As Obesity Rises, Health Care Indignities Multiply

The New York Times ^ | November 29, 2003 | RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA and GRANT GLICKSON

[RepubMommy]

Thats because they would rather dish out $200 for glasses twice a year instead of $20,000

Hey Race bannon, how are ya? I've priced the Lasik and it's about $4000, however the gastric bypass runs well past $20,000 and that is not even including hospitalization costs, which can average $50,000 for a few days. Anyway, my point was I have NO control over my genetically poor eyesight, whereas, in many cases, people can try and control their weight without having to take such drastic measures. To add insult to injury, some insurance plans will cover the cost of fixing the "hanging skin" after the person loses weight because it's deemed "follow up surgery". I'm just asking to fix my eyes once , at a considerably lower cost.

[Nov3]

The pious self righteousness on this forum drive me insane. It has increased dramatically in all areas in the past few years. (Since the 2000 election mainly.) That being said these people are drug addicts like a street junkie except their habit is a lot more deadly. They are addicted to sugar and starches. They will die of this or related syndromes. We will pay. When you end up 500+ there comes a point you CANNOT work. The government is going to pay. It is inevitable. They have some responsibility here.

[RaceBannon]

Oh, I know, I was just stating the obvious! :)

[biggerten]

Capriole -
I don't know if I can make you understand, that assumes that I understand it. To make a pun, my problem just may be bigger than I am.

Fitz -

I'm disgusted with the shopping carts full of convenience
foods and snacks bought with food stamps no matter what the person's size.

Do I eat well? I don't buy round steak, I buy ribeyes. However, I've had bariatric bypass surgery and can only eat about 1/4th of one, if I tried more I'd just throw up.

rolling_stone -

What don't they know? That they're more or less just as flawed as I am.

Am I shortening my life? Perhaps, probably, although only God knows, I don't and neither do you. I have not been informed as to manner and time of my death.

By the way, I am enjoying my wife and friends.

All-

Now, of course I know it is healthier to be of normal weight and size. I have struggled with my size all of my life, and all that comes because of it. But only I know how I have struggled, and if there were an easy answer I would have found it long ago.

I've tried many diets, I've tried fasting - I once went 10 days without anything to eat, only water to drink. The only calories I got were those in my toothpaste.

Cakes, candies and the like? Please, those don't form a large part of my diet, and are rarely in the house.

Atkins diet? My wife (who is of nearly normal size) and I are about to give it a go. I hope all who are disgusted with me can find it in their hearts to wish me well.

In the meantime, I'm going to live my life (however long it may be) with as best an attitude as I can, and try to find the best, not worst in people.

I apologize to all who have managed to find me in a crummy mood this morning, but this kind of stuff tends to set me off. Don't assume anything about me by my appearance, and I'll try not to judge you so quickly or on such a shallow basis.

Happy holidays to all.

[Tall_Texan]

Oh come on. Obesity - like pornography - you know it when you see it!

And, like pornography, the most blatant examples can be seen by anyone. That's not what I'm referring to. What I'm talking about are people the *government* identifies as obese using their one-size-fits-all height/weight formula which, IMO, is overly simplistic and doesn't even account for the three common body types that sociologists identify (ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph) or for gender.

Most of these idiots would look at a pro football team and label them obese, ignoring that many (certainly there are exceptions), have lower % body fat than your average citizen.

Two themes are at work, IMO. One is the health nazis are gearing up for some massive societal change, much as they've done with cigarette smoking. Perhaps they want to hit fast food companies the same way they did Big Tobacco. Perhaps they want eating meat to be as socially unacceptable as smoking cigarettes. Perhaps they want to force us out of automobiles and make us all into cyclists like their pals in Beijing but something is afoot.

The second theme is that the constant nagging about weight/exercise is done to prevent us as a society from enjoying the foods we want to enjoy and force us into a lifestyle more akin to gerbils or lab rats.

I realize there are some people that are seriously overweight and there are some health care workers who just want to see patients live healthier but whenever the government and the media get on crusades as they seem to be doing, watch out. That cheeseburger you eat may just be your last before the government ban.

[FITZ]

I wish you well --- and like I said it's the ones getting fat off food stamps or use their fat as a disability to collect SSDI that irritate me the most. I don't care what people do with their own money that they worked for.

It can be a two way thing --- some of us have seen the obese riding in those carts in the stores --- and you'd better not dare get in the way or they'll run you down. I've talked with pleasant enough types --- one told me that she ended up in the hospital because at over 400 pounds she tried to stand up one day and broke both her ankles from doing that --- she said her bones were very weak because she ate only junk food --- no meats or dairy products and she was afraid she'd never walk again ----- I had sympathy for her.

[cupcakes]

Your ingenuity will make you a lot of money, unlike the other rude disgusting comments on this board which, I might add, only make the case for those whining on the other side who say they are mistreated and reviled. If the other quotes on this thread are any indication, it is no wonder some of these fat folks feel mistreated.

Here is a clue for some of you. People who are 400+ pounds, and no I am not one of them, are like someone who is elderly. Many, if not most, are beyond doing anything signifigant to help themselves and they need special care when doing even basic things. It's one thing to say to someone to lose weight, but we aren't talking about the 10, 20, or even 80 lbs some here have lost. We are talking about people who can't even take a walk across the street without running out of breath and being in pain and even risking their lives further. You are talking about people who have the same complicated issues with food that an anorexic does, yet I bet you don't see some here showing their disgust for the 60lb anorexic being plastered on the tube lately. No, that kind of lack of discipline gets you pity, the demise of self-control in a fat person gets you disgust and stupid, high school comments about how you should stop stuffing your face you fat pig. Real helpful to someone who already thinks so little of themselves don't you think?

I'm sorry to rant, but I can understand things like the complaints of the nurses. They shouldn't be expected to lift one obese person themselves. That is ridiculous. However, those not in this profession are exactly what those 400lb people called them--bigots of the worst order and I don't throw that term around lightly either.


I think my experiment with Freerepublic is over. Liberals, I believe, make the mistake of having too much compassion where not warranted and I'm beginning to think though they are right that conservatives don't show enough when warranted and don't have a lot of understand for the COMPLICATED human condition. People don't get to 500 lbs, become drug addicts, or anorexics because they want to.
There are some complicated self-esteem and self-destructive behaviors at work. The better way to address the obesity issue is to ask what really is at it's core? Personally, I don't think getting that obese has anything to do with just being plain lazy. You gain 20, 30, 50, and even 100lbs this way, but you don't get to the point where you can't even move because you just don't want to do anything. I call it eating yourself into oblivion. Even people here who talk about food talk about using it to sooth themselves before they gained control over their eating habits, don't any of those same folks think there are extreme cases of that behavior? People who don't stop while they can still do something about it?

[rolling_stone]

I wish you well, one of my best friends is morbidly obese but anytime anyone tries to talk about weight he changes the subject. He is a wonderful, caring and compassionate man, also hardworking and it sorrows me deeply to see how it affects his life and longevity. I hate to think that he will be gone before his time, he has so much to share and give to other people in his kindness and contibutions to society.

There are no easy answers, but I do know he eats way too much to be thin. He has gone on diets for a short period of time but doesn't stay on them. And yes some people judge people by their actions, whether it be alcoholics, drug users, gamblers or food addicts, there is likely a problem there..

[drhogan]

i don't think you need to apologize--the posts have been pretty abusive today--i'm glad you spoke up.
good luck with atkins--we will be praying for you and your wife.
many people have compuslive/addictive behavior patterns--they aren't all that easy to change, but it is possible. stay determined.

[RepubMommy]

Oh, I know, I was just stating the obvious! :)

Fair enough, just buy my a ripper at Rutt's next time you are in jersey and we will call it a day:)

[jennyp]

Atkins diet? My wife (who is of nearly normal size) and I are about to give it a go. I hope all who are disgusted with me can find it in their hearts to wish me well.

Good for you! I'm glad you mentioned that. Let me introduce you to two formerly-obese Freepers who have lost a lot of weight on low-carb. (Me, I only needed to lose 25 lbs., which I almost have.)

[banjo joe]

Well said, and I applaud you.
My statement stands, however; I know several people who stopped being self-sufficient, tax-paying adults and settled for the dole.

[BibChr]

For me, it took becoming saturated with myself, and where my eating had gotten me. You name a number of the little prompts that dug me from within; but it took a lot of accumulation. Not being able to sit in booths, having to wedge myself into movie seats, having no energy, hurting to get up, hurting to sit down, hurting to walk long, being unable to play with my kids....

I started on something like Atkins, but listening to all the happy folks here at FR on Atkins, or Atkins-variants, won me over to straight Atkins low carbing. Been doing it since April, lost about 80 pounds so far. I began feeling better ridiculously soon, thank God. The weight came off, about twelve pants-sizes; but almost more importantly, what came off was —

• aches and pains
• acid reflux waking me, choking, in the night
• sleep apnea waking me, gasping for breath, in the night
• daylong lethargy
• hatred of every sight of myself
• inability to "fit" the world and its doorways, chairs, and cars
• inability to keep up with my boys
• inability to take long walks....

And so on. I miss some foods... but I don't miss what went with them.

Dan

[Nov3]

I hope all who are disgusted with me can find it in their hearts to wish me well.

I sincerely do. Good luck.

Cakes, candies and the like? Please, those don't form a large part of my diet, and are rarely in the house.

If you are like me when you eat any of that trash you only want more.

Read the book especially the nutrient part. Vanadyl and Chromium are proven. Certain Amino acids are very helpful. Good luck and persevere. You are obviously a candidate for metabolic syndrome. It may take some time for it to work but it will.

[Nov3]

What annoys me the most about this is the insurance may cover a considerable cost of the surgery, while I my vision is HORRENDOUS, but Lasik surgery is considered cosmetic.

I lost the use of my left eye when it ruptured during a Lasik procedure. I would love to go back to the vision I had before.

[Bonaparte]

"They already make them... although this picture doesn't tell the whole story."

You'are right, it doesn't. The rated load capacity of the model pictured is 400 lb. The guy we're discussing is 450 lb. It's also not designed for bed transfer.

Anyway, I was only being facetious in my post.

[SamAdams76]

Like BibChr, I started a low carb program (not Atkins but something similar) in April and combined it with an exercise program. I have lost 102 pounds since then, going from 300 to 198, close to my target weight of 185-190 (I'm 6'3"). For the first time in my adult life, I fall within the normal range of weight and BMI. Click on my profile to see what I looked like at 214 - after losing 86 pounds. I'm 16 pounds lighter than that today.

I don't have many "before" pictures when I was 300 on account that I refused to have my picture taken because I was so disgusted looking at myself in them. I do have one picture I can post if you really want to see it.

Like BibChr, I just got sick and tired of being fat and not being able to do the things that everybody else was doing with little or no effort. I hated getting winded and tired out just mowing the lawn or playing catch with my kids in the yard. I hated the uncontrollable eating (I was so hungry all of the time) and eating an entire box of cookies or an entire bag of chips because I couldn't stop once I started. My back pain was getting pretty bad and I could sense my health going downhill. I was extremely fortunate that I was able to change my lifestyle in time to save my health. A recent checkup shows near-perfect bloodwork and no signs whatsoever of Type II diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease.

I was very lucky.

Today I cleaned out my gutters and hung Christmas lights all over the house. I could never climb a ladder before and had to pay someone to clean my gutters. Now I bound up and down the ladder like a little kid. I also walk 6-10 miles a day, every day. This gives me incredible energy and stamina for a 41-year-old. I'm leaving my kids in the dust.

So biggerten, I wish you well on your new lifestyle. Try not to see your weight loss program as an ordeal to be gotten through but as an exciting journey. I had a great time losing weight these past 8 months. I had tons of long walks down country roads and through woods, seeing hundreds of sunrises and sunsets. I was out at sunset today walking through my neighborhood watching everybody hang their Christmas lights. A snow flurry came through and it was just a great time to be alive. Last year at this time, I would have been sitting on my couch with a bag of pretzels looking out the window instead of being outside in the fresh air. Life is good again. Hopefully you will realize a rebirth as well.

[ladylib]

I spent $4000 on my Lasik surgery (20/800 in my left eye, 20/500 in my right before surgery. I was realistic enough not to expect 20/20) and it was well worth the money. Unfortunately, my insurance wouldn't cover it either.

I never considered it cosmetic. My eyesight was getting worse every year, and I wanted to slow down the progression.

A friend of mine is going to have gastric by-pass surgery and the plastic surgery afterwards to correct the hanging skin problem. I'm sure her insurance will pay for most of it, although she did say her family promised to help with the plastic surgery.

I'll take my problem over hers any day. I'm healthy. She has a myriad of health problems. I don't know how she got herself in the situation she's in, but she had a weight problem since she was a kid and a real miserable home life -- not that that's an excuse since she's now an adult.

[ladylib]

My friend who is going to have gastric by-pass surgery is not a lazy slob. She put herself through four years of college (it took her ten years) without anyone's help (her mother refused to help her, even though she forked out money for college for the rest of her kids) and without taking out any loans. She did this while putting in 40+ hours a week in a demanding job. That takes willpower.

It annoys me when everyone just assumes that someone who is grossly overweight is a lazy, no-account slob, especially when that person has availed herself of medical help and every diet under the sun and it just didn't work for them.

[gcruse]

The only 'indignity' I see here is that visited on the poor paramedics and nurses who have to handle these beached behemoths.