Fat activists protest diet industry

[THE BOUNCER]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/diet.....ap/index.html

NEW YORK (AP) -- Unashamed of their size, fed up with fat jokes, and angry at the national obsession with dieting, overweight activists are mounting a feisty protest movement against what it calls the medical establishment's campaign against obesity.

"We're living in the middle of a witch hunt and fat people are the witches," said Marilyn Wann of San Francisco, a militant member of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. "It's gotten markedly worse in the last few years because of the propaganda that fatness, a natural human characteristic, is somehow a form of disease."

The association, known as NAAFA, holds its annual convention starting Wednesday in Newark, New Jersey, bringing together activists for social events and workshops on self-acceptance, political advocacy and the "fat liberation" movement.

"I hope we can be a viable force of sanity in the midst of hysteria," said NAAFA spokeswoman Mary Ray Worley of Madison, Wisconsin. "I've found allies in all kinds of unexpected places, but overall there's a lot of animosity. Some people act like obesity is the next worst thing after terrorism."

The convention comes as the movement is scrambling to counter federal government pronouncements that obesity is a "critical public health problem" costing more than $100 billion and 300,000 lives per year.

Jeannie Moloo, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman who counsels overweight clients at her nutrition practice in Sacramento, California, empathizes with the activists' fight against bias, but says they should be wary of oversimplifying obesity-related health issues.

"Some people can be overweight all their lives and not end up with diabetes or heart disease or hypertension," Moloo said. "But the majority are probably going to develop one of these life-altering conditions."

Fat-acceptance groups were dismayed when federal officials announced last month that Medicare was discarding its declaration that obesity isn't a disease. The policy change will likely prompt overweight Americans covered by Medicare to file medical claims for treatments such as stomach surgery and diet programs.

"Obesity is not a disease," insisted Allen Steadham, director of the Austin, Texas-based International Size Acceptance Association. "All this does is open the door for the diet and bariatric surgery industries to make a potentially tremendous profit."

Most fat-acceptance activists endorse the concept of eating healthy food and exercising regularly, but they oppose any fixation on losing weight and contend that more than 95 percent of diets fail. They also decry the rapid growth of stomach-shrinking surgery; the number of such procedures has quadrupled to 100,000 annually since 1998.

Wann depicts bariatric surgery as "stomach amputation" that imposes anorexia on patients and exposes them to long-term risks. Kelly Bliss, a self-described "full-figured fitness instructor" from Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, predicts that future generations will disapprovingly look back on stomach surgery as "comparable to lobotomies."

Bliss, who coaches clients by phone and in fitness classes, subscribes to a philosophy called "health at every size" -- preaching that health, fitness and self-esteem can be achieved independent of weight.

"There's a war on obese people, and I'm treating the casualties - people whose hearts are being ripped out," Bliss said.

NAAFA and others have tried to combat what they see as rampant discrimination against fat people, but progress has been sporadic. Southwest Airlines, for example, resisted protests targeting its policy of requiring large passengers to purchase a second ticket if they can't fit in a single seat.

"People want to fight for their rights, but there's a lot of shame involved," Steadham said. "It takes a whole lot of determination to stick through it to the end."

A few cities, including San Francisco, explicitly outlaw weight discrimination. Michigan is the only state to do so, but its Civil Rights Department said only five of 1,696 job discrimination complaints filed in 2003 involved weight.

Walter Lindstrom, a San Diego attorney specializing in weight-discrimination cases, said overweight plaintiffs usually must prove that acts of bias against them are covered by federal laws prohibiting discrimination against disabled people.

"These cases are more difficult from a proof standpoint, and also because you're dealing with a very unpopular class of clients," Lindstrom said. "Juries are generally disgusted with your average size-related plaintiff. You have to get past that, and have them see the plaintiff as someone with a true medical problem."

Many fat-acceptance activists were heartened by this year's publication of "The Obesity Myth" by University of Colorado law professor Paul Campos, who contends that diet promoters, drug companies and weight-loss surgeons have whipped up an irrational panic over weight.

Campos shares many of the activists' views but says their effectiveness has been limited.

"The movement has found itself marginalized by drawing its membership and leadership from the far extreme of obesity," he said. "It will be more successful if it can attract the two-thirds of Americans who are being told by the government that they weigh too much -- the I-want-to-lose-20-pounds crowd who are starting to feel a certain amount of resentment from the constant haranguing they're getting."

[YellowJacket]

At least people dont have to worry about them striking, all that standing up and carry a sign is too much like exercise.

[Jarconis]

think of all the chaffed thighs in that protest... :shudder:

[decadecadeca]

I feel fatter for just having read that...

[hitmansb]

The headline should have read "Lazy Gluttons Unite!"

[Puma]

Fat people want to be classified as disabled now?

Goddamn it.. What the hell is this world coming to..

And.. If I am 5'11" 300lbs, but 4%bf, think I can still get qualified as a fatty and get disablity? Then I can spend my whole day in the gym, and just get bigger..

Those fatties on disability just spend thier whole day at home eating mayo on bacon, so wtf, why shouldn't I be able to?!??

<g>

Puma

[hlcn8]

why do fat chicks give great bj's?
















Cause they have to!

[funniirishman]

FOODBLISTERS annoy me. Everything is someone else's fault..McDonalds oil in the fries, hormone problems, parents fed em too much, stress in the workplace, not enough love in the world whatever..blah blah fucking blah...

Accountability has just gone out the window as long as someone is out there to enable them to be weak.

If you are fat and dont like it..diet. If you are weak and dont like it..get strong.

[Breeze]

Just what the world needs- another "victim" group. Fat people can do what they want, eat until you explode like the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters(anybody remember that)? I don't care, it's none of my business. Hell, i may fall over dead at an early age also, who knows when their number is up. But being extremely overweight will more than likely shorten your life. If your cool with that, then so am I. What pisses me off are all these parents who cram cakes, pies, and cookies down their kid's throats and turn them into yet another fat, unhealthy person who has to face the cold hard world as a fat, unhealthy person. There lies the blame and the shame. I just wonder if fat rights groups will join forces with homosexual groups- that would make for an interesting Thanksgiving Day Parade.

[Taleigh21]

I dont know if I will ever believe the statement that Obesity is a disease.

[speedracer59]

Originally posted by Taleigh21
I dont know if I will ever believe the statement that Obesity is a disease.

That statement is a load of crap. You vchoose to overeat.

[Stonecold54]

its not a disease. its a choice and willpower issue. i have no problem with fat people I just don't want to pay for their medicals bills. the same for smoker, drinkers, cokeheads, dumbshits and anyone else. choose the lifestyle you want but you must pay for it if you fuck up.

[meat12]

Originally posted by hlcn8
why do fat chicks give great bj's?















Cause they have to!

they all do too

[Stonecold54]

Originally posted by hlcn8
why do fat chicks give great bj's?
















Cause they have to!

how do you know??? LOL hang out a lot at McDonalds do you??

[speedracer59]

I got a little fat in college. I knew it wasnt because I had a disease. It was because I ate at the Hardees next to my fraternity house and drank about 50 beers everyday.

[meat12]

Originally posted by speedracer59
I got a little fat in college. I knew it wasnt because I had a disease. It was because I ate at the Hardees next to my fraternity house and drank about 50 beers everyday.

it's the freshman 15

[njjuicer]

Originally posted by hlcn8
why do fat chicks give great bj's?
















Cause they have to!

[spidey]

Originally posted by speedracer59
That statement is a load of crap. You vchoose to overeat.

You choose to smoke too. Does that mean lung cancer is not a disease?

Obesity is a disease is the classic sense of the word. That it is caused (sometimes) by voluntary behavior does not make it any less of a disease. I might add that all obesity is not caused by overeating. I know several people with thyroid deficiencies, some of which are hundreds of pounds overweight, and they eat like birds.

In America, 2 out of every 3 people are over weight and 1 out of 3 is considered obese. It is estimated that 400,000 people died last year in the US alone from obesity related illness. It is the second leading killer behind heart disease, a condition that ironically can be caused by obesity.

[Stonecold54]

Originally posted by spidey
You choose to smoke too. Does that mean lung cancer is not a disease?

Obesity is a disease is the classic sense of the word. That it is caused (sometimes) by voluntary behavior does not make it any less of a disease. I might add that all obesity is not caused by overeating. I know several people with thyroid deficiencies, some of which are hundreds of pounds overweight, and they eat like birds.

In America, 2 out of every 3 people are over weight and 1 out of 3 is considered obese. It is estimated that 400,000 people died last year in the US alone from obesity related illness. It is the second leading killer behind heart disease, a condition that ironically can be caused by obesity.

how exactly would you define disease?

[THE BOUNCER]

Originally posted by spidey


In America, 2 out of every 3 people are over weight and 1 out of 3 is considered obese. It is estimated that 400,000 people died last year in the US alone from obesity related illness. It is the second leading killer behind heart disease, a condition that ironically can be caused by obesity.

the only disease these 90% of these people have is lazyness. I realize some have thyriod and othe problems but most fat people do not. Most of these fat basterds do nothing physical and thus they have the matabolism of a tomato. add to that if they eat 3000cals a day and only burn off 1000, they are going to get fat. its not a disese spidey its simple science. i would think you of all people would realize that.

[THE BOUNCER]

Tell me something spidey, is being muscular a disese? I choose to make myself muscular. I dont see you saying I have a disese. But yet you stick up for a fat lazy slob who has made them self that way. You let them get off easy and call it a disese. Give me a break bro.

[sana]

Originally posted by THE BOUNCER
Tell me something spidey, is being muscular a disese? I choose to make myself muscular. I dont see you saying I have a disese. But yet you stick up for a fat lazy slob who has made them self that way. You let them get off easy and call it a disese. Give me a break bro.

that's not the point.

it's not a disease in it of itself, but obesity is the PRECURSOR for many life threatening illnesses. like the analogy he made to smoking - smoking itself is not a disease, but it CAUSES disease.

it is because the majority of americans who are obese will develop these illnesses that obesity now is classified as a disease under medicare so that PREVENTATIVE services can be offered. and in the case of obesity, that would be programs such as weight watchers - and unforutnately procedures such as gastric bypass.

it's about the government trying to pay for things and programs to educate americans to REDUCE obesity thereby decreasing obesity related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks and strokes.

[Stonecold54]

Originally posted by sana
that's not the point.

it's not a disease in it of itself, but obesity is the PRECURSOR for many life threatening illnesses. like the analogy he made to smoking - smoking itself is not a disease, but it CAUSES disease.

it is because the majority of americans who are obese will develop these illnesses that obesity now is classified as a disease under medicare so that PREVENTATIVE services can be offered. and in the case of obesity, that would be programs such as weight watchers - and unforutnately procedures such as gastric bypass.

it's about the government trying to pay for things and programs to educate americans to REDUCE obesity thereby decreasing obesity related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks and strokes.

nice avatar