Gastric Bands: Encouraging the obese to be even lazier?

[orbs]

My friend and i (both overweight) but active, we paid a hypnotherapist £100 each to have the 'gastric band' after 4 sessions it still hasnt worked. years ago i used to see club turns that had people on stage and made them do all stupid things through hynosis, but its not worked for us then again we werent 'put to sleep'. at the time we went there was a full page in the sun newspaper about a woman who had hypnosis and had lost several stone

[focusedhypno]

In my opinion the use of surgery is not a real fix for the problem in many cases as it does nothing to change how people think about food. I have heard of people who have a gastric band operation and then liquidise fast food so they continue to get their favourite foods inside them, the ones that caused all the problems in the first place!

Change how people think and feel about food (and themselves) AND perhaps have the surgery to address the physical and the psychological aspects of the problem.

[Olive]

Absolutely. People should be allowed to be fat if they want to be. If they're happy with their lot and are active then it's less likely they'll be down at the GP with mental issues etc... You can be quite overweight and be fit. It's perfectly possible and nobody should be denied the right.

 

That's true. Society seems to have decided that The Thin are virtuous, whereas the Not-so-Thin are demonised. I know very active, productive large people. I'm sure we all know people who are rake-thin who do no exercise whatsoever. I also know one or two slim people who are obsessed about diet and exercise to a level that doesn't seem mentally healthy to me, it rules their lives.

[aliceBB]

Your problem Alice is that you are seeing people who are fat as one big group who all have the same problems and moral weaknesses. You are wrong. Totally wrong.

 

I've described two different types of fat people so far. One type is the person who is happy being overweight, but who actually eats pretty well and is active. It's a choice.

 

The other is the type who perhaps through no fault of their own lacks eduction and skills to stay active and cook/eat well, and who may not have ready access to nutritious healthy food. They almost have no choice or at least do not know how to get themselves out of the situation.

 

Then there are other types:

Compulsive eaters

People with weight issues caused by illnesses, both mental and physical

 

And your problem is that you do not read what other people write carefully enough.

 

My comments have related to people obese enough to be offered a gastric band, which is what the thread is supposed to be about. That means people who are clinically or morbidly obese, not just a bit lardy/flabby (which is more than half the population.). Within that group of clinically/ morbidly obese there are no doubt individuals, all with different reasons for being that fat, but what they all have in common is that they are dangerously unhealthy and not as happy and fulfilled as they could be. I am not interested in hone morality of it as such; I just worry about the impact on the NHS and public health. In my ideal world people would live long, healthy lives.

 

I do not dispute that there are slightly overweight people who are happy in their own skin. But those are not the type of obese, compulsive overeaters we are talking about.

 

---------- Post added 31-12-2013 at 15:26 ----------

 

That's true. Society seems to have decided that The Thin are virtuous, whereas the Not-so-Thin are demonised. I know very active, productive large people. I'm sure we all know people who are rake-thin who do no exercise whatsoever. I also know one or two slim people who are obsessed about diet and exercise to a level that doesn't seem mentally healthy to me, it rules their lives.

 

This too is true, although it is substitute 'healthy' for 'virtuous ' and it is true in most cases. I am not of course including the anorexically/bulimic ally thin, who are as dangerously unhealthy as morbidly obese people.

 

Britain has lost its way with food, drink and eating habits generally and it is not too much of an exaggeration to say that we are on the brink of an epidemic of Type 2 Diabetes, liver disease and heart disease in the under 50s. I wonder whether you will still be saying that those people are 'happy' when their lives are restricted or ended prematurely as a result?

[I1L2T3]

And your problem is that you do not read what other people write carefully enough.

 

My comments have related to people obese enough to be offered a gastric band, which is what the thread is supposed to be about. That means people who are clinically or morbidly obese, not just a bit lardy/flabby (which is more than half the population.). Within that group of clinically/ morbidly obese there are no doubt individuals, all with different reasons for being that fat, but what they all have in common is that they are dangerously unhealthy and not as happy and fulfilled as they could be.

 

I do not dispute that there are slightly overweight people who are happy in their own skin. But those are not the type of obese, compulsive overeaters we are talking about.

 

Actually, I've read very carefully what you have written. Your generalised comment about obese people being lazy is what made me think it worth pushing you on this a bit.

 

Post #19

[aliceBB]

I stand by my comments, although you are probably attributing more moral censure to them than I intended. Laziness takes many forms. Being disinclined to exercise, or to go on a diet, are both a form of laziness, are they not?

[I1L2T3]

I stand by my comments, although you are probably attributing more moral censure to them than I intended. Laziness takes many forms. Being disinclined to exercise, or to go on a diet, are both a form of laziness, are they not?

 

Not necessarily. For example, not if somebody had mental issues or maybe lacked the necessary education to make better choices.

 

Every very overweight person will have reasons why they became that way. A lot of the time it may be quite a sad story, nothing to do with laziness at all.

[Olive]

I stand by my comments, although you are probably attributing more moral censure to them than I intended. Laziness takes many forms. Being disinclined to exercise, or to go on a diet, are both a form of laziness, are they not?

 

I don't completely disagree with you, but I think it's too easy for people to attribute laziness to large people only. I'm pretty slim, I hate exercise with a passion (apart from swimming), and I'm probably quite unfit, but I don't think people would automatically call me lazy, because I look OK, I fit into society's picture of an acceptable way to be. But it's nothing I've done particularly, I've probably inherited my size from my parents.

[GLASGOWOODS]

But carers who provide morbidly obese people with junk food are endangering their lives even further.

 

That's true aliceBB.

 

Blame human rights. You can't force someone to eat healthier.

 

We had a client (female) and over 30 stone. She sadly passed away a couple of months ago. She refused to diet.All her support team (4-5 staff per visit)could do was deliver personal care.

[Halibut]

Blame human rights.

 

 

Why? What's that got to do with it?

 

 

You can't force someone to eat healthier.

 

Nor would you want to I hope.

 

We had a client (female) and over 30 stone. She sadly passed away a couple of months ago. She refused to diet.All her support team (4-5 staff per visit)could do was deliver personal care.

 

Tragic, but if that woman was an adult of sound mind, that's just the way it goes sometimes.