Anorexia Vs Morbid Obesity

[Rockrose]

Watching a programme anorexic ladies I am struck by how these ladies are treated with sympathy and caring and how there is help out there for them. But when it comes to obesity you are told to eat less and move more and are treated with complete derision.

[Rockrose]

No retrocop they don’t actually in order to get a band operation on the NHS you have to lose weight in the first instance and show you can keep it off and the whole cycle generally takes 3 years

[hc4361]

People can get bariatric surgery on the NHS but this surprised me:

"France, with a population similar to that of Britain, carries out 37,000 obesity operations a year, compared with just 5,000 in the UK. Two countries with far smaller populations – Belgium and Sweden – perform 12,000 and 7,000 respectively, while Italy does 8,000.
It is a safe and cost-effective therapy for a deadly disease, according to bariatric surgeons speaking at an international conference in London. Yet the NHS is dragging its feet, they say.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/sep/01/uk-needs-to-perform-thousands-more-obesity-operations-say-surgeons

[pastafreak]

Everyone is already making the assumption that individual obesity is ALWAYS due to overeating, or greed as some unkind people think.. It might be in a lot of cases, but there are so many other reasons...hormonal, endocrine, psychological.
Sparklykid...do you REALLY think it " fair enough" to treat someone with derision? Does that make you feel good?

[woofgang]

The seriously morbidly obese people who I met when I was still working ALL suffered from some underlying condition...mostly to do with childhood abuse...not sexual abuse.

[retrocop]

I wasn't advocating an obese patient to be forced to have gastric bands or other surgery but if morbid obesity patients are not offered preventive surgery then surely they become a further financial burden to the NHS when other complications set in and require further treatment

[Rockrose]

Yes retro it’s common sense but since when has the NHS had common sense? Also the band is not always the best ways forward as the are easiest chested. The bypass or sleeve which is permanent but achieved higher success rates.

[hc4361]

Many people who have had bariatric surgery are unable to deal with the loose skin they get as a result and the NHS won't remove it.
It's not just unsightly but can cause discomfort and infections and hinder exercise.

I can understand anyone putting weight on, it's so easy to do for most of us but the morbidly obese have other issues either psychiatric, emotional or physical and deserve empathy and understanding not public lambasting

[woofgang]

its actually not common sense when the obesity is a symptom and not a disease itself. Living with a band, bypass or a sleeve takes work and committment which may not be there if the underlying cause isn't addressed.

[Rockrose]

Hc the excess skin is horrendous and I know several NHS patients who unable to live with it actively tried to put weight back on.

[Rockrose]

Woof most morbidly obese patients do want to lose weight and are desperate for help

[ducksie]

I can't add to all the good points already made here RR but it's a very good, thought provoking thread :)

[rowanwitch]

After a lifetime of yoyo dieting, been as low as a size 10 and high as a 26, I know it's not that easy. Certain anti depressants are linked to weight gain (approx 6-10lbs) per year on average. Depression makes the thought of exercise almost impossible and eating too much as a coping strategy is not uncommon. Of course carrying too much weight aggravates joint pain, making it harder to exercise... it is why enlightened health professionals are looking at alternatives for depression including exercise groups, gardening, and gym memberships. The ideal is to establish a change in life style. Bariatric surgery is becoming more common especially for type two diabetes linked to obesity.

[kvalidir]

I have a very large friend who is deeply upset and ashamed of her size and so only seldom goes out who eats because she is anxious and unhappy. This anxiety unhappiness and depression stemmed from bullying and abuse. She has asked countless times for help and got nowhere fast because she was seen as having created her problem (by eating) vs an anorexic girl who is somehow a victim. It's shocking we should have such double standards.

[andy-hughes]

Part of the problem is that we are, and look set to remain, a 'fattist' society.

Look at the adjectives there are to describe obese people - I won't quote any here, but suffice to say, there is probably twenty for every one to refer to an unusually thin person.

That means that the default reaction to an obese person is that they are greedy, and can help themselves, but won't, whereas anorexia is firmly aligned with mental illness, resulting in sympathy from society at large.

Until we adjust our attitudes to the causes of both these distressing conditions, the inequality in terms of wider sympathy will continue.

[Rockrose]

I went to a wedding this weekend my worst nightmare, previously I would have declined or bought a tent and hidden. I had severe anxiety this weekend and still hid and found many comments uncomfortable to deal with. The insecurity is still there and it’s incredibly difficult to deal with

[Rockrose]

Thank you everyone for your responses and balanced views

[hc4361]

I feel for you, rockrose. Hopefully your next lot of surgery will be a big help.

I really am not being flippant but I think that modern clothing has something to do with the current rate of obesity. People don't notice they are putting on weight, or can easily ignore it, when their clothes stretch to fit by 3 sizes or more. When waistbands were rigid and people wore structured shirts and blouses it was obvious when half a stone or so had crept on.

[Rockrose]

Absolutely HC I never wore a structured pair of trousers for 20 years. Now all my clothes has structure and shape.

[hc4361]

Keep away from elasticated waistbands! :D

[retrocop]

//Hopefully your next lot of surgery will be a big help. //

Who was that to? I missed something in the OP?