Reply #94: Good luck with this thread [View All]

[Maine Mary]

I once posted something about how obesity is as much a costly societal problem as smoking and was smacked around pretty hard over it.

However, your thread thus far appears to be doing well and I hope it stays this way. I think it's a good discusssion to have and you have brought it up in a much better way then I (I didn't mean to come off the way I did; but nonetheless I had used some poor word choices, which I take full resonsibility for).

Ahem. So anyway the point... I think it's wonderful that you are not in denial about your problem. I'm not overweight but smoke and know I need to change. Easier said then done, but at least now I know there is help (nicotine gum, inhalers, the patch ect.) You don't have such crutches so IMO it's harder to justify my problem then yours. Also I have many physical problems which I think my smoking aggravates. Though many of my issues are hereditary, I know the smoking does not help the situation. (I've been on BP medication since the age of 23. BTW I was a size 3 and only 107 lbs when they finally put me on the BP meds)... proving that high BP is not necessarily weight related so stop beating yourself up over it.

And you are right about another thing. If I somehow DO manage to quit, I would never need to touch a cigarette again which makes your issue much harder then mine. We all have to eat. I don't know what to say to you in that regard except that I am sorry. I come from a long family history of obesity and I think they suffer much worse from their addiction then mine. People ARE mean to overweight people. I've seen it and it pisses me off. My sister weighs well over 300 lbs and that's the only thing people seem to notice about her. They don't see her intelligence, kindness and overall innner beauty.

Do you know anyone who's obese? How have they tried to beat it? Have they succeeded?

Well, as I've mentioned many, many of my relatives are either overweight or downright obese. It's on both sides of my family but especially my dad's. His grandarents had fled Ireland during the potato famine and I think their having suffered near-starvation elevated food to a higher status then it possibly should have been. I never met my great gandparents but my grandmother always used candy and treats to show her love for us. She was very loving in other ways as well, but every time I think of her, I can't help but remember all the yummy stuff she always had on hand.

I wish I could report that all of these obese relatives overcame their weight issues but most didn't. One of my aunts had a stomach stapeling in the 70's but had such horrible side effects that she eventually had it reversed. She's now in her 50's, aproximately 500 to 600 lbs and is permanately disabled because of her weight. She used to be an RN.

I have other relatives (including my sister) who are on perpetual diets. Most of the time the ones who succeeded did so for less then a year and were back up to their original weights not long after. Only ONE aunt is an exception. She went from 250+ lbs to about 150 and has maintained that for about 5 years so far.

So obviously it's tough and you have my sincerest sympathy. I wish you the best. And I also pray we can both somehow overcome our addictions. :pals: