Fat People

[Hanrahan 1306]

I am well aware of the ongoing obesity problem but is this thing really starting to get out of hand?  I went to an Astros game last night - first stadium event post-pandemic - and a solid 1/3 of the people in my section were morbidly obese.  Like fat rolls all around and spilling over fat.  Another 40% were fat and/or overweight.  I'd say about 30% were what one would generally consider to be a normal body type.  Maybe it was just a bad random sample but I am still shaking my head at the 350-punder who ate a batting helmet full of nachos, used his finger to scrape and eat the leftover cheese and then busted out an insulin pen.

Note: I need to drop about 20 and am not some skinny guy gratuitously fat hating.

[Deej 77234]

Surly night at Minute Maid Park?

[RollLeft 5051]

10 minutes ago, Hanrahan said:

I am well aware of the ongoing obesity problem but is this thing really starting to get out of hand?  I went to an Astros game last night - first stadium event post-pandemic - and a solid 1/3 of the people in my section were morbidly obese.  Like fat rolls all around and spilling over fat.  Another 40% were fat and/or overweight.  I'd say about 30% were what one would generally consider to be a normal body type.  Maybe it was just a bad random sample but I am still shaking my head at the 350-punder who ate a batting helmet full of nachos, used his finger to scrape and eat the leftover cheese and then busted out an insulin pen.

Note: I need to drop about 20 and am not some skinny guy gratuitously fat hating.

Why do you hate freedom?  Figure out how to make money on the situation like the rest of us.  Sell a better nacho and you'll be the conductor on the Vic train.

[GopherRock 1773]

 

[Helobious 9511]

You were in one of the fattest cities in one of the fattest states, at a game for a team with the fattest dumbest fanbases in sports. 
 

All that said, yes America has a big time fat problem. 

[aggie08 21592]

19 minutes ago, Hanrahan said:

the 350-punder who ate a batting helmet full of nachos, used his finger to scrape and eat the leftover cheese and then busted out an insulin pen.

That's not depicted on the American flag? No? Well, it should be.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13557]

250 is the new 200.

American capitalism has figured out how to make calories as cheap as possible. I imagine subsidized sugar and grain are a big reason.

[crash_davis 23162]

1 minute ago, aggie08 said:

That's not depicted on the American flag? No? Well, it should be.

America, fuck yea!

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19246]

2 hours ago, Helobious said:

You were in one of the fattest cities in one of the fattest states, at a game for a team with the fattest dumbest fanbases in sports. 
 

All that said, yes America has a big time fat problem. 

I love someone from the Valley being judgey about Houston.  LOL.

Edited July 1, 2021 by PenelopeWitherspoon
Cause I cannot type.

[Captainant 27990]

Just now, Nice Guy Eddie said:

American capitalism has figured out how to make calories as cheap as possible. I imagine subsidized sugar and grain are a big reason.

Ding ding ding, the corn subsidy that we've had in place since the great depression is a major part of why HFCS is in every goddamn product that isn't fresh. Shit, one of the "healthy" fast food chains - Subway - legally can't call their bread "bread" in some countries because of the excessive sugar content.

But doing anything about obesity is communist, or something. So as said upthread, may as well get into the XXXL clothing business to profit off em.

[SimonBolivar 10961]

I work in an poorer region of Central Texas and deal with average folk from around this area. I'll keep a tally today and report my very scientific findings.

[crash_davis 23162]

I cannot wait until the fat asses in the SEC states + Texas form a Calorically Challenged Persons lobby to enshrine obese people as a protected class. Pretty soon, Obese People will have their own month. I vote November and December since people this big need two months and it's when they can eat with reckless abandon and blame the holidays

[MoJames 8257]

6 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

I cannot wait until the fat asses in the SEC states + Texas form a Calorically Challenged Persons lobby to enshrine obese people as a protected class. Pretty soon, Obese People will have their own month. I vote November and December since people this big need two months and it's when they can eat with reckless abandon and blame the holidays

I doubt they are motivated enough based on their inability to keep from shoving fritos and shakes down their pie holes.

[crash_davis 23162]

All joking aside, this is a national health issue. Solving this involves every facet of society: cultural, geography, education, socioeconomics, race, self accountability, financial stability, etc.

I'm sure most overweight people are fully aware of their condition. For some, maybe many, there are valid reasons for their plight. 

[RollLeft 5051]

Some day you boys will learn.  Only after you are the ones shamed for your hate speech on this soon to be protected group.  How do you not know whether they identify as skinny.  Biology makes no shit.   

[Jerry Callo 8838]

4 minutes ago, RollLeft said:

How do you not know whether they identify as skinny.

I'm trans-slender.

[Celery Man 21028]

i've been roughly the same not slender not fat since freshman year at Texas, and it's been nice becoming skinny

[Continental Op 3934]

"Muh genetics!" screenches the fat person as they throw another Big Mac down their gullet like a pelican. 

[StruggleBus 3922]

21 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

I'm sure most overweight people are fully aware of their condition.

Do they not have mirrors or scales?

[MoJames 8257]

21 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

All joking aside, this is a national health issue. Solving this involves every facet of society: cultural, geography, education, socioeconomics, race, self accountability, financial stability, etc.

I'm sure most overweight people are fully aware of their condition. For some, maybe many, there are valid reasons for their plight. 

Yeah good idea. Since the war on drugs went so well, let's do another war on a different vice.

[Dennis Taylor 19085]

29 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

I cannot wait until the fat asses in the SEC states + Texas form a Calorically Challenged Persons lobby to enshrine obese people as a protected class. Pretty soon, Obese People will have their own month. I vote November and December since people this big need two months and it's when they can eat with reckless abandon and blame the holidays

That acronym is already taken 

[Neonmoon 38130]

56 minutes ago, Hanrahan said:

I am well aware of the ongoing obesity problem but is this thing really starting to get out of hand?

Yeah, about forty years ago. 
 

[RDCanecutter 26561]

58 minutes ago, Hanrahan said:

I'd say about 30% were what one would generally consider to be a normal body type. 

"Which is also fat."--the voice of the 1970s 

[Reagan1k 3026]

It may solve the funding crisis we have with regard to Social Security.  These folks aren't going to live long enough to drain the funding.

On the flip side, any savings would be offset by increased Medicare and Medicaid costs.

Regardless, it'll become more and more apparent in mortality rates and life expectancy in the U.S.  Ever see a morbidly obese octogenarian or older?  They aren't there.  There are a lot of 60 year olds who look and act 80-90, but they aren't.

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

It's not just the US. Travel to Europe and you'll see it there too.

Blame Bill Gates/Steve Jobs for moving our jobs to 8 hours of sitting behind a desk. 

[Gatorubet 30431]

Yeah good idea. Since the war on drugs went so well, let's do another war on a different vice.

If its war, then we mine the buffet lines on every Carnival Cruise when they come back.

[crash_davis 23162]

2 minutes ago, MoJames said:

Yeah good idea. Since the war on drugs went so well, let's do another war on a different vice.

This war would be easy to win. How long do you think out of shape obese people will last on the battle field? 

The better idea is to constantly move the location of battles making obese people burn calories moving from location to location. The whole thing solves itself.

[RDCanecutter 26561]

Fixin to go to a Hobby Lobby in Alabama, will keep one hand free to count the skinny people.

[RollLeft 5051]

Just now, Cheeseweasel said:

It's not just the US. Travel to Europe and you'll see it there too.

Blame Bill Gates/Steve Jobs anyone else, to hell with personal accountability, for moving our jobs to 8 hours of sitting behind a desk. 

fify

[crash_davis 23162]

Just now, RDCanecutter said:

Fixin to go to a Hobby Lobby in Alabama, will keep one hand free to count the skinny people.

you better bring an abacus.

[MoJames 8257]

The IRS should just put an increase Tax based on obesity.

BMI greater than 40 and you get a % increase on what you owe for every point over unless you have documentation that your body fat index is under a certain percentage. God people would go apeshit.

 

[RDCanecutter 26561]

Just now, crash_davis said:

you better bring an abacus.

I ain't no early adopter of unproven tech.

[Captainant 27990]

2 minutes ago, Cheeseweasel said:

It's not just the US. Travel to Europe and you'll see it there too.

Blame Bill Gates/Steve Jobs for moving our jobs to 8 hours of sitting behind a desk. 

IMO, the majority of obesity problems stem from overconsumption, not under-exercising. It takes a minute to eat a hundred calories and it takes around 20 minutes to walk off those 100 calories.

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

Frankly, we've made it to easy to be fat. Carts to drive around it and "handicapped" spots for people whos only handicap is the extra 200lbs they are carrying around. We should make fat people park in the back and walk.

[BrazilHorn 6660]

3 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Yeah, about forty years ago. 
 

There is nothing worse to me than seeing fat kids who have fat parents because you know these kids have zero fucking shot at being in shape without a major commitment as they will be battling their parents bad choices.

Seeing these big fat parents at select baseball games with their kids already looking like "Baby Huey" is sad.

[RollLeft 5051]

4 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

It may solve the funding crisis we have with regard to Social Security.  These folks aren't going to live long enough to drain the funding.

On the flip side, any savings would be offset by increased Medicare and Medicaid costs.

Lol, as if fat people set healthcare pricing!  

[InkaUtexas 26383]

One of my favorite things to do is walk along the lines at HEB and try to guess what obese people have in their carts. So much processed crap and two litter bottles of soda and rarely a fresh veggie to be seen. 

 

[Celery Man 21028]

5 minutes ago, Cheeseweasel said:

Frankly, we've made it to easy to be fat. Carts to drive around it and "handicapped" spots for people whos only handicap is the extra 200lbs they are carrying around. We should make fat people park in the back and walk.

what percentage of people ride around in carts and have handicap placards for obesity? it's a food problem which is multifaceted but is not helped by the imperative that we produce the fuck out of corn

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

2 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

what percentage of people ride around in carts and have handicap placards for obesity?

98.7%

[crash_davis 23162]

6 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

One of my favorite things to do is walk along the lines at HEB and try to guess what obese people have in their carts. So much processed crap and two litter bottles of soda and rarely a fresh veggie to be seen. 

 

Except long, thick cucumbers. 

[RollLeft 5051]

11 minutes ago, MoJames said:

The IRS should just put an increase Tax based on obesity.

BMI greater than 40 and you get a % increase on what you owe for every point over unless you have documentation that your body fat index is under a certain percentage. God people would go apeshit.

 

Sure right after we tax alcoholism and the gays with aids.  

[workswithseed 2141]

Weren't some of ya'll complaining about being fat not a contributing factor to covid deaths?

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4980]

I've long been an advocate for putting small doses of birth control in junk food. Eat a little, no problem. That's all you eat? Well let's just say the obesity problem will mostly work itself out over time.

[mchookem 16562]

[SimonBolivar 10961]

Y'all are all mean shitlords

https://humanparts.medium.com/what-your-thinness-takes-from-you-81d64db784a2

Quote

What Your Thinness Has Taken From You

I told you my reality as a fat person, but you weren’t able to hear it

 

Your Fat Friend

Dec 4, 2018·6 min read

 

 

Photo: Aleksandr Karpov/EyeEm/Getty Images

The last day I saw you, you drove up in a new car.

When you arrived at our one-on-one happy hour, I asked about your new job, but you told me only about your salary. You were making six figures, nearly triple my salary, and were disappointed not to be making more.

“Jason told me I should be making at least $200,000, but we didn’t get there. Not quite.” You took a long sip of your drink. “You should be up there by now. I mean, you’re worth at least that much,” you said.

I looked at you blankly. You knew my line of work, knew what my salary had been two years earlier when we worked together. “Not quite,” I echoed.

“Why not? You’ve got five years on me — you should probably be closer to 250, to be honest.”

My stomach twisted on itself, soured by the familiar nausea of being told I ought to have a life that was categorically out of reach. It was the sharp sickness of choosing between convincing a smaller person that we live in different worlds or quietly agreeing to the premise that we are somehow received as equals.

I wanted to tell you that only 15% of managers would even consider hiring a fat person. I wanted to tell you that fat people make thousands less than thin people each year. I wanted you to feel that nausea, to tell you that this is how I felt when I thought about trying to find a new job as an undeniably fat woman.

You sighed and said, “I guess I don’t divide the world up that way.”

You brightened. “They gave me a great deal — I couldn’t believe how much they brought the price down. You should go get one! You’re due for an upgrade. I can give you the name of the guy I worked with.”

“I suspect that was just for you,” I offered and immediately regretted it.

“I don’t get any special treatment,” you said sharply. “He really was just a nice guy. He’d totally give you the same deal.”

“I don’t think he would.”

“Why can’t you just accept something nice?” you asked. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that someone might just help you out?”

Suddenly, my hot mouth overflowed. I told you that I wouldn’t get the same deal — fat people rarely do. I told you that the last time we’d gone to the buffet near our old office, I’d eaten half as much as you but been charged double. I told you that when you were surprised with a major raise during your last review, I’d been denied even a cost of living adjustment. I told you that even if you didn’t want special treatment, your size and your looks invited you into a different world — one that mine wouldn’t allow me to enter.

As I spoke, you punctuated my statements with sharp intakes of breath, perpetually ready to refute my take, ready to push past the differences in our experiences. As I continued, your eyes sharpened. When I finished, you sighed and said, “I guess I don’t divide the world up that way.”

That was the last time I saw you.

 

There are so many things I could’ve done differently. I could have asked you more questions, drawn you out. I could’ve used more neutral language, chosen my words more carefully. I could’ve talked to you about what it was like to live as a fat woman earlier in our friendship.

In the years since that evening, I find myself thinking of you. You, in your burgeoning career. You, sharp mind and keen heart. You, all empathy and kindness. You, slipping away from me every time we talked about our bodies. You, far away and getting farther. You, staring at my shrinking reflection in your rearview mirror.

Your thinness took your ability to believe me and people who look like me. It stole away with your ability to identify and believe the bias we face.

I wonder what you make of that moment now and what you make of me. I wonder if you think of that evening at all. I wonder if you revise your words the way I revise mine, editing that night until we come to another ending.

But there was never another ending. There couldn’t have been.

 

There was so much I wanted to tell you then. But as I’ve reflected on our time together, all of those things are underpinned by one sad truth: Your thinness has taken so much from you.

Your thinness took your ability to believe me and people who look like me. It stole away with your ability to identify and believe the bias we face — the bias that lives in those around you. It took the fullness of the world around you, reduced it only to those who look like you, quietly and passively erasing the rest of us.

Your thinness pulled you away from your values, too. As long as I had known you, the work closest to your heart focused on justice and equity. Your pilot light burned bright, fueled by the fundamental wrongness of so much oppression in the world around you. But when it came to fat experiences, you dedicated yourself to upholding systems that lifted up thinness above all else. You worried aloud about “glorifying” obesity, as if acknowledging my body was somehow a danger, somehow weaponized. You left behind your nuanced understanding of representation: that for many of us, seeing our stories for the first time is like breathing in our first breaths. You forgot the ways that invisibility feeds stigma and that stigma destroys relationships like ours.

You lived comfortably near the top of a hierarchy, and all the while, your thinness whispered that that hierarchy was borne of nature, health, evolution, attraction.

Over time, that world seduced you into defending institutions and practices that harmed you, too. Suddenly, cramped airline seats were simply a matter of the bottom line, and even though you hated sitting in those seats and hated capitalism even more, you found yourself meeting fat people with arguments about profit margins. You were a lifelong feminist, railing against impossibly narrow beauty standards, but the sight of fat bodies in ad campaigns and on magazine covers found you suddenly wringing your hands about the outcomes you always said you wanted. And despite your deep commitment to economic justice, when you heard about fat people on food stamps, you were suddenly an expert on how to buy healthy food using the EBT card you never had.

The siren song of your thinness pulled you away from seeing and believing the experiences of fat people all around you. It drew you away from the values you cherish, the people you love. Your thinness promised you the world, and it delivered.

 

There is a world beyond this.

There is a world in which we are still close, still struggling to understand one another. There is a world in which you heard me and the other fat people in your life, staying in conversations that challenged what you believe about yourself and about people with bodies like mine.

In that world, we work together for outcomes that serve both of us: more comfortable airline seats, more clothing options for all sizes, more standardized sizing, and more affordable clothing made by fairly compensated workers. More accurate, precise health and nutrition information that doesn’t just rely on weight as our lone health indicator. More accessible spaces for people with disabilities, pregnant people, people of all sizes.

In that world, I can see you: thin, beautiful, and wounded by a world that fed you nightmares of my body so long that you couldn’t see me as anything but a boogeyman. And in that world, you can see me: fat, beautiful, and wounded by a world that made me a monster just because of my body. In that world, we see each other, we hold our differences tenderly, and we love each other nonetheless.

I hope to see you in the next world. I hope to see both of us there.

 

[smuggs 9357]

This thread lacks The Fat Boys.

 

 

[Helobious 9511]

51 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

I love someone for the Valley being judgey about Houston.  LOL.

I had to say “one of the fattest cities” because I know McAllen still takes the cake on that one, and goes back for 2nds. Whatever at least our air isn’t full of carcinogens. 

[Doc Reeves 6434]

1 minute ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

I've long been an advocate for putting small doses of birth control in junk food. Eat a little, no problem. That's all you eat? Well let's just say the obesity problem will mostly work itself out over time.

why not kosher food too while we’re at it…

[Trey3216 15381]

25 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Yeah, about forty years ago. 
 

Right about the time the Government Food Pyramid started popping up.  

[crash_davis 23162]

3 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Y'all are all mean shitlords

https://humanparts.medium.com/what-your-thinness-takes-from-you-81d64db784a2

 

the fuck did i just read?