Secrets of the City

“Worker buried up to neck in corn seed”

If I had to die, that’s how I would want to go.

Lizzie Borden took a cab

Lizzie shared a ride with Carrie Nation.

Sounds like that beer commercial where the couple picks up the hitchhiker.

that article on OMG OBESITY! is ridiculous. it’s been proven that there’s no direct correlation between fat and heart disease, cancer, and all the other crap they try to pin on us fatties.

the article talks about how so much money is going toward bariatric surgery. well, the obvious solution is to stop letting any old “obese” person get their stomach removed as a quick fix to the “obesity epidemic”. it’s not only the surgery that’s costing millions, but the complications that result from said surgeries that adds up.

if society would just stop making people with BMI’s over 25 feel like they are the drain on society, (and less of a human being), maybe the cost of “health care” would go down.

that’s THIS fat (yet healthy) woman’s opinion on the matter.

Ahh the fat lobby speaks up.

How does obese equal healthy anyway?

it’s been proven that there’s no direct correlation between fat and heart disease, cancer, and all the other crap they try to pin on us fatties.

Um… I’m pretty sure that’s not true.

so this obesity thing is getting pretty big?

how does fat equal UN-healthy? you don’t know me or anything about my medical history. all you know is what you see when i walk past you. and you look at my fat and think, damn, she’s going to die of [insert whatever health problem you'd like here].

to call all fat people unhealthy and a drain on our healthcare is simply ignorant.

well, as with other industrialized western nations, maybe our birth rate needs to slow down. the easiest way to make that happen is for everyone to get grossly fat so no one wants to sleep with anyone else. No sex -> no babies -> slowing population growth. Win!

You makes a good point about the social acceptance of fat folk, but fg, come on. No direct correlation?

hey tubby girl, slightly overweight is not the same thing as grossly obese. the former may not be so bad for you, depending on your genetics, whereas the latter is not healthy. period. you should really push those fat rolls out of your eyes and re-read the studies about this sort of thing. or is there too much adipose in your brain?

I’m all for accepting people as they are, but I’m pretty sure that the fact that my grandmother was obese for most of her life (she was 5 bills when she died) contributed to her type II diabetes, and congestive heart, lung, and liver failiure. She was 75 when she died and almost all of her relatives lived well into their 90’s.

thank, just sayin’, for proving my point.

ignorance is bliss for you, huh?

fat girl…I walk past you and think, “daaaaaamn, I’d hit that”. but only when I’m really drunk.

Someone tell that out-of-touch cabbie that violent crime is down in Mpls.

Okay, let’s not try to be total pricks about this, please.

well, as with other industrialized western nations, maybe our birth rate needs to slow down. the easiest way to make that happen is for everyone to get grossly fat so no one wants to sleep with anyone else. No sex -> no babies -> slowing population growth. Win!

Uhh, there are lots of fat people having kids. Lots of really fat people.

It’s not costing Minnesota as much as it’s costing Blue Cross Blue Shield money.

A few more studies like this and BCBS is going start throwing some money at some legislators to enact some anti-obesity laws. It’s for our own good, they’ll say.

Then the suing starts, John Edwards, or someone like him gets rich or richer and pretty soon….well, you know how the scenario unfolds from there.

Hey, it worked for Mike Cirisi.

Uhh, there are lots of fat people having kids. Lots of really fat people.

AUHGH MY BRAIN! I am going back to pretending I did not know this. How anyone could ever be attracted to that baffles me.

I suppose you could argue that there isn’t a direct correlation between obesity and those health problems. But it’s pretty much been proven that people who are overweight are much more likely to experience those problems.

g rote, i love you.

Not to be a prick, but since when does being grossly overweight qualify as being a handicap? I routinely see 300lb+ people getting out of their cars with a handicap sticker hanging from their mirror, and aside of having some pretty gnarly kankles, there’s nothing else wrong with them..

Okay, I’m a total fat girl too, and I disagree with fat girl in mn. It isn’t healthy to be obese, just like it isn’t healty to be anorexic. Extremes are bad. Diseases, like type II Diabetes is directly linked with weight.

I want to lose weight, I try to lose weight, and I’m going to lose weight. Why? For my health is number one. I really don’t want diabetes.

(That said, I’m having a hell of a time losing weight. It really is hard to lose weight when you love food, have no willpower and are lazy.)

Hey, it worked for Mike Cirisi

But he’s not going to beat a comedian for the Senate nomination.

Just think, Norm Coleman might be the only person to lose a comedian and an ex-professional wrestler.

ignorance? I’m willing to be I’m much better read than you are in these topics.

If you’re considering yourself intelligent, then perhaps you would serve this conversation better than writing this tripe: “push those fat rolls out of your eyes.”

Who writes that way on a public forum? Oh yeah. Someone who doesn’t sign a name.

Best advice I ever got for keeping off weight was from an old man who said “always leave the table a little hungry.”

What about Jerry Blackwell from Stone Mountain Georgia?

He was huge!

Looked like a giant tick, but man that guy could get around the ring.

Well I guess he did die at 46, that’s a bad example.

THE CLAIM: Obesity is unhealthy. It causes heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, arthritis, impotence, depression, sleep apnea, deep vein thrombosis, and dementia.

THE TRUTH: Obesity has not been found to be the primary cause of any of these health problems. There is little evidence that adiposity (excess fat tissues) produces the claimed pathologies.

Studies have shown that people who are heavy and fit are far healthier than people who are thin and never exercise. Fat, active people have half the mortality rate of thin sedentary people, and the same mortality rate as thin active people.

Of the ten types of cancer commonly associated with obesity, deaths from nine — pancreatic, ovarian, gall bladder, stomach, prostate, kidney, colo-rectal, cervical-uterine, and breast — have decreased since 1992. Only one — pancreatic cancer — has shown an increase in mortality.

intelligence and wit are not incompatabile with malice and spite.

fat girl in mn

Where did you get these facts? Fat Person Weekly?

Wow, and the assholes come on out to make fun of the fat people – apparently some of you haven’t left your high school mentality. Of course it does seem to be ‘in’ to hate us.

I’m fat and fine with it. And I like my women on the plus side as well. And except for a lil lymphoma a few years ago, I’m quite healthy – things like cholesterol and blood pressure are absolutely normal. My body is just big. I’ve always been that way, always will be. Even at my slimmest I was still ‘big’.

Besides, economically speaking, you need us.

heavy and fit is not obese.

Please link to your facts.

If you can’t discuss obesity without referring to people as fatties, your posts will be deleted. I’m fine with people discussing medical issues, but MnSpeak will not become a playground for bullies.

Studies have shown that people who are heavy and fit are far healthier than people who are thin and never exercise. Fat, active people have half the mortality rate of thin sedentary people, and the same mortality rate as thin active people

I heard this too, just recently on an ABC network news broadcast.

jpavleck, it’s perfectly ok for you to be fat in society because you’re a man. i’m not, and so therefore i’m not worthy of being a functioning member of society.

my source above was from big fat blog. google it. my fat fingers are tired.

grote: fat women aren’t that desperate. thank you.

oh fine, post that while I’m typing that up and can’t censor myself.

It is not okay for men to be obese in our society. fat girl you keep mixing obese with overweight, they are very different.

And in some cultures it is perfectly acceptable, and preferred, that women are overweight.

being overly sensitive to fat people is ridiculous, because for most of them it’s just a personal failing that allowed them to become fat. It’s not like they were born that way. I can understand wanting to stop people from being racist or bigoted or making fun of people with disabilities, but THE FAT ARE NOT A PROTECTED CLASS! maybe if they get enough shit they’ll wisen up and take better care of themselves, because this whole modern “it’s ok to be grossly corpulent” movement is not doing anyone any good.

Or maybe you’re just making excuses for being an asshole.

fat pride has got to stop. it’s something to be ashamed of, not make up endless excuses for. that’s the kind of escapist bullshit ruining america. if you can’t blame something on someone else, make up reasons why it’s totally ok anyway.

EXACTLY — it’s a lifestyle choice that we are asked to respect and not question? How is being obese any different than being, say, addicted to meth? In the end, they’re still personal choices that lead to health issues.

food addicts.

Gosh, thank goodness you’re around to call them on it. You really are a modern American hero, in the way that the best heroes in history have made their mark: By pointing at people and laughing at them.

God, what moral courage.

I love the low brow level of this discussion, grow up already. You’ll hit middle age, your metabolism will slow, your youthful consumption patterns will have to change and if you have any intelligence or ability your job will become more sedentary. Good luck being as trim as you were at 18.

others are becoming too afraid to do it, so I’ll be the bad guy this time.

i don’t know what country you’re living in kc!, but obese women are twice as likely as obese men to be ridiculed for just bing alive. you and i both know that.

and no one is talking about other cultures. we’re discussing the US, and more specifically, MN.

just sayin’, i feel sorry for you.

Obesity can become a handicap due to added stress on weight bearing joints such as hips, knees, and your back. Slipped and herniated disks as well as the fact that the morbidly obese sometimes become so big that their knees can no longer support their weight (such was the case for my grandmother) and they are at risk for falls which can result in broken bones, especially among the elderly.

That is why they have handicapped stickers.

I think it’s healthy to have a few extra pounds around the middle. Pass the cheesecake please!

lunch, no one is saying you have to have a perfect sculpted bod. the problem is, and always has been, the grossly obese people. having a spare tire and enjoying some tv on the couch does not make you obese. carrying around an extra 50-100+lbs makes you obese, and a drain on the healthcare system.

others are becoming too afraid to do it, so I’ll be the bad guy this time.

Oh, I know. America loves its fat people, and doesn’t constantly bombard them with diet options, make movies in which they are figures of fun, publish endless studies on the dangers of being overweight, or in any way give the overweight a sense that thinness is preferred. If it wasn’t for your willingness to anonymously call strangers “fatties” in online forums, the message would never get out.

You’re a shining light in a city of darkness.

If you are 6′ you only need to weigh 221 pounds to be considered obese.
If 5′9″ you only need to be 203 to be considered obese according to the BMI calculator.

The mean fit weight for a 6′ is 165, 5′9″ is 150.

but THE FAT ARE NOT A PROTECTED CLASS!

Anytime someone is discriminated against in job interviews, stores, airlines, personal safety, they are.

fat jokes are on the decline. seriously. check out dumb college movies for the current state of low-brow asinine humor.

the modern incarnations feature much fewer fat jokes than they did in the 80s and 90s. same thing with crappy tv. now fat guys have hot wives on television shows and that’s portrayed as totally normal.

I was talking about cultures in the US, like African Americans, and in Minnesota, Somalis.

And, obese men are in the same boat as women. Watch Biggest Loser, those men talk about the same struggles as women. In fact, they also have less places to buy clothes, which suggests to me it is more acceptable for obese women in America.

I’ve already said the BMI calculator is not really worth a shit.

the modern incarnations feature much fewer fat jokes than they did in the 80s and 90s. same thing with crappy tv. now fat guys have hot wives on television shows and that’s portrayed as totally normal.

Quel horreur! Retard jokes are down too.

just sayin’, i’d like to know how i, personally, am a drain on your personal bank account. give me specifics on how me, fat girl in mn, have taken your money. please priovide time and date of when i robbed you of your hard earned money. i’d like to know the amount, too, if you remember (you can round up, if you like).

if you can do that, i’ll conceed.

I’ve already said the BMI calculator is not really worth a shit.

»» Submitted by just sayin’ at 10:58 AM

This leads me to think that just sayin’ is probably on the verge of being obese.

And I love that all the fattie haters are anonymous. What are you scared of?

Oh, and since being gay is also considered a “lifestyle choice” by some, is it okay to bash them too? How about the “lifestyle choice” of being Muslim, same thing? Are they open to discrimination?

At some point, you obviously stole his shift key.

alie, are you saying that it’s ok to discriminate against someone who is addicted to drugs, but not against someone who is addicted to food? they’re both personal failings of the same type, but only one is an acceptable form of ‘discrimination?’

being obese should be just as much a reason to not hire someone as meth use or smoking pot.

Being fat is nothing to be ashamed of. Seriously.

Yes, you can be to fat – but you can also be to thin. So lets start talking shit about the bullemic and anorexic as well – what jerks!

Also, slapping a label of ‘food addict’ to everyone overweight is not only insulting, it’s blatantly wrong.

For most of my young adult life I ran five miles a day and maintained a weight of 175. Then my knees went out from all the pavement pounding they had taken. Then I had a heart attack due to my smoking and sedentary lifestyle. After I quit smoking, I gained 50 pounds.

Now I exercise one hour a day, every day on a recumbent stepper. Since I started, last october, I have lost …. one pound.

It can happen to you!

Not that there is anything wrong with that!

good point max. can we have a retard thread for me to mock them?

we don’t want no uppity retards round these parts!

Maz, me too, I gained a lot of weight after I quit smoking. A LOT.

fat girl is starting to sound like a republican.

no concept of social costs shared by an entire society. but if fat girl worked with me, she’d be a direct drain on my insurance program.

lunch, no one is saying you have to have a perfect sculpted bod.

Try telling that to the buyers at the department store. Could a tall guy get some pants please?

Food can be a self reinforcing and vicious cycle. It is bigger than a mere personal failing. Many people were raised in families where food was the manifestation/equivalent of affection. They put on weight, jerks and suchlike insult them, so they go back for another dose of ‘affection’ and boom your a plus size. Throw into the mix the endorphine aspects, increasing embarrasment about exercising in public. I have heard people moo at ladies in the gym! You should be cheering them on not driving them out. But I digress… Calling it a pesonal failing is oversimplifying a very real affliction and you are a less than decent person for doing it.

for fuck’s sake people, overweight is not the same thing as obese!

What’s for lunch? I’m starving over here!

I’m going to get Thai today.

i’m probably as far away from a republican as one can get.

although it’s ironic you say that about me, as you dodge my question. isn’t that standard right wing behaviour?

are you blaming being fat on mommy and daddy?

also mooing at someone at the gym is totally inappropriate, because at least they’re there to make an improvement.

and I also can completely understand the people with a glandular problem or the such who get fat. but just eating too much and never exercising is a bullshit reason for me to pussyfoot around someone’s feelings and give them special treatment.

I exercise by walking to Jimmy Johns.

The BMI is practically a worthless measurement. It doesn’t take anything into consideration other than height and weight. Using the BMI most basketball players are fat.

It’s clear obesity directly contributes to health issues and raises risks, but there are always exceptions.

fat girl in mn says she is active and that probably mitigates her risks.

I don’t see why some think the cruelty is neccessary. Getting so worked up has to be bad for the health.

I didn’t dodge your question, it was a stupid question in the first place. Direct personal cost isn’t the issue, social costs are. It’s this aggregate thing that has an impact on EVERYONE. If you have no idea what that means, you’re a very bad liberal too.

justsayin’

I think most of us, perhaps even people who are overweight, agree that it would be great if people would take care of themselves. Eating well and exercising are just good practices for a healthy life.

But your tone and language are so incendiary and foolish that whatever good intentions you might have are completely lost in your bigoted and somewhat cruel rhetoric.

Of course, you know that. And maybe later on tonight you can show your friends how awesomely funny you were today on MNSpeak and how much you pissed people off and you’ll get lots of high fives and “Dude! That was HILARIOUS!” It’s good to be you, huh?

but just eating too much and never exercising is a bullshit reason for me to pussyfoot around someone’s feelings and give them special treatment.

It’s also no reason to insult and berate them. Anonymously. On the internet.

ooh look at that! lunchtime!

While I may be fat because I eat too much and don’t exercise, there are many reasons people are fat.

Some are fat because they are addicted to food.
Some are fat because they are physically/mentally abused.
Some just don’t know the proper way to eat.
Some are on medications that cause weight gain.
Some have disabilities that don’t allow them to exercise.

You cannot look at a fat person and tell why they are fat. But I guarentee that most of them don’t want to be that way.

it is good to be me, nate, but I tend to overreact when I start getting the ‘fat pride’ vibe from someone. I have some real issues with people trying to justify completely unacceptable behavior. excuses excuses!

but just eating too much and never exercising is a bullshit reason for me to pussyfoot around someone’s feelings and give them special treatment.

No. You pussyfoot around people’s feelings because it’s not really your business, and there is such a thing as being civil. Unless they are actively shoving moon pies in your mouth, their behavior primarily effects them. Yes, there is a societal cost, but anyone who engages in risky behavior is adding cost onto society, and unless you’re ready to walk up to people riding motorcycles or skateboarding and scream at them, you’ve simply decided its okay to pick on fat people. That doesn’t make you some crusader for the truth. It makes you a common bully. A rather unimaginative one at that, as bullies always pick on fat kids.

I have some real issues with people trying to justify completely unacceptable behavior.

Did someone just fart irony?

that’s a great point kc, but I’m going to bet that the majority of fat people are fat because they don’t know or care how to eat properly and live a lifestyle that is not conducive to exercise (and would rather watch everybody loves raymond than get some exercise).

How about the “lifestyle choice” of being Muslim, same thing? Are they open to discrimination?
You must have missed the God bashing thread from the other day.

I’m so glad this turned into a Liberal/Conservative thread where one person was actually called both.

are you blaming being fat on mommy and daddy?

Actually, that can be the cause in a lot of cases – obesity can come from many things, and one of them is the learned behavior part. Entire families that are obese suffer from this – old generation teaches new generation how to eat, and incorrectly.

The causes of obesity go far beyond “They eat to much” or “They never exercise” – if those were the problems, they’d be easily solved.

what about a bully that was once a fat kid getting picked on?

God I love mnspeak. It’s like Minnesota has been penning up this passive aggressive rage since statehood and now we have a place to post what we really think anonymously. The vitriol is palpable.

So if they don’t know who to take care of themselves how is it their fault? Clearly they were not taught and don’t know how to find out. And guess what, not everyone can, has time, or knows how to exercise either.

You must have missed the God bashing thread from the other day.

Nope, that was me being called illogical because I believe in God. Now I’m wrecking the whole American social fabric because I’m fat.

I also can completely understand the people with a glandular problem or the such who get fat.

how do you know that i don’t have a “glandular problem”? my point is that you cannot pass judgement on the chubby, the fat, the overweight, and obese just because they do not fit into your mold of what socially acceptable weight is. you don’t know how much someone weighs by looking at them (yet everyone exclaims OMG! SHE’S 300 POUNDS!) just as you don’t know how healthy they are.

and it’s ridiculous for you to even claim you do.

People don’t know how to exercise? Seriously?

Did your God make you fat? Am I thin because I’m an atheist?

One person makes a few comments in a thread about religion and suddenly its god-bashing? Most people said they don’t care what people think unless it directly affects them.

Yeah, some people don’t know how to exercise. Go to the WeightWatchers message boards. Everyday there are people who write that they have no idea how to exercise, where to start, what to do, etc. It is amazing.

I agree max, it wasn’t really God bashing, but I was pretty taken aback by the anti-religious sentiments by a couple people.

There’s always a few.

At least they weren’t anonomyous.

what about a bully that was once a fat kid getting picked on?

aaahh! now the truth comes out! you have even less respect for yourself than the fat people you loathe so much. you continue the cycle of bullying because you, yourself, were bullied.

cllllassic.

Ooooh, and here I was thinking that the thread had devolved into a Max and KC back and forth. Good thing I made popcorn!

It is no ones business if some one chooses to be fat or not. The only thing I would caution is that the anti -smoking people have created a climate where the government and insurance companies will eventually take action against fat people. The smoking ban and its crowd have set the president. All anyone would have to do, is prove that being fat is linked to a particular health issue and you will pay higher premiums for insurance and some form of government intervention may take place. Once liberty is given up in one group the next group will be you.

Wasn’t Max and KC an arm-wrestling movie from 1982?

The smoking ban was about second-hand smoke, swandog. Is second-hand fat really an issue?

One person makes a few comments in a thread about religion and suddenly its god-bashing? Most people said they don’t care what people think unless it directly affects them.

How is that different than this thread again?

In both cases we have a vocal minority making personal attacks over someone’s beliefs.

Christian Bale Sux 4evah

Ohmahgod, swandog, you’re so full of hate and paranoia. It’s weird.

Oh come on dezelske, hate? Paranoia, maybe, but I’m just not seeing the hate in that comment.

“The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule it.”

- H L Mencken

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being fat so long as a person is genuinely happy in their own skin. Being obese has attendant lifestyle and health risks.

What is sad is when people are embarrassed by their weight, are affected with self-hatred because they have problems with compulsive or binge eating or because they feel like they don’t have the discipline to stay on a diet.

One of the sad outcomes of these internal conflicts is the Sophie Dahl syndrome, who made a career of being an “outsized” model and proud of it, until the time when she lost a whole lot of weight and then gave interviews saying how much happier she felt.

It is true, some people find it much harder to lose weight than other people. And it is equally true that people who carrying extra pounds of fat can be also be healthy and fit.

But it is a basic biochemical fact which, in turn, is based on simple physical principles – if you take in less calories in a controlled fashion than the calories you need to meet basal metabolic rate (adjusted for exercise), then you will eventually and inevitably lose weight.

Being able to break down the compulsions, addictions, and habits seems to be the stumbling block for many.

i’d like to know how i, personally, am a drain on your personal bank account.

fat girl -
I didn’t read all the idiot comments, so I’m not sure if just sayin’ or someone else implied that you are unhealthy solely because of your weight. But I think the posted article is saying that people who are overweight are more likely than those who are lighter to suffer from a variety of health problems.
It’s about averages – not about you personally. I have no doubt that some people who are considered “overweight” are relatively healthy.

alie, are you saying that it’s ok to discriminate against someone who is addicted to drugs, but not against someone who is addicted to food?

It’s OK to discrimitate against meth users because drugs are illegal and food is not. Frankly, I don’t understand your arguement.

How does one find their basil metabolic rate?

Calories burned over thyme?

I am so deeply sorry for this comment.

Condiment?

but THE FAT ARE NOT A PROTECTED CLASS!

Anytime someone is discriminated against in job interviews, stores, airlines, personal safety, they are.

I think protected class is a restrictive statutory definition, meaning a class has to be named specifically to be considered protected. I don’t think fat is, but I could be wrong. Seeing as I just woofed down at a pizza buffet, I’ll refrain from further comments.

The smoking ban was about second-hand smoke, swandog. Is second-hand fat really an issue?

The lawsuit was not about second hand smoke and has set a president in the courts. Furthermore, if you think that fat people don’t cost insurance companies more and the state health plans more you are mistaken. It is that president that was set in the smoking ban that can and I bet will increase the pressure to litigate or at a minimum increase insurance premiums for fat people. I do not agree with it but is will happen

“…also mooing at someone at the gym is totally inappropriate, because at least they’re there to make an improvement.”

Who the fuck does that? How ugly they must be.

The DTs, you must follow his commenting to feel the hate. It’s like a crisp breeze on an autumn day.

It would be nice if we could treat others with respect even if we do not respect their choices.

Teucer, in all seriousness, how does one calculate their BMR?

if you take in less calories in a controlled fashion than the calories you need to meet basal metabolic rate (adjusted for exercise), then you will eventually and inevitably lose weight.

Unless you’re taking a beta blocker (like moi) which acts as a governor on your heart rate. It’s great. Exercise your ass off and never break a sweat … or lose any weight.

I knew you had a heart Maz.

who mooooooooooos at women at the gym?

the guy who owns the Anti-Gym in CO. watch the video.

overweight and obese women don’t want to go to gyms for this exact reason. we’re made to feel inferior because we aren’t 110 pounds.

sorry, but fat hatred is alive and well everywhere. it’s the last form of discrimination that is socially acceptable.

and i’d like to say, for the record, that i’ve never been insulted when called a cow. cows are beautiful and supply me with the milk and cream and cheese that i love so very much.

I knew you had a heart Maz.

Black as it is.

There are also a multitude of SSRI’s and antipsychotics that can cause weight gain even if the person who takes them eats sensibly and exercises.

Well, this just took an interesting turn.

sorry, but fat hatred is alive and well everywhere. it’s the last form of discrimination that is socially acceptable.

It is your choice to be who you are. Fuck those that are cruel to you. Who are they to judge.

The DTs: I was just writing a reply about that very thing.

Justsayin’ is sort of right about the BMI calculator. BMI is OK for people of average and below activity levels, but a much better indicator is a body fat percentage measurement. I weigh in at around 190lbs, which puts me in the moderately overweight category of standard BMI, but my body fat percentage is about 12%.

The number of calories you require a day is figured out using a very general Basal Metabolic Rate calculation based on your height, current weight, gender, and daily activity rate. From that, you can figure out how to adjust it for your daily requirements (do you work outside or sit at a desk?) and exercise levels.

It’s not an exact science, more of a guideline. For example, it doesn’t adjust for the three body types (which are presumably genetically assigned). Some people metabolize calories more efficiently.

swandog is whack, but for those who wish to take the time to get the facts about the tobacco settlement, the Strib did a nice job on its 10th anniversary.

Like others, swandog trys — and fails — to make the slippery slope argument linking sensible laws and ordinances with unrelated issues dealing with health and lifestyle choices.

See, that’s what I was wondering about. If there is a way to find out how a specific person metabolizes.

TheDTs: “People don’t know how to exercise? Seriously?”

Hell, exercise can be a pretty confusing topic because there’s so much information out there, a lot of it conflicting. I think it’s hard for people to know who to listen to and get started as well as get answers to some basic questions like; how often should I exercise? How much should I do? What kinds? When should I exercise? And it gets even more confusing when you start looking more closely at the specifics.

Maz and Allie–

Yes, there are meds (or medical conditions) out there that change your metabolism. However, the fact remains that it’s thermodynamically impossible to gain weight if you’re burning more calories than you eat.

how often should I exercise? How much should I do? What kinds?

That news report about the study that Mn Fat Girl referred to above said the people in the study exercised 1 hour a day, 7 days a week, and the exercise was simply walking. That’s what caused me to take notice of the story because that’s what I do, even though the cardiac rehab people told me to only exercise 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week. So even the “experts” can’t seem to agree.

it’s thermodynamically impossible to gain weight if you’re burning more calories than you eat.

uh, yeah, I know. heh

The DTs: “See, that’s what I was wondering about. If there is a way to find out how a specific person metabolizes.”

Track your daily calorie intake and expenditure carefully using fitday or a similar service, and get regular body fat percentage tests. There’s a highly approximate one you can do at home or a lot of fitness clubs will do water weigh-ins in their pool every month or so. That’s supposed to be the most accurate method outside of a lab.

So if you know how much energy you’re taking in and how much you are using, and you are tracking your weight and body fat percentage, that ought to give you a pretty good state of the union overview of your average metabolic rate I think. It’s not a static system though and there are lots of factors that can change it.

Anyone else want to share my visual image of a worker buried up to his neck in Korn Seed?

Maz: “So even the “experts” can’t seem to agree.”

Yeah, it’s not an exact science. But there are some very clear trends and very good generalizations that can be made.

You might have got different advice because of your specific heart problems, so they would want to be more cautious with you maybe?

Mpls Simpleton: “Anyone else want to share my visual image of a worker buried up to his neck in Korn Seed?”

No, I’m fine thanks.

swandog is whack, but for those who wish to take the time to get the facts about the tobacco settlement, the Strib did a nice job on its 10th anniversary.

Bob, law is created by president the following could be used against fat people if the state or other body wanted to sue.

The whole driving force behind this litigation was public health,” said Roberta Walburn, one of the central trial attorneys from the Minneapolis firm Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi that was hired by Humphrey to represent the state. “The settlement would have had a bigger impact if it had been used for public health instead of balancing the budget.”

If you use Bold please check spelling? I was all confused thinking Mr Bush was creating the laws now.

precedent

I knew you find a way to blame Bush, you liberal!

I think you mean legal precedent.

now fat guys have hot wives on television shows and that’s portrayed as totally normal.

Fat guys on TV have always had hot wives. Look at Ralph Kramden or Fred Flintstone.

and I also can completely understand the people with a glandular problem or the such who get fat. but just eating too much and never exercising is a bullshit reason for me to pussyfoot around someone’s feelings and give them special treatment.

And how exactly are you going to tell the difference between the two out on the street?

Now all I can see is HWB up to his neck in Korn Spuzz.

“The settlement would have had a bigger impact if it had been used for public health instead of balancing the budget.”

Ha! No mention in the entire article of Ciresi’s $400 million take of the settlement. Every time one of you people buy a pack of smokes, about 50 cents of what you paid goes into Mike Ciresi’s bank account. Balancing the budget my butt.

As I’m sure you know, the executive branch doesn’t create laws, it enforces them (the legislative branch is what creates the laws). It might help your case if you used precedent.

wow, there sure are a lot of nitpickers here!

Mpls Simpleton:

1) “If you use Bold please check spelling? I was all confused thinking Mr Bush was creating the laws now.”

You mean he’s not? *b-boom tisshhh*

2) La la la la, I can’t hear you. LA LA LA.

Look a little closer, maz. The pie was divided into a number of unequal sized slices. The majority of the pie went to the state, to do with as they pleased (ether fund Target Market or fix the budget hole, which they did). Another big slice went to Blue Cross — that money is now out of litigation and available to BCBS of MN. Ciresi’s law firm got a slice for their work on the lawsuit. the smallest slice was for ClearWay Minnesota, which was established by the courts to make sure at least SOME money still went to cessation, prevention, education purposes.

mmmmmmmmmmmm pie.

Just tossing this one to the wolves.

Only in America…

or Japan

Only in America…

No Joke

ick

Funny you’d say that alie. Wasn’t the top eater for quite a while from Japan? His name was Kobayashi. It always reminded me of china cups and The Usual Suspects.

Um, excuse me Elizabeth, but that should be as follows:

“Wow! There sure are a lot of nitpickers here!”

If were going to be true too are principals, we need to use capitals good.

or Japan part II

thank you all for your help in my poor spelling. I apologize for incorrectly spelling precedent.

that said am I wrong?

JACC, yet another reason to remove farm (especially Ethanol) subsidies.

If were going to be true too are principals

“If we’re going to be true to our principals”

“Wow! There sure are a lot of comments from nitpickers.”

Swandog: “that said am I wrong?”

No, no, it’s: “Did I say that wrong?”

JACC – Thanks for ruining my “joke.”

Funny you’d say that alie. Wasn’t the top eater for quite a while from Japan? His name was Kobayashi. It always reminded me of china cups and The Usual Suspects.

Yeah, but I seem to think that all of his titles were for American eating contests…plus, have you seen that skinny little fucker? He must have a wooden leg.

This is hilarious. My head hurts.

@Dts – I agree about removing ethanol subsidies, but I’m not sure the problems in Haiti are a good analogy.

Swandog: “that said am I wrong?”

teucer: No, no, it’s: “Did I say that wrong?”

I think what he is attempting to express needs commafication:

“that said, am I wrong?”

@nateek – I’m a dim wit.

Swandog isn’t “whack” at all.

Isn’t there an ongoing strategy by some group of lawyers who are trying to figure out how to successfully sue fast food restaurants. It’s called “Sue the Bastards” or something.

That idiotic movie where the guy every day?

Get the right lawyer and the right sympathetic jury and a plaintiff who looks pathetic enough. Who’s going to end up getting blamed? — McDonald’s.

JACC, please don’t derail my attempts to further derail this thread.

I was being faseeshus.

and i’d like to say, for the record, that i’ve never been insulted when called a cow. cows are beautiful and supply me with the milk and cream and cheese that i love so very much.

Seriously, you’ve got to let me laugh at that.

Can we have some more jokes about cows like the other day? Those were funny.

He must have a wooden leg.

Actually the saying is “he must have a hollow leg.”

And there was actually something about how he has a genetic deformity that lets his stomach stretch ridiculously because of the orientation of his organs or some such thing.

just sayin’ must have a hollow nickel.

more like a hollow empty shell of a heart

Yeah, yeah, so I messed up my metaphor…sue me, I was eating a doughnut…

@swandog: All anyone would have to do, is prove that being fat is linked to a particular health issue and you will pay higher premiums for insurance and some form of government intervention may take place.

Already happens, if you try to buy an individual policy. And it’s not just weight that they do that for. Personal or family history of cancer or any other number of diseases/health issues can jack up the price they’ll charge (if they’ll even issue a policy at all).

Aliecat: “He must have a wooden leg.”

He ate his own leg? That’s dedication!

Teucer, I bet it tasted better than mud.

if we had socialized healthcare it would be in the government’s financial interest to promote healthier lifestyles. right now it takes a powerful lobby against something that’s already rather unpopular (smoking) to get any sort of public health legislation passed.

I bet it tasted like chicken…

if we had socialized healthcare it would be in the government’s financial interest to promote healthier lifestyles

Do you have any idea how many people are on Medicare/Medicaid/Other gov’t health program? They have a financial interest now, they just have a large financial interest in money from big (agri)business.

That should be larger interest, not large interest.

but their interest in public health would be much greater if everyone (or nearly so) were on socialized healthcare.

Which is why Canada is such a healthy place? Have you ever been to a Tim Horton’s? Or had their bacon?!?

Do you really believe that government does such a great job regulating that they should be involved in our health?

if we had socialized healthcare it would be in the government’s financial interest to promote healthier lifestyles. right now it takes a powerful lobby against something that’s already rather unpopular (smoking) to get any sort of public health legislation passed

So the fat police, the smoking police, the alcohol police will all be watching what we do in our daily lives. This is exactly why our society is on a slippery slope of pure governmental and politically correct control.

I do think the government has a responsibility to provide truthful information about food to its citizens. Like, how bad HFCS is. I don’t think Fat Police is correct, but Food Educators. Almost everyone knows how not to get HIV, why doesn’t everyone know how to eat?

why doesn’t everyone know how to eat?

Open mouth, insert food, chew, swallow…hehehe! Teasing.

And who’s the symbolic head of the government? Why, it’s the precedent, of course!

Open mouth, insert food, chew, swallow…hehehe! Teasing.

I think it’s the number of repetitions that get people (including me) in trouble.

Wrong.

All your government belong to me.

Kevin, seriously? I thought Bush was on his way out of office, not just being elected.

why doesn’t everyone know how to eat?

They choose not to educate themselves. Or they know, and they can’t resist food.

And the bad food tastes good.

I heard last night on Alton Brown’s Good Eats last night that 1/3 of Americans have eaten hamburger in the last 24 hours.

Sorry, Rat, but on this particular topic you are almost as off the tracks as swandog.

Smoking bans do not equal McDonalds lawsuits.

I know you don’t think much of lawyer/politicians, and your thoughts on smoking bans are well established (as are mine). Doesn’t alter reality.

this thread is out of control.

I think it’s hilarious how ignorance of something so basic as “how to eat well” or “how to exercise” is somehow justification for being unhealthy.

Is ignorance of the law any excuse for breaking it? Not if you ask the police!

It’s OK to discrimitate against meth users because drugs are illegal and food is not.

Tell that to NYC and the Transfat ban.

Everyone say goodbye to the jelly doughnut.

If I were President, everyone idiot who blames ethanol for Hatians eating mud pies would have to eat a few themselves.

For the moment, I’ll settles for them eating their words.

Attempts have been made to ban lawsuits against McDonalds et al over fatness. They have been futile yet entertaining and did once net me a free cheeseburger.

Kevin, seriously? I thought Bush was on his way out of office, not just being elected.

M-wah-ha-ha! M-wah-ha-ha! M-wah-ha-ha!

Tinnie: “this thread is out of control.”

I suppose you could say it was off the scale.

Sweet holy jeebus bob, you’re just getting around to my comment?

Also, if you were president, we’d be too busy dealing with the criminal explosion due to tobacco prohibition to be posting silly comments.

Super-sized thread?

kevin, yes, you can laugh. it was supposed to be funny.

Sweet holy jeebus bob, you’re just getting around to my comment?

Yes. Even I can’t be everywhere at once.

But my agents can.

M-wah-ha-ha! M-wah-ha-ha! M-wah-ha-ha! (cough)

Besides, I mentioned that ALL farm subsidies should be withdrawn. Ethanol is just part of it. Especially now that the dollar is in the toilet, we should be growing as much food as possible for as little as possible. It’s probably the easiest way we can overcome the trade deficit.

See, and here I thought those lungs were pure, pink, and virginal. Without blemish or flaw.

so this obesity thing is getting pretty big?

lol

M-wah-ha-ha! M-wah-ha-ha! M-wah-ha-ha! (cough)

Bob commenting live from his physical. Now turn your head the other way please…

just sayin’, it’s hilarious how you keep belittling people who you used to be just like. i can’t believe how, from your own admittance of being a former fat person, you can’t see that fat people need to be treated with as much respect as anyone else. it’s been repeated here that some people do not know how to eat or exercise due to many factors. why can’t you accept that? it’s also been stated that overweight and obese people have the right to be who they are and deserve respect across the board.

maybe i should start disrespecting you on the basis that you used to be fat. see? that doesn’t make much sense, either.

It’s OK to discrimitate against meth users because drugs are illegal and food is not.

Actually, under the ADA, it’s illegal to discriminate against someone with any type of addiction. Legal substance or not.

Active use of an illegal drug is not protected, but neither is active use of a legal substance (like alcohol).

See, and here I thought those lungs were pure, pink, and virginal. Without blemish or flaw.

Most other MNspeakers know me better, DTs. There is nothing about me that can be (now) described in those terms.

I (heart) kevin. Yikes! It’s just about time for my physical.

Well, I sure hope my surgeon wasn’t on meth when he took out my appendix!

Not all of the commentors have been kind, or lucid for that matter, but thank you, fat girl in mn, for sharing your views openly and candidly.

I trust your health advice like I would trust Sue Jeffers on the effects of smoking and health, but I admire your attitude and willingness to hang in their with a rather snarky — and sometimes hurtfully cruel — comments. Thanks for making this a lively thread.

Please come back and talk to us again soon.

[and you trust your corn/food price information from a study done by an ethanol producers group]

Well, I sure hope my surgeon wasn’t on meth when he took out my appendix!

That would fall under active use, wouldn’t it?

The ADA also contains exemptions for undue burden, situations that might alter the fundamental nature of a job or service, and for safety reasons.

But, just as a company couldn’t fire someone for checking in to rehab for alcoholism, they couldn’t fire someone just for checking in to rehab for a meth addiction. Nor could they fire someone merely over the fact that they might be on a methadone maintenance program. (subject to the aforementioned exceptions).

Holy crap Spaceman (Spah-che-min?). I suppose I should have RTFA…

The Informa study was funded by the Renewable Fuels Foundation, which is linked to the Renewable Fuels Association that groups ethanol producers.

Trustworthy!

Actually, under the ADA, it’s illegal to discriminate against someone with any type of addiction. Legal substance or not.

What next, legal protections for people with embarassing foot odor. Heaven help us.

Alie: “Well, I sure hope my surgeon wasn’t on meth when he took out my appendix!”

That depends on whether he was actually supposed to be taking out your wisdom teeth.

[and you trust your corn/food price information from a study done by an ethanol producers group]

Yeah, I know. But it was the only thing I had handy. At least if offers some food for though, if you will forgive the pun.

there is no direct correlation between exercise and weight loss; it’s been shown in recent research that increased exercise also proportionally increases the appetite to compensate. (I can’t find my source now but it was in a peer-reviewed scientific journal somewhere.)

if you want to lose weight, exercise is a good way to increase the overall caloric requirements of the body, but it will not accomplish weight loss without dietary changes as well.

What next, legal protections for people with embarassing foot odor. Heaven help us.

You don’t have a damn clue about what the ADA is about, do you kevin.

The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with mental or physical disabilities that “substantially limit” one or more “major life activities” including: walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, bathing, dressing, eating.

Addiction is classified as a mental disability. I suggest you take up your objections with the APA. They’re in the process of preparing the DSM-V.

food for thought, rather

Exercise and diet go hand in hand if you want to lose weight or keep weight off.

Of course it increases your appetite. You get tired.

Isn’t that sort of stating the obvious?

I guess I just don’t think addiction is a disability is all. When I see a blind guy and a drunk on the bus, I don’t see two people with comparable life-hampering conditions. Reasonable people could disagree on that, I would think, without leaping to the implicit conclusion that one or the other is somehow hostile toward folks with legitimate disabilities.

that’s Doctor to you, DTs

See! this is what happens when we have only 2 posts. I think everyone should just get off the internet and read a book.

I guess I just don’t think addiction is a disability is all. When I see a blind guy and a drunk on the bus, I don’t see two people with comparable life-hampering conditions. Reasonable people could disagree on that, I would think, without leaping to the implicit conclusion that one or the other is somehow hostile toward folks with legitimate disabilities.

Like I said, take it up with the APA. There’s plenty of neurological research to back up the mental illness aspect of addictions.

You’re also ignoring the exceptions to protection (undue burden, fundamental alteration, safety). A person showing up drunk or high is not going to be covered under the ADA. But a person undergoing or seeking treatment could.

Finally, it’s not the disagreement with addiction being a disability, but the comparison of a disability to foot order that marks a hostility.

I’m sorry I missed this discussion….

That was hyperbole. Didn’t mean to get yer goad.

I’m sorry I missed this discussion….

Busy stuffing your face with whole sticks of butter, were you?

Busy stuffing your face with whole sticks of butter, were you?

Are you stalking me? How did you know that I was at an all you can eat Chinese Buffet, plus office party with cake afterwards? I am full! But I did work out this morning so it is all good.

I missed it too Douglas! I feel like the dufuses who chime in: I’m too lazy to read the 221 comments before… but let me express my original opinion now. Yes, I mean you, wayne.

Are you stalking me?

Maybe…and put your pants back on!

Are you stalking me?

Maybe…and put your pants back on!

Where is he stuffing whole sticks of butter?

Maybe…and put your pants back on!

After all that food, they no longer fit. I’ll just drape them over my nakedness.

After all that food, they no longer fit. I’ll just drape them over my nakedness.

You know what they say; the bigger they are the larder they fall.

Kevin: “Where is he stuffing whole sticks of butter?”

Does it really need to be clarified?

Waaaaay off topic, but I think I found a good lead comment for tomorrow’s open thread….Max, what do you think?

Subtext? (Second post down, entitled “Unscrambled.”)

Does it really need to be clarified?

I hear it helps get things cooking.

Here’s a thought: if the state wants to cut back on health care cost towards fat people, maybe they should ask the folks at the state fair to abolish their highly-charged greasy foods. You know, the fried cheese curds, the deep fried candy bars and corn, and the ham on the stick types with the thick bisquck pancake substance.

Butter: Melts in your mouth, not in your ass.

can’t believe how, from your own admittance of being a former fat person, you can’t see that fat people need to be treated with as much respect as anyone else.

Fat girl you hang in their. Who cares if you are fat it is your choice no one Else’s. You have one life so live it how you want. This is the biggest do as I say crowd not as I do crowd that you will ever find.

there would be no reason for me to go to the fair if they got rid of the fried…um…everything! i don’t eat fast food, so i think i’m allowed to eat fried pancakes dipped in pancake batter once a year.

don’t take that away from me!

You should submit that to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board for consideration as the slogan for their next butter awareness campaign, Kevin.

The BMI is practically a worthless measurement. It doesn’t take anything into consideration other than height and weight. Using the BMI most basketball players are fat.

Not only that, but how realistic is that my BMI weight — at age 52 — should be what I weighed as a 14 year old in 9th grade? Now, granted, being 5′10″ and weighing 235 lbs. is not healthy but, in the past 2-1/2 years, I’ve managed to lose 40 pounds of the excess baggage. My motivation? I have to weigh under 200 lbs in order to parasail from Grouse Mountain in Vancouver. As an added bonus, it’s a LOT easier to rollerblade (and do other kinds of outdoor recreation) at 195 lbs than it is at 235 lbs.

What’s my secret? I consume fewer calories than I burn (while still eating a relatively healthy diet, including lots of green vegies). I make my own lunch, restrict my visits to McDs to once a week, and don’t overeat when I do eat out.

There are notable excepts, such as people with a large amount of lean mass (muscle), but other than that, I think the Body Mass Index is a very good measurement for everyday people. It it gives you a clear goal to maintain or aspire to.

You ought to be in McDonald’s once a month, Noodleman, if you really have to go there.

I probablyeat at McDonald’s once or twice a year. *sigh*
I love those fries.

Noodleman: I believe there’s a different body mass index for children rather than the standard figure that one sees for adults. I don’t know what age signals the transition point, though.

Rat, it really isn’t any of your business to tell noodleman how many times he should or should not eat at McDs, regardless of his aspirations.

The Rat is a good person. McDonald’s is the devil.

Awright, I’ll lay off. Probably so, honey

McDonald’s is the devil.

It’s not that. If you look through books like Fast Food Nation or look around other sources, you’ll see that McDonald’s probably maintains the highest standards in that segment of the food service industry. The food is fattening, certainly, but it’s alright. The places are clean and the food is fresh and handled well.

You might not be able to say that about hipster/dive/hole-in-the walls that get praised to the heavens here.

Just limit your visits and you’ll be OK. It’s not going to kill you if you go there for an occasional indulgence.

try cheeseburger in a can!

That’s nothing like Pizza in a cup.
Nice tassels in the sidebar.

I saw the cheeseburger-in-a-can on another forum. Someone captioned it “I has cheeseburger can.” I wished I had thought of it.

Re:Cheeseburger in a can.

Does anyone know German?

I just got back from the Old Country Buffet and boy, am I stuffed! Did I miss anything?

“Do you heff Prinz Albert in ein can?”

I just got back from the Old Country Buffet and boy, am I stuffed! Did I miss anything?

I don’t know, Geoff. I went to Cloverfield and pigged out on one of those giant boxes of Junior Mints, so I missed most of the thread.

here’s what i gots on tap 2nite:

1 large ruby rae pizza from luce
1 slice of carrot cake
1 6 pack of summit winter ale

in your face, mnspeak!

Why the carrot cake? Counting calories?

carrot cake is pretty high in fat and kinda ‘bad’ for you, yo. but it’s deeeelisshhhhhhh!

Nutrition Information

1 Serving: Calories 440 (Calories from Fat 240); Total Fat 26g (Saturated Fat 3 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 55mg; Sodium 230mg; Total Carbohydrate 46g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 27g); Protein 6g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 100%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 4%; Iron 10% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 5 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 3
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

I’m a big fan of meatloaf disguised as carrot cake

actually, here is a better one

i can’t believe i spent so much time reading through all these posts.

i just read about this new bill that was just passed in Mississippi.:

it prohibit[s] certain food establishments from serving food to any person who is obese.

yes, that’s right. a bill that punishes fat people just because they are fat and want to eat the foods they love. a fat person can’t get a burger and fries at the same restaurant a thin person can? it’s the same food! why do these idiots think that the cholesterol in the fat person’s meal is any worse than that of the thin person’s meal? do they sprinkle anti-fat sauce on the skinny dude’s sammich but not on the one the fat dude ordered?

i couldn’t believe my eyes when i read this, but yeah, it’s true. hello? infringing on peoples rights, much? no one has the right to tell anyone what they can and cannot eat. here’s hoping that these businesses go under, and fast. the bill is set to go into effect in July…if it passes (which i doubt it will).

(i also found it kind of ironic that of all the states to try and pass something like this, Mississippi would be the first).

no one has the right to tell anyone what they can and cannot eat. here’s hoping that these businesses go under, and fast. the bill is set to go into effect in July…if it passes (which i doubt it will).

This is why I’m against government run health care. They would say they can tell you what you can and cannot eat because they’re paying for your health care and eating right is necessary for the common good. They would say that your lifestlye is hurting the national health care budget and you’re just going to change your behavior or be punished.

It will also beam us into space so we can explode in the vacuum.

I love it when people argue based on paranoid prognostications about the dire threat of any decision. Apparently, Maz has now become a psychic.

Yeah, I’m getting pretty good at it. Like, here’s two hypotheticals I raised during our “debate” on the smoking ban. People thought I was a little paranoid then too, if I remember.

(I forgot this quote that I had intended to include from one of the stories:)

Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster, said the vehicle law blurs parental rights in a dangerous way that could spark legislation to limit children’s hamburger or french fry consumption, for example, because of health risks.

“I’ve got no problem listening to government’s advice on raising my kids – I welcome it.” said Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to take its orders.”

So you’re opposed to laws that ban smoking in enclosed spaces when children can breathe it. I’m guessing it’s a matter of liberty for you. I’m just curious is you would argue for the decriminalization of other drugs, and argue that it should be perfectly legal to use them in front of children, in the name of liberty.

Okay. Read this whole thread, and I wish I could have participated earlier. Here are my two cents. As has been said already, there are numerous reasons for obesity, but I think the number one reason is that it is in fact a kind of eating disorder. An eating disorder, just like bulimia and anorexia, that is built on shame and self loathing. The only difference is that with bulimia and anorexia, the person can more easily hide the fact that they have the disease. i suffered with bulimia for over fifteen years, and face just as many health problems (physical and emotional) as someone who has a binge eating disorder, but for most of that time, nobody even knew I had a problem. What I do know is that the cycle of shame and self loathing can never help in getting better, and the more that a person faces ridicule from society, the more they will feel trapped in their condition (just as the more a person with bulimia or anorexia receives positive reinforcement the harder it is for them to change). What we need is less of a focus on weight and body, and more focus on a healthy lifestyle which includes positive self esteem and support networks.

I’m just curious is you would argue for the decriminalization of other drugs, and argue that it should be perfectly legal to use them in front of children, in the name of liberty.

My position has always been, the government has no constitutional right to tell you what you may or not ingest. Period. Whether children are present while you’re ingesting it/them is irrelevant. I smoked in the car all the time while my kids were growing up. I always cracked the window out of common courtesy. And none seems to have suffered any ill effects from growing up in a house with a two-pack a day father. (nor have they picked up the habit)

So the next question would be: Are you as fast to refuse to vote for a candidate that is pro-drug war as you would be to vote against a candidate that is pro-smoking ban? Because your absolutist viewpoints run contrary to those of a lot of conservative candidates.

My position has always been, the government has no constitutional right to tell you what you may or not ingest. Period.

There is also no constitutional right to smoke (just playing the anti abortionists game: where in the constitution is smoking tobacco mentioned?)

It’s also a bit contradictory that you think it’s unconstitutional to regulate smoking in public spaces, but that it is acceptable to legislate who we may or may not have sex with or marry.

…And none seems to have suffered any ill effects from growing up in a house with a two-pack a day father. (nor have they picked up the habit)

And once again, maz seems to think that the plural of anecdote is data. Lots of people drive drunk and make it home without getting into an accident. Does that mean we should decriminalize drunk driving?

Now, I’m sure he’s done a basic Google search and made sure that smoking around children causes them no harm.

Whoops, I guess he hasn’t.

Man do I hate that BMI crap! Have you ever met an off white guy who is nearly seven feet tall, and calculates as anything other than overweight to obese. If only I were an emaciated shadow of a man, then I could calculate healthy to some arbitrary standard. Now can I buy some pants. How hard is it to stock 38×38 you clowns. you have plenty of 43 28, but I heard in a song: short people got no reason. What about the tall folks. Not everybody was malnourished as a kidlet you wee east coast department store buyer. I am off-white not black, or old so I cannot wear the usual crap they sell at the big and tall stores. could those lousy clowns get it through their heads that people who have jobs are taller than 5′ 3″

There is also no constitutional right to smoke (just playing the anti abortionists game: where in the constitution is smoking tobacco mentioned?)

The constitution defines the limits of government. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” – The 10th amendment. Is it really a free society when the government can tell you what you can or cannot put into your body?

The anti-smoking laws are not federally mandated. They are a state law. No constitutional violation there.

You have a funny idea about what constitutes a free society. Nobody is being prevented from smoking. They are simply being prevented from passing second-hand smoke along to other people. That is consistent with a classically American idea of liberty — that your right to swing your fist ends at the exact place where my nose begins.

That’s why Pinnochio has no friends.

Cigarette smoke is no more the same as a flying fist than foul language is.

StarTribune is continuing the discussion today, although with more obesity experts and less juvenille name calling.

People thought I was a little paranoid then too, if I remember.

They were right. Please focus your comments on what is happening here, in the two states most of of us MNspeakers reside in:

1) Minnesota
2) Reality

StarTribune is continuing the discussion today, although with more obesity experts and less juvenille name calling.

Orly? I have read the comments at the Strib. I always thought all the people that commented there wore tin foil hats and subsisted on twinkies.

The discussion has jumped to the Open (Fly) Thread.

Is it really a free society when the government can tell you what you can or cannot put into your body?

Is it really a free society when the government can tell you who you can marry or have sex with?

Also, note that the commerce clause grants Congress the authority to regulate interstate business. I’m not aware of any state constitutions that prohibit state governments from regulating businesses within their own borders.

I believe there’s a different body mass index for children rather than the standard figure that one sees for adults.

I think you misunderstood my intent and meaning when I stated what the BMI considers a “healthy” adult weight. I’m 52. According to most every BMI calculation I’ve come across, my “healthy” BMI weight — given my height of 5′10″ — should be 165 lbs.

I haven’t weighed 165 lbs. since I was 16!

Nothing in my paragraph made any reference to a child-centric BMI; only that my “healthy” adult BMI weight should equate today to what I weighed 36 years ago.

Re: McDonalds once a month. Actually, aside from the fries (and the hugely caloric milkshakes), a McD burger (@ 300 calories) meal isn’t any less healthy than one made at home. I could honestly eat at McDs every week without having any unhealthy side effects. On the other hand, I could be committing suicide if I ate a Carl’s Jr. Portobello Mushroom Six Dollar Burger which checks in at a whopping 950+ calories per serving.

Being pre-diabetic (and controlling it with diet and exercise only), I pay more attention to sugar and carb content when eating. Have you checked the sugar/carb content of “good” yogurt (e.g. Stoney Field) lately? Yipes! I’ve found the cheapy Cub brand to be more diabetic-friendly than anything I’ve found at co-op.