A National Embarrassment II: The Costs of Obesity

Yep, tell me why it needs to be in soup, or bread, or cereal. It adds unwanted and unhealthy fat which is hard to shed and is a large portion of the problem, however since big $ are at stake I really don't see much being done about it, after all the companies selling it make big bucks and the medical industry makes big bucks, the public loses but they don't care about that.

DO NOT get me started on the corn syrup thing! By the way, it is now called "corn sugar" in an effort to reduce the bias against it. HFCS is addictive, it has the same effect on our body as heroin, and that is why they put it in things like soup, bread, etc. Our body also processes it differently. Here I go with the conspiracy theory...

Someone please tell me why the government is trying to shove corn down our throat? Corn sugar, formerly known as HFCS. Feeding corn to cattle (did you know that e-coli did not exist before they started feeding corn to cattle?). And get this, do you know how our bees are dying? Well they just found out that one of the pesticides they use kills off bees and other pollen carrying insects. Does the government care? No! Do you know why? Because they have created a hybrid of corn that does not need pollination!

I read a story about a doctor, I think he was in Hawaii. He did some studies and wrote a book about HFCS and how bad it is for you. Right before the book was supposed to come out, he was killed in a car accident, a suspicious car accident. The book was never released. I tried to google about this story and can find nothing. I'm just saying...what's up with the government pushing corn?

They claim it gets processed the same as normal sugar, I don't believe it but even if it is true too much sugar wreaks havoc with our metabolism and after a while completely short circuits it leading to diabetes and usually also weight problems. Grab 20 random things in your pantry or fridge and probably 15 of those will contain HFCS.

E. coli didnt exist? No offense werinasadstate, but who fed you that line? You do realize that you have a nice healthy crop of E. coli growing inside of you right now... right? Bacteria isn't always a bad thing.

HFCS = heroine?

What exactly do they teach people in schools these days besides gullibility?

What really gets my goat about all this food hype are the people who spray every surface with lysol and freak out about E. coli in their food, but want organic food (which they spread E. coli rich manure on) and eat "probiotics" like they are the god-sent cure to cancer (which there is no such thing and never will be such a thing btw).

Yep, talk about a load of manure alright.

werinasasadstate,

...what's up with the government pushing corn?

Read Michael Pollan's excellent book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. The first section talks about corn and the government's continued support of the production of corn surplus in this country. We feed corn to animals that don't thrive on it and then treat them antibiotics to keep them "healthy." We put corn in all of our processed foods unnecessarily. And we keep on producing more corn. It's ridiculous.

Hey Miss Diagnosed, it's nice to see you're still around!

Grab 20 random things in your pantry or fridge and probably 15 of those will contain HFCS

Well, my fridge I am sure contains HCFC-22. Also, the cool-whip can contains HFC134a as propellant. But I assure you there is no HFCS in this house. We got rid of those years ago. We don't even use ketchup anymore because of the damn HFCS. My wife says they make you fat.

I'm on my standard weight, my wife is so FAT (I hope she never read this) and she hates it every time I hint to her current weight. I would not dare call her fat of course, but you know, "honey did you washed that shirt in hot water? It looks smaller than it used to". or "honey be careful not to step on the cat or you could kill him" Last holidays I gave her a t-shirt with a sign on the back that said "Caution-Wide Load", lucky for me the shirt was size small, so she thought it was not for her, wow, that was close, never again. Another day I put on those safety glasses I use when working with power tools, but keep them on while watching tv, she said nothing for some time and then could not resist asking me why I was wearing safety glasses? "Honey I'm afraid one of those buttons in your shirt might pop-out and hit me in the eye"...and then I ran as fast as I could... took me 2 hours to calm her down. Last time we planned on going to the beach next day, she sat next to me to watch tv, and I ask her "honey, why are you wearing a lifesaver now? Got plenty of time tomorrow to put it on.." No, we never made it to the beach.

No but seriously, my wife is so fat..and she has this diet theory about carbohydrates. She says that carbohydrates are the ones that make her "gain some weight" (it's not the half chicken with 6 slices of bacon), it's the bread toast what makes her fat. Who can argue with Atkins diet? I tell her "but honey I eat bread everyday and I'm not fat" and she says that she is allergic to carbohydrates and that is why it makes her fat, to try to understand that she has a disability. Yeah, a disability for chocolate and pork chops. I married a beautiful 105 pounds young lady and ended with 170 lbs. of aged beauty. Talk about appreciating assets. 65 pounds of fat. Well, such is life...

tony1234, you sound like the soul of charm and tact. /s

Thank you ... thank you ... thank you very much.

Also, there are very few people who are as thin and attractive as they were 10 years ago, and there is nobody who is younger.

Yes, that is true but still she is fat and I'm not. She was thin when I married her 28 years ago. I love her nevetheless, but she could be older and thin.

How many kids do you guys have? That is often a factor. I gained weight after 3 pregnancies too, and it is very difficult to lose at my age because your metabolism slows drastically after 50. The only advantage is that heavier people usually look younger.

Look, I'm really only suggesting that mental cruelty isn't going to solve this problem.

I am also suggesting that the onset of obesity is in the infant's first three years. Eating too much adds to the bulk capacity of the stomach leading to weight increase and more bulk to match the capacity and the weight on an increasing rate. The Obese seems to need more and more to eat even on a healthy diet unless there is an intense exercise regime.

Some people simply need to put down the fork but others can't afford nutritious food for themselves and their families.

Yeah, and those people usually live on the street and seem to generally be thinner than average Americans. For the people that can afford to shop in a store the basic grains, starches, vegetables, and fruits are cheaper than the junk food.

Many of the third worlders are skinny but then don't eat enough so they are not healthy.

I'm not talking about the people so poor they cannot even afford to feed themselves. Of course they aren't going to be overweight. I'm talking about the people too poor to afford all this junk food....the people that can only afford healthier food.

The biggest problem and the main point of this article is that obesity is too costly to our nation and too costly for the obese themselves.

I know. I'm pointing out that to solve the problem, one must address the issue. The root cause of our obesity epidemic, and the root of the solution are exactly the same: choice.

Dry beans and rice is good if you buy the best types of those foods but it is best to buy them in bulk or it is not worth the price and they would be toughest for families to prepare if the parents are always working.

I don't buy this idea that there are very many people that don't have the two minutes of human labor required to produce rice or beans. From the southwest to the southeast, from the east coast to the midwest, in all the places I've lived, I've never met anyone that didn't have that time.

And there is a reason that "fast food" locations are built in areas of low income neighborhoods. It is because it is cheap and people will buy it because they are lazy

It isn't cheap compared to much healthier alternatives, it is just fast and easy. Yes, lazy does describe it.

You can get 10 boxes of twinkies for the same price as a bag of oranges.

I have two words - crock pot.

Soak beans overnight, throw them in the crock pot with some spices in the morning, they are done cooking when you get home from work. Cook large amounts of brown rice on the weekend and put in the freezer.

You can get 10 boxes of twinkies for the same price as a bag of oranges.

Yeah, but I'm willing to bet that the 40lbs of oranges have far more nutritional value.

You don't know what you are talking about.

Oh sure, so when I cook I'm really just using magic to prepare the food.....showing that in reality, it is obviously you that don't have a clue what you're talking about.

People can only spend $10 at the fast food but healthy food is very expensive.

Let's see, for $10 I could have two Big Macs, a medium drink, and medium fries. Now, for that same $10, I could have 5lb of rice, 2lb of chicken, 3lb of oranges, 1/2lb of carrots, 1/2lb of asparagus, the spices/condensed milk/oil that we use for the recipes we like, and tea to drink, while saving the last dollar and feeding my whole family for a meal instead of just making myself fat.

I don't use one myself but I know that many people probably don't own one and probably couldn't afford one even if they wanted one.

Well then you don't have to worry about them being able to afford fast food.

What exactly are you doing to beans for three hours?

My own personal experience with shopping tells me that your estimates are wrong.

The fact that I am using actual prices that we use for food, and actual meals we prepare means a lot more than your false excuse about 'estimates'.

I would think you would have to pay closer to $20 for all that food products plus tax.

Well, that just goes to show that my grocery receipts have more to do with reality than what you think.

When cooking beans, the beans must be washed overnight or given a heated washing for one hour and then left to simmer in a pot of water for two more hours. It requires attention and it is a multistep process.

Then you spend far more attention on beans than most people.

Where are you buying your food from?

At the grocery. It is cheaper of course to buy direct from the source, but I've been living in an urban area for several years, and there aren't really many farmer's stalls around here.

If unhealthy foods are truly cheaper, then I think a good strategy would be to tax them. Would you agree with my idea of taxing those foods? If people want to eat unhealthy foods, they must pay more.

They already do, and still choose to eat that way. As for taxing, I do not believe that coercion is the proper purpose of taxation.

Hahahaha you're way off base,

Yeah, but I'm willing to bet that the 40lbs of oranges have far more nutritional value.

40 lbs? Haha try about 3 lbs and probably 1/10th of them will be rotten by the time you get around to eating them.

Let's see, for $10 I could have two Big Macs, a medium drink, and medium fries. Now, for that same $10, I could have 5lb of rice, 2lb of chicken, 3lb of oranges, 1/2lb of carrots, 1/2lb of asparagus, the spices/condensed milk/oil

Yep $10 will buy a big meal for one person or maybe medium size meal for two, whereas your same '$10' probably would not even cover the rice at all 3 grocery stores I live by much less the rest of your ridiculous list.

There is absolutely NO WAY that healthy food is cheaper than the less healthy altenatives. Whole grain bread - usually $2.99 per loaf or MORE. Store brand white bread $ .99 on sale. Even veggies are MUCH more expensive fresh than they are canned (frozen in the middle) but even when you feed your kids canned corn there are chemicals, additives and SALT!!!!!

I would love to buy prime rib at $10.99 per pound instead of ground beef at $3.29 per pound, but it ain't gonna happen.

I think a big big big part of the nutritional problem in America today is that a) lots of families eat in front of the tv instead of at the table b) parents don't cook a meal from scratch and c) parent's don't FORCE their kids to try something before they push it away. (I grew up three bites and swallow before you say you don't like it).

I know that when my niece and nephew come to dinner it's a nightmare. This one won't eat pasta, this one won't eat rice, this one ONLY wants bread... Do kids even know what a home cooked meal is SUPPOSED to taste like anymore?

40 lbs? Haha try about 3 lbs and probably 1/10th of them will be rotten by the time you get around to eating them.

I'm just going with the prices in the store. You can get a 3lb bag of oranges for the same price as a box of twinkies, and if you won't even go through a little 3lb bag of oranges in a couple weeks, well then I think we've found the problem with eating habits right there.

Yep $10 will buy a big meal for one person or maybe medium size meal for two, whereas your same '$10' probably would not even cover the rice at all 3 grocery stores I live by much less the rest of your ridiculous list.

Yes, that $10 can be used for an unhealthy meal for one person, or it can be used to make a healthy meal for a family of four. 'Ridiculous' list? I'm the one eating relatively healthy, inexpensive food....and you call MY groceries ridiculous?

There is absolutely NO WAY that healthy food is cheaper than the less healthy altenatives. Whole grain bread - usually $2.99 per loaf or MORE. Store brand white bread $ .99 on sale.

Both of which are more expensive than making healthy bread yourself.

Who knows how to make bread?

Lot's of people. It is a very simple process that people have been doing for thousands of years.

It's pretty easy, cheaper than buying a loaf at the store, and (at least the bread we make) tastes a lot better than anything I've found at the grocery.

Put it this way, a family member of mine that burned popcorn twice in a row yesterday regularly makes bread(without burning it).

Simple desert we have a lot is simply the same bread we usually make shaped like a breadstick. Then, cut a line down the middle, drizzle some sweetened, condensed milk, and you're good to go.

One Hour Whole Wheat Bread

2 Tablespoons yeast

2 Cups warm water

1/4 Cup sugar

2 Teaspoons salt

4 Cups Whole wheat flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 min. Stir in all other ingredients. Spoon into 2 greased loaf pans. Let rise until loaves reach top of pans. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 min. Cool 5 min and remove from pans. Finish cooling on wire rack.

This is the easiest recipe in the world. I make it a couple times a week, and even my son who doesnt like wheat bread, loves it. People assume that making healthy food is too time consuming. The truth is, they arent trying. I work 50 hrs a week, yet I still have time to make most of our meals from scratch. And I spend less money cooking from scratch and buying healthy food, than I ever did when we ate a lot of junk.

And if you're a real health nut you can substitute the sugar for honey (I always add just little extra for good measure and flavor)

You don't know what you are talking about. It takes at least three hours to prepare dry beans'

And nobody I know works 7 days a week that they don't have three hours to make a week's worth of beans, assuming they are sober on Sunday. At least sober enough to manage to not set the house on fire.

Furthermore, a crockpot costs about $25 new or $5 used at the Goodwill, which always seems to have them. Most of the "poor" can afford cigarettes and beer. I don't believe they can't afford such a useful item.

oom

but that would mean they would have to put forth an effort in actually feeding themselves.....ugghhhh

Polka, are you perhaps shopping at the wrong stores? I would avoid Whole Foods like the plague. Try the little bodegas, especially Oriental and Indian ones. They typically have some very good deals, like a five pound bag of brown rice for $5.

polka

what is the best place to buy rice in bulk??? curious.

I paid last week $6.27 for a 20# bag of long grain white rice (went up from $5.97 last time). It's about the best price in this town. How this price compares to other cities?

Oriental bodegas are usually the best place to get rice, especially when it goes on sale, as it often does. Brown rice is of course more expensive than white since it far more perishable. As for veggies, today frozen is considered as nutritious as fresh in most cases. Of course I live in a city so I can walk to several such stores. Hand carts come in handy.

What do you think about the high cost of obesity that the obese themselves pay?

Like my wife always says "el barato sale caro" (the cheap stuff costs a lot) In the end, you save a lot of money by buying healthy food, even if it costs more at the supermarket. If you end up with diabetes as a result of poor eating habits, it'll cost a whole lot more than a few extra dollars on your grocery bill.

I think it would be pretty sad if we really had to have government intervention on such a basic thing as feeding ourselves properly. Just my opinion.

It is sad but we should blame the people that manufacture unhealthy foods.

Sad is blaming one person for the personal choices of another.

Children should eat nothing but nutritious foods at schools

While this sounds good in theory, I don't think schools should be in charge of what children eat. Do they assign Twinkie police to go through the lunches their parents pack? 50 years ago we ate our share of junk food but we weren't fat. We did get much more exercise.

Fifty years ago most people did indeed have a television. One. Which we all gathed around to watch shows like Lassie and Walter Cronkite. However, there were only three channels and you didn't watch for hours on end.

Back then you probably also had parents who would tell you to turn off the set and get your lazy little butt outside to go walk the dog or ride your bike. They weren't all paranoid about kidnappings that are, in fact, very very rare even today. You knew to run to a neighbor for help in the unlikely event you ran into a weirdo. (Someone exposed himself to me in the woods. I ran away. Big deal. Nobody assumed I'd be traumatized for life, so I wasn't.) And you were most likely enrolled in something like Scouting or the 4H. Of course you also had chores, which are good exercise.

We nearly all ate a certain amount of junk food, much more meat than we really needed, things like mashed potatoes several times a week, and probably a dessert after both lunch and dinner several times a week plus a snack before bed. The problem isn't really the food, at least not in the case of children. A lot of it IS paranoid parents plus those who insist on nonactive enrichment activities after school like French lessons when they should be actively playing instead.

The world is a more dangerous place for children then it was in the past

It really isn't. It is merely perceived that way because we have 24/7 news coverage of the very few incidents that DO happen. There is endless repetition of those stories, which skews your perceptions. You are more likely to be struck by lightning than kidnapped by a pedophile. I raised my own kids free range, in the inner city. They are 14 and 20, and they are NOT overweight.

As for psychological problems, I think we just identify them more often today or even pathologize things that aren't really abnormal, like just plain being a boy, which we label ADHD and drug.

One of the few things that I am grateful of the current administration is that since Obama is the prez I lost over 65# and improved the overall quality of our diet. Praise the Lord, maybe this is what he meant by "improving Health in America"!

We used to eat out 7 nights a week and lunch out 5. No fast foods but restaurant food nevertheless. You know, steak houses, sushi, Italian, etc. Since we have no money to spend on restaurants and very little for groceries, I started at the beginning of this endless recession, to cook at home. Now we make our own bread, barely eat meat other than ground beef and chicken, buy real staples like 20 pounds of flour, 10 pounds of sugar, 4 pounds of real butter, 2 pounds of yeast, 5 pounds of beans and such, and make our own everything. Bread, pizza dough, biscuits, donas, homemade pasta, etc. We are not expending over $3,000 a month in restaurants. Sadly we are not saving any money, because there is none to save, but hey, who cares? 2012 is around the corner.

I think that by eliminating all those chemicals they use on ready made products I have lost 65#. Either that or since I can't afford drinking, or we are eating less, because we can't buy much food, but whatever, It works! At least for me, my wife is fat but that is because she gains weight with carbohydrates (she says).

Another improvement in America is that we are burning much less carbon fuel. Since we dont go out anymore, use only one car, and use the A/C only at night, we are using half the electricity we used to and half the gas. We ditched the cable too, so we have more time to be on the internet. Barack you were right, we are going GREEN! Yes We Can!

Thank you Obama, you saved me from gluttony, alcoholism and made us greener citizens.

and you wonder why people might feel depressed??? here is a quote for you

"The essential psychological requirement of a free society is the willingness on the part of the individual to accept responsibility for his life."--Edith Packer clinical psychologist

you see when people do not have responsibility they do not have freedom.

it works against us...and as each decade passes...we are less free...and more fat.

hmmmmmmm

polka...looks like you need to break out that handy dandy libertarian notebook if you want to end obesity.

I don't know about the fat part but definitively less freedom.

I will reciprocate with another quote:

“Be thankful that we're not getting all the government we are paying for." --Will Rogers

and

This struggle and scramble for office, for a way to live without work, will finally test the strength of our institutions. - Abraham Lincoln

and

Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear. --Harry S. Truman

also

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. -- Thomas Jefferson

I think that eating goes hand in hand with a lot of other factors in society that have gone wrong.

The modern person has to deal with a tremendous amount of stress over the course of most of their life. We live in ever shrinking bubbles of peace and quiet, we have far less space, fresh food, fresh water, and free time than our parents did, prior to that the stress they experienced tended to be for short durations and they did much more physical work than we do. The modern person has to worry about bills and being harassed pretty much 24/7 anymore, they do the work of 3 people and get paid 1/3 of what they should. They have to fight away the crowds at every public place they go, its a pretty stressful environment and it does lead to craving foods and escape outlets.

Anyone saying it is as simple as putting your fork down or "choice" obviously never lived with the problem!

There are some people with a variety of medical conditions that directly lead to obesity. They are far far outnumbered by the people that are obese due to exercising too little/eating too much. There is only one known heathly, long-term fix for their problem, choosing to do something about it.

It really does come down to a personal decision. A friend of mine spent years doing various drugs, but wanted a job that he couldn't have while using them....so he quit. My dad was a smoker, seeing what it did to some people he knew, and wanting to see us grow up, he put his smokes in a jar, and never picked them up again.

It all comes down to a choice of what you value more.

You honestly think people are going to voluntarily go into inpatient rehab just for food?!? They ususally have to be forced into it even for drugs and alcohol.

I buy some organic products and some others it isn't necessary. I buy the nuts in bulk and they are cheaper than other snacks when measured in calories. I bought 18 organic apples in a sack last week for $6. If you really eliminate processed foods, i am telling you its cheaper. Goodbye pasta, goodbye bread good bye milk products. No chips, crackers, or cookies. No rice. If you can't heat it and eat it or eat it raw, its processed. If you can't catch it, grow it or pick it, its processed.

If you can't heat it and eat it or eat it raw, its processed.

HAHA, that's hilarious! You admit to eating meat, but my meat is 'processed' since I choose to cook it. Quick question, how do you like your potatoes? What about all the other fruits, vegetables, roots, etc that must be cooked in order to be either nutritious or safe to eat?

Of course, wouldn't a real paleo diet consist on food you hunted and gathered yourself, as opposed to buying (or trading for cave bear furs) at the Paleo Safeway?

Food availability is at an all-time high as well.

In as much as starvation has been a problem throughout history, most would view that as a great advance.

most would view that as a great advance

I think this is the intention of the Obama administration. Improve health by starvation. I am part of that government experiment.

Exercise costs NOTHING. You can walk, run, do sit ups, push ups, etc. for free. If you don't choose to make the time then that is a personal choice. I work 60 hour weeks and have two kids in school, but I get up early every day to walk.

Polka, how much time and money does it take to do push-ups in your bedroom?

That's an extremely lame excuse for obesity. If fat people had more money and time, they would buy and eat more food.

It takes a lot of effort that some people can't afford to give if they have a long work schedule and exercise is not available where they live.

There's no such thing as "exercise is not available where they live".

Obesity can be defeated by educating people in the value of exercise and good eating.

No, it cannot. Most obese people understand how it works. They already have the education, now they need the desire.

Apparently not or we would see more people eating healthier and exercising more if they can afford to join a gym.

Oh yeah, and smokers don't have any clue that smoking is bad for your health. You're pretending that everyone does what they know is healthiest for themselves, which has no basis in reality.

Regardless of the reason, Obesity needs to be defeated because it is a national embarrassment and I think that is something we can agree on?

Of course. If making the decision to be healthier was something that other people could do for you, I gladly would.

It takes a lot of effort that some people can't afford to give if they have a long work schedule and exercise is not available where they live.

There's no such thing as "exercise is not available where they live".

I guess as long as they take a couple guns with them out on their walk, half of America is not safe to go out by yourself anymore.

Polka;

You and the just graduated from college crowd may well be a national embarrassment. As far as fat people, they have always been around, and not only in the U.S. If you find them offensive in your sight then pluck out your eyes so you don't have to view at what you consider ugly. The left is the most vindictive and uncompassionate group of idiots that walk the earth today.

I guess as long as they take a couple guns with them out on their walk, half of America is not safe to go out by yourself anymore.

Well, if you work from home, spend all the rest of your time at home, and your home is about the size of a walk-in closet, then your point has merit.

My brother-in-law is an overpaid civil servant who has ruined his health by sitting on his fat ass at work and at home. When he gat the job with the state, he was 195 pounds and in good physical condition. Now, 10 years later, he's 330 pounds and it's a chore for him to walk to his car.

Did it occur to anybody out there that some people inherit the tendency toward obesity? How about those taking medications which pack on the pounds?

Just as some of you think Obesity is a national disgrace, I for one, think that BLIND IGNORANCE is a national disgrace. Since when do we judge others without knowing the facts?

Granted, some people are overweight because they eat too much. Some people are just built differently. When I was married at age 20 I weighed 128 lbs and wore a size 16. I was NOT fat and I will never, ever be a size 2 or 4 (which is not healthy either).

How about those taking medications which pack on the pounds?

That's been discussed, and is in quite the minority. There is no solution for that until the underlining medical condition is dealt with.

Granted, some people are overweight because they eat too much. Some people are just built differently.

People that are just 'built differently' isn't really part of the discussion, no matter how you are built, there is a healthy range of weights for that.

which is not healthy either

Which again, will depend on your build.

I probably shouldn't try to interpret someone else's intentions, but I will anyway. I guessing that Polka isn't trying to say fat people are a disgrace, so we can all put that argument down, it wasn't the intention of the article. The fact that we don't do much to combat the growing epidemic of obesity is what is shameful. There is no shame in being poor, but for a country to ignore poverty among its people is a disgrace, and I think that can be said without offending anyone. Same principle.

Except that obesity is mostly a matter of personal behavior. Does anyone really want the government to control what they put in their mouth? I understand there are changes we could make to agricultural policy, etc., but we have to be careful not to destroy personal liberty while we're at it.

There's no such thing as "exercise is not available where they live".

I wondered about that myself. Unless you live in a prison cell on death row, you can exercise. It doesn't take a spa or fancy equipment.

spoken by someone who has never dealt with being overweight I'm sure. What intelligent people know is that if it were that easy, there would be very few overweight people. People like you don't help the situation, you increase it by contributing to lowering self esteem. Instead of being nasty, why don't you find an overweight person and buddy up with him/her? Call to go on walks, offer to help with healthy cooking, offer POSITIVE reinforcement. Show someone you care rather than showing a lot of people you JUDGE!

3 Steps for being a human being:

1. Don't judge, especially if you haven't walked a mile in someone's shoes.

2. Don't call people names aka be a grown up.

3. Have compassion.

I know those might be foreign to you, but try it, you'll like it.

I've tried to help fat people, but they just want to eat and wallow in self pity. Life's too short for victimhood.

When I visited Vancouver last siummer, nearly everyone walked or biked instead of driving, and people were out at night instead of hunkered down in front of the boob tube. In Whistler Village, there was only one gas station in the entire village. Nobody was fat.

The fact that people like you baby fat people is why they stay that way.

That is an incredibly rude, insulting and totally IGNORANT point of view. Your words are completely disgusting. Reported.

Yep. not being a compassionate person is not a CoH violation. Is more like a character flaw but then some could disagree so it might not be even that.

On the other hand I am sot sure if ignorant point of view is in fact a personal attack. No, because she is refering to her point of view, not her. Right? ;-)

By the way, so that you all know, my wife is fat. There, I said it, again.

Thank you tony. I'm sure both we and your marriage benefit enormously for telling us that. /s

Have you ever thought of getting her a health club or pool membership as a gift?

She have done that several times. Every time she goes on a diet/exercise plan she gains 10 pounds, the ten that she lost plus another ten. I heard this is common. Something about yoyo diet or whatever. Besides, she told me last week that she was not going to do any more diets. I said "thank God, you know I like big girls!". She is fat but not to the point of morbid obese. (I just asked her that term, I forgot how it was called, she asked me why I wanted to know, I told her someone here on the Vine was asking) ;-)

Tell me about it. I've been trying to catch a possum that goes by my backyard for weeks. I saw this program on food channel "bizarre foods" and it turns out they are a delicacy. I will keep trying.

Yes, possum stew is the height of sophisticated fare. If you are Jed Clampett.

Well it was on this Zimerman show on the food net or travel channel. You know that some man's garbage is another man's treasure. I remember that my dad would say that possum was better than rabbit. He was a young adult during the Great Depression and he will tell stories of how they will hunt possums to eat, and rabbits. Rabbits I raised for food back in the 70's, they are "good eats". I can't do that now because of the homeowner association and my wife. She's an animal lover and can't eat something that she have seen alive. That makes no sense, I tell her "but you eat pork chops all the time and you feel no remorse" -- She tell me is not the same as she never saw the pig alive. Whatever... Possum is ok with her if I kill it when she is not around. That is going to be a tough one.