Don't Blame Fat People

[Krytie TV]

Jesus where the hell do you live? A single tomato here is anywhere from 1-3 dollars. One per day for a month at 2 dollars is 60, and you're not eating a tomato every day by itself.

 

In a state where the unemployment is over 12%. Guess I should consider myself lucky that I can get a tomato for less than a dollar and can't find a job to support my family.

 

No idea our prices were so outrageously cheap.

[sweetjasmine]

It struck me that the infrastructure makes it quite hard for people to get out and about by foot (or on bicycle) whereas in Europe it's really easy to get around without a car.

 

This is a huge issue that I've found a lot of Europeans don't understand. In a lot of places in the US, it's virtually impossible to get around without a car. I grew up in a suburban neighborhood, and if I had to walk to the supermarket, it would take me an hour and would involve crossing one of the most dangerous 2-lane highways in the state. Along the way, there are only sidewalks on one side of the street, and even that sidewalk eventually ends.

 

And that's just suburbia. People in more rural areas sometimes have to drive over half an hour to get to the nearest grocery store. That's precisely why everyone buys in bulk when they do go.

 

I live in a city at the moment, and the nearest supermarket is a 20-30 minute walk. On days when I get home exhausted and it's -15 F outside, I don't really feel like walking all the way to the supermarket to buy groceries and then lugging them back home. Luckily the bus service isn't too bad, but in the absence of public transportation, it'd be more difficult for me to get shopping done.

 

I spent a few months in Eastern Europe, and the nearest grocery store to my house was a small place a few blocks down. My host would go there every two or three days, so it wasn't necessary for her to buy a ton of groceries. She could just pick up what she needed for two or three days, and then carry it back home, going on foot. That sort of thing is rare in the US, even in some cities.

 

Especially when you add into the equation these mammoth sized portions that are served up in the US.

 

And this is another big problem. People get accustomed to those serving sizes, and it's difficult to cut back. It takes a while for your stomach and body to get used to smaller portions, so people who try to go on extreme diets feel like they're starving and then inevitably fail.

 

It's easy to say, "Well, then just don't eat the whole thing!" but it can be difficult to do that when someone presents you with a huge plate of food. We're wired to gobble it all up and keep eating after we're satiated, and although it's definitely possible to consciously think, "I'm only going to eat half of this," it's not easy for some people to do.

[norajane]

And this is another big problem. People get accustomed to those serving sizes, and it's difficult to cut back. It takes a while for your stomach and body to get used to smaller portions, so people who try to go on extreme diets feel like they're starving and then inevitably fail.

 

It's easy to say, "Well, then just don't eat the whole thing!" but it can be difficult to do that when someone presents you with a huge plate of food. We're wired to gobble it all up and keep eating after we're satiated, and although it's definitely possible to consciously think, "I'm only going to eat half of this," it's not easy for some people to do.

 

It IS possible, though.

 

Personal responsibility is something that shouldn't be set aside simply because of what's put in front of us.

 

I frequently cut things in half when I'm out to eat, particularly if it's a burger or sandwich, and just don't eat the other half. Or leave half of bowl of whatever left. It's a choice. I don't see why I should abdicate responsibility over my choices just because I've been given more than I need.

 

Everyone in the US isn't fat, so I'm not sure I'm buying it that everyone and the government is to blame.

 

Are there systemic contributing factors, yes?

 

Are there genetic factors, as well? Yes. There are people in the same family who are either obese, or not, and sometimes both obese and not obese within the same family, depending on whose genes they inherited.

 

But, unless one is already taking personal responsibility for their food choices and activity levels, it seems lame to blame everyone and everything else but yourself.

[Engadget]

In a state where the unemployment is over 12%. Guess I should consider myself lucky that I can get a tomato for less than a dollar and can't find a job to support my family.

 

No idea our prices were so outrageously cheap.

 

Unemployment is rampant where I live too, I just looked at the grocery store circular and the cheapest thing is peaches for a buck a piece. Produce skyrocketed in the past months when the supply dried up due to weather issues.

[sweetjasmine]

I frequently cut things in half when I'm out to eat, particularly if it's a burger or sandwich, and just don't eat the other half. Or leave half of bowl of whatever left. It's a choice. I don't see why I should abdicate responsibility over my choices just because I've been given more than I need.

 

Where did I say that people should just abdicate responsibility over their choices just because they've been served a huge plate of spaghetti instead of a small one?

 

I'm just pointing out that it's not so easy for most people to make those choices and act on them consistently. These visual cues are pretty powerful, and most people don't even realize just how much they're eating. Even fit people with healthy eating habits underestimate their caloric intake unless they keep track of every calorie in a food journal.

 

There are links to abstracts/full text of some interesting studies here: http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/research/overeat/index.htm

[Taramere]

This is a huge issue that I've found a lot of Europeans don't understand. In a lot of places in the US, it's virtually impossible to get around without a car. I grew up in a suburban neighborhood, and if I had to walk to the supermarket, it would take me an hour and would involve crossing one of the most dangerous 2-lane highways in the state. Along the way, there are only sidewalks on one side of the street, and even that sidewalk eventually ends.

 

And that's just suburbia. People in more rural areas sometimes have to drive over half an hour to get to the nearest grocery store. That's precisely why everyone buys in bulk when they do go.

 

I live in a city at the moment, and the nearest supermarket is a 20-30 minute walk. On days when I get home exhausted and it's -15 F outside, I don't really feel like walking all the way to the supermarket to buy groceries and then lugging them back home. Luckily the bus service isn't too bad, but in the absence of public transportation, it'd be more difficult for me to get shopping done.

 

I spent a few months in Eastern Europe, and the nearest grocery store to my house was a small place a few blocks down. My host would go there every two or three days, so it wasn't necessary for her to buy a ton of groceries. She could just pick up what she needed for two or three days, and then carry it back home, going on foot. That sort of thing is rare in the US, even in some cities.

 

You have my sympathies. I wondered if it was just a case of me being unfamiliar with the city...but at one point when I was waiting to cross a frightening highway I got talking to another pedestrian. She confirmed that yeah, it's pretty unusual for people to walk about...and when the pedestrian light did come on, my God did you have to move fast because it certainly didn't stay on for long. I felt like I was taking my life in my hands every time I went out.

 

I found NYC fine to walk about in...and San Francisco felt really walker/cyclist friendly...but buying a couple of odds and ends from a local shop was a hair raising experience. I think I got charged something like $2 for a peach in this little shop in SF.

 

 

It's easy to say, "Well, then just don't eat the whole thing!" but it can be difficult to do that when someone presents you with a huge plate of food. We're wired to gobble it all up and keep eating after we're satiated, and although it's definitely possible to consciously think, "I'm only going to eat half of this," it's not easy for some people to do.

 

Exactly. I was looking to see if I could find a picture similar to the breakfasts I was having in San Diego. When I think of it, it was actually pancake rather than waffle. Anyway, I couldn't find it...but I did find this. My breakfast was like one of those pancakes, with banana, strawberries and whipped cream. But there you go...there's a breakfast available that consists of a whole stack of them. Four times what I thought was a big breakfast....filled with fruit, bacon, what seems to be apples (at the bottom) and what may or may not be scrambled eggs.

 

I'm not going to lie about this. If I'd just finished a long swim and I hadn't eaten in a while, I could probably finish off around 2/3rds of that stack. I dread to think how many calories that would be, but it would certainly be more than I'd burn in 90 minutes of swimming.

 

To tell people "it's easy...just exercise a bit of discipline" when they're surrounded by enormous helpings and limited opportunities to get around other than by car does nothing more than, most probably, helping the person saying it to feel superior. Food can be really bloody tempting, and a regular routine of exercise has - for most people - to have a modicum of fun about it if it's to be sustained.

 

I have some really good cycling (parks and paths) round about where I live, so especially in good weather I enjoy going out and about on my bike or on foot. There's a nice gym a short drive away which is very quiet and pleasant to use. So exercising (when I'm not laid up with a cold that seems to be lasting forever) isn't a chore.

 

For someone who doesn't have those kind of amenities on their doorstep, finding opportunities to exercise in an enjoyable way could be pretty hard work. There's always the option of using a work-out DVD that you only need ten square feet of available space to follow - but that can get old really quick, and for people who have neighbours below it might not be a very feasible option.

 

I think in situations like that, the emphasis should be on acknowledging and congratulating the effort people have to go to in order to stay in shape rather than sneering "it's easy...it just takes a bit of discipline."

For someone who's really overweight, getting into a regular routine of resisting all the things they love to eat and pushing themselves into exercise just isn't going to be easy. Dispensing tough love and basically telling them they're failing at easy tasks (ie exercising discipline, cooking healthy meals and taking regular exercise) is only going to make them feel like a failure...which, in turn, will most probably send them back to the fridge. Positive reinforcement of any efforts they make is far more likely to help them feel good about themselves and motivated to sustain the efforts.

Edited July 12, 2010 by Taramere

[Zed]

Unemployment is rampant where I live too, I just looked at the grocery store circular and the cheapest thing is peaches for a buck a piece. Produce skyrocketed in the past months when the supply dried up due to weather issues.

 

Agree. That is what I was trying to say in my first post. Unemployment is ridiculous at 13% but unoffically it is probably at 22--25% and cost of living is still very high so this is going to impact what people spend their resources on.

 

Fruits and vegetables even if you don't buy organic is extremely expensive and is often imported in. In our area we have only 1-2 farmer's market and none of them are close to a bus line (which is slow and inconsistent)--they are in the middle of nowhere or close to exurbs. We don't have light rail systems here so you have to have a car. The target population that the OP and others on this thread are berating already have to deal with transportation and cost of living issues. Once they settle up with the basics like rent and utilities all they have left is enough to buy cheap crap that will last for a month instead of 7-10 days. So the dollar menu and crap at Walmart or the local grocer is going to make sense then buying strawberries for 5.00 and a pound of apples for 4.00 which increases problems with obesity.

 

A lot of people here must live in rural or sparsely populated areas where they can have the luxury of obtaining fresh fruit and vegetables at rock bottom prices.

[brainygirl]

Agree. That is what I was trying to say in my first post. Unemployment is ridiculous at 13% but unoffically it is probably at 22--25% and cost of living is still very high so this is going to impact what people spend their resources on.

 

Fruits and vegetables even if you don't buy organic is extremely expensive and is often imported in. In our area we have only 1-2 farmer's market and none of them are close to a bus line (which is slow and inconsistent)--they are in the middle of nowhere or close to exurbs. We don't have light rail systems here so you have to have a car. The target population that the OP and others on this thread are berating already have to deal with transportation and cost of living issues. Once they settle up with the basics like rent and utilities all they have left is enough to buy cheap crap that will last for a month instead of 7-10 days. So the dollar menu and crap at Walmart or the local grocer is going to make sense then buying strawberries for 5.00 and a pound of apples for 4.00 which increases problems with obesity.

 

A lot of people here must live in rural or sparsely populated areas where they can have the luxury of obtaining fresh fruit and vegetables at rock bottom prices.

 

I live in the rural midwest and its harder out here than if I were in a more populated area. Walmart prices according to what the competition is pricing. When walmart is the only grocery store in town, they charge more. (as I found out my first shopping trip after I moved). Also, they stock few things and less variety because the store itself is smaller.

 

And yeah, I've definitely been there where I can buy a week of "fresh" stuff, or a month worth of food that comes in boxes with noodles and powerdy sauce packets, add some cheap ground beef or canned tuna and you have food for a month.

 

I am no exusing bad eating, but it REALLY isn't that easy without the resources and the information. Two things that many people lack.

[Skump]

Look, glandular issues aside, there's little excuse for being overweight. Most fat people are fat for one reason - they eat too often. Poor food quality, food quantity (per meal) and low exercise are usually incidental issues in my experience.

 

Serious about losing weight? Try the following.

 

1) Eliminate snacking - COMPLETELY. (including all drinks with any caloric content whatsoever)

 

2) Confine yourself to TWO meals each day - EXCLUSIVELY.

 

3) There is no step three - REALLY.

 

Most people could subsist on spam sandwiches, and would still be hard pressed to consume enough calories to maintain a huge bulk on two meals a day.

[Taramere]

Agree. That is what I was trying to say in my first post. Unemployment is ridiculous at 13% but unoffically it is probably at 22--25% and cost of living is still very high so this is going to impact what people spend their resources on.

 

Fruits and vegetables even if you don't buy organic is extremely expensive and is often imported in. In our area we have only 1-2 farmer's market and none of them are close to a bus line (which is slow and inconsistent)--they are in the middle of nowhere or close to exurbs. We don't have light rail systems here so you have to have a car. The target population that the OP and others on this thread are berating already have to deal with transportation and cost of living issues. Once they settle up with the basics like rent and utilities all they have left is enough to buy cheap crap that will last for a month instead of 7-10 days. So the dollar menu and crap at Walmart or the local grocer is going to make sense then buying strawberries for 5.00 and a pound of apples for 4.00 which increases problems with obesity.

 

A lot of people here must live in rural or sparsely populated areas where they can have the luxury of obtaining fresh fruit and vegetables at rock bottom prices.

 

This will sound very hippyish, but one thing I did when I was a student was I would sprout beans. I got the idea from a Lesley Kenton book on eating raw foods. She touted this thing about how good fresh sprouts are for you. They can be grown from various beans, but mung beans are amongst the fastest. Good for bulking up stir fries and a very cheap way of getting very fresh produce. Here's a how-to guide

 

My dad is a great gardener, so I got (and still get) things like tomato, lettuce and peas from him in the summer. I think if people have a bit of space to grow their own produce, it's a great idea....and fun. I had my own little veggie patch in the garden when I was a kid, and I always got a sense of achievement when we ate something that I had grown myself.

[Shakz]

Unemployment is rampant where I live too, I just looked at the grocery store circular and the cheapest thing is peaches for a buck a piece. Produce skyrocketed in the past months when the supply dried up due to weather issues.

 

Cool new avatar, EG. Is that Hunter Thompson? I'm sorry you have to pay through the nose for produce. I'm fortunate enough to have a weed..I mean vegetable garden, an apple tree that gives four different kinds of apples, a pear tree that gives two different kinds of pears, a plum tree, and a raspberry/blackberry patch. They're hard to keep up (except for the berries and plums) but the food is fantastic. Nothing like a tomato you grew yourself. It's more than I can use. I have to give it away or the birds and rabbits get it.

[sweetjasmine]

I found NYC fine to walk about in...and San Francisco felt really walker/cyclist friendly...but buying a couple of odds and ends from a local shop was a hair raising experience. I think I got charged something like $2 for a peach in this little shop in SF.

 

Yeah, NYC is more pedestrian friendly, generally speaking.

 

Food can be really bloody tempting, and a regular routine of exercise has - for most people - to have a modicum of fun about it if it's to be sustained.

 

Yeah, and I really think if you put people in situations where they don't have a car and where walking is common, safe, and convenient, they'll drop weight quickly. When you think about it, it's pretty insane that people hop in their cars and drive to the gym so they can pay a monthly membership for the privilege of running or even just walking on a treadmill.

 

I think that how hard some people work can easily zap them of the energy and motivation to get exercise. And not exercising makes them feel more sluggish and slows their metabolism, so it's a vicious cycle. I can understand why someone who just put in a really long day would want to zone out in front of the TV or take a nap instead of driving to the gym to run on the treadmill or swim in the pool.

 

Where I'm originally from, a lot of people commute more than half an hour one way. Some of them sit on the train for an hour each way. Others are crazy enough to drive 1 1/2 hours with rush hour traffic. I think it's insane, and that kind of lifestyle would leave practically no room for exercise.

 

I think in situations like that, the emphasis should be on acknowledging and congratulating the effort people have to go to in order to stay in shape rather than sneering "it's easy...it just takes a bit of discipline."

For someone who's really overweight, getting into a regular routine of resisting all the things they love to eat and pushing themselves into exercise just isn't going to be easy. Dispensing tough love and basically telling them they're failing at easy tasks (ie exercising discipline, cooking healthy meals and taking regular exercise) is only going to make them feel like a failure...which, in turn, will most probably send them back to the fridge. Positive reinforcement of any efforts they make is far more likely to help them feel good about themselves and motivated to sustain the efforts.

 

I agree. Positive reinforcement and realistic goals/advice go a long way. You can recognize the hurdles people have to overcome without excusing or enabling bad habits.

 

A lot of people here must live in rural or sparsely populated areas where they can have the luxury of obtaining fresh fruit and vegetables at rock bottom prices.

 

I live in a major city, and the local produce shop has cheap vegetables, though they're usually of not-so-great quality. Everything else in that store is horribly over-priced, including the free range organic meat that's $8+ a pound. The other more mainstream supermarket has more expensive produce, but it's still cheap compared to the prices people here are listing. While in season, a pound of strawberries is $2. The cheapest tomatoes are .69/lb.

[Engadget]

Cool new avatar, EG. Is that Hunter Thompson? I'm sorry you have to pay through the nose for produce. I'm fortunate enough to have a weed..I mean vegetable garden, an apple tree that gives four different kinds of apples, a pear tree that gives two different kinds of pears, a plum tree, and a raspberry/blackberry patch. They're hard to keep up (except for the berries and plums) but the food is fantastic. Nothing like a tomato you grew yourself. It's more than I can use. I have to give it away or the birds and rabbits get it.

 

Yes it is.

[threebyfate]

My dad is a great gardener, so I got (and still get) things like tomato, lettuce and peas from him in the summer. I think if people have a bit of space to grow their own produce, it's a great idea....and fun. I had my own little veggie patch in the garden when I was a kid, and I always got a sense of achievement when we ate something that I had grown myself.

Potted Cherry tomatoes grow very well on balconies with full sunshine and are easy to initially grow and maintain.

[Mr White]

While in the age of mass-produced plentiful food it is easy to get fat - simply because scarcity is no longer an issue and you don't even have to work that hard to get food, this is still not a reason to get fat.

Just because it is easier to shoot people with a gun than by throwing a rock at them doesn't mean that we should all start killing.

 

More to the point, quality of the food has NOTHING to do with obesity. It ONLY has to do with the amount of calories consumed, period. You can live on a McDonalds diet and still be skinny as long as you don't ingest 3000 calories a day.

 

Sure, processed foods have much higher calorie content, but whatever - just eat less of them, and you will still be skinny. You probably can't get fat by binging on apples, and you surely will get fat if you binge on cookies. You can easily eat a bucket of cookies, while most people will struggle with a bucket of apples.; but it is still not the cookies to blame - just eat less cookies than you would apples and you will still be skinny. The health/nutritional value of food is a separate issue from getting fat from it.

I'm not denying that the high concentration of calories in food make it easy to get fat, but if so, let's just boycott the mother****ers and not buy any of their crappy food.

[Taramere]

Potted Cherry tomatoes grow very well on balconies with full sunshine and are easy to initially grow and maintain.

 

I haven't forgotten the help I got from you, courtesy of your dad, when I was looking after my parents' house and had that withering tomato plants emergency.

 

Can potted cherry tomatoes be grown indoors, on a windowsill?

[Zed]

I live in the rural midwest and its harder out here than if I were in a more populated area. Walmart prices according to what the competition is pricing. When walmart is the only grocery store in town, they charge more. (as I found out my first shopping trip after I moved). Also, they stock few things and less variety because the store itself is smaller.

 

And yeah, I've definitely been there where I can buy a week of "fresh" stuff, or a month worth of food that comes in boxes with noodles and powerdy sauce packets, add some cheap ground beef or canned tuna and you have food for a month.

 

I am no exusing bad eating, but it REALLY isn't that easy without the resources and the information. Two things that many people lack.

 

You’re probably right brainy girl. From what some posters stated they live in areas where the country is basically just a few steps out the door, therefore they are privy to fresh fruits and vegetables. Where I live is densely populated, but the irony is that you need a car to get anywhere and the cost of living is grossly high compared to the quality of life which is like living in New York in the 70’s.

 

This will sound very hippyish, but one thing I did when I was a student was I would sprout beans. I got the idea from a Lesley Kenton book on eating raw foods. She touted this thing about how good fresh sprouts are for you. They can be grown from various beans, but mung beans are amongst the fastest. Good for bulking up stir fries and a very cheap way of getting very fresh produce. Here's a [COLOR=#990000]how-to guide[/COLOR]

 

My dad is a great gardener, so I got (and still get) things like tomato, lettuce and peas from him in the summer. I think if people have a bit of space to grow their own produce, it's a great idea....and fun. I had my own little veggie patch in the garden when I was a kid, and I always got a sense of achievement when we ate something that I had grown myself.

 

That’s actually a great suggestion Tamare, but it can be difficult to implement if there isn’t a community initiative behind it because of the poverty and high crime issues that a lot of my clients deal with. They would still need to lease a patch of land since a lot live in concrete high-rises or cinderblocks with no greenery. IT would require communal and local government which is too busy creating amenities for far richer communities. Still, there is a level of apathy with a lot of poor people. It would require education as brainygirl suggested in not only how to eat healthily but how to grow and maintain a garden and a change in local and state government to really implement changes in health and eating where growing food and encouraging green spaces which would also encourage people to exercise if it were safe.

 

I live in a major city, and the local produce shop has cheap vegetables, though they're usually of not-so-great quality. Everything else in that store is horribly over-priced, including the free range organic meat that's $8+ a pound. The other more mainstream supermarket has more expensive produce, but it's still cheap compared to the prices people here are listing. While in season, a pound of strawberries is $2. The cheapest tomatoes are .69/lb.

 

I suppose that is true. I live in a large metro area but it is spread out and produce is just ridiculously expensive. City grocers know they can charge high for low quality vegetables and fruits that no one would eat because there is no other co-ops farmer’s markets close by. They just have to deal with Walmart. So a lot of the poor obese people here are going to opt for cheap dry goods that last longer with Walmart. I do think real education with food and nutrition that is a real national iniative would really help. We have to rethink and change our consumption levels from oil to food in general.

[threebyfate]

I haven't forgotten the help I got from you, courtesy of your dad, when I was looking after my parents' house and had that withering tomato plants emergency.

 

Can potted cherry tomatoes be grown indoors, on a windowsill?

Oh my, I forgot about that. Glad to hear the plants survived.

 

Dad's the one with the green thumb so I'll have to ask him about indoor growing.

[Taramere]

That’s actually a great suggestion Tamare, but it can be difficult to implement if there isn’t a community initiative behind it because of the poverty and high crime issues that a lot of my clients deal with. They would still need to lease a patch of land since a lot live in concrete high-rises or cinderblocks with no greenery. IT would require communal and local government which is too busy creating amenities for far richer communities. Still, there is a level of apathy with a lot of poor people. It would require education as brainygirl suggested in not only how to eat healthily but how to grow and maintain a garden and a change in local and state government to really implement changes in health and eating where growing food and encouraging green spaces which would also encourage people to exercise if it were safe.

 

Do you have allotments in the US? We have this system in the UK where a field will be subdivided into small plots that people can buy or lease to grow produce. I think it can be quite hard to get them, though, due to demand. You'd probably need to start small and make a project of it that just involved a few of your clients who were interested in the idea. The difficulty is, as you touch on, that these projects can sometimes susceptible to vandalism - especially in inner city areas. A lot probably depends on how much support you can get for them within the community, and (connected to that) how protective the community becomes over the project.

 

Some things can be grown indoors without requiring much space at all - and that's maybe something to look at with your clients. With the sprouts, you just grow them in a jar. Then there are the various herbs that can be grown inside. Another guide.

[Zed]

Do you have allotments in the US? We have this system in the UK where a field will be subdivided into small plots that people can buy or lease to grow produce. I think it can be quite hard to get them, though, due to demand. You'd probably need to start small and make a project of it that just involved a few of your clients who were interested in the idea. The difficulty is, as you touch on, that these projects can sometimes susceptible to vandalism - especially in inner city areas. A lot probably depends on how much support you can get for them within the community, and (connected to that) how protective the community becomes over the project.

 

Some things can be grown indoors without requiring much space at all - and that's maybe something to look at with your clients. With the sprouts, you just grow them in a jar. Then there are the various herbs that can be grown inside. Another guide.

 

What you have in Britain is actually rather progressive for land use. Land has to be leased or bought whether non-profit or private industry, at least where I live in order for this endeavor to actually work. As noted there is a level of apathy or more truthfully nihilism that makes it all the more harder to motivate if they don’t have the tools and learning mechanisms available and also of course real money. Starting small with a potted plant or sprouts may work for the more motivated and I will pass on the links you have provided (great idea), but local and state government are uninterested and unmotivated in spear-heading real green iniatives like your suggestion. They would rather have unused and abandoned land go fallow in the hopes that some investors will buy it up for new condos or a strip mall then give it to some poor, fat people.

[vestigalvirgin]

lol. what kind of thread is this? this is pretty funny.

 

"Revenge of the Fat People."

[vestigalvirgin]

Well, I went on a date with someone who is on the heavy side. She kept talking about it and pretty much just disqualifying myself to me. During the date, I was talking about a movie I wanted to see. When I walked her to the metro after having lunch together, she assumed I wanted to end the date. The thing is we had only scheduled to meet up for lunch. I had NO IDEA she thought we were going to go see a movie, too. She thought I was rejecting her after I saw her and was just being polite or something.

 

I liked chatting with her online. We met through a Yahoo Group sharing a similar interest and decided to meet up.

 

After that experience, I try to stay away from people who are extremely insecure about themselves whether they're overweight or not.

 

 

The other problem with going to the movies on a date with an obese person is that it might be expensive if you have to buy two seats for them, and then OMG when they hit the concession stand....you better have your AMEX ready.

[vestigalvirgin]

Being lazy and being a glutton are two repulsive personality traits. And fat looks bad too.

 

You're obviously an anti-fattite.

[vestigalvirgin]

Unfortunately, you don't see obese poor people shopping at the farmers market where you can get multiple bags of food for under ten dollars - you see them waddling around at Wal Mart buying 'tastier' junk food.

 

There's a very good reason for that, the obese don't want to get mistaken for the cattle.

[vestigalvirgin]

The critical thinking skills in this thread is terrible. I think after reading this, we should be more concerned with stupid people than fat people.

 

Aren't fat people stupid?