Should large people have to buy two airplane seats for themselves?

[Alex+R 0]

I do. Laziness/super sized foods are rampant in America (the world too on a lesser scale).

I would say it's their fault, sure. As well as being fat is (mostly) someone's fault.

By laziness, you mean not going to the gym? I hate when people use "laziness" to describe all fat people. It's just a stereotype. If you are a mother of four paying no less attention to your diet today than your 1960s counterpart did, you'll probably still be fatter, due to the choices we have and some wildcard factors like, who knows, maybe HFCS. Yet you'll be running around from dawn to dusk doing stuff for your job and your family. That isn't laziness, it's just not going to the gym, which a lot of people don't have time for. A lot of people never had time for it, but they're fat now.

The idea that most fat people are not trying to lose weight or not doing anything about it fails to explain the huge amount of money (billions and billions of dollars) spent each year on diet programs, exercise equipment, gym memberships, pills, and diet foods. America is obsessed with losing weight. Obviously some people have a hard time losing weight, and I think your characterization of 95% of fat people as lazy and supersized meals eaters (KarenCee is going to love your McDonalds reference again there) shows a lack of compassion and an unwillingness to try to understand the real causes of the weight-gain epidemic.

[Jenn! 918]

You all are so opinionated.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Billions are spent on the diet industry because people are looking for an easy fix - I jsut don't understand how Americans are fat and "it's not their fault" but the rest of the world manages to stay slimmer with similar demands on their time and income.

[Marilyn. 340]

I think the problem nowadays too is that anybody over a size 10 is considered overweight...

[no name 1]

I think the problem nowadays too is that anybody over a size 10 is considered overweight...

I'm not talking a size 10, I'm talking obese. Altho people ar much smaller in London/England definitely.

[Marilyn. 340]

I think the problem nowadays too is that anybody over a size 10 is considered overweight...

I think I remember reading somewhere that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

But that's exactly the same as premium economy - which we already have (costs more than coach, less than Business and 1st Class)

But the seats aren't significantly bigger at this time. Premium economy is not available everywhere either. Either way, the whole point is to make the seats at least 1 and a quarter times the regular coach seat.

I don't think that there's a call at the moment to significantly enlarge seats on planes that accommodate passengers across a global market. Are we saying that its just American passengers that are getting larger or passengers in general.

I could probably dig this up - but I read somewhere that the US has the highest prevalence of obesity in the developed world.

Edited June 29, 2007 by erekose

[Jenn! 918]

I think the problem nowadays too is that anybody over a size 10 is considered overweight...

I think I remember reading somewhere that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14...

Sizes have inflated since Marilyn Monroe's time. I've heard that too, but I also heard that a 14 back then was like a 6 or 8 now...

[no name 1]

Billions are spent on the diet industry because people are looking for an easy fix - I jsut don't understand how Americans are fat and "it's not their fault" but the rest of the world manages to stay slimmer with similar demands on their time and income.

Look how fast that diarrhea weight loss pill sold out! Easy fix, no exercise needed! Except you get the runs.

American LOVES excuses!

Type II Diabetes has increased dramatically in the last 10 years...

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (formerly called diabetes mellitus type II, non insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM), obesity related diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes) is a metabolic disorder that is primarily characterized by insulin resistance, relative insulin deficiency, and hyperglycemia. It is often managed by engaging in exercise and modifying one's diet. It is rapidly increasing in the developed world, and there is some evidence that this pattern will be followed in much of the rest of the world in coming years. The CDC has characterized the increase as an epidemic.[1]

source

Type 2 diabetes usually occurs gradually. Most people with the disease are overweight at the time of diagnosis. However, type 2 diabetes can also develop in those who are thin, especially the elderly.

Family history and genetics play a large role in type 2 diabetes. Low activity level, poor diet, and excess body weight (especially around the waist) significantly increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.

source

[Alex+R 0]

Billions are spent on the diet industry because people are looking for an easy fix - I jsut don't understand how Americans are fat and "it's not their fault" but the rest of the world manages to stay slimmer with similar demands on their time and income.

Look how fast that diarrhea weight loss pill sold out! Easy fix, no exercise needed! Except you get the runs.

American LOVES excuses!

Nobody is denying that Americans are gaining weight and getting diabetes. I think pills are a bad idea, but nobody will deny that exercise equipment or a membership at Weight Watchers is looking for a "quick fix."

I think the difference between here and other countries is our general lifestyle, the chemicals in our food, and our lack of public transportation and walking. People in New York or London are going to be slimmer just from walking alone, before you even factor in other things.

I don't understand why the easiest answer for so many people is "Americans are fat because they are lazy idiots who don't try." That makes no sense. It's just our inferior national character?

[no name 1]

Billions are spent on the diet industry because people are looking for an easy fix - I jsut don't understand how Americans are fat and "it's not their fault" but the rest of the world manages to stay slimmer with similar demands on their time and income.

Look how fast that diarrhea weight loss pill sold out! Easy fix, no exercise needed! Except you get the runs.

American LOVES excuses!

Nobody is denying that Americans are gaining weight and getting diabetes. I think pills are a bad idea, but nobody will deny that exercise equipment or a membership at Weight Watchers is looking for a "quick fix."

I think the difference between here and other countries is our general lifestyle, the chemicals in our food, and our lack of public transportation and walking. People in New York or London are going to be slimmer just from walking alone, before you even factor in other things.

I don't understand why the easiest answer for so many people is "Americans are fat because they are lazy idiots who don't try." That makes no sense. It's just our inferior national character?

Because it's true!!!! Americans ARE lazy. Americans LOVE junk food. Americans LOVE giant sodas & portions.

How many treadmills/etc turn into coat racks? How many memberships at WW, continue after the weight loss or first 2 meetings? How many unused gym memberships are there? There's a reason they make them 3 year commitments!

Edited June 29, 2007 by devilette

[Alex+R 0]

I think you're imagining this slothful idiot population. I'm getting this image that suggests that all fat people like NASCAR and wrestling and have never read a book. I don't eat junk food, yet I've got some junk in the trunk.

I get upset because I saw the way people treated me so differently when I was slender from when I was carrying 15 extra pounds to when I gained a lot of weight. People assume you are stupid and uneducated the heavier you are, and you can see it in their eyes and hear it in the way strangers talk to you. It's very frustrating to live with these stereotypes. People who have struggled with finding balance between two eating disorders know the tremendous pressure you're under whether too thin or too fat. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as angry, but I don't think people gain weight out of laziness. It's out of lots of other problems that are more complicated.

Because it's true!!!! Americans ARE lazy. Americans LOVE junk food. Americans LOVE giant sodas & portions.

How many treadmills/etc turn into coat racks? How many memberships at WW, continue after the weight loss or first 2 meetings? How many unused gym memberships are there? There's a reason they make them 3 year commitments!

I don't think the problem is people go to WW twice and leave. They lose 50 pounds and then quit and then gain it back. Then they rejoin and lose 50 pounds again. Then one year they finally do it and lose the 75 pounds they wanted to. Then they keep it off for five years, and then gain it back. It's just endless.

[no name 1]

I think you're imagining this slothful idiot population. I'm getting this image that suggests that all fat people like NASCAR and wrestling and have never read a book. I don't eat junk food, yet I've got some junk in the trunk.

I get upset because I saw the way people treated me so differently when I was slender from when I was carrying 15 extra pounds to when I gained a lot of weight. People assume you are stupid and uneducated the heavier you are, and you can see it in their eyes and hear it in the way strangers talk to you. It's very frustrating to live with these stereotypes. People who have struggled with finding balance between two eating disorders know the tremendous pressure you're under whether too thin or too fat. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as angry, but I don't think people gain weight out of laziness. It's out of lots of other problems that are more complicated.

Laziness, depression, diabetes, etc. All reasons for gaining. Only the weight gainer can take responsibilty for it. Own up to the fact they are big & decide to DEAL WITH IT. STOP MAKING EXCUSES.

I don't imagine a slothful population, I've seen it, in LA, in Ohio, in NYC. Tons of places in America.

Because it's true!!!! Americans ARE lazy. Americans LOVE junk food. Americans LOVE giant sodas & portions.

How many treadmills/etc turn into coat racks? How many memberships at WW, continue after the weight loss or first 2 meetings? How many unused gym memberships are there? There's a reason they make them 3 year commitments!

I don't think the problem is people go to WW twice and leave. They lose 50 pounds and then quit and then gain it back. Then they rejoin and lose 50 pounds again. Then one year they finally do it and lose the 75 pounds they wanted to. Then they keep it off for five years, and then gain it back. It's just endless.

Exactly why anyone who has lost & MAINTAINED a healthy weight will say it's a lifestyle choice, not a diet.

[Alex+R 0]

Yes but even a lifestyle choice is difficult to maintain when you grow up forming wrong ideas about food. And all the while, these people are fighting messages they are getting from their caveman brains telling them to eat. That's why people can be overpowered by their impulses without being able to think about it first. It's a HUGE undertaking, changing the way you eat.

[Fuzzness 2]

I'm fat and that's nobody's f*cking business. Sure, americans are lazy, but they sure love to stick their nose in other people's business too.