[Closed] Being a fatty now socially acceptable

c_g I too could fit about 20 of those, combined with a super-low RHR and a few others I would also suspect the same thing but the problem is that just about everyone has a number of those symptoms and so you'd have to get a GP to check. I appreciate that it might be difficult, I guarantee that if I approached my doc with the "I might have hypothyroidism" argument he'd tell me to GTF and get exercising as I'm fairly sure that 90% of the time people who approach with such symptoms are, like me, just too lazy to their arse into gear.

[i]Doesn't the fact that there are medical conditions that affect weight kind of disprove the "eat less, move more" thinking[/i]

Thats a good place to start.

Recognizing that weight gain is regulated by different, interacting internal, body processess, which are not directly effcted by how much you wave your arms and legs about.

c_g: Is Thyroid UK the one run by discredited doctors?

Diet and exercise plans need to be tailored to an individual's body shape and existing health conditions, it's not enough to say "eat less, move more".

c_g I too could fit about 20 of those

Fair point coffeeking. As an example, just from looking at me, one can see I have no eyebrows, very few eyelashes, noticeably less hair on one side of my head, tongue is swollen and scalloped, hands are cold. Quite scary really. 😯

c_g: Is Thyroid UK the one run by discredited doctors?

Nope, it was started by a lady who received poor treatment from the NHS. I suspect you may be referring to one of their medical advisors - a doctor who argued that thyroid sufferers were not being treated correctly. He had to 'resign', he also has a thyroid disorder.

Edit: I could of course just accept the treatment offered together with anti-depressants when I'm not even depressed! But I'm lucky enough to have some gorgeous bikes that I want to ride hence my research into alternative treatments.

Believe me, it's bloomin' hard riding on your own when you've been used to having lots of riding buddies as well as organising Forum Rides at Swinley etc. I would love my life to be back how it was. 🙁

Most overweight people do not have a medical condition. But it is often the case that possible underlying medical conditions are underinvestigated, such as underactive thyroid, food allergies/intolerances, hormonal conditions such as PCOS or reactions to contraceptive hormones, coeliac disease....

Mrs FD quite often as to tell people that they can not operate on them because the are too fat, or that they are likely to get more complications because they are too fat.

Of course she can not directly tell them they are fat, but you can not help but think if they could tell them directly that they might be more enclined to do some thing about it.

Nope, it was started by a lady who received poor treatment from the NHS

Okay, not seeking to criticise, but I know the missus has certainly had issues with patients citing treatments from a group of disbarred doctors, who have published some discredited "papers" on the internet. Sounds like it might be a different group though.

Mrs FD quite often as to tell people that they can not operate on them because the are too fat, or that they are likely to get more complications because they are too fat.

Just to clarify, Mrs FD is a medical professional, right?

*rubs eyes*

*squints*

*pinches self*

{yep, he's back}

Most overweight people do not have a medical condition

I'm big boned. It's a curse.

I'm big boned. It's a curse.

I'm also big bonered...

You should try using slendertone on that.

[i]I'm big boned. It's a curse. [/i]
You being the top pic.

[img] [/img]

Don't look that big to me.

Now, if you had a big....

Then as someone who knows, let me tell ya, that really can be a curse.
😉

Now, if you had a big...

Nose?

[i]Nose?[/i]

Well, in your case, it couldn't be anything else, could it.
smarty pants.

😉

Both the 40 & 70 year old tri-ephalumps left legs look like a cross section of Homer Simpson's head

That's what happens to you over time if you ride a bike in Speedos and draw numbers on your arms

please don't read this the wrong way this is a genuine question and not intended to belittle anyone....

RE: medial conditions that affect metabolism and the way in which your body decides to use/store/convert your food intake....presumably the following still holds true:

fuel in > fuel burnt = weight gain
fuel burnt > fuel in = weight loss

or do they affect your body in such a way that its default is to convert and store food as fatty deposits and get energy from breaking down other tissues instead?

(I'll be off to read up on some conditions when I have some time as I'm interested in learning a bit more about this)

[i]*rubs eyes*

*squints*

*pinches self*

{yep, he's back}

[/i]

Not for long.

Jamie, escaped this place.
He's on the outside now.

[img] [/img]

Both the 40 & 70 year old tri-ephalumps left legs look like a cross section of Homer Simpson's head

...either that or Alien Hominid.

[url= http://i.imgur.com/xzlfs.pn g" target="_blank">http://i.imgur.com/xzlfs.pn g"/> [/img][/url]

[i]...either that or Alien Hominid.

[/i]

Either that or a Man eating mushroom.

[i]presumably the following still holds true:

fuel in > fuel burnt = weight gain
fuel burnt > fuel in = weight loss

[/i]

Still ?.
That never was the case.

Food isn't just fuel.
Food is comprised of different nutrients, which, according to what exactly those nutrients are.
Will effect how they are used and stored / not used and stored by the body.
Which may lead to weight gain, OR, weight loss.

If a person has a disease which effects the nutrient absorption / handling of nutrients within their body, with respect to hormone imbalances, or some other issue.
Then this applies an additional degree of complexity to the issue of weight maintenance / loss/ /increase.

fuel in > fuel burnt = weight gain
fuel burnt > fuel in = weight loss

Still ?.
That never was the case

Well, it is the case over [b]a prolonged period of time.[/b]
If you burn more calories than you put in say over a 6 month period then you will lose weight. Impossible to be otherwise.

RE: medial conditions that affect metabolism and the way in which your body decides to use/store/convert your food intake....presumably the following still holds true:

fuel in > fuel burnt = weight gain
fuel burnt > fuel in = weight loss

or do they affect your body in such a way that its default is to convert and store food as fatty deposits and get energy from breaking down other tissues instead?

Happy to answer to the best of my ability!

The thyroid gland is one of the glands of the endocrine system and has two functions. First one is to control metabolism and second is to control growth in early life.

Hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) produces less thyroid hormone than it should and this causes metabolism to run too slow.

Hyperthyroidism (over-active thyroid) produces more than it should and causes metabolism to run too fast.

Now, often hypothyroid folk can be deficient in vitamins and minerals. In addition certain foods can prevent absorption of iodine and these are known as goitrogenic foods, ie brussel sprouts, cabbage etc.

Often thyroid sufferers can have other conditons such as Graves, Hashimoto's, fibromyalgia, IBS, CFS etc.

It's complex, I struggle to get my head around the workings of the body, thanks to my brain fog!

What is worrying though is the Government are aiming to reduce by 20% the number of blood tests carried out. With a thyroid condition, regular blood testing is essential.

Thanks for the reply CG, definitely going to have a read as it all sounds very interesting...

So it sounds like you can end up in the awkward situation where your body is effectively fighting against its best interests, not just in a weight gain/loss sense, but also in terms of using or ignoring certain elements that it needs and basically ending up making it exceedingly difficult to get the right balance.

If you metabolism is running at the wrong rate (either way) I imagine it can play havoc with trying to make sure everything works as it should.

Best of luck and hope you make some headway with your treatment!

We're going for Gold at the Olympics you know!

[img] [/img]

ps. I don't knock seriously overweight people. This is just an on-topic joke. I have an ex who was quite overweight and she had to have her thyroid and a load of intestines removed, the hole in her stomach didn't heal up for a long, long time, she had problems eating, feeling ill, has become very thin now and is going back under the knife. That she wasn't given medical attention sooner was a real issue considering her environment where she should have had her health monitored.

I blame the crackdown on bullying in schools. If there was more bullying of fat kids allowed I'm sure a lot of them would do something about it, not least through the extra exercise they'd get running away from the bullies.

I blame the crackdown on bullying in schools.

There was a crackdown? You wouldn't believe that when nowadays 60% of kids are saying they've been bullied, parents tell their kids to bully others so they don't get bullied themselves (well, that's not working is it?) and one school my kids went to, the worst bully there, well, when a parent is working in the office you can see how far complaints go!

Maybe the bullies aren't concentrating on the fat kids then, surely they're an easier target?

I refer you back to the thread title.

[img] [/img]

*fixed

I blame the crackdown on bullying in schools. If there was more bullying of fat kids allowed I'm sure a lot of them would do something about it, not least through the extra exercise they'd get running away from the bullies.

Oh yes, because bullies' taunts so often reflect the reality of the person they bully, bullies would never call people fat when they are in fact not fat, and only thin kids are bullies.

Idiot.

amedias - yes, that's it! 🙂

As an example, I seemed to be doing OK with meds I was taking until I had a shoulder operation 2 months ago. The trauma and general anaesthetic coupled with super-strength pain killers messed up my body. Unfortunately last week I needed another procedure involving general anaesthetic plus more pain killers. Cue more disruption. 🙁

One thing I've learned is not to be judgmental of larger people.

I think they may have been joking about bullies 💡

/sigh

[img] [/img]

😆

Welcome back Jamie, we've missed you. 🙂

Solo - Member

presumably the following still holds true:

"fuel in > fuel burnt = weight gain
fuel burnt > fuel in = weight loss"

Still ?.
That never was the case.

It's very scary that the debate about being overweight has managed to get so complex, when the answer is very, very, very simple.

Eat healthily
Do exercise
Don't be sedentary, avoid cars and a desk job as much as you can

I'm 40 next year and I'm one of the very few of my friends from childhood or uni who's not overweight - and we're talking intelligent and reasonably well-off people here - and they're not really doing much about it... they all think I'm a bit mad for doing as much exercise as I do. It's quite scary how even intelligent people are neglecting their health... it's going to be a major cost on the NHS (Taxpayer dollar) and productivity which won't exactly help us maintain our national wealth...

Just as a STFU to several posters. I once did an academic presentation to some fellow students on craniofacial disorders, some of them and about half of them overweight, laughed at the pictures.

My point being, that everyone demands to be treated equally but as soon as they are, they then laugh at their least favourite people (this is a hugely dark view of humanity but I essentially believe this to be true). Stating that fat people's esteems cannot hack being called fat is doing a disservice to the many people born with craniofacial deformities. People who have not brought their social stigma on themselves.

So I'll reiterate, fat people should be called fat. Doing so probably does us, the NHS, the planet, food prices and consequently poor people in developing nations some good by lowering demand.

HOWEVER this is an interesting topic, people get bullied for their natural appearance (could be glasses, goofy teeth, craniofacial deformity or being fat etc). So I don't agree with bullying, so I apologise for the title of this forum post and would like to ask the moderator if he can be arsed to change it.

I would argue that the medical world and society should be encouraged to make it well known that being fat/overweight is unacceptable. Being deemed overweight/obese or whatever is part of this. Society/doctors should learn to 1) Empathize with those that are fat and give firm but non abusive direction to lose weight 2) Society needs to develop a thicker skin if being called fat massively hurts some peoples feelings. Those with disfigurements often live with abuse and social rejection around the world every day but still manage to not let others bring them down. This should be an inspiration for us all. Sadly it is not.

Hyperthyroidism (over-active thyroid) produces more than it should and causes metabolism to run too fast.

Are there any downsides to that?

I suspect that this may be true of me; I've thought for years that my metabolism runs fast, the amount of chips, beer and cake I get through I've no right to be 11 stone. Does it mean I'm going to keel over at 50?

Cougar - its a spectrum we are not all the same - a bit quick is fine - running really hyper thyroid is not.

Wiki:

If there is too much thyroid hormone, every function of the body tends to speed up. Therefore, some of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism are nervousness, irritability, increased perspiration, heart racing, hand tremors, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, thinning of the skin, fine brittle hair, and muscular weakness—especially in the upper arms and thighs.

I can probably tick off at least half of those.

The rest of the entry is scary reading. I think I'll decide I don't have that then.

(bug bump)

A mate is borderline hyper. He walks in a T-shirt when I'm in a fleece. It's quite noticeable.

Oh, I do that too. I just attributed that to being Northern.

you do realise that the fatties will one day outnumber the thinnies? I for one welcome our wobbly overlords, and have a selection pack of Krispy Kremes on standby as a sugary offering.