New Bill Bans Obese From Restaurants in Mississippi

What to do?

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Veering off a bit...
The government pays a lot for substance abuse detox and other "lifestyle choice" issues (I am not saying it is necessarily a lifestyle choice, but it gets the point across), but rarely are weight loss clinics covered. If the government decided to sincerely invest in weight loss facilities and making healthy food more accessible, then medical expenses paid by Medicaid would decrease (people on Medicaid often have food stamps and therefore eat cheaper food so they are more susceptible to running up medical bills), thus making up for the program costs. This was determined true in many studies regarding cigarettes (as evidenced by incentive programs offered by insurance companies) and would certainly apply to obesity.
 

frizzle

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I don't know what the answer is, either, for the various causes of obesity. But the several in this thread who have chimed in to say that it's always the obese person's fault are just idiots. Banning overweight people from restaurants is idiotic.

It's not always but thanks to general laziness and the accessability of fast, cheap food; my generation is getting larger and larger and this needs to stop. Apparently 1/4 of children are overweight or obese in the UK and this is a serious problem.

If this type of legislation encourages healthy eating I'm all for it but of course there must be other ways to do it aswell. Saying that, I'm off to the gym in the few hours; I think some schools and communities should offer free gym membership to encourage people for healither lifestyles.
 
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deleted213967

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Sorry, you’re too fat to eat here - Diet and nutrition - MSNBC.com

Here. For what it's worth, even the proponents of this piece are only seeking to draw attention to a growing health problem, which in especially acute in poorer, southern states such as MS.

Some of the people posting on this thread may indeed suffer from medical conditions which make it harder to control their weight.

Since we are not their attending physicians, we simply cannot ascertain their statements. For the overwhelming majority of the obese people in the US, the cause is societal, not genetic, and can be remedied.

Are you calling all MDs in this country ignorant?

Irrespective, we can all eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise regularly. We are not talking about extreme sports here: a brisk 30-minute walk every day beats a marathon every month.
 

playainda336

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Definitely. Weight is a simple equation as well.

Burn more calories than you take in a day and eat so that your body does not have a chance to go into "starvation" mode. You will lose weight. Or, you will not gain weight.

If you have a medical condition, then get whatever it is you need to fix it, and the follow the above. But I'm pretty sure the majority of the obese population does not have a medical condition halting them from losing weight.
 

DC_DEEP

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Definitely. Weight is a simple equation as well.

Burn more calories than you take in a day and eat so that your body does not have a chance to go into "starvation" mode. You will lose weight. Or, you will not gain weight.

If you have a medical condition, then get whatever it is you need to fix it, and the follow the above. But I'm pretty sure the majority of the obese population does not have a medical condition halting them from losing weight.
Weight is NOT a simple equation.

Some people do have medical conditions. Not everyone can afford the health care they need to "fix it."

And still, that's not the point of this thread. The point is, even if you DO know the causes, the legislation isn't even legal/constitutional to begin with. And assuming that the causes are known, would patients with a medical reason have to bring a doctor's note to be able to eat in a restaurant? How would "disqualifying obesity" be defined and determined? Have the hostess check each patron with calipers to determine % body fat?
 
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deleted213967

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Some people do have medical conditions. Not everyone can afford the health care they need to "fix it."

...some people do as you said, yet most obese people owe part or all of their condition to poor diet and lack of exercise. It may not be a "simple" phenomenon, but it is a documented, clinically-observed fact.

Obesity is creeping up even among once-leaner Mexican immigrants AFTER they've settled in the US. In Europe, Greece of all places is claiming the number 1 spot in obesity (matching the US, I read) because many Greeks are getting away from their traditional diet of fish, fruits and vegetables.

This is a recent development in the history of mankind, disproportionately affecting the poor, less-educated members of developed or developing societies. It not a virus...although indeed it is socially contagious, as the latest research shows.
 

B_sugarandspice

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How dare you "discriminate " against me for having large breasts.
You guys have the nerve to make make personal attack on my body because I have an opinion. ONLY 20% of weight problems stem from health issues other than just plain eating too much.
I have only been critical of one person's body here and she started it. She took down the pictures I talked about.

I rarely drink,I don't take drugs-most of the time- and I don't smoke.
I have smoked before but I quit. I smoked off and on .
I do take prescribed meds sometimes for a spinal injury.

You are freaking out because I'm saying obesity is unacceptable and usually caused BY EATING TOO MUCH!!!
Well it is!!!
 

snoozan

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Definitely. Weight is a simple equation as well.

Burn more calories than you take in a day and eat so that your body does not have a chance to go into "starvation" mode. You will lose weight. Or, you will not gain weight.

If you have a medical condition, then get whatever it is you need to fix it, and the follow the above. But I'm pretty sure the majority of the obese population does not have a medical condition halting them from losing weight.

Why don't you read what I posted? It's not that simple. It's just not.

You are freaking out because I'm saying obesity is unacceptable and usually caused BY EATING TOO MUCH!!!
Well it is!!!

In my opinion, gross ignorance and stupidity are unacceptable, but you seem to have found a place in the world. So leave the fatties alone and take a fucking remedial reading class.
 

playainda336

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And still, that's not the point of this thread. The point is, even if you DO know the causes, the legislation isn't even legal/constitutional to begin with. And assuming that the causes are known, would patients with a medical reason have to bring a doctor's note to be able to eat in a restaurant? How would "disqualifying obesity" be defined and determined? Have the hostess check each patron with calipers to determine % body fat?
Dude. If you read my original post in this thread, you'd have seen that I think that the law is asinine. It's discrimination by all means.
Why don't you read what I posted? It's not that simple. It's just not.
Weight is NOT a simple equation.

Some people do have medical conditions. Not everyone can afford the health care they need to "fix it."
I didn't intend to sound so apathetic to people with medical conditions...but I stand by my original point.

The majority of obese people in this country do NOT have medical problems halting them from losing weight. And losing weight IS that simple...well, not implicitly that simple. You must do research on the foods that you eat, et cetera and the fact of the matter is that most people are just lazy to do that. Medical conditions aside, you must simply train your body to lose weight as you would train a wild animal. Hard work pays off. If you eat six times a day in correct portions, cut back on sugar, increase your protein, eat lots of roughage and green vegetables and fruits, and exercise for 30-60 minutes at LEAST 3 times a week, you WILL lose weight.
In my opinion, gross ignorance and stupidity are unacceptable, but you seem to have found a place in the world. So leave the fatties alone and take a fucking remedial reading class.
Yeah...see...I was once one of these fatties and one day I decided to change it. I did research on losing weight, found out what foods I needed to eat and did not, found out how many calories were in the food I ate and committed to a lifestyle change and dropped almost 70 lbs.

Just because you have a medical problem does not put you in the same boat as everyone else who is overweight and/or obese.

Utilizing your own argument, those without medical conditions who remain obese and morbidly obese are suffering from gross ignorance and stupidity and that is unacceptable. When you look at the fact the only thing, medically, that kills more in this country than cigarettes are obesity related diseases, you'd THINK one would have a wake-up call. Being obese puts you at risk for so many different deadly illnesses and if you're not doing anything to change that, then you're simply playing Russian Roulette with your life.

You have a medical problem that causes weight gain. I'm sorry for you. There's nothing you can do about it. It sucks. But it's simply not the case for most people in this country who are overweight and obese.
 

snoozan

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The majority of obese people in this country do NOT have medical problems halting them from losing weight. And losing weight IS that simple...well, not implicitly that simple. You must do research on the foods that you eat, et cetera ... Medical conditions aside, you must simply train your body to lose weight as you would train a wild animal. Hard work pays off. If you eat six times a day in correct portions, cut back on sugar, increase your protein, eat lots of roughage and green vegetables and fruits, and exercise for 30-60 minutes at LEAST 3 times a week, you WILL lose weight.

You call that simple?!?!

It's okay, eventually you too will get old and your metabolism will stop and you'll have a busy stressful life, and you, too, will realize that keeping weight off is a Herculean task for most people.
 

snoozan

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Yeah...see...I was once one of these fatties and one day I decided to change it. I did research on losing weight, found out what foods I needed to eat and did not, found out how many calories were in the food I ate and committed to a lifestyle change and dropped almost 70 lbs.

Just because you have a medical problem does not put you in the same boat as everyone else who is overweight and/or obese.

You're 23. When you're 40, tell me how easy it is to do what you've already done, and how easy it is to keep it off.

I'm in the same boat as you. I lost 75 pounds. You should have some compassion because you know how hard it is. Not everyone has the resources and the strength necessary to do what you did.
 

playainda336

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You call that simple?!?!

It's okay, eventually you too will get old and your metabolism will stop and you'll have a busy stressful life, and you, too, will realize that keeping weight off is a Herculean task for most people.
Actually...when I was a lot younger, my mom thought I was sick and put me on a diet to slow my metabolism, because she thought I was too skinny. The doctor gave her the necessary information and I gained weight pretty much uncontrollably until I got to college. Couple that with really bad eating habits and not having the necessary meals to maintain a healthy metabolism.

When I lost the weight, I was in school full-time (16 hrs), working two jobs, performing in musical theater shows, and recording a demo CD.

I understand that it's "easier" when you're younger, but I didn't lose my weight because I hit a growth spurt. I had to work for it.

And even still, I understand that what I said seems like a lot, but it's really not. It's simply something that removes bad habits that people have. I guess my problem is that I think over logical and what seems logical to me seems totally illogical to others. I don't know.

My friends thought I was insane and/or anorexic when I changed my bad habits, lol...but all I did was replace bad habits with good ones.

-shrugs-

Either way, without a medical related reason for a slower metabolism, there is no excuse for being morbidly obese other than you just "don't want" to do anything different. It just seems like lack of discipline and/or lazy, to me.

Even if you have a 40+ hour work week, there is always time to eat. You are mandated to take certain breaks during the day (or if you work at night, night breaks) where you can get snacks. You can eat lunch while you're at work...if you "don't have time" to grab something away from work, then you can simply pack a lunch and bring it. Breakfast takes all of 10 minutes in the morning to eat. Pour a bowl of cereal, drink some OJ, grab a handful of almonds. Bam...you've done better than the majority of the obese population in America. Eat dinner when you come home. Instead of watching TV for 4 hours and then sleeping, take one of those hours to jump some rope in your driveway/garage/etc. Do some push-ups. Do some crunches. You don't need a gym membership.

To be totally honest, and the main reason I am against a bill banning obese people from restaurants, I feel that the cause of American obesity is misinformation and/or lack of information on eating healthy and what that entails. Yes, the food pyramid, blah blah blah...but you tell people what is is to be PERFECT and they will always fall short because people just AREN'T perfect. People need to know that you don't have to follow a food pyramid DEFINITIVELY to eat healthy. People need to know that you can work out and not go the whole hour and do 30 minutes and be better off than if you did nothing at all. People need to know that every little bit counts. Don't eat that second hamburger. Don't put so much mayo on that sandwich. Try eating it without cheese today. Simple things like that can have a BIG difference in your body weight.

I'm sorry, I tend to be expositional on topics that I take interest to and this is definitely an issue that I have vested interest in. I even did a 20 page paper for a class on the American Obesity crisis. It's not going to change until people stop blaming outside factors for their problems and start blaming themselves for allowing those outside factors to have so much control over their life and making them unhealthy.
 

simcha

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How dare you "discriminate " against me for having large breasts. You guys have the nerve to make make personal attack on my body because I have an opinion. ONLY 20% of weight problems stem from health issues other than just plain eating too much. I have only been critical of one person's body here and she started it. She took down the pictures I talked about.

No Girlie, we make fun of you for having silicone implants. It's the fake quality of your hanging gas bags that makes us cringe.

I rarely drink,I don't take drugs-most of the time- and I don't smoke.
I have smoked before but I quit. I smoked off and on .
I do take prescribed meds sometimes for a spinal injury.

Sure, you take the meds because of a "spinal injury." You and Rush Limbaugh should shack up together. There's nothing like hillbilly heroin, is there?

You are freaking out because I'm saying obesity is unacceptable and usually caused BY EATING TOO MUCH!!!
Well it is!!!

No, I'm certainly not freaking out. I'm blowing you out of the water because you have offered nothing that is factual or true about obesity since you started rambling on the topic.

Now, go take your oxycodone, take a few jumps on a trampoline so your silicone sacks smack you in the head, and pass out. That should give us all a nice rest from the inane, vapid, bullshit you keep writing.
 

Simon9

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It's Politically Incorrect nowadays to hassle people about many things people used to get hassled about, among which: deformities, sexual deviancy, being poor, being crippled, retardation, drug use, blindness, stuttering, etc. And for good reason. We're mostly trying to be nice and many of these things people can't help at all.

But a lot of folks still carry around a chip on their shoulders and various latent insecurities. So they gotta pick on somebody. Let's see, what are "safe" targets for animus at present?

• Fat people
•"The Rich"
• cigarette smokers
• The Religious Right

Did I miss anyone?

Of course, if you know somebody who is a fat, rich, cigarette-smoking Conservative, they're fair game for all the compassionate, enlightened culturally diverse types among us who always remind the rest of us to be "sensitive". They can hate the above bulleted people with abandon and still feel good about themselves. Not so?

We've all heard of "Big Brother" type government laws. This however, is an example of a "Big Mother" type of law. It's designed to "help" people, through harrassment, discrimination and social opprobation (but for their own good, of course). Half the problem here is the creeps who write such laws. the other half are the dolts who line up to support such nonsense (but no doubt would be the first to complain if they were on the receiving end of such a law).

Where did we ever get the assinine idea that it is government's place to write laws controlling businesses as to who they may serve and who they may not serve? Once we allowed such an un-American premise to take root, this is an example of the form it may take. As a society, it serves us right.
 

DC_DEEP

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Just because you have a medical problem does not put you in the same boat as everyone else who is overweight and/or obese..
But that proposed legislation does. This thread is not about an obesity epidemic; it's about a law aimed at overweight people. I'm not saying that obesity is OK, I'm saying it's NOT ok to pass a law aimed at a group of people because of perceived behaviors of some of that group. That just shits all over the 14th Amendment in SO many ways.

If you start a thread about causes of obesity, my responses will most likely be very different in that thread. I'm trying to stay on topic here.
 

playainda336

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But that proposed legislation does. This thread is not about an obesity epidemic; it's about a law aimed at overweight people. I'm not saying that obesity is OK, I'm saying it's NOT ok to pass a law aimed at a group of people because of perceived behaviors of some of that group. That just shits all over the 14th Amendment in SO many ways.
And like I said. I totally agree with you on that.

So maybe I should let that point go.

Back on topic, about the law...I kinda see what Simon9 is saying about the "Big Mother" aspect. The law is in place to help those who are morbidly obese, but the problem lies in is it the government's right to lay down such regulations?

While I disagree with someone eating to their own damnation, I am not a god to tell them that they cannot do it. I can "not want" them to eat the food, but I can not MAKE them not eat the food. It totally goes against all personal liberties.
 

DC_DEEP

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Back on topic, about the law...I kinda see what Simon9 is saying about the "Big Mother" aspect. The law is in place to help those who are morbidly obese, but the problem lies in is it the government's right to lay down such regulations?.
HazelGod and I have both posted ad nauseum about the "nanny state" protecting us from ourselves. The concept may be good, but the implementation is not. Personally, I would use a seat belt, whether it was the law or not. But I don't think the government has any authority to mandate seat belt usage. I have never known of a case where Joe's failure to wear a seatbelt killed Mike. Let's make it harder for whoever picks the final Darwin Awards. Laws to protect one person from another are fine; laws to protect one person from himself are not. I'm a strong advocate of "so long as I harm no other, it is my right."

While I disagree with someone eating to their own damnation, I am not a god to tell them that they cannot do it. I can "not want" them to eat the food, but I can not MAKE them not eat the food. It totally goes against all personal liberties.
I kind of figured that you understood that concept, but too many do not. Each person has such an individualized concept of their own rights that it's impossible to draw any other conclusion - you get to choose your own rights, so long as they involve no one but yourself. You run into trouble when you try to use your own values and experience to try to determine another individual's rights.
 

DC_DEEP

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Exactly. When you push your own values onto another it becomes of a moral dogmatism. Understanding that other people have separate values from your own is relativism...which is what most people don't ascertain.
True. My views on "smoking laws" are pretty controversial, but follow the same lines. If a privately-owned bar or restaurant wants to allow smoking, I don't think it's the government's business to tell them otherwise - health risks aside. If I don't want the second-hand smoke, I won't patronize that particular business. If I don't want to work in that kind of atmosphere, I won't apply to work at one of those businesses.

There are popular spots in my area that my partner and friends of ours like to patronize, but I usually don't join in because the music is too loud. That's my choice. Loud music is a health risk, too, but you don't see too much legislation about limiting decibel levels for nightclubs (well, maybe tied in to zoning laws, but again, that's another subject.) I'm not going to try to get a law passed to make loud music in a nightclub illegal, I'm just not going to spend my money there.

I think the same thing applies to the original topic of this thread. If Big Betty wants the pizza buffet, it's no one else's damned business.
 
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deleted213967

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If Big Betty wants the pizza buffet, it's no one else's damned business.

Tempting argument. The trouble is that Big Betty's triple coronary bypass surgery ends up on Health Freak Betty's health insurance premium.

In the US, preventable diseases created by Big Betty hog the health care system. That is because there are so many Big Bettys, and to be fair, Big Willies too.

Smokers often pay a higher insurance premium in the US and therefore finance the external cost of their habit to society.

I am not saying that Big Betty IS the problem but she is certainly part of the problem, and could be part of the solution.