Are you overly critical of overwight people?

(a) People don't tend to understand weight issues unless they've suffered them. Most people who are overweight don't want to be. The fact that they don't just lose weight shows that there are bigger factors at play than just personal choice.

(b) You can blame it on the individual (and I do agree with personal responsibility for our weight), but why does anyone think there is an obesity epidemic in North America and Western Europe but not in similarly affluent countries in, say, Asia?

c) If a nation's method of feeding its citizens makes it more likely that it will lead to obesity, does the fault still lie entirely with each individual citizen?

d) Fewer people than ever cook their own food from base ingredients. Although we can read the ingredients list, who can really visualise it in the same way as if we'd weighed it and added it to the recipe ourself.

(e) Our bodies were designed to consume fructose (fruit sugars) and yet most of our food is sweetened with sucrose or glucose, which tastes good but comes with health concerns.

(f) Our food companies are naturally concerned with profit and turning a profit is not necessarily conducive to public health. Outside of foodstuffs, obesity treatment itself is now a business. One that would dry up with a population of people at their ideal weight.

I'm not passing the buck. It's the ultimate responsibility of the person putting the food in their mouth. But when it becomes more and more difficult to make a healthy choice, and to even understand what is healthy, I have some sympathy with people who find their weight rising.

I say no. I do crack small jokes from time to time about some people and their weight, but I really do feel as if it their decision whether they want to do something about it. Im not mean to them but I'm not going to try to interfere with their life to try to make them change either. If they are comfortable with their life style, good. If not, they are just as capable as i am, to do something about it. Just my opinion

I just feel so sorry for them :o(

I pity them carrying that extra weight around, which must make them so tired. However, I do object to seeing parents neglect their children - feeding them crap and making them obese.

I also object to our governments allowing food companies to lace our food with MSG - an addictive, mind-altering drug that if sprinkled on cardboard would make it tasty. It is common in all fast-food, processed garbage, junk food and (sad to say) chocolate. This makes us eat until we are 'stuffed' and was first trialed in baby food!!

I had excess baby weight after my son was born and it was so hard to deprive myself of my favourites. Some people think life is too short to deprive themselves and so just get bigger and bigger. Perhaps it would help them to know they are being manipulated and poisoned by MSG.

I Always laughed at fat people!! Any one that looked over 150 pounds was Discussing, Ugly and lazy to me. I would even avoid sitting by one. It was Mind Boggling to me how and Why they got so FAT ?!!!

UNTIL after I had 5 kids 4 in a row (ages 5678) I was 80 pounds over weight ! Trying to lose the weight was the hardest thing I have Ever tried to accomplish. I came to realize that- We All Struggle with something. It's just that some things are More obvious than others. People gain weight for Many different reasons, those reasons are the "real" problem, not the weight.

No but I am overly critical of spelling errors.

Leave the wights along. ;-)

Nope. It really pisses me off when people complain about OTHER peoples' weight. Like WTF has it got to do with you? Also often times they look fine as they are anyway. I'm only slightly overweight but it pisses me off when I see people judging others like that.

I'm not overly critical of overweight people because I've also struggled with my weight as well. The most I ever weighed was 238 pounds. I'm now at 186 pushing to reach my goal of 165 pounds. I'll be able to accomplish this by May 2012.

Staying on topic though, I do agree that most overweight people are indeed responsible for their weight. To some extent though, we do have to be somewhat understanding as far as their situation is concerned.

I can tell you from experience that it is not easy to develop the nescessary discipline to drop the weight, especially if you have to do it by yourself. It takes a lot of patience and you have to exercise a good amount of self-control which most people can't accomplish in one night.

If I have a friend who is overweight and seeking guidance on dropping the pounds, I will gladly help him/her. If they're happy with the way they are, then I'm happy for them too. People come in all shapes and sizes.

Well as an obese person, I clearly do not have any hatred whatsoever unless they come to the point where they CAN make the change but refuse to. I used to be really obese because (reaching "overweight" zone now) as a child I couldn't care less but now I care about how society views me, and I must look presentable for employments and whatsoever.

No good comes from being obese. You are the butt of jokes, some people will ostracize you and your social interaction would be at a minimal. Aside from that, there are the medical problems which leads to an early death. I don't really want to die so early knowing that in the future I might have a child and a wife. Like Winnie The Pooh once said

(yes I'm quoting a cartoon. Problem?)

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”

I try not to be. I usually blame the person, but I often try to consider other possibilities like under active thyroid,etc. When, I see them eat allot of unhealthy food, than I'll most likely become rather critical of them.

I try not to be upset about it, but it's rather hard. I think it's rather harsh for people to blame them with even knowing/considering the possibilities. On the other end of the spectrum, I know what it's like to be wrongly judged for "eating habits". It does hurt so, I like to keep my frustrations over people's weight to myself.

I've never understand this hatred... is a person not a person because of a few more pounds or stones?

What if the person was anorexic, would you be mean then? Don't be a hypocrite.

Externally, no... but internally, sometimes I feel like I am. Makes me kind of sick to my stomach to imagine I'm *that* shallow, two-faced person... but honestly, there's a part of me that can't help it.

It's mostly a problem in situations when they're letting me know they're attracted to me. As much as I want to take the moral high-ground, I cannot make myself feel attracted to an exceptionally obese person. The worst is that... if someone does something rude or nasty to me, AND they're fat? I'm pretty likely to have a nasty thought that involves mocking their weight.

Not particularly proud of myself regarding this, but hey- honesty.

Yes and no...

I know as a fact that the reason that some people are overweight is because of their poor eating habits. Many of them were not taught any better, and to be able to discipline and moderate your eating, after a lifetime of being taught that it's cool to just eat whatever you want, in a day and age where great-tasting food is just around the corner and only costs about $6-$10 and being overweight is "the norm", I can understand why many people have trouble. Society teaches us to indulge ourselves yet it reprimands the consequences.

But we still have to at least *try* to excersize self control. A person that is very fat *and* doesn't take care of their hygeine is more likely to disgust me than a thin person doing such. I know it is wrong and shallow and what not, but it is. Like I said, I try to be understanding, but ultimately I am just not very attracted to them. I've tried being attracted to them, but I can not...

The only time I care is when a 400 pound woman is wearing daisy dukes and a halter top *shudders*. Jp but seriously I saw that once haha

Honestly, yes I am. I think it stems from my own insecurities. If I am over 115 lbs I freak out and go on a diet. I do not want to be overweight or anywhere near. I have no overweight friends and if my thin friends gain some weight I use to mention it, now not so much but I do think it. I don't understand how anyone willing stays overweight. Like people who over eat and don't give a damn. It might seem like it doesn't effect anyone else but it DOES.

If someone a medical problem not caused by over eating that makes them over weight i do not judge them. or try not too. But if i see an weight person stuffing thier face at McD....... and usually i know them because this is a small town and know they are using tax payers dollars (welfare) to do this i get very upset. And as often as I hear them say "i dont know why i cant lose weight" while scarfing down 5-6 hamburgers sometimes i get a little blunt. It pisses me off to see it. obesity runs in my family and i am very causious of what i put in my system to stay at a healthy wieght. I am always filled up at meal time although i fill up on less fat causing food and more healthy food.

There are many different reasons for weight gains, ranging from individual's eating selections to corporate profitability in providing cheaper less healthier foods at a higher profit margin.

Ultimately the trick to controlling weight gain or loss, outside of a diagnosed illness is controlling portions. You must control the amount you eat and what you eat as you age, if you dont then you will be yet another one of those people who were fit and healthy in HS and college, yet gain 5 lbs for every year you pass beyond 30. I used to eat whatever I want and not work out at all when I was younger and I remained in shape. Now I work out harder then ever and regulate what I eat all the time. Its a daily battle, but I want to stay in shape. If you dont care, eat what you want, and be prepared to be grossly out of shape.

Ultimately it is up to the individual. Just because we are given MORE poor choices in terms of food doesnt mean there still arent good choices out there to maintain a healthy weight.

Fat people don't piss me off or anything, I just have a hard time taking someone serious when they obviously don't take themselves seriously. And I would never take advice from someone who is that lazy.

And by fat, I mean obese. A couple extra pounds is not a big deal.