600-Pound Mom Shoots For New World Record

I do think there are advantages for the medical/"beauty"/fashion/drug industries in ascribing classifications for obesity to people and that this whole issue is not so "cut-and-dried" as it may seem < obesity is all the person's fault, just eat less, have such-and-such surgery, etc>

I also think there are real medical consequences for many of people who are obese and certainly for people who are "super-obese" such that they can't actually walk, leave the house, use the bathroom, etc.

I also realize that the ideal, hyped-up beauty standard is not what most women actually can attain and that the average woman in the United States weighs maybe about 20-30lbs more than that.

so it's not a simple issue-
 
dogmom said:
I do think there are advantages for the medical/"beauty"/fashion/drug industries in ascribing classifications for obesity to people and that this whole issue is not so "cut-and-dried" as it may seem < obesity is all the person's fault, just eat less, have such-and-such surgery, etc>

I also think there are real medical consequences for many of people who are obese and certainly for people who are "super-obese" such that they can't actually walk, leave the house, use the bathroom, etc.

I also realize that the ideal, hyped-up beauty standard is not what most women actually can attain and that the average woman in the United States weighs maybe about 20-30lbs more than that.

so it's not a simple issue-
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Ok, if obesity is not their fault, then whose fault is it? But that is besides the point. And also, I know so many guys who love women in all shapes and sizes, so real life and what the magazines say is beauty are two completely differently truths. I do agree that a woman who is only 50 pounds overweight is not as unhealthy as say a woman who is 100 lbs or more but nevertheless, one has to ask how they got obese, it's because they eat too much and usually too much unhealthy food like soda, chocolates, junk food, etc. Would you feed your dog that kind of diet? of course not, it's bad for them. It's bad for humans too.

but it's none of my business what they choose to eat. Their bodies, their lives, their business. There's only been one time I was actually affected by someone's weight and that is when i sat next to one on a plane, he was so big that he took up half of my seat forcing me to painfully be squished into the arm rest on the other side. he couldn't even put his food tray down because his stomach was too big. I was very happy to find an empty seat elsewhere so I didn't have to spend a 7 hour flight literally in pain from being so squished. I felt bad for the guy though, he was very embarrassed and self-conscious.


Anyway, this thread is about a 600 pound woman wanting to put on more weight to win some meaningless record instead of trying to make herself healthier so she is actually able to take care of her child and live long enough to see her child grow up. That's very sad.
 
a lot of obesity has to do with genetics and the after-effects of "yo-yo" dieting, which screws up one's metabolism and affects their ability to regulate weight the same way a person who has not dieted - or dieted extremely - can.
In many areas of the U.S. there are "food deserts" where access to healthy, fresh food is very limited or non-existent, and there are no role models to show kids about healthier eating. Sometimes great trauma like incest/rape happens in someone's life who may already struggle with weight/self-esteem and that cascades into this unconscious effort to keep themselves "safe" by getting so large that they believe no one could possibly want them, or be able physically to do the same thing to them again.
So, I agree that an individual does have a responsibility to care for themselves - but I also think that other factors affect one's ability to achieve that, sometimes.

I end up wondering what inward pain this 600lb woman has that has led her to do what she's doing. Outward things sometimes illustrate and hide great inner pain and struggle-
 
dogmom said:
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I end up wondering what inward pain this 600lb woman has that has led her to do what she's doing. Outward things sometimes illustrate and hide great inner pain and struggle-
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:hmm: For sure there is a strong psychological component at work.
 
DeafCaroline said:
I am asking this question in all seriousness - morbidly obese people are usually unemployed because they are so physically unable to move. Where do they get the money to eat so much? A week's worth of food a day??? that's easily 500$ a week.
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I am considered morbidly obese. I am no where near as big as this lady. At 268 pounds I was told I am morbidly obese according to my BMI. I eat less than my family. My MIL is also morbidly obese at 108 pounds over where she should be. She is a lot heavier than me. She eats terribly but not a lot. Just the wrong things and has no will power. My normal grocery bill for 5 people for 1 week runs $130, but lately I have been "squeaking" by on $70 a week. Not easy and the kids don't get filled, but at least we all get 3 meals a day.
 
KristinaB said:
I am considered morbidly obese. I am no where near as big as this lady. At 268 pounds I was told I am morbidly obese according to my BMI. I eat less than my family. My MIL is also morbidly obese at 108 pounds over where she should be. She is a lot heavier than me. She eats terribly but not a lot. Just the wrong things and has no will power. My normal grocery bill for 5 people for 1 week runs $130, but lately I have been "squeaking" by on $70 a week. Not easy and the kids don't get filled, but at least we all get 3 meals a day.
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Yeah, I should have clarified that I meant the VERY morbidly obese when asking how she can afford to eat a week's worth of groceries in one day. In no way did I mean to refer to those who are nowhere near as big as she is.
 
KristinaB said:
I am considered morbidly obese. I am no where near as big as this lady. At 268 pounds I was told I am morbidly obese according to my BMI. I eat less than my family. My MIL is also morbidly obese at 108 pounds over where she should be. She is a lot heavier than me. She eats terribly but not a lot. Just the wrong things and has no will power. My normal grocery bill for 5 people for 1 week runs $130, but lately I have been "squeaking" by on $70 a week. Not easy and the kids don't get filled, but at least we all get 3 meals a day.
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I'm a borderline case myself and I have health problems due to my weight. My BMI is at 38. Morbid obesity starts at 40 BMI.

My food bill can be as high as 100 per week but that's because I tend to buy fancy gourmet stuff when I can get similar items for much less. I've been known to pay 20 dollars for olive oil just because I wanted to see what it tastes like.

It's normally around 60 to as low as 40 dollars per week. It would be less If I were not hooked on diet Coke. I had to learn portion sizes and stuff and I'm working on not eating more than I need to but it's not easy because sometimes I get hungry in middle of the night and then start snacking on stuff.
 
healthier eating and eating on a budget can be challenging - challenging in different ways for different people. And some may not find it so at all.

I'm about 104 w/BMI of 18 - but heaviness does run on my dad's side of the family. He and sister have both been very overweight and he actually did diet extremely as a very young man and lost a lot of weight, was very physically active <jogged regularly til about 6 years ago - now late 70's> and did not gain it back. His sister never had that happen and when she died she did have a lot of trouble walking, especially with one of knees, on which she did have several operations.
 
Heaviness seems to run in my mother's family. One of my ancestors on my mother's side was said to weigh 400 pounds. My great-great grandfather was very overweight too. All the females in my family are obese and some are severely obese; my mother, my mother's cousin Barbra and I all have diabetes because of the weight. The male side of the family don't seem to be attected by weight. My dad is the most overweight male in the family and he is not considered obese.
 
Aleser - the photos you posted were of young, young-ish women. It's generally known that the older they get, the heavier they become and the more health problems they develop from joint problems to diabetes to heart disease. So, while the young women may not appear to be on their death beds, I wonder how their health will be in 20 years and how much they're forking out on medication and assistive devices such as walkers, canes, wheelchairs, cars, vans.

My mother died of pulmonary edema - related to her obesity, it put such a strain on her heart that she was no longer able to sleep lying down flat without risking her lungs filling up with water. She had to sleep propped up on pillows. She became so sick that the doctors told her she had six months to a year left to live. That's how we ended up going to Italy for my grade ninth year so she could live out her dream of living in Italy and soaking up all the art and culture. Exactly a year to the day we moved to Italy, she passed away in her sleep. She was 49. I was 15.

So, I do have a very personal reason to be concerned about the health of older obese women.
 
Aleser said:
The medical industry has sold you a big old bridge when it comes to "morbid obesity" according to their BMI standards:

Colleen is "morbidly obese"

Julia is "morbidly obese"

Naomi is "morbidly obese"
Charlotte is "morbidly obese"
Michelle is "morbidly obese"
Cassie is "obese"
"Kell" has a BMI 12 points higher than "morbidly obese"
Robin is "morbidly obese"
Shauna is "overweight"
Sheana is "morbidly obese"
Sharon is "obese"

See how convenient it is to create an "obesity epidemic" when you start calling a whole lot of people "obese" and "morbidly obese" via arbitrary standards?

Those girls all sure look like the'yre on their deathbeds... right? :roll:
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I do agree with the standards of being labeled "obese". I think it has gotten out of hand. I've seen some people who are considered "morbidly obese" and still maintain athletic lives without feeling like they're always tired or out of shape.
 
dogmom said:
a lot of obesity has to do with genetics and the after-effects of "yo-yo" dieting, which screws up one's metabolism and affects their ability to regulate weight the same way a person who has not dieted - or dieted extremely - can.
In many areas of the U.S. there are "food deserts" where access to healthy, fresh food is very limited or non-existent, and there are no role models to show kids about healthier eating. Sometimes great trauma like incest/rape happens in someone's life who may already struggle with weight/self-esteem and that cascades into this unconscious effort to keep themselves "safe" by getting so large that they believe no one could possibly want them, or be able physically to do the same thing to them again.
So, I agree that an individual does have a responsibility to care for themselves - but I also think that other factors affect one's ability to achieve that, sometimes.

I end up wondering what inward pain this 600lb woman has that has led her to do what she's doing. Outward things sometimes illustrate and hide great inner pain and struggle-
Click to expand...

In my case, it sparked just the opposite - anorexia. My weight got so low I stopped having my period for a little over a year. Size 4, 104 lbs on a 5'6" height. Yes, I am 'healthier' these days but I still struggle with it where I will go through cycles of starvation and somewhat normal eating. I have relapsed twice since - the last relapse I got down to 107.
 
:aw: Dixie, :ty: for sharing that. I know that anorexia can get a vicious hold on you! I'm sorry to read about what has happened but I do support you here!
:hug:
 
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