There is a woman I message with occasionally who has over 500 pounds to lose. Once she loses 300, she will still need THAT KIND of chair in order to be able to sit. Even with the huge victory and hard work of losing 300 pounds, when she walks into a room people are STILL going to judge her as a fat, lazy woman who needs to stop eating so much.

I think we should all withhold judgements and be kind and compassionate. I doubt anyone who is big enough to NEED that seat actually needs a “reminder” that they need to lose weight (i.e. getting stuck in a chair when they try to sit down).

Kudos to the hospital for caring about their patients.
.-= Lyn´s last blog ..The Walmart Cart =-.

If “shame” made people lose weight, no one would be fat. If we teach people to love their bodies and treat them well, we can all take a step closer to better health.
.-= AmandaLP´s last blog ..LHAS Wednesday Walking Weigh In =-.

Not having a comfortable seat available most probably would not compel someone to lose weight.

I think if we start calling this “enabling” we should look again at Plus Size clothing. Isn’t that also enabling?
.-= Hanlie´s last blog ..Book Review: The Gabriel Method =-.

I just bought a new digital bathroom scale because my ancient one without replaceable batteries was getting pale/hard to read. When I was comparison shopping online, I noticed that the scales all had capacity to 400 pounds. When I was a kid in the 70s, the scales all had a capacity of 300 pounds–I know, because a lot of them had a dial going all the way around and a spring, and you could see what the maximum was. While I am totally in agreement that people between 300 and 400 pounds would find it useful to find out what they weigh, it appalled me that the new “norm” for capacity is 400. I didn’t see a single digital scale that said capacity was 300 pounds.

“Normal” shouldn’t be what everyone is. “Normal” should be a range of what’s healthy. Neither models who are scary-skinny nor resigning ourselves to being large because “average weight” creeps upward is ideal. I am reminded of the classic parental response to “but everyone else is!”–if everyone else were jumping off a bridge, would you?

Blessings,
Sue

There are other unhealthy lifestyles we as a culture accommodate. Smokers are provided with public ash trays or specified areas are set aside to practice their habit. Intravenous drug users are provided with clean needles. We even have comfortable and attractive donut shops where you can get your favorite flavor of sugar high! Sedentary lifestyles are accommodated with more and more comfy (and larger) couches and recliners, and some make a buying decision about such items by whether or not they’d be nap-worthy.

We live in a free country where we have the choice how we want to live, and with choices comes any manner of results. Obesity is a very serious problem, but failing to accommodate people with a problem has never been an appropriate response.
.-= Cheryl´s last blog ..Success Is In Your DNA =-.

Where I see them most frequently is at the bariatric center, which is not a real surprise. The first time I sat in one I was pleased because it was quite comfortable, whereas traditional seats were not comfortable to me and were too tight. Now I love to sit in them because they are SO ROOMY. They remind me of how much weight I’ve lost.

I’m a little dismayed to read all the negative comments on here. Overweight people are not disgusting or dregs of society that should avoid being in public because of their weight. Furthermore, not all overweight people are overweight because they are “lazy” or “eat poorly.” In fact, a huge amount of overweight people have weight issues because of underlying medical issues. You wouldn’t expect a handicapped person to sit on the floor, stand in the corner, or climb a flight of stairs, would you? Why would you deny an overweight person the ability to be comfortable? I think perhaps more people should be compassionate towards other people — even overweight people!! — and be considerate of their needs. It’s the nice thing to do.

But at the same time it is a little sad the reality of our society. Yesterday when I was waiting for a light, a group of people walked by on the sidewalk. It is obvious they are from the same family. The ages range from 40+ (mom) to 12 (youngest daughter). All of them are overweight (20+ pounds). I just cannot help staring at the 12 year old, thinking she looks 3 months pregnant. I feel so sad for her because her life has barely even started and yet she already has to battle with her weight.
.-= asithi´s last blog ..Update on Quitting My Coffee Addiction =-.