Would You Rather....

[ValerieL]

I'm involved in a book discussion on another forum. It's a discussion on the book Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata. It's a great read if anyone is interested, but this is the thing I want to ask here. In the other discussion, the following quote from the book was listed:

In one now classic study, Colleen Rand, an obesity researcher at the University of Florida, asked forty-seven formerly fat men and women whether they would rather be obese again or have some other disability. Every one of them said they would rather be deaf or have dyslexia, diabetes, bad acne, or heart disease than be obese again. Ninety-one said they would rather have a leg amputated. Eighty-nine percent would rather be blind. (p 69)

The exact wording of the question is vague, but the question was asked of patients that had formerly undergone gastric bypass surgery. Everyone answering the question at the other discussion is assuming they could just lose the weight again, and many of the respondents are not people that would have ever qualified for the gastric bypass surgery in the first place as their excess weight didn't exceed 50 or 60 lbs.

So, I want to ask you guys, the ones that have experienced obesity to a far greater degree, the following more specific question (the way *I* think the question was probably posed to the people referred to above):

If you had to choose between being permanently obese at your top weight or having some other permanent disability such as being deaf, dyslexia, diabetes, bad acne, heart disease, a leg amputated or being blind, which would you choose?

[ValerieL]

This was my answer:

My top weight was 340, if my choice is to 340 for the rest of my life or to be deaf for the rest of my life, I'll take deafness. Diabetes, well, they didn't say uncontrolled diabetes, I'm assuming I can still live a full life with my insulin shots, so I'll take diabetes. Heart disease? I'll take it and get lots of exercise & watch my cholesterol. An amputated leg? Protheses are great these days, I can still do my 5 & 10k races with a prosthetic leg. Bad acne? Please, I'll wear more makeup. Blindness is a little tougher, I might have to take my former weight over blindness, the lack of independence from being blind, just not being able to drive where I want to go, might be enough for me to prefer weighing 340 lbs everyday.

I guess I'm wondering if I'm the only one. I'm not wishing those things on myself, or trying to downplay or disrespect the seriousness of those issues if anyone is already dealing with them. I'm just acknowledging to myself how damaging obesity was to me. It was terrible.

[LCRobbie]

I would say my responses would be exactly like yours, for the same reasons. However, if you were to assume that diabetes and heart diesease would never set in because I weighed 388.8, I would consider the weight but probably just deal with the other diseases instead. Meaning, if I weigh 388.8, there is a good chance of me dying from a heart attack or have my legs amputated from diabetes.....too many assumptions. But in general, I'd say I agree with you 100%

[callmedoc]

My high was 360 a few years ago, and I would honestly take on all of these instead of going back. Of course, take what Robbie said, at my high weight, the chances of getting one or two of these problems come at a higher risk also. There's no going back for me!

[pennink]

I guess the key word is 'permanent'. If I had no choice to be able to 'fix' it, then I'd choose any of the others.

I already have heart disease (the kind that has nothing to do with cholesterol), and I would say, though, there is a bit of a toss up. I'm looking at either doing my best to cope and an eventual heart transplant. I have to be careful not to stress myself, to walk up stairs too often, and to always have someone near when just walking around the block...

THIS kind of heart disease or 280? I'll take 280.

[suze_c]

Some who are so overweight are already dealing with the health problems that being morbidly obese brings with it. I know I deal with high blood sugar- (not bad enough to take insulin- but is a health issue regardless) and they have yet to figure out what is wrong with my feet... I know the extra weight I carry makes arthritis a whole lot worse than it is at a lower weight, even to the point where some days I can barely walk. It surely can't help fibromyalgia either...

I think though- my answers would match Valerie's as well- obesity is as much as a disability as those others- just in a different way. Blindness would be the toughest one for me as I am an artist, and to know I would not get to see my daughter's beauty as she grew up would be the toughest there.

As far as being at a lower weight I know that when I am at a lower weight- the disabilities that I have now- are more sleeping kittens than roaring lions-

[katwoman]

I would more than likely choose SOME of the other disabilities over obesity--an amputation? I don't know. Blindness--absolutely not. But I think at least part of the reason I'd choose some of the others are because of society's reactions to the various disabilities. Ever known of a deaf person being told to just try harder to control those vibrations in your inner ear and you'll be fine"? Diabeties and heart disease are recognized as real physical problems, obesity all too often is not.

Thought provoking question Val. It's reinforcing to me to think about exactly what I'm willing to do, what I'm willing to give up to rid myself of this disability. And the answer is that I'm willing to do and/or give up a lot to leave obesity behind for the rest of my life. The list of what I'm not willing to sacrifice is short, and mostly includes my family, my faith, and who I am as a person. All the rest--what I eat, etc. is just extra stuff and I can live life just fine without pizza. . .

[kyrasdad]

So many people choose obesity without the gun of blindness or amputation to their head, so you have to assume most fat people prefer long term suffering to long term discipline.

I can't say what I'd say if someone forced me into such a choice. I'd probably vary my answers close to what you have. Blindness would be the clincher. I'd rather be 350 than blind. I might also prefer obesity to losing a limb.

The fact that the question provokes any kind of logical debate in my head scares me--it means that I lived with (and still live with to an extent) something (that, in my head) as bad as having a leg removed or being deaf. And I lived with it for a very long time.

[pennink]

I dunno, you don't die from being deaf or blind or having a leg amputated...

(well, as long as they use a clean saw...)

[MandalayVA]

Simple explanation--the majority of us are taught not to mock the handicapped but making fun of fat people is subtly encouraged or looked upon as the fault of the fat person.

[ValerieL]

I appreciate everyone's honesty and answers. Frankly, I was feeling like a bit of a freak over at the other forum because I seemed to be the only one who felt the way I did. Mind you, they all assumed they could be obese and diet back down to thinness again, so they chose obesity.

[pennink]

I appreciate everyone's honesty and answers. Frankly, I was feeling like a bit of a freak over at the other forum because I seemed to be the only one who felt the way I did. Mind you, they all assumed they could be obese and diet back down to thinness again, so they chose obesity.

yeah, missed the key element to the question.

[ValerieL]

Well, yes... I thought so. What would be the point of the question if you could just lose weight again? Other disabilities don't go away like that. I don't see why the question would even have been asked if the assumption hadn't been a permanent obesity disability.

[OtherCher2]

Quote by Katwoman: But I think at least part of the reason I'd choose some of the others are because of society's reactions to the various disabilities.
That's exactly the reason I would choose any of the other conditions over being overweight. Society views obese people as dumb and lazy. My top weight was 290 and it was almost like I was invisible. When I would lumber down the hall in my office building, nobody smiled or spoke to me in the hallway. When I entered a party of other social function, nobody greeted me warmly. My fault or theirs? I don't know. My self esteem was low, but I saw how they responded to other people and it was different than their response to me.

[katwoman]

So many people choose obesity without the gun of blindness or amputation to their head, so you have to assume most fat people prefer long term suffering to long term discipline.

Scott, I so often agree with you but have to beg to disagree with this. I was overweight (call it what it is--obese) for years, and yes I did fall off the Atkins wagon and regain and have to start over--but it wasn't because I prefer suffering to discipline. For the majority of my life, I simply didn't know WHY I couldn't just be disciplined enough to lose the weight. Atkins taught me why. And the whole time I was off program I KNEW what I was doing and also knew that when certain things in my life were under control and I could catch my breath I would return.

This time is for life.

But there are countless others out there who have tried to be disciplined--who ARE disciplined and successful in every other area of their lives like many of us were--and yet don't have the knowledge and tools we've found.

I'm not trying to stir up an argument--but it seems this "belief" that people are overweight because they choose to be overweight is exactly what we're fighting from an uneducated society.

[ValerieL]

I'm not trying to stir up an argument--but it seems this "belief" that people are overweight because they choose to be overweight is exactly what we're fighting from an uneducated society.

I almost responded to the same comment, but wasn't sure about it. The thing is, that's what this book's premise is, that we need to rethink thin and what it means to our society because the scientific evidence (admittedly, as presented by the author, so as always needs to be examined carefully) seems to be that obesity is NOT a choice. That the physiology of the body, and it's predispostion to obesity in some, tends to win out over the desire to be thin even when the costs of obesity are so high. That's why diet failure statistics are so high. Not that people choose to give up, but that they lose against more powerful factors of hormones and hunger in the body.

The problem with that though is that no one wants to accept that because it either means the obese have almost no hope of losing weight or we worry that that we will all give up and stop trying to lose weight.

Personally, I find the message a little more hopeful. I think it encourages the medical & research community to stop looking at the character of the obese person as broken, and start thinking of the body of the obese as broken, and start concentrating efforts on how to fix it. I think more research into insulin, leptin, ghrelin, neuropeptides and all the other things that play into obesity needs to be done so we can figure out how to outwit obesity.

/end rant - you are now returned to regularly scheduled programming - ;)

[diemde]

Intersting question. I would probably choose obesity. Maybe because it's the devil I already know... To me, it's just not as scary as being deaf, blind or not having a limb.

I'm sure glad I don't have to make the choice, though. :thup:

[LacyOkey]

I'm in agreement I would chose obesity even if it was permanent.
One of my friends is dieting with me and has made a similiar comment to the one about no n elooking you in the ye.Really i dont think that is a weight issue it is a confidence issue.I am very confident and people do look me in the eye .Yes I have had my share of people being cruel to me also.

[Scented1]

I would be dyslexic...well more so than I am right now.

Great question. How very telling about the effects of obesity have on people.

[craney]

I have to be honest. I wouldn't take any of those disabilities. Just couldn't do it. No way.

[sherbear]

I would keep my 317 pounds anyday over being blind, deaf, or gees, a leg amputated! And this is coming from someone who was of normal weight most of my life, and I can honesty say I would have chose this weight over those other disabilities even when I was thin.
Sherry

[perfectfit]

If you had to choose between being permanently obese at your top weight or having some other permanent disability such as being deaf, dyslexia, diabetes, bad acne, heart disease, a leg amputated or being blind, which would you choose?

I'm still very much at my top weight and since I already have the bad acne (stupid PCOS!),am blind without my glasses, have type 2 diabetes AND have had a heart attack in the past, I'd rather be deaf.

[EmmaB]

I am currently facing the prospect of going deaf in at least one or possibly both ears. If someone said to me "you can have your perfect hearing back for the rest of your life so long as you stay at your start weight", I'd tell them to get stuffed, no way.

And I'm a classically trained singer, soon to be a lawyer. So hearing is pretty important to me.

Yep, that's how strongly I feel about not wanting to be fat any more, now that I've finally worked out how to do something about it.

[kathleen24]

I read this and find myself wondering how many people decide that if they had to chose between morbid obesity (death fat, in other words) and life itself, chose not to continue to be.

Please do not construe this as my meaning that life as a fat person, or the lives of fat people, are not of value. Rather, I wonder how many simply decide that they cannot take the pain any more.

This is so powerful a thread for me--what I needed to see today--I feel like I am at the Boy-Named-Sue point of my program--get tough or die (okay, not literally)--just--get tough. Now. Enough is enough, already. Stop dallying and do it.