if you were moderate enough. People aren't controlling themselves.

beth and okie mom

you are both rationalising the same thing. it may be related i will give you that much.,,, however based on that logic you are saying that every obese person in america is poverty ridden? your defense is great... for A SMALL PERCENTAGE of those affected!!!! like raina said "Exercise costs nothing (walking, jumping jacks, crunches, push-ups, squats)." so it only goes so far.... even if you are forced to eat these lower quality foods some how, you still have the ability to counter act such intake! do you not? so it really leaves only those with biological issues to be excused, so on a pie chart i would love to see those percentages! one can assume those without biological issues make up a VERY LARGE PORTION of that chart. again what you eat is not a excuse as you can work off those calories. right or wrong?????

Raina-703016

thats not what they want to hear. that would completely undermine their entire excuse based argument! as between us two have widdled it down to just that! no excuses and the ones they are arbitralily fighting for are a minority in the crowd of americans concidered to be obese. as thats a very large crowd! no pun intended..... i still await a closing defense from okie and her studies related supporter as it seems they have no answer as to why there are so many lazy obese people.....

What we are fighting is your attempt to paint everyone with the same brush. If you DON'T have the proper food, you can do as many jumping jacks as you want, you're still going to have a terrible time losing the weight. And, had you bothered to follow any of the links I gave you, you'd see lack of access to quality food is not just a US problem, it's a world wide problem.

Here's a good example. Back in 1980's, the Army became very concerned with weight control. Yet, if you went to the mess halls, which is what the majority of soldiers depended upon for food, you found fried foods, few if any vegetables (and those that were there, cooked with bacon), sauces on everything, tons of carbs and hardly a salad in sight. These same soldiers went out and did PT (physical training) every morning, for the most part had active jobs and were certainly not lazy. But they still had a terrible time with weight control. Wonder why. Then the Army got smarter and changed the available food in the mess halls. Salad bars, fresh veggies, meats with gravy on the side, etc. It suddenly became easier and surprise, surprise, soldiers lost weight.

Now, how do I know this? I was one of those soldiers. I've struggled with weight all my life, mostly kept under control with athletics but not always. I've discovered the value of good food -- preferably without high fructose corn syrup which is in EVERYTHING (especially cheap, processed food). But I manage. However, the types of food I eat has almost more bearing on weight loss than the amount of food I eat. I'm lucky with reasonable access to good quality veggies, meats and the know how and ability to cook them. Not everyone is as lucky as that.

So .. while I grant that people ARE lazier than they used to be, and that accounts for a large amount of obesity, it's not nearly as much as YOU would have us believe. I'm not saying it's impossible to lose weight with that sort of diet, but you have to work MUCH, MUCH harder. Thus, the correlation between poverty and obesity. You, on the other hand, seem to feel there is no relation whatsoever, but bring nothing to the table to back that up. Where's a study reflecting your views? How about a credible link?

For my "closing argument" (as this is, because debating you is futile) I have personal experience in the role of types of food, I have listed medical studies for you to show a correlation between the types of food and obesity. What have you got? Nothing.

again.... you are still on the same group of people!!! i tried to make it easier for you the last post. i will break it down once again.

1 no poverty

2 no issues with thyroid

3 easy access to nutritionaly fundemental foods

now please tell me why the other 85% of obese people are obese? this has nothing to do with access to foods etc,.. i am speaking of the magority of obese people not the few i have excluded at top. this is to include overweight folks and children that routinely make headlines in america. the people that live in the city near walmart with jobs. what is their excuse? i even said i agree with your statement that poverty rlates to obesety. even read the links! now again those folks out of the discussion, thyroid conditions- out of disscussion. im talking about average working class people and the obesety rates in children. let me have it.......

To be clear: there is no single "defense" for every overweight person in this country. All I was trying to say is that there are actually people in this nation who do not have unfettered access to fresh, high-quality food, either because of economics or availability issues.

Exercise is free, but as Beth-440386 pointed out, even the military discovered that exercise alone was not enough for the vast majority of soldiers -- dietary modification was a critical component. The gym alone won't win the battle; at least half of it is won at the table, and someone who eats too many nutrient-empty but calorie-laden foods EITHER BY CHOICE OR NECESSITY will be clinically malnourished and unable to perform well physically.

In a perfect world, everyone would make the smartest choices for their health and we'd all be fit and healthy and the correct BMI. One person's right to a Twinkie is no less valid than someone else's right to a cigarette or a beer -- the difference is that it's okay to publicly humiliate someone for being fat and having items in their cart you don't approve of, but it's unacceptable to humiliate a smoker or an alcoholic because they have an addiction. That's wrong, and to assume that all fat people are lazy or dishonest or whatever other labels you pin on them is bigoted.

you have a very valid point and i dont totally dissagree with you. however just as you said there is no blanket aproach to this i aswell have not said ALL overweight people are lazy or disshonest. my main point is that in todays society people are by mass more overweight and laziness directly corelates to that. just like the obesety rate in children under 12 and the obesety amongst the people that have no medical issues relating to weight gain are due to the lifestyle and choices they have made. perhaps i am a little harsh on the subject but it is because of what i see living in a larger city with capable people and plenty of access to good foods

For the record, I dislike smokers and drinkers just as much. I'd never date someone who does either.

I am just amazed at what I am reading here. Man, some of you guys are really mean.

1. Not every overweight person sits at home eating all day.

2. Every overweight person is not on food stamps.

3. Hypothyroidism can cause weight gain, but not to this extreme.

4. There are extremely complex mechanisms that involve weight gain. I recently attended a seminar by one of the surgeons I know and he offered an excellent presentation on brain chemistry and the function of the release of hormones in the brain that have to do with the triggers to eat.

5. Some of us would do well to take a look at ourselves to see how we can improve instead of making fun of those people who are less fortunate than ourselves.

6. And yes, as a nurse I have taken care of A LOT of obese patients. It is difficult and time consuming. I have witnessed patients who have a compulsion to eat. This is not a simple thing to treat. You cannot just say "don't eat". It does not work that way.

7. If looking at an obese person is offensive to you, look the other way.

8. And remember, none of us are perfect. Our flaws do not always appear on the outside until some of us open our mouths and begin to speak.

And then you'd get lost in a fold.....

The stupidity of people blows me away every time i read these columns, some people have problems and if you cannot relate to that its because you have no idea and you only care about yourself, which is evident by your remarks, I feel sorry for your family with such an unknowing and uncaring person, please do not teach your children your idiotic trash we have enough problems, do you have anyone you know with alcohol problems? a bad crack habit? A prostitute for a sister that never showers? Everyone has issues so you should understand that and just stfu. We all have issues of one sort or another and to trash talk people to make yourself feel superior is just another typical dumb fu*kin moron. I am of a healthy weight and I feel sorry for the people that cannot enjoy life the way others do. If I could reach through the screen and punch someone I would go through 10 monitors a day in these columns.

I agree that everyone has problems and actually some of my family and friends have had severe weight issues in the past. I will admit that none of them had it to this degree but my point was that it can be controlled and it’s up to the individual to get it under control. Stop giving people reasons not to fix their problems. At least my children were taught to take responsibilities for ones actions and not to give excuses for them.

Ok, get therapy and then stop eating.

Mark-InPA

What's your vice or are you perfect? Apparently other than judging other people you know really nothing about you are perfect......oh wait...judging other people IS considered less than perfect, perhaps YOU need help!

And oh yes, before you ask, I have been an obese woman. I used to weigh 328 lbs and I lost 185 lbs over the course of 4 years. I've kept it off for over 5 years now but every day is a struggle.

The biggest thing that I learned? A bully is a bully, someone who picks on someone else about their weight is just a small person with a tiny mind. They are the same people who pick on other people about their race, their religion, the way they dress, look etc. It is a requirement for them to do this to feel good about themselves.

I hope this woman is successful in finding her way to a healthy weight. Even more so, I hope she keeps her self resepect and dreams in a world where people like you actually think you have the right to judge her.

Ok people first off this person doesn't need to do anything different. Nothing at all. She isn't the problem, never was. How can I say that? Simple. If she hasn't left her room in 3 years, than she is 100% reliant on enablers who are feeding her silly. It's the enablers who need to be stopped here. Stop them from ruining her and the problem is solved.

To make matters worse, for someone with an addiction to food (yes, there is such a thing), there's no such thing as abstinence! Someone who is addicted to alcohol or drugs can simply avoid the problem substance -- but you cannot entirely avoid food. People with eating disorders require lifelong treatment, not trite garbage like, "get some therapy and stop eating".

MELINCT

I am by no means perfect, but I do have the intelligence to recognize a problem and the determination to rectify said problem. If I can’t fit through a doorway I must do something to fix that problem. I guess in some people’s world it’s the doorway that is at fault or even society itself, it could never be the person with the problem that is causing this? Of course I have sympathy for these individuals but you do need to take responsibility for ones actions.

This article is not about overweight or even obese individuals, it’s about someone that is so large that she cannot even leave her place of residence. I do put some blame on the children who do nothing but the overall issue is hers and hers alone.

I applaud you for overcoming your problem, but obviously your realized it was a problem otherwise you would still be 328 lbs. Of course it is a struggle, most things in life are, but it can be done.

People this fat are lazy HAVE TO live off of 'somebody else'!

She hasn't left her room in 3 years? So who's been pounding down the 50 pounds of food every day into her gut!?

Stop the enablers of an addiction and you're on your way. It's her enablers who are responsible for her now, not her. She's a mental vegetable. Jail her enablers to start with and then put someone responsible and intelligent in charge of her feedings.

Justacomment -- nicely said. Thank you for being a civilized human being. . . :)

Thanks Okie. People want to change the world by telling everyone how to live, and all we really need is a little bit of compassion. Imagine what kind of world we could live in if THAT was taught in school.

Well said!

Bravo to you justacomment, topaz, and okie mom

If adults (isn't that what they want to be called?) could just stop a moment and think first, they might be able to see their error, but alas as long as public comment is allowed, the cave dwellers will always come out and berate and belittle someone else, which makes themselves forget their own shady internal worlds. I guarantee for every loud noise maker and their cruelty there are, Karma will come back one day and kick them where the sun don't shine. To this lady about to undergo a big change in her life, I say, bless you and you WILL go and play in the water soon. Keep on trucking.

Those humble Thai's are likely the cause of her problem. Without enablers, she wouldn't have got in this bad a shape. Nature would have stopped her. Only humans can work against God's will, while claiming that their doing God's work, much like Islams killing children in order to glorify Allah.

Her enablers need to be jailed and publicly humiliated in order for this kind of abuse to be stopped.

And who is God? And what is God's will?

Perhaps her neighbors are also her friends and are glad for her to finally get help?

Maybe the more compassionate posters are busy working or doing something else at present?

Enough of the "enablers" crap....Rrobeson...If someone comes to you with a freakin twinkie and you weigh 400lbs and you KNOW a twinkie isn't good for you, and then YOU choose to eat it, how can you blame someone else??