Are people this ignorant? (Page 3)

You're an idiot!

I'm sure I'm one as well.

I know what this thread is about - but don't really care to comment.

BUT it doesn't matter WHAT the issue is.  When you ask "Are people this ignorant?".  The answer is inequivocably "YES". 

People never cease to amaze me with their lack of common sence and stupidty.....  I even surprise myself with my own sometimes!

I have not read everyone's comments so hopefully I don't duplicate efforts.

But yes, I think alot of people are ignorant when it comes to weight gain/loss.  I was watching TV the other day and they were discussing how obesity has doubled since 1960 (or there about's) and how most overweight people will say it is genetics.  The show's comments were that genetics have not changed that much in 50 years to cause a doubling of obese people if that makes sense.  The genetics come from the fact that your parents taught you to eat like crap and always finish your food, not to stop just because you are hungry.   Now I am not saying that some people lose weight slower than other's I am sure most will agree that is true.  It comes down to willpower and movement.

I have Aunt's that are twins.  Both were well over 300lbs and always claimed they could not lose weight.   Well they both got Gastic Bypass done and lost 160+ lbs.  Why, because they could not eat as much and excercised.  Granted there are people who get GB and gain the weight back as they continue to eat unhealthy so it is possible.  My aunt's will be the first to admit they simply ate too much and did not excercise.

I am far from being overweight.  Would like to lose the love handles, why don't I?  I eat too much crap. I work my butt off training but there are just too many "Junk" foods I like.

Not only is it easier to complain (or in some cases, mock) it gives us this feeling of self satisfaction and superiority. "I may have problems, but I'm not a lazy fat pig!"

Some of the comments above are just plain nasty. God forbid any of you ever suffer some triple whammy of a serious fitness-limiting injury, along with a catastrophic event that leaves you incapable of being able to workout. Yes, there are still ways to retain a lower weight, but it is a HUGE challenge to go from being able to eat 2300-3000 calories a day to 1500 a day during a time of incapacitation.

I WAS one of those people all y'all were mocking. Did that make you better than me? Am I a better person now because I am fit and 120 pounds? Am I smarter? Do I make a greater contribution to society? No. If anything I find myself slipping into judgmental behaviors. I remember when a fluffy bunny at work who, formerly, wouldn't give me the time of day wanted to be all buddy buddy after I lost weight and became "acceptable" in her eyes. I looked at her with this thought forming behind my lips, "Sweetie. You should have been nicer to me when I was fat. I was MUCH less of a b***c then."

So now I'm fit and slim, and am told I'm not too painful to look at, and in society's eyes I'm a better person. Pretty sad.

One of the things I do with my experience as a formerly morbidly obese couch potato is support current people with a desire to lose weight and no direction. Trust me, Kids, it is NOT easy to look at over 100 lbs to lose and give yourself the old "Well all I have to do is stop supersizing and I'm GOLDEN!" pep talk. Look at how a lot of people here are talking! We get that ALL THE DAMNED TIME! People treat you like you're worthless because you're so fat. You make excuses because it's hard to face the truth. (Raise your hand if you have NEVER made an excuse for bad or inappropriate behavior.) You HEAR how worthless you are both in and out of your head. You can't turn on the TV without it hollering at you that you need to lose weight to be happy. It is OVERWHELMING!

And for some of us it isn't as easy as "stop eating when you're full." What if you never feel "full". I don't. Well, rarely. I go from empty to stuffed with no in-between stages. So even now I still write down everything I eat, measure and weigh my food because that's what I have to do to maintain my health.

I heard a statistic that 80% of Type II diabetes is attributable to lifestyle choices, and 90% of cardiovascular disease (or maybe it's vice versa). That's pretty darned scary if you think about it. WE are the ones who are going to be footing the bill for this medical care, too. So stop mocking and maybe think about what you might do to set a good example and encourage that guy in your office who just maybe isn't ready to make that first step.

Depends on the person. I eat fruit and yogurt about 90 min before bed, and cold cereal and peanut butter about 30 min before bed nearly every night. I sleep just fine.

If I don't, I wake in the middle of the night really hungry. Since I count calories, it doesn't impact my weight. I more than burn it off during my two-a-day workouts (5 days a week).  

I REALLY didn't want to get in the middle of this, but I think you bring up an interesting point.  In this town I see a LOT of plastic surgery going on to make people look better.  Mostly boob jobs and collagen lips.  Sometimes I make the comment that if they used the 5 to 6 thousand on a trainer and a diet plan to lose 30 lbs instead of some silicon boobs, they would make MUCH better improvements to their looks AND health.

The problem is not the money though.  It also takes work.  Something I see too many people are not willing to do.  No matter WHAT it is.  We buy more speed in triathlon if we can.  We buy more distance on a golf course with the latest, most expensive drivers.  We buy pills to lose weight or dangerous gastric bypass surgery (to some, this is the only way.  I just hope doctors are diligent when determining that).  I'm guessing that many plastic surgeons are too quick to take the money and run and give someone a procedure rather than talk about healthier options - such as training and/or dieting.

But it's not for me to judge.  If it's in someone's head that fake boobs or lips will make them better looking or more confident with their appearance (even if they are 30 lbs over weight), it doesn't matter what I think.  BTW, I'm not opposed to fakes in any way (kind of like them), but some people take the quick and easy way to getting attention IMO.

I don't know that I would read the OP's remark so generously.  The entire presentation of the conversation indicates the OP was mocking, as opposed to observing, his coworkers weight battle.

 Nonetheless, I think Tory made an excellent point that is applicable even on a charitable reading of the OP.  Several of the comments in this thread seemed to reiterate that the struggle to lose weight via exercise and diet is a no-brainer - a "duh" type decision.  I think this is what many people who have struggled to control their weight will (rightfully so) find offensive.  As Tory so eloquently explained it, maintaining a healthy weight is not a "no brainer" for everyone.  To make matters worse, many seem to find this surprising even though over-eating is just one of the many ways a person can exercise poor judgment with regards to their health.  For example, given the plethora of information available regarding the dangers of cigarette smoking, a healthy "no smoke" lifestyle would seem to be a "no brainer" yet the tobacco companies continue to do well.

The OP wasn't harmless fun - it was the sort of comment that might make someone who is already unhappy with their weight even more self conscious of their problem.  This, in turn, may even make them less likely (or capable) of addressing it.

 I was just commenting to some friends recently how remarkably civil the BT forums were and how unusually helpful and friendly everyone seemed to be regardless of their skill level.  I really hope posts like the OP are the exception rather than the rule.

I would humbly suggest that in those situations one may choose compassion when hearing such things rather than silent judgment which, when you boil it all down, serves no other purpose than to feed the self delusion that "I" or "We" are in some way better than someone else because we look, act, think or believe differently....which I would argue is equally as ignorant as the overweight person's comments.

Just my .02

I agree to some extent but the ultimate responsibility needs to fall back on the patient or individual.  Health care can prescibe all they want but patient compliance is out of their hands.  We as consumers need to be held more accountable for our health.  I have a BIL the is cholesterol prone, borderline hypertensive, and borderline diabetic.  His MD suggested he lose weight, lower his stress, etc...   MD put him in touch with a nutritionist and personal trainer.  I have given him many of the basic textsbooks I have been sent or no longer use on nutrition and health/wellness, Rather, than follow the plan outlined by health professionals he has decided to continue on his path no overeating and no exercise.  His plans is to get heavy enough to qualify for gastric by-pass.    Easy way out.  Or so he thinks. 

I read somewhere the cost of health care was $36.5 billion on obesity-linked illnesses in 2002.  This was up from $3.6 billion in 1987.   Yes there is a time gap but holy cow!!  Also, in 1962 the obesity rate was 13% and now some estimate the rate is 64%.   Again, holy cow.  People will say it's their right to eat as much as they want and not anything.  True it is.  But, then you shouldn't be able benefit financially, so to speak, as a result of your choices.

I believe people are uninformed when it comes to dealing with their body.  An owners manual should come with it.  But, our bodies take care of themselves.  Many feel there is no need to learn how to take care of it because of that.   We do not have time or funding to educate our youth adequately about healthy bodies.  As I have found in the health and wellness classes I teach (college aged and older), many people know cars, computers, software, etc.. inside out and re-educate themselves time and time again to stay current.  But, are so misinformed and undereducated about something they only get one version of. 

I can empathize with being overweight.  I was 50# overweight at one point in my life.  I had no idea how to exercise or eat but I read everything I could.  I lost 55# at that time.  I did gain a little back during grad school but am working to loose it.  The reading I did actually sent me in a different career and lifestyle direction.  All this because I took the initiative to educate myself to improve my quality of life.

I agree that it would be nice to choose compassion.  Honestly, the only problem I have with (somewhat blindly) showing compassion for the guy discussed in the OP is, what am I supposed to have compassion for?  For the fact that he weighs 350 pounds?   If so, is that how obese people want me to view them, in general?  With compassion/pity? 

I don't know enough about the guy mentioned in the post to know if he is ignorant, or not, but OTOH, I don't just automatically feel compassion for someone who is overweight, also because I don't know enough about him and why he is that way. 

I was never obese, but I did lose 50 pounds in a year through self-discipline, nothing else.  I didn't look at myself with "compassion" when I was overweight.  I honestly looked at myself like, "you lazy POS.  Get up off the couch, stop eating so much, and do something about this."