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The Forum > Article Comments > Obesity is a personal responsibility, not a disease > Comments

Obesity is a personal responsibility, not a disease : Comments

By Gary Johns, published 6/10/2016

Rural Health Minister Fiona Nash rightly suggests 'governments can't force-feed healthy food to people'. But she established the Healthy Food Partnership to try.

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I'll stick with 'obese people' rather than 'people with obesity' as though fat people have a disease. Fat people have no self-control, and that's not a disease. There are a few exceptions, of course, but as a rule, fat people are just gluttons. Why should we spend billions on fat bastards?
Posted by ttbn, Thursday, 6 October 2016 5:02:38 PM
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//I'll stick with 'obese people' rather than 'people with obesity' as though fat people have a disease. Fat people have no self-control, and that's not a disease.//

On the flip side to the fatties we have the anorexics. That it is considered a disease, and it does kill people. Mind you, so does being obese.

I wonder why it is that when people starve themselves that's severe mental illness, but when they're eating themselves to death it's a 'lifestyle disease'. Bugger off: if your grasp on reality is so tenuous that you don't think it's a good idea to lay off the pies when you can't see your toes anymore, then you're barking.

We need to recognise obesity for what it is: an eating disorder. Sorry, Gary, but mental illnesses are still diseases. And we need to encourage the fatties to get all the counselling they need to address their mental illness.

Also, we should ban the use of mobility scooters for fatties. They just use them as an excuse not to walk.
Posted by Toni Lavis, Thursday, 6 October 2016 7:27:08 PM
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An interesting Topic for sure. In my old job we all had to pass a very strict medical examination before we were even allowed in for training, we had to be a minimum height, our weight had to be in proportion to our height, etc.

Theoretically at least, we all should have been in peak physically fitness for the rest of our lives. Yet over the years most of us started to put on the weight. I was reasonably lucky because I used to take part in six and eight rounds fights, at 'Souths Juniors' back in the early to mid - seventies, so I had some motivations to stay fit in order to fight.

I should admit before I go any further, I was a journeymen pug fighting in the light-heavy and occasionally heavyweight Division, so I had no real claim to be a boxer, merely a fighter, to earn a little extra 'mullah' in order to supplement my coppers salary. And to be honest, I suppose to stay fit as I was a foundation member of the newly formed TRG all of whom were supposed to be inordinately fit !

After I gave away the fights I did start to slow down, no more road work nor the oval, and Tom Lemmings Gym, at Glebe didn't see my 'ugly dial' for months at a time. And sure enough the weight started coming on because of my sloth like existence except for the TRG training every Monday and Friday at the Redfern Barracks.

In my industry we usually had two distinct anatomical 'shaped' members; the fit and the unfit; most of my colleagues are of the latter grouping - hence the image of the big fat, cranky ol' sergeant who's massively overweight, because of his constant idleness, sitting down for long periods, too much booze, not enough sleep and far too much fast food, all the while sitting in his little cubby hole and doing very little for his entire eight hour shift. They were the days, we're all candidates for Heart Attacks I suspect ?
Posted by o sung wu, Thursday, 6 October 2016 8:44:04 PM
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I don't understand the deliberately skinny ones, either. I think certain sections of the medical/drug industry are now call anything they can a disease: there is money in it. Some benefit from calling alcoholism a disease, but it is no more a disease than illicit drug taking is. It's an addiction that only the addict can stop. Perhaps eating too much is also an addiction? Body building and body image has been described as an addiction. Lot's of fancy diagnoses are actually addictions, weaknesses if you like. I was addicted to nicotine until 23 years ago, before patches, therapists and taxpayer-funded TV commercials. It took 2 hard years, but I kicked the habit without outside intervention. I'm sure many other people have done the same thing. Same with alcohol. I thought that I could never live without the stuff, but I did, and I do. Surely the fatties can do something similar. They don't have to give up anything completely! As for the anorexics, I don't understand that well enough to know if it is a genuine disease or something that a good kick in the bum could fix. When push comes to shove, we individuals are the only ones who can do something about our own problems. Other peoples' money should not be spent on us.
Posted by ttbn, Thursday, 6 October 2016 10:29:52 PM
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I have a lot more sympathy for people with health issues that were no fault of their own than I have for people that contributed to their own health issues themselves.
I have little respect for those who won't help their situation but a lot of respect for those who do.
If I see a big person on the beach or at the pool I will not treat them shamefully or disrespectfully.
I treat them the same as anyone else, maybe even show them just a little extra friendliness if I cross their path simply because I'm proud they had the guts to get out there and face the world and try to do something about it.

I don't like it that people with weight problems can win prizes and cash and fame on their own TV shows though for doing little more than putting themselves in that situation.
People with cancer or leukemia don't get prizes.

But hey, whats new?
Generally there's a trend where our society now celebrates the useless and the ones with the most social problems whilst at the same time attacking the good people.
Posted by Armchair Critic, Friday, 7 October 2016 3:16:45 AM
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As someone who has struggled with my weight over the past few years I have to admit this article struck a bit of a nerve. I also felt a bit of a twinge of recognition in your description of the working lives of desk-bound coppers, o sung wu.

I had a very active working life until 5 years ago, when I closed my business. I took on a job driving trucks for a couple of years, simply because I didn't want something too mentally demanding and that's when the rot set in. Truck stop food and an appetite built around supporting a body working hard combined to start piling on the weight. The following 3 years of uni haven't helped.

I eat very well; I'm a good cook and enjoy it. It's not the quality or quantity of food that's a problem, it's the quality and quantity of exercise. It doesn't help that I really, really don't enjoy exercise for its own sake.

I don't seem to be suffering any medical problems as a result so far, although my blood pressure has crept up a little, as has my cholesterol, but still within acceptable limits so far.

Thanks for the article, I'll take it as a timely warning.
Posted by Craig Minns, Friday, 7 October 2016 7:41:55 AM
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Having lost 20kg over 4 years (105kg to 85kg) through:

1. careful eating (lots of vegies, almost no red meat, lots of fish) and

2. lots of rigorous exercise (not just walking)

I feel a whole lot better.

Interesting the connection between too much alcohol (beer and casks), too many chips, too many snags on the barbie = fatness.

Discussion of glaringly obvious weight problems re: race (can't touch that one...)

or rural Queensland?

"Experts alarmed at high rates of obesity in rural Queensland" http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/experts-alarmed-at-high-rates-of-obesity-in-rural-queensland/story-fnihsrf2-1226745496679
Posted by plantagenet, Friday, 7 October 2016 1:04:50 PM
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Hi there CRAIG MINNS...

Sadly it's not only the desk bound cops who pile on the weight it's those on patrol duties, especially 2300 - 0700 shifts, not unlike you Craig when you drove trucks ? Around 0300 - 0430hrs when the radio's quite you tend to get tired, and with that tiredness comes hunger ! Ask any copper where the closest 'greasy joe's' is, and he'll know for sure.

Therefore it's not unusual at these all night greasy joe's to see a line of fireies, ambo's and fat coppers all waiting for their huge burgers 'with the lot' ! Interestingly even though these coppers are all wearing their blue 'discount suits' they generally don't get any discount from these fellows, it's only from McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, and the other proprietary eateries that give the emergency services a 50% discount. So Craig my friend, you now have fat AND corrupt coppers wandering around the place seeking further 'benefits' in exchange for 'quicker police services' ?

A detective sergeant I knew well, occasionally 'squeezed' into his old uniform (even though his Sergeant's stripes were not sewn on) and when questioned why '...ah I gotta go and get a set of new tyres for the wife's car...' ? The tyre retailer gave coppers 25% off.

The reason being, there was a Commissioners Directive, that no police officer was to attempt to elicit, extract or induce any sort of benefit, advantage, or discount, from any wholesale or retail operation, by virtue of the fact that he/she was a sworn member of the police service. If someone employed in such an enterprise, was to voluntarily offer a member a discount, that was acceptable. But to actually seek a discount, was strictly a big no, no! Here ends my tale of fat policemen and their very 'odd' ways, and I realise I've strayed well off Topic as well, so accordingly I offer my profound apologies.
Posted by o sung wu, Friday, 7 October 2016 1:16:09 PM
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To ttbn
You make a good point about big phama, and their endless quest for new customers. However there is another industry out there that is even worse, when it comes to creating demand. I refer of course to the food manufacturing industry, that now spends heeps of money on lobbyists to push laws to support their profit bottom line.Apart from getting certain ingredients subsidized, they make sure that food labeling is only useful if you are a chemistry major.

You may have herd of food deserts, where it is almost impossible to find food that is not loaded with fats and sugars.I do understand your point that citizens have a responsibility to be part of the solution, but some assistance form the local legislators would go a long way to being part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

Chris
Posted by LEFTY ONE, Friday, 7 October 2016 1:56:58 PM
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//However there is another industry out there that is even worse, when it comes to creating demand. I refer of course to the food manufacturing industry//

The food manufacturing industry doesn't have to create demand; it already exists. People need to eat.

//Apart from getting certain ingredients subsidized, they make sure that food labeling is only useful if you are a chemistry major.//

If everything in your shopping trolley has a label on it, there's your problem right there. You know those weird lumpy things that don't stack neatly and don't come with any traffic light nutritional information for the simpletons out there? They're called vegetables, and they are what you should be eating. Christ, it's not bloody quantum electrodynamics.
Posted by Toni Lavis, Friday, 7 October 2016 11:48:54 PM
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No self-control, is a childhood learning issue. Mental Stress does strange things to people: people love ball chasing sports; take legal and illegal medications; lazy; sex addicts; family violence; attend a formula one race meeting, taking off the pants down to the race meeting country national flag swimmers. All the problems in society which people ask why. The ignorance is out standing, when psychology behavioral experts totally ignore childhood schooling.
Posted by steve101, Saturday, 8 October 2016 11:34:15 AM
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