Last nights tv.

[postman]

Two overweight people one male the other female.
The bloke has heart probs.Needs a valve relacement.Told to lose 5st.
Before they will operate has maybe just a lttle over 12 months to live.
So off to the obese clinic.Has surgery a balloon inserted.This can only stay in for 6 months.First month excellent 1.5 stone lost.Next three months puts weight back on .
So bang goes four months ,wasted.Refused heart surgery and obese clinic now have to cost his further treatment.
The prog finished on him with nothing happening.

On the other hand the lady.So bubbly was a total success.Much to the annoyance of her hubby who liked the heavier and more rounded woman.

Now my point if death is staring you in the face would that not be the ultimate push to get rid of the weight.

And there must be a point where the hospital will refuse to carry on treating at many many thousands of pounds someone who is not pulling his weight (no pun intended).

Now this has annoyed me considering i have had pain on and off since August with this knee.And only managed to convince my Doc to let me go to hospital after angrily dropping my trousers.To let him see the swelling.

Some people need a kick up the (very large) rear end to see sense.He should be thinking of his lovely wife who will miss him so much if and he will.Kick the bucket.

 

[Noodley]

Now this has annoyed me considering i have had pain on and off since August with this knee.And only managed to convince my Doc to let me go to hospital after angrily dropping my trousers.To let him see the swelling.

Err, what had you been showing before? Your arm?

 

[Arch]

Some people are just self destructive, or can't see beyond the next week. Or maybe it all seemed like such a huge effort that he couldn't see himself managing it and gave up?

The point about witholding treatment is a good one - the only problem I see is where you draw lines. There are probably plenty of people who would begrudge the treatment given to someone injured playing sport. Fall off your bike and need a bone setting? You shouldn't do something so risky...

 

[rich p]

There's a local orthopaedic surgeon who won't do hip replacements on heavily overweight patients. I don't know about the ethics of refusal to treat but I would have thought that life threat or walking round crippled would be a powerful incentive to stop filling your gob.

 

[661-Pete]

It's not as simple as that, Postman. I had the dubious privilege of being dumped in A&E last Friday, surrounded by mostly cardiac cases (for me, at least, it seems to have been a false alarm ). I had ample opportunity to survey the general SOH of some of my fellow-patients. And seeing as most of them were stripped to the waist so that ECG probes could be applied, I could survey their waistlines too! One guy in particular: I reckon he was some years younger than I but in far worse state, being given oxygen and IV drugs. And his waistline! I would guess it's not his first warning but I doubt if he's managed to do something about it in the meantime. I wish it were easier for folks (I'm somewhat overweight myself) but I know all about the psychological obstacles to overcome!

 

[marooncat]

One of my mates is like this, he must be at least 25-28 stone, knees/legs are knackared cause of his weight and he has been in hospital a couple of times, not with things directly relating to his weight but things that are not going to be helped by his weight.

He keeps saying he is on a diet and I do think he tries for a few weeks but then goes back to his old habits and will just eat and eat. He goes swimming on a Sunday and I understand gets out the pool and goes straight for a big fry up from his breakfast as he as "earned it"

He has been told to loose weight by his doctor but obviously this is not getting through to him.

Now I am well overweight (obese technically but over 5 stone lighter than I was a few years ago) and am slowly losing weight. However I would like to think that if I was told that I HAD to lose weight due to a medical reason I would be sticking to diet from that day onwards.

 

[Arch]

While over on the other side, I spotted the knitted character!!

Oh well done!

Back on topic, I guess it's a vicious circle - you're overweight, you get ill, that makes you unhappy, and it's very hard to do anything about yourself when you're unhappy. Even a jolt like "you will die" might just make you give up on yourself. Some people react well to a challenge, some don't.

 

[Noodley]

It's not just overweight people, although they are more easy to target as they are obvious in their 'failings'. My uncle died a few years ago due to years of alcohol misuse and smoking. He had numerous strokes, then had a leg amputated, then the other one, then more strokes. Did it stop him drinking and smoking? Well he's dead so I suppose he stopped eventually.

 

[rich p]

It's not just overweight people, although they are more easy to target as they are obvious in their 'failings'. My uncle died a few years ago due to years of alcohol misuse and smoking. He had numerous strokes, then had a leg amputated, then the other one, then more strokes. Did it stop him drinking and smoking? Well he's dead so I suppose he stopped eventually.

Was he cremated? One last smoke

 

[dav1d]

While over on the other side, I spotted the knitted character!!

Where? I want to win one (sad I know lol).

Back on topic, I'm not too overweight, and wouldn't be at all if I hadn't suddenly put on a couple of stone for no reason. It's just my stomach really, as my arms and legs are fine (arms a bit thin actually, was the same with my legs until I suddenly started putting on muscle in them despite this never happening in the past!).

 

[vernon]

It's very easy to be unsympathetic towards others whose perceived lifestyles are radically different from one's own.

Operating at the other extreme - I can not understand or empathise with anorexics or folk suffering from body dysmorphia as I have not suffered from either complaint/condition/illness.

Anorexics, alcoholics, body dydmorphics, the super obese and smokers all have problems that they have difficulty overcoming even though the outcome of unchanged behaviour is often terminal. It's all too easy to have a go at them. It's not so easy to help them see 'the error of their ways'.

Meanwhile having been weaned off cigarettes six or seven years ago and weaned off ritualised quaffing of excessive amounts of alcohol on a regular basis I only have to focus on reducing pie and pie accompaniments consumption in an attempt to shed a hundredweight slowly but pleasurably.....

 

[colly]

after angrily dropping my trousers.To let him see the swelling.

You need to careful about doing that Postman.

 

[Over The Hill]

I did not see the programme but have watched "supersize v superskinny" (repeated on late at the moment)

It is a very interesting programme on this subject.
Unless you change the persons perception of food you will not change their habits. Also we are bombarded with easy crap food everywhere we go which if you lack will power is difficult.

With the problem of overweight people continuing to eat too much, I am surprised that they do not just agree to not carry any money with them and someone provide them with three healthy meals a day. Will that then not sort it?

 

[postman]

What was sad.Was the system was in place the Doctors ,Hospital His lovely wife.Who i forgot to mention took early retirement to keep an eye on his final attempt at losing the weight needed.

All directed to help him stay alive.All they asked don't shovel crap into your mouth.Get some exercise

But maybe he needs to see a shrink to sort out why he is hiding behind food.I wih him well.

 

[Mr Pig]

Later. On the piano.

Yeah, I'm surprised it was so obvious.

I'm overweight by about two-and-a-half to three stone. I hate it but loosing weight can be harder than you would think. It goes on very slowly over a long period of time, years. When you decide to do something about it though you want it off quickly but it doesn't work that way, it takes years to go off as well so when you cut down on your calorie intake it can be very disheartening to see no real change. And many people eat when they're down or bored.

Also, the bigger you are the harder it is to exercise. The routine of your life may also make it difficult to fit exercise. Cost can be a factor too. Yes, it's easy to say that exercise is free but many free activities, like walking, can become boring and wet winter nights hardly encourage getting out.

I'm not making excuses, I think that if you're fat it's your fault and nobody else's, just trying to let you see that it's not as simple as you might think. Smoking is similar. Yes, totally their fault, but I still have sympathy for smokers and the difficult situation they're in.

As for being short sighted, who isn't? Every single one of us are going to die, relatively soon actually, but most of the people I know live their lives as if they're not. Death comes as a shock and intrusion to most, whenever it comes.