Dr. Phil: Obesity's a disease, and I'm the cure
- Thread starter Tonio
- Start date
Toxick
Splat
Re: Dr. Atkins: Obesity's a disease, and I'm the cure
Interesting.
Coming up next, the people who gripe and complain about smokers because they raise everyone's healthcare costs will start to complain about fat people and how they raise everyone's healthcare costs (although, some already do, because of the health problems that obesity can cause).
I guess this means we'll have to tax food into oblivion like they do with cigarettes. ($2.75 for a twinkie!)
Or better yet - ban eating in public places.
One possible good side effect: Maybe the monthly premiums at my gym will go down to promote healthy livin'.
Interesting.
Coming up next, the people who gripe and complain about smokers because they raise everyone's healthcare costs will start to complain about fat people and how they raise everyone's healthcare costs (although, some already do, because of the health problems that obesity can cause).
I guess this means we'll have to tax food into oblivion like they do with cigarettes. ($2.75 for a twinkie!)
Or better yet - ban eating in public places.
One possible good side effect: Maybe the monthly premiums at my gym will go down to promote healthy livin'.
Hot N Bothered
New Member
Re: Re: Dr. Atkins: Obesity's a disease, and I'm the cure
Maybe health insurance will cover it. :shrug:
C
czygvtwkr
Guest
Having been fat at one point I don't think its a disease. Its more of a lifestyle.
Obesity is a symptom, Obesity is a cause, but Obesity is not a disease in itself.....sorry.
Obesity is a symptom, Obesity is a cause, but Obesity is not a disease in itself.....sorry.
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
Unlike smoking or alcoholism, the overriding problem with obesity is, you MUST eat in order to live.
I think, outside of classifying it as a disease, this is a good step. It doesn't do any good to continually deal with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, arteriosclerosis, high cholesterol and so forth while totally ignoring diet, exercise and obesity. Wouldn't it be smarter to allow a doctor to treat obesity as a disease, then have to conduct a triple bypass or treat a stroke victim?
I had an uncle die a year ago who developed adult onset diabetes due to obesity. He had had both feet amputated, and it killed him at the ripe old age of 55. If he could have been properly treated, it's possible his life could have been spared.
I think, outside of classifying it as a disease, this is a good step. It doesn't do any good to continually deal with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, arteriosclerosis, high cholesterol and so forth while totally ignoring diet, exercise and obesity. Wouldn't it be smarter to allow a doctor to treat obesity as a disease, then have to conduct a triple bypass or treat a stroke victim?
I had an uncle die a year ago who developed adult onset diabetes due to obesity. He had had both feet amputated, and it killed him at the ripe old age of 55. If he could have been properly treated, it's possible his life could have been spared.
C
cmdrfunk
Guest
If you couldn't stop loving the delicious taste of butter enough to prevent your own death, you are not a victim. You are pseudo-darwined.
Let's not contribute any further to our victim culture.
aww screw it. my liver diseased was caused by my bad genes, not my excessive love of beer.
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
You're missing my point. Should a medical program squander its resources treating your cyrrhosis, when it's cheaper to treat your drinking problem?
I don't care if people dislike the labelling as "a disease" or if they think it's a "victim mentality". It's just more intelligent to place attention on preventative measures, than to deal with it after it's a problem. Because if it was such an easy problem to solve, it wouldn't be far and away the biggest killer in the nation.
S
Shutterbug
Guest
OH PULEESE! I have been fat before and I never whined and cried that it was a disease that caused it. Go to Europe or Asia...those people don't have the obesity problems that we have in the US. Or maybe they just haven't caught the disease yet.....
Next thing you know, stupidity will be a disease.
SamSpade
Well-Known Member
Is everybody just NOT reading what I am saying? I could give a crap if they call it a disease or if they call it a WMD. If they call it a "disease" then money can be used to treat it. And as I've now repeated twice, it makes more sense to PREVENT a coronary bypass than to do nothing until it happens.
It so happens it is also MUCH CHEAPER. It's good sense, and good business.
Oh and by the way - obesity as a national health problem IS growing in other countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia (whose problem may be getting WORSE). And it is already a serious problem for developing nations in this hemisphere.
It so happens it is also MUCH CHEAPER. It's good sense, and good business.
Oh and by the way - obesity as a national health problem IS growing in other countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia (whose problem may be getting WORSE). And it is already a serious problem for developing nations in this hemisphere.
sleuth
Livin' Like Thanksgivin'
I hear ya... I just haven't been chiming in.
I agree with the most part that obesity is not "technically" a disease, but that it should be treated as one.
Preventative medicine is always the best kind of medicine. And it's always better to treat the cause of health problems rather than the symptoms. With obesity being the root cause of many... many other health problems, it only makes sense to treat it as a cause, or disease.
SuperGrover
jack of all trades
they are right, it's a
food in mouth disease
food in mouth disease
Super-sizing is not a disease and a couch potato is not a vegetable. If you eat yourself into oblivion because of stress, laziness, or love of food - take control - you shouldn't expect someone to save you from yourself. If you're not interested in preventing your own medical problems caused by stuffing your face, why should anyone else be concerned with it?
sleuth
Livin' Like Thanksgivin'
Sharon, like anyone with bad health habits, there are a certain percentage of those who could give a ratz azz.
But there is also a percentage of people who WANT to take control and either don't know how, or can't seem to find success even when they do.
I myself have battled my weight since I was very young, and it's a never ending battle. I'm lucky I only need to lose 30-40 pounds instead of 140. The only reason I don't have that much to lose is because I'm always battling, but despite my never-ending battle, I find weight control to be a very difficult thing.
And it's not just me. Seems like for every person who is successful at losing weight or controlling their weight, there are just as many if not more people who diet unsuccessfully. Those people who diet but are unable to find success are "trying" to gain control, and I think it's a worthy thing to give them a "hand-up". Those who don't try... screw 'em.
But the bottom line is so long as we let obesity continue to sky-rocket, our health insurance costs are going to rise, not to mention the countless great minds in other fields that we will lose prematurely. The obesity problem in America hurts America, not just those who are obese. And it's in everyone's best interests (skinny-minis included) to get it under control.
F
Frisbee
Guest
How can you prevent apathy and/or a lack of self-control?
H
HollowSoul
Guest
ok.the question i have on this subject is this....
in what point in your life(for those who just give up) do you look at yourself in the mirror and say.."ok...i'm fat..."
there are several million people that are severely overweight by 170lbs or more..
when is it that they just lose self respect?
there had to be a point in time in there life when they were not overweight. i work with a lot of people that have weight issues and i see first hand how hard they have to work in order to lose it...i mean hell their careers are at stake if they don't meet weight standards.
it all boiles down to the indevidual...YOU have to take control of YOUR life, buy a bike and ride it to work, when you get hungry..chew on some gum.
I personally am on the opposite side of the spectrum...being that i have a super high metabolisim, i can eat whatever,where ever,whenever. although i don't concider myself lucky on this because there are some downsides to high metabolisims..
I could be totally wrong on this but i have an idea......overweight people(although some won't admit it)have a low self esteem issue...next time you run into an overweight friend,co-worker, tell them you think they look nice, ask them if they are losing weight...
realizing that someone commended them on their apearance in my opinion should boost their self esteem.....and to keep the compliments commin......maybe they will do somethin pro-active to solve their weight issue....
maybe im wrong........or maybe im right.......isn't it worth a try?
in what point in your life(for those who just give up) do you look at yourself in the mirror and say.."ok...i'm fat..."
there are several million people that are severely overweight by 170lbs or more..
when is it that they just lose self respect?
there had to be a point in time in there life when they were not overweight. i work with a lot of people that have weight issues and i see first hand how hard they have to work in order to lose it...i mean hell their careers are at stake if they don't meet weight standards.
it all boiles down to the indevidual...YOU have to take control of YOUR life, buy a bike and ride it to work, when you get hungry..chew on some gum.
I personally am on the opposite side of the spectrum...being that i have a super high metabolisim, i can eat whatever,where ever,whenever. although i don't concider myself lucky on this because there are some downsides to high metabolisims..
I could be totally wrong on this but i have an idea......overweight people(although some won't admit it)have a low self esteem issue...next time you run into an overweight friend,co-worker, tell them you think they look nice, ask them if they are losing weight...
realizing that someone commended them on their apearance in my opinion should boost their self esteem.....and to keep the compliments commin......maybe they will do somethin pro-active to solve their weight issue....
maybe im wrong........or maybe im right.......isn't it worth a try?
I don't think everyone who is overweight has a low-self-esteem problem. I've known some people that know they are "heavy", they don't dwell on it, they have wonderful personalities. If their being heavy doesn't bother them it shouldn't bother anyone else. I don't base my friendships on a person's appearance.
OTOH, I've listened to the skinny-mini's dwell on how "fat" they are...and
all the time about how happy they would be if they could just lose a measly 5-10 pounds. Guess who's a bigger drag to hang around?
H
HollowSoul
Guest
oh i agree.....i dont base friendships on apearance, and there are alot of overweight people that are happy-go-lucky, but all go through that period where they wanna change their apearance and don't know where to start.Originally posted by Sharon
I don't think everyone who is overweight has a low-self-esteem problem. I've known some people that know they are "heavy", they don't dwell on it, they have wonderful personalities. If their being heavy doesn't bother them it shouldn't bother anyone else. I don't base my friendships on a person's appearance.
OTOH, I've listened to the skinny-mini's dwell on how "fat" they are...and
Guess who's a bigger drag to hang around?
all i'm sayin is don't just turn up your nose.....if they want help...help em, if they are not willing to be pro-active....then they have no-one else to blame but themselves.
going through a drive through and gett'n a bucket of chicken and 10 buttermilk buiscuits and thinking that the diet coke they ordered is gonna solve their probs is just bent thinking
Maybe for a man.
I think most people do. Getting started is not easy. It takes willpower and determination to break BAD habits.In this country, I find it hard to believe that there's a woman alive today that has that problem about "where to start". We've been bombarded by billboards, magazine articles, diets of the month, books, TV, ad nauseam on how to be thin and beautiful. In general, society accepts men who are overweight more readily than women. Factor in - air brushed models...who can compete with that? Women give up.
It's hard to diet all the time, we (people in general) want thin and we want it fast. If it took years to gain, it's gonna take longer than a month (or 6) to lose. Age plays into it too. You lose muscle mass as you get older...you need to exercise more and eat less to maintain. Men don't go thru pregnancy & childbirth, where women are discouraged from dieting and sometimes that's where all hell breaks loose.
H
HollowSoul
Guest
true...i also believe that the only viable way to blame obesity on society is the drive through ect.Originally posted by Sharon
Maybe for a man.
In this country, I find it hard to believe that there's a woman alive today that has that problem about "where to start". We've been bombarded by billboards, magazine articles, diets of the month, books, TV, ad nauseam on how to be thin and beautiful. In general, society accepts men who are overweight more readily than women. Factor in - air brushed models...who can compete with that? Women give up.
It's hard to diet all the time, we (people in general) want thin and we want it fast. If it took years to gain, it's gonna take longer than a month (or 6) to lose. Age plays into it too. You lose muscle mass as you get older...you need to exercise more and eat less to maintain. Men don't go thru pregnancy & childbirth, where women are discouraged from dieting and sometimes that's where all hell breaks loose.
now-adays everything is convienient, food, prescription pills,oil changes, botox, you name it....you can get it in under 15min! hardy anything is done the hard way anymore. a perfect example is what we'r doin now.....approx 13% of the population in the us actually rely on a pen and paper with stamp in order to communicate..our society as awhole has esentially gotten lazy so naturally the weight issue is easily remedy'd through surgery and other "easy" avenues.....they soon realize later that the surgery may have fixed their apearance but their back to their old ways only months afterwards.....
i just don't think obesity should be concidered a disease....there are alot more dangerous diseases out there that need to be investigated........like "natural causes" what the he!! is that?! natural causes kills more people that all diseases combined............they need to figure out what causes natural causes....
