Obesity Discussion Forums

[Mrshertzberg]

It’s a meaner world out there folks. Everywhere you turn there are people who choose to be hateful in deed and word for just about any reason you can think of. There is the obvious and not so subtle racism, class prejudice, ageism, and political polarization, just to name a few.

That’s not to say that there are not exceptions to every rule but so many people have adopted political correctness to such a degree that humans have found much more subtle ways of showing their hatreds.

Some of these behaviors have gone underground only to emerge in our institutions, businesses and social strata. Sure it’s always been there but now it appears that its effects are more noticeable and very, effectively dehumanizing to those on the receiving end of the many prejudices and bigotry being voiced concerning those of us who are not a size 5.

Obese, heavy, overweight people are REALLY catching hell. People assume that when they see an overweight or obese person that they must be lazy, unproductive; lacking the will to take better care of them selves. I am sure that a small percentage of people in the USA fit that bill, however, you may be surprised that most of them do not.

There are many reasons for obesity. The bottom line though is that people who are obese or become obese have bodies that literally no longer work the way they are supposed to.

Here are a few medical and non-medical reasons people become obese:

Processed Foods: White-flour-based anything, sugar, coffee, booze and high sodium content (all of which usually make up processed food) is the enemy of the human body. It doesn’t know what to do with it but glean what little nutrients it can, store the majority and dump the rest.

Hypothyroidism: Since the thyroid controls the basic workings of the human metabolism, if it is too low, then it cannot convert many food calories into a usable source and that inability will cause weight gain despite healthy eating practices. When the thyroid goes wacko on the low end you WILL get fat. If it goes wacko on the high end, you can lose weight exponentially and have as many medical problems as an obese person.

Cushing’s Disease/Syndrome (Cushing’s disease has always been considered a dog or horse problem, hmmm go figure): This disease is “reportedly” prevalent in only 10% of each million people if you want to believe what the CDC, FDA and AMA bother to report. Cushing’s occurs because the body producing too much Cortisol. Cortisol controls regulation of blood pressure and the immune system, and keeps insulin levels in the body stable. In Cushing’s Disease, it is assumed that only a tumor on the pituitary gland is responsible for the production of excess Cortisol. However, a few other doctors disagree and have found that Cushing’s Syndrome can also be caused by food dependency and steroid- based products such as Prednisone; especially if they have been taken for long periods of time.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: is a hormonal disorder in women. Most women would not know to ask their doctors to have them tested for this disease because the medical community considers it rare. I dare say it may be the norm today with the amount of hormones coming through our food products for many years.

Oral Contraceptives: Progestins and other steroid based drugs for cancer often throw the thyroid out of balance and injure the Hypothalamus, which usually results in weight gain.

Anti-Psychotic and Anti-Depressants: Taken even a short time, depending on the health of the thyroid or hypothalamus, will cause either weight gain or weight loss. The majority is weight gain especially in those taking these drugs for many years. I am doing research now as to how many people taking these drugs have had their thyroid effected, treated ,or removed.

Insulin and Insulin-Stimulating Drugs: These drugs are used to treat diabetes almost always leads to weight gain. Talking about a conflict of interest when it comes to a person already overweight from diabetes and deeply disturbing for those with type 2 diabetes

[ Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; ]

Doctors, pharmaceutical companies, the diet industry, and exercise businesses have a vested interest in keeping as many people obese as possible. Money.
I mean do you know how much a lap-band and stomach stapling costs? In some instances Medicare will pay for these surgeries before they pay for the many tests available to diagnose any one of the above stated problems.

Instead, millions are spent on denigrating people who find themselves obese and have no clue why. Billions are spent on gyms, get-thin drugs, exercise tapes and books, special foods, diet clubs, plastic surgeons and equipment, by people desperate to reclaim active, healthier lives and avoid the worse part…social stigma.

People are openly mean, insulting and hurtful. It’s as if our society has found some license that says they can denigrate, attack and verbally abuse anyone they consider is fat or obese. They don’t have to consider the why of it at all.

Doctors are no better. By far, 80% of doctors in the USA literally blow off people who are overweight, verbally insult them and assault them, never volunteer to conduct diagnostic tests the find out why the person is gaining weight or is obese and in fact will compound the problem with an assumed diagnosis that requires that person to take drugs that will compound the weight gain.

The medical community holds the obese and overweight in contempt, with callous disregard for the suffering and anxiety being obese causes not just socially but emotionally, financially and spiritually.

I myself am a Black woman, angry and obese. I know now why I am this way and have found a doctor who will do what I insist he do…run the needed tests so that I can take the steps to regain my life as a farm wife, artist, writer and now a social advocate. I am using my anger to make changes and to help others do the same.

I encourage anyone out there who is obese, diabetic or overweight, to insist that:
·Your doctor run the following tests to help you find out about your cortisol levels, trygliceride levels, and thyroid tests.
·Know what meds you are taking that promote weight gain and research it; in fact research ANY med a doctor wants to prescribe to you first before you take it.
·Don’t expect the doctor to tell you the truth about the anti-depressants and anxiety meds…they lied to me for 18 years.
Last but not least, Be Kind To Yourself even when others are not. Remember that if you are ignorant about the cause, so are they.

[monique]

Welcome Mrshertzberg!

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I'm not clear on which parts are backed by the opinion of a professor at the Harvard Medical School and which are opinions. I also would question where you got the statistic that 80% of doctors blow off obese patients. I think that's probably true, but in any informative essay like this I like to know the sources. Same for the conditions and medications that you're saying "usually" and "almost always" lead to weight gain.

It's absolutely important to find out about and research any medications you're taking, but sometimes as you pointed out that information is not easy to come by. And in being suspicious of pharmaceutical companies and doctors you don't want to go too far in the other direction and get paranoid or listen to those out there with an axe to grind. I have hypothyroidism and depression, and I used to be on birth control pills, and am now taking levothyroxine and Effexor-XR. I think it's possible that the birth control pills and anti-depressants contributed partly to my weight problems, but on the other hand without my anti-depressants I was so suicidal and miserable I couldn't hold down a job, and without the birth control pills my cycle was unpredictable and my anxious husband became convinced every single month that I was pregnant! Sometimes side effects are worth it if a medication can really help you.

Good luck on your health quest, I was lucky enough to have a supportive doctor and I know how valuable that is! Are you planning to try and lose weight? I went through a lot deciding to finally work on my obesity because I felt conflicted about whether I should accept myself the way I was or listen to the critics, but ultimately I decided it wasn't worth living at what was probably going to be a dangerous weight in the long run just to prove I was comfortable with myself. As long as *I* know I'm losing weight for myself and not because I bowed to peer pressure from the anti-fat mean people out there, I can feel good about it.

~Monique

[Falcon]

I think this is a great topic with what I am sure will be many differing viewpoints. Being VERY morbidly obese myself for going on two decades, I can agree firsthand about the prevalence of discrimination against obese people, even by physicians. I also agree that the percentage of "lazy, worthless" obese people is no greater than that of the rest of the population. Where I disagree, however, is the tendency of most obese people, myself included, to attribute weight gain to health reasons. I myself have hypothyroidism and I agree that it is a contributing factor. The key word here is contributing. I am not saying that there aren't people out there who are obese primarily because of a health problem, but I don't think this is the case with most people. Most people gain weight because they eat too much and don't exercise enough (again myself included.) And yes, your underlying health problems may make your appetite increase, but that doesn't mean you can't control it. I struggle every single day not to devour everything in my kitchen . But guess what folks, decreasing calories and increasing exercise does work! As far as patient/doctor interaction goes, I am sure a lot of people are like I was and just do not talk to their doctor about it. I would rather stick my head in the sand and pretend there is no problem. My doctor would ask me about my weight and when I didn't appear to want to discuss it, he would simply say that I needed to lose weight and leave it at that. Most doctors won't push tests or diets if the patient doesn't request it because it is a touchy subject. I hope I don't get blasted for this, but I just wanted to put in my two cents worth.

[monique]

Falcon, I don't think you'll get blasted, you were polite!

I do agree that health problems are only part of the problem, but it does seem that some people simply have an instinctive ability to know when they've had enough calories. Babies usually stop eating when they're full. And some of us just don't seem to have that "time to stop eating" message like we should. All the research on genetics thats being done seems to show that little things we usually think of as choices or personality traits may really be preordained by our genes. I suspect down the road obesity isn't going to be stigmatized anymore because it's going to be shown to have a physical basis and people are going to stop blaming the obese for their weight issues. I don't think this is a cop-out on the part of obese people, on the contrary once you recognize that you're fighting genetics or a specific condition it makes much more sense why losing weight is so difficult and you can think of it as recovery rather than just giving up bad habits. Sometimes people who've never had a weight problem think it's just a matter of going from bingeing and lazy to a normal healthy lifestyle, and there's more to it than that! I grew up chubby despite a healthy active lifestyle and never being allowed "junk food." It's time to recognize that being fit requires a lot more effort for some people than others and it's understandable but NOT inevitable that some of us can't handle it and end up obese.

I really think eventually the world will come to see obesity as a medical condition and be compassionate rather than judgemental. The intolerance towards the mentally ill seems to be decreasing and I'm hoping that will happen for others as well.

In the meantime I'm trying to get down to 197 pounds so I can be categorized as overweight instead of obese and hopefully keep my risk of health complications down. I'm also going to try and raise kids that don't judge people by their size or appearance and that think of being physically fit and healthy as worth striving for and not to be taken for granted!

~Monique

[Falcon]

I don't think this is a cop-out on the part of obese people, on the contrary once you recognize that you're fighting genetics or a specific condition it makes much more sense why losing weight is so difficult and you can think of it as recovery rather than just giving up bad habits.

I didn't mean to imply that it is a cop-out. I just meant that I think sometimes we spend too much time and effort blaming our health problems, poor metabolism, genetics whatever, instead of making a concious effort to make whatever change is necessary.

In the meantime I'm trying to get down to 197 pounds so I can be categorized as overweight instead of obese and hopefully keep my risk of health complications down

Isn't it funny Monique, that you and I are are striving to become "overweight". I have been obese since I was a child and morbidly obese since I was a teenager. I am going to be tickled to death if I manage to get down to the "overweight" category.

[Mrshertzberg]

Seems to me Falcon you are taking the same stance that those who have no battle with this problem take.

Excuse me Monique for not writing a "college level essay" so that it is acceptable for your sensitive intelligence. Quoting all the sources would take 2 pages, as would the statistical sources. You want more detail, you spend the hours researching.

I never in my post insinuated that I spend time blaming anyone for MY particular problem.I know why I am in the situation I am in. I posted the info for those who have not considered the many aspects of obesity which makes it so prevalent.

Still insisting that obesity is basically caused by over eating and lack of excercise is only PART of the truth.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by Mrshertzberg

Still insisting that obesity is basically caused by over eating and lack of excercise is only PART of the truth.

Actually it's the majority of the truth. The various items you cited only account for a small portion of the problem.

[Falcon]

Seems to me Falcon you are taking the same stance that those who have no battle with this problem take.

Not at all. Believe me, if anyone can sympathize with the difficulties that the obese face it is me. The point I was trying to make was that regardless of any underlying issue, be it mental or physical, weight gain primarily comes down to too many calories and not enough exercise. I knew that this was going to be an emotional charged topic, so I guess the best we can do here is to agree to disagree.

[monique]

Mrs H, I don't think I was being unreasonable to ask about your sources. You can't expect people to take a stranger on the internet at their word!

If we assumed everyone that posts on this forum had proof for their claims we'd all be using acupuncture, hypnosis, and dozens of diet pills rather than trying to eat right and exercise.

You had a footnote from a Harvard Medical School paper and didn't say which parts of your posts were related to it. I'm not asking for a college level essay, I just would like to know which things you said are facts and which you simply made up!

~Monique

[Obesity Discussion]

I have a feeling she won't be posting here anymore. She said she feels our responses were snide and unwelcoming, and that she can get more support from strangers in the street.

[Falcon]

I certainly didn't mean to come across that way. I simply was trying to make the point that whatever problems you may have, if you eat less and exercise more, you CAN lose weight. I didn't mean to drive anyone away, and I apologize if my posts offended.

[MichaelB]

Odd.

But then again, I always get a weird vibe when people post these manifestos (as their first post, or even down the line).

Basically, when people go on for page after page in a long diatribe of a post, what exactly do they expect as a response? Not exactly a great way to start a conversation.

[fivehundredpoundpeep]

I almost died because doctors would not listen. I am diagnosed with several of the conditions on there. Hypothyroid-parathyroids too, PCOS, and Pseudo-Cushings {They thought it could be tumor based but given health doctors told me any surgery would be too risky} Add to the stew pot the use of steroids for severe asthma and later COPD-which Im on even now and severe genetic obesity and endocrine problems [sister has severe hyperthyroidism] in the family and it was a quadruple whammy. Father had several severe autoimmune diseases as well and severe obesity though it did not get as bad as mine. I had to fight to stay alive and almost died, in fact I am diagnosed with a heart condition the doctor now has told me is from hypothyroidism being untreated and diagnosed for too long. So their discrimination has almost cost me my life, I did get a decent doctor by 2000 and one I have now is good, but I went to Centers for Advanced Medicine etc, where one doctor exclaimed "Oh My God You've Doubled Your Body Weight in Less then a Year" and still misdiagosed me, judging it as ALL COMING FROM EATING. I tried to tell them something is wrong with me, I showed diet journals and was called a LIAR for years. Yesterday I saw a story about a woman, and posted this on my blog about a woman who cant gain weight, you ever think some of these dummies would consider there are rare fat people who have metabolic problems. I actually favor the old fashioned metabolic theories about obesity and believe money makers and BS artists forward things that are wrong claiming ALL BODIES WORK THE SAME.

[HylaBrook]

In the processed foods section, there is no mention of high fructose corn syrup, an appetite stimulating ingredient in many processed foods, and artificial sweeteners, which are also thought to be appetite stimulators.

Once I gave up the above, plus switched to almost all organic foods, I began losing weight in spite of taking antidepressants and medication for diabetes. I no longer crave unhealthy things. My appetite is in control. I hardly think about portion control or calorie count. I eat anything and everything I want. I do not exercise. My weight loss is very slow, but it is effortless. I love my own healthy food so much that I hate eating out, and there are huge calorie savings right there.

My journey began with reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and watching "Food, Inc." on line for free. That switched my foodthink around completely, a very important step to gaining health and a better weight.

If you are having a bad relationship with food, stop beating yourself up and start caring for yourself properly. Oh Gee, it's time to go eat breakfast. I keep forgetting to eat. Bye bye.

[Rue]

I think the problem lies in the number of morbidly obese people who actually do have serious underlying medical concerns. I think it's something like 2% of all morbidly obese people actually have a glandular problem of some sort...

That's a very small number...and when you have that few people with an issue, it tends to get overlooked because the other 98% are overwhelming in the majority.

That's when you need to really insist that you get proper medical treatment...and it's hard. It's hard even when you're in a larger minority for a health issue...

[Sammie74]

It is really never good to post a forum when you are angry. Mrshertzberg obviously wanted to make people aware that doctors can misdiagnose conditions. But this is not just with obesity. It can be with anything because after all diseases and health conditions are constantly changing. That's not to say they are bad doctors and they are quick to judge - of course some can be but is it really fair to say that doctors are all like this? I feel MrsH's post came out more abrupt and ranting than she initially meant it. But I do agree with Monique 100% that you do have to be careful what you read. Remember when the article came out about the contraceptive pill doubling the risk of breast cancer? The actual figures went from 1% to 2% chance. Result - unwanted pregnancies and STD's. All I'm trying to say here is if you don't like your doctor go to a different one until you find one you like. And yes there are going to be other reasons why you put on weight other than lazyness, bad diet etc. but a lot of obesity stems from depression, which usually leads to lazyness and a bad diet. Sorting out the real reasons mentally as well as physically for obesity is the first thing you should do before anything else. Then choose a healthy diet rather than a quick fix diet. Don't be angry - be smart!

[fivehundredpoundpeep]

Originally Posted by Rue

I think the problem lies in the number of morbidly obese people who actually do have serious underlying medical concerns. I think it's something like 2% of all morbidly obese people actually have a glandular problem of some sort...

That's a very small number...and when you have that few people with an issue, it tends to get overlooked because the other 98% are overwhelming in the majority.

That's when you need to really insist that you get proper medical treatment...and it's hard. It's hard even when you're in a larger minority for a health issue...

I think the doctors have been impactefd too much by the diet industry etc, and they no longer think scientificually but prejudically. On my Cushings health board, people with PCOS and Cushings talk about YEARS of being ignored, and symptons, told to go home and diet.

We do get overlooked, and being told you do not exsist, is kind of hard. LOL
One thing Ive noticed is endocrine people usually have a different fat outlay, their arms and legs are thinner and fat is more central. The one time I saw someone who looked like me, well smaller version was lady diagnosed with out and out Cushings. You also get the buffalo hump thing going too.