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Fat kids
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by satchmo on Mon Feb 14th at 5:47pm 2005

Nickelplate, I agree with you, but apparently it's a very touchy subject. I've already gotten into trouble saying things like this.

Here's an entry of my blog that has touched a nerve for some readers:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/youngmd/4922.html

I learned my lesson that I have to approach the topic very carefully as a physician working in an urgent care setting. Most of the times, I have never met these patients and parents, so I don't have the benefit of an established doctor-patient relationship with them. So what I say may be easily misconstrued, despite my good intentions.

I discussed the matter with the department chairman after that incident, and he agrees with what I did. But he cautioned me about addressing such sensitive topic with my patient population, and he told me not to be too persistent on the issue. Otherwise, I'll risk turning them off and offending people.

I also learned to use the word "too heavy for your height" instead of "overweight" when discussing the topic with patients. I thought not using "obese" or "fat" was sufficient.

Everyday, I strive to do the best I can as a doctor, but my passion and diligence are not always appreciated. The relentless manner I discuss obesity with my patients is driven by nothing but my passion to turn their lives around. I want to make a difference, and I still would like to think that I can.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by satchmo on Mon Feb 14th at 5:59pm 2005

? quote:
The very facets of society you choose to debunk (political correctness) are facets that have appeared through evolution, albeit in evolution a different form and fashion.


I am in complete agreement with you, fraggard. Obviously, you are an intelligent person who is not only considerate, but also wise.

However, I would like to invite you to consider the list you provided:

? quote:
"Shunning" fat, old, sick, mentally ill, or crippled people. . .


Among all these unfortunate ailments, the only one that is the product of one's behavior and is within one's control is being "fat". One cannot help to get old or sick. Mental illness can befall on anyone, and is frequently caused by a genetic predisposition. Being crippled is almost never caused by one's own wrongdoing, unless it's the result of drunk driving or other careless misdeeds.

Anyone can do something about being overweight. It's never too late unless one has given up all hope of losing weight. True, we should not disparage those who are overweight. In fact, we should do everything supportive to help them overcome their eating habbit.

But when they don't accept kind advice aimed to help them, they are left to their own devices. We can only save the ones that allow themselves to be saved.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by fraggard on Mon Feb 14th at 6:31pm 2005

? quote:

But when they don't accept kind advice aimed to help them, they are left to their own devices. We can only save the ones that allow themselves to be saved.


I agree. I was responding to the general tone of Nickelplate-style arguments actually. Since you're a physician I would place more value on your advice, and it was pretty foolish of the parent to ignore you, I agree to that. But wrongly extending this special case argument to all cases of "disability" (word used in it's loosest sense) is just madness.




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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by Nickelplate on Mon Feb 14th at 6:36pm 2005

absolutely no offense taken Fraggard. Everyone ha the right to thier own opinion, no matter how intolerant or bleeding-heart it may seem.

Satchmo, have you tried telling them "Your BMI is too high?" it seems that by using some sort of medical-sounding jargon you can intrique them with what you are going to say next. that way they see it as a medical problem not a social one that they will think in none of your business. BMI vs. Heavyness

BTW. I'm a psych major, so anything i have to say on psych stuff is the law okay? lol

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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by satchmo on Mon Feb 14th at 7:29pm 2005

In general, I try to avoid using medical jargon because most patients and parents would not understand what I am trying to convey. In most instances, the technical terms would make people tune off from the conversation and start staring back at you blankly.

In fact, we are required to use languages that everyone can understand. I am pretty sure that when I pointed out the Gatorade the kid was drinking, the mother had already set her opinion of me. She felt accused of being a bad parent (and in a way, she's right. I was mildly accusing her of bad parenting).

Frequently, I ask the parents whether they buy junk foods in the first place. If they do, then they can't blame the kids for eating them. I recommend everyone to keep a plate of fresh fruits on the dining table. So whenever anyone is hungry for a snack at home, they can munch on the good healthy alternatives.

. . .and drink plenty of water and milk. Everything else (including 100% pure fruit juices) is too sugary and contains too much empty calories. Sport drinks have done extremely smart marketing in the past decades, convincing the general public that drinks like Gatorade or Powerade are healthy. All the superstar atheletes they hired in their commercials have muscular and amazing bodies, and that gives the false impression that anyone who drinks their product will get a body like that.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by Nickelplate on Mon Feb 14th at 8:02pm 2005

dang, I like gatorade... I always got it instead of soda, cause i thought it was better for me. I knew it was really sugary though.

anyway, i completely agree with you about the need to be healthy and not fat. my parents are pretty fat, I helped them with thier BMI's they're pretty kinda close to being "obese." it's sad, but we're trying to get them healthy again.

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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by m0p on Mon Feb 14th at 8:13pm 2005

There is actually a psychological where people are constantly hungry and eat loads without stopping it. People afflicted with this disorder generally end up extremely, morbidly, grossly obese. Can't remember the name of it though.




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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by Nickelplate on Mon Feb 14th at 8:15pm 2005

thyroid disorders also cause tremendous obesity, again not thier fault. [addsig]



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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by satchmo on Mon Feb 14th at 8:16pm 2005

That's great for doing your part to help your parents. It's the best way to repay them for raising you. But it could be difficult for parents to take advice from their kids though.

My sister-in-law has been trying forever to get her dad eating healthy (he already has diabetes and recently has gone into renal failure due to his diabetes). But despite having to go to dialysis three times a week, he still refuses to listen to his doctors and eats whatever he wants.

If there is anyone at the SnarkPit who could improve their health by changing their eating habit, I hope this thread would provide the impetus to get you on the right path.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by RaPtoR on Mon Feb 14th at 8:19pm 2005

Well, if you're fat (as most are in the us) then it's probably becouse you eat to much fastfood.
Read "Fastfood Nation" by Eric Schlosser, McDonalds is banned for me ever since. ;D
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by Jahzel on Mon Feb 14th at 8:23pm 2005

Obese people are quick to complain about being discriminated against. Sometimes I think they are trying to gain sympathy to hide their lust for food.

If obesity is such a disability, I'd hate to see the look on the poor folks faces in places such as Africa.

Overweight people: Just don't eat to much, it's that simple...

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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by satchmo on Mon Feb 14th at 8:23pm 2005

? quote:
There is actually a psychological where people are constantly hungry and eat loads without stopping it.


I believe you're referring to some patients with pituitary gland tumors. When the hunger center of the hypothalamus is compressed by the tumor, these patients will have insatiable appetite and would never feel satisfied.

In addition, patients with adrenal gland tumors have excess corticosteroid in their body. This will trigger an unnatural feeding response and cause them to become overweight. The medical term for this condition is Cushion's Syndrome.

Yes, there are some medical conditions that predispose people to become obese. But this group of patients constitute an extremely small percentage of people who are overweight.

More than half of children in the United States are overweight, and more than a third are obese. The vast majority of them become that way from unhealthy diet, not from some rare disease.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by satchmo on Mon Feb 14th at 8:26pm 2005

? quote:
Read "Fastfood Nation" by Eric Schlosser


. . . or watch "Supersize Me" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/) by Morgan Spurlock. It'll make you sick the next time you walk into McDonald's, or at least make you think twice before ordering that fries.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by Hornpipe2 on Mon Feb 14th at 8:49pm 2005

? quote:. . . or watch "Supersize Me" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/) by Morgan Spurlock. It'll make you sick the next time you walk into McDonald's, or at least make you think twice before ordering that fries.


My girlfriend (former Psych major) has me pretty firmly convinced that the guy in that movie was already suffering from some real psychological issues, and that the stuff that happened to him (panic attack, depression when not eating, heart palpitations, etc) was caused by pre-existing anxiety conditions and not just "eating McDonald's food". She says the combination of him being on camera, trying to achieve this crazy goal and do something really extravagant, while at the same time his body undergoes such radical changes from eating vegan cooking to eating this fatty salty stuff... well, that stress is certain to bring out mental problems you wouldn't normally expect.

She compared his mindset to that of an Everquest addict, and the rush that people like that would get from gaining a level in EQ is similar to the rush he gets from eating another meal. Thus, he'd feel malaise, depression and boredom the rest of the time between eating.

I think that's a pretty intelligent analysis.

Not that this condones McDonald's in any way, just keep in mind that the hard physiological stuff is probably all I can really believe in that movie. [addsig]



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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by m0p on Mon Feb 14th at 9:03pm 2005

McDonalds must pump tons of chemicals into their food. My mate bought some McDonalds fries and left em under his bed and forgot about them for about a year. When we found them, there was NO MOULD WHATSOEVER! They were still in original condition.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by Andrei on Mon Feb 14th at 9:08pm 2005



I heard CocaCola is so caustic that people use it to wash-off calcar from drainpipes.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by satchmo on Mon Feb 14th at 9:27pm 2005

Yeah, you can do this experiment if you have a loose tooth somewhere.

If you place this tooth in a cup of soda, it'll be completely dissolved with no trace of it whatsoever after a period of few weeks. That's how bad it is.

It's almost like drinking those radioactive slime in Half-Life 2. You know, the ones that you can't even step on without losing health.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by Andrei on Mon Feb 14th at 9:54pm 2005

Worth a try . However, i'll be using a piece of meat for the experiment. After all, the stomach isn't made out of bone.
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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by fishy on Mon Feb 14th at 10:18pm 2005

i seen a story on the news this week about the introduction of recording a pupils BMI on their school report card, along with relevent comments/advice. it's in an attempt to shock parents into taking responsibility for their kids weight.

the report claimed that a quarter of american children are obese, and showed some playground footage. pretty sad considering that none of the really fat kids that it showed will ever have a 'normal' life, as it were. that's not to say they can't be happy, as the budah can live just as happily in a motorbike engine as he can in the leaves of a lotus blossom, but they just wont be happy for as long.

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 Re: Fat kids
Posted by Nickelplate on Tue Feb 15th at 5:13am 2005

? quoting satchmo
That's great for doing your part to help your parents. It's the best way to repay them for raising you. But it could be difficult for parents to take advice from their kids though.

My parents and i operate largely on logic. Except my mom she does it lots less. But if there is merit to something i have to say, they will normally listen unless they are going to pull the "because i am your parent and I say so." thing... But they have listened to my concerns and they are trying.

to another post: if you want to instantly be recognised as an oppressed minority (even though more are fat thatn not) Just get HUGE and see if they give you two airplane seats for the price of one, just because you're fat!! YAY!

Yes, coca-cola is VERY caustic, We use it to eat rust off of engine blocks in the shop. AND my brother left one of his baby teeth in coke overnight and by morning it was pretty well dissolved.

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