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There are some people who are fat people because of genetics, hormone malfunction, medications, etc. However we have an epidemic of obesity that is caused by the food we eat. Many people cannot afford fresh healthy foods and are condemned to eat mostly processed foods that are really a concoction of various chemicals. Almost all processed foods, (and that is most of the supermarkets), is ladened with HFCS, GMO's, pesticides, herbicides, and additives not necessary to the product. Most of these chemicals screw up our hormones resulting in stored fat and chemical imbalances. Most of these substances are also addictive making it difficult to break the cycle.
Secondly, when a person becomes sick, (diabetes, etc), they become dependent on big pharma for the medications that are supposed to counteract the effect of the garbage processed foods. Many of these so-called medications add more unwanted weight causing many fat people to become obese.
This is a win-win for both the industrial food business and big pharma. They like pointing their finger at the person suffering from obesity but the truth is in most cases they are the ones responsible for the obesity epidemic.
If I call someone fat, they call it fat shaming, but it's really doing them a favor. Obesity leads to all sorts of health problems and is the main reason for our crumbling health system, but everyone wants to be politically correct.
Treat it like a disease because thats what it is. If your friend had a debilitating disease, would you be comfortable talking about it? Fat shaming doesnt work & neither will fat acceptance. Flaunt or ridicule all you want but when reality hits with high cost of healthcare, people will try to do something about it. Not your responsibility to fix their issues. It does affect your premiums so I dont blame others for trying to fix people intentionally sabotaging their health by smoking & over eating. Best you can do is lead by example.
I am likely the most consistent poster on this forum advocating for Universal Healthcare ( not necessarily Single Payer). I have no issue with subsidizing healthcare premiums for people who take responsibility for their own health.
About 1% of the population is addicted to recreational drugs.
CDC estimates about 1.8 of us are HIV/ AIDS positive.
About 17.6% of us smoke tobacco.
30 million, nearly 10% of the population have Diabetes and the majority are overweight- obese.
75% of us are overweight- obese.
You tell me which group poses the greatest health risks.
Women with waist sizes > 35" are at high risk for a variety of health problems that could otherwise be avoided.
35" is not ideal but certainly a reasonable goal for 99.999% of non pregnant women. Is this really to much to expect of a population choking on the high cost of healthcare?
You want to reduce the cost of healthcare premiums in the US, you have to get to the root causes.
Makes no sense that 75% of us are overweight- obese and then complain about healthcare costs.
Give people lead time to make their own decision to lose the lbs or not. Our choices have consequences.
I asked you to rate yourself on perfection, on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being the most perfect. Instead, you give me a bunch of useless facts.
The liberals and the current administration have forced this national health care on us. They claim it's because they want to help us (for our own good, of course). Many of us see right through it. We've said all along it's because they want more control over us. "Live in accordance with how we dictate,,, or we'll deny you health coverage."
I asked you to rate yourself on perfection, on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being the most perfect. Instead, you give me a bunch of useless facts.
The liberals and the current administration have forced this national health care on us. They claim it's because they want to help us (for our own good, of course). Many of us see right through it. We've said all along it's because they want more control over us. "Live in accordance with how we dictate,,, or we'll deny you health coverage."
We don't have national healthcare. We have a national private insurance requirement. There is a massive world of difference between the two. Also one of the keys of the legislation is that you can't be dropped for pre-existing conditions, which wasn't law previously.
My husband and I tested this out by both going on a strict 2000 calorie diet, and not exercising for a month. He is a bit on the fluffy side to start with, whereas my BMI is 16.5.
He gained 10 pounds, I lost 7.
Looking at our families, this result was no surprise. Everyone in his family is VERY overweight (so even though he's chubby, he's the skinny one in his family because he works SO HARD to not let himself end up obese.) None of them eat much. Whenever I stay with them, I'm always hungry because they always do everything except eat! I have to sneak off somewhere to buy snacks and I feel like such a greedy pig compared to them, LOL.
My family, on the other hand, are all naturally underweight, and we are all huge foodies! Only 3 meals to us is torture and we eat lots of fatty and sugary foods. Lots of fast food, and no one in my family cares much for exercise.
I am likely the most consistent poster on this forum advocating for Universal Healthcare ( not necessarily Single Payer). I have no issue with subsidizing healthcare premiums for people who take responsibility for their own health.
About 1% of the population is addicted to recreational drugs.
CDC estimates about 1.8 of us are HIV/ AIDS positive.
About 17.6% of us smoke tobacco.
30 million, nearly 10% of the population have Diabetes and the majority are overweight- obese.
75% of us are overweight- obese.
You tell me which group poses the greatest health risks.
Women with waist sizes > 35" are at high risk for a variety of health problems that could otherwise be avoided.
35" is not ideal but certainly a reasonable goal for 99.999% of non pregnant women. Is this really to much to expect of a population choking on the high cost of healthcare?
You want to reduce the cost of healthcare premiums in the US, you have to get to the root causes.
Makes no sense that 75% of us are overweight- obese and then complain about healthcare costs.
Give people lead time to make their own decision to lose the lbs or not. Our choices have consequences.
So you are okay with taking away health insurance, even though you are for a single payer option, for 75% of the population??
Do you honestly think that will encourage them to lose weight?
I don't and it is odd that you would believe that IMO.
I will also note that "at-risk" doesn't mean someone will get any specific disease. Everyone is "at-risk" for something. If we are going to decide that people with a certain waist measurement cannot get health insurance, that is going down a slipperly slope of exclusion for people that many times will cause worse outcomes in regards to our society.
The root causes of obesity IMO are poor lifestyle choices along with mental issues relating to depression. Everyone who I have ever known who is extremely obese has some sort of mental health problem. It is not a good idea to take away health resources for people who need them the most.
75% of US adults are overweight- obese and therefore substantially more vulnerable to Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease, Joint Deterioration and some Cancers. It should come as no surprise that healthcare costs what it does.
For crying out loud, 30 million ( almost 10% of the population) has Diabetes. The annual cost to treat Diabetes and complications exceeds insurance premiums.
Having said this, I do not understand the intent of " fat shaming".
Better to make an objective waist measure a condition of all health insurance. Those with waist sizes greater than X are automatically disqualified from public insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Military and so on.
Those with waist sizes greater than X pay substantially higher premiums in the private sector insurance market, including group plans.
Put the population on a 2 year notice and allow people to decide for themselves.
Healthcare costs would plummet in the US if a meaningful percentage of people chose to right size.
That is pathetic. If you look at old news footage from the 60s and 70s people for the most part look slim and trim. You see an obese person here and there, but not like today.
I remember watching earlier on in the campaign when Hillary Clinton was at the Iowa State Fair, the reporter was talking and everyone in the background was huge. I don't mean a little overweight, these people were morbidly obese. And they were young people, pushing strollers.
I live in Southern CA, so people are somewhat more health conscious, but you see it here as well.
Treat it like a disease because thats what it is. If your friend had a debilitating disease, would you be comfortable talking about it? Fat shaming doesnt work & neither will fat acceptance. Flaunt or ridicule all you want but when reality hits with high cost of healthcare, people will try to do something about it. Not your responsibility to fix their issues. It does affect your premiums so I dont blame others for trying to fix people intentionally sabotaging their health by smoking & over eating. Best you can do is lead by example.
It is not a disease.
Obesity- with some exceptions of course- is the result of consistently taking in more calories than expending.
Most likely it is the result of the pleasure culture that is the USA. We drive everywhere and have convenience stores nearly everywhere. Junk food abounds.
Eating better and exercising generally alleviates getting fat. It's all about choices. Calling it a disease gives people an excuse to do nothing but eat even more.
I know plenty of fat people and so do you. They invariably eat crap all day long and never see a gym, let alone walk to a mailbox. Then they make pathetic excuses for their sloth lifestyle.
Shaming someone for bad behavior was given the stamp of approval with the anti-smoking campaign.
I remember seeing commercials showing smokers with missing teeth, long yellow nails, an overabundance of wrinkles. The names people call smokers are just as bad or worse.
Why should the obese be treated with kid gloves?
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