Dangerously Heavy -

[Snakum]

Watch your backside Snakum, you might have a lawyer after you soon with a rock.

Been there ... done that.

Minh

"Ahhh hates lawyers!" - Yosemite Sam

 

[LJDRVR]

CAJD,

I agree with you, it's time to take the PC gloves off. I'd like to take it a step further though. Quite frankly, I don't care about the Pod's appearances nor am I disgusted by their eating habbits. What makes me ill though, is how much this is gonna cost our economy and taxpayers. Both in terms of medical care and lost productivity, the amount will boggle the mind in the next twenty years. "My back hurts, but I don't have health insurance for the operation..." So the rest of us will pay for it. That this individual's job situation is such that they don't have the same benifits as I enjoy is lamentable, but I can understand it. I wouldn't mind my tax dollars helping that person out, except that they are morbidly obese, and wouldn't even have the back problems if they had taken care of themselves in the first place. Same thing for heart disease, hypertension, metabolic diseases (particularly type 2 in a sedentary, obese, middle-aged individual.) Not to mention the whole host of other disorders that accompany the ones I've mentioned.

The saddest thing I see is obese kids, whose parents would rather condemn their progeny to a shorter lifetime of suffering and pain, than take a chance on "hurting their feelings" by saying "NO!" to certain types and amounts of food. Bring it to the attention of these adults however, and you'll either get the MYOB response or the "Little Jimmy's got his pa's "fat genes", it ain't his fault." Darn right mom and dad, It's your responsibility.

Again, it all comes back to this: Americans are addicted to refined sugar. Forget my rantings and remember this: Sugar combined with inactivity is the biggest root cause of obesity and disease in this country. The stuff is evil. The smartest thing one could ever do is to stop eating the stuff. "I'm on the: Adkins-zone-weightwatchers" (insert fad diet of the week here.) Whatever. All you have to do is this: First, If it wasn't on the planet 500 years ago, don't eat it! Second, get out and exercise! You don't have to run marathons or lift weights at the gym. Just walk one hour a day.

Now that I'm done ranting, is there anyone else out there who has given up sugar and found it has profoundly changed their life?

 

[FracPilot]

Sugar combined with inactivity is the biggest root cause of obesity and disease in this country. The stuff is evil. The smartest thing one could ever do is to stop eating the stuff. "I'm on the: Adkins-zone-weightwatchers" (insert fad diet of the week here.) Whatever. All you have to do is this: First, If it wasn't on the planet 500 years ago, don't eat it! Second, get out and exercise! You don't have to run marathons or lift weights at the gym. Just walk one hour a day.

I agree with most of what you said, but I think you may be going a bit overboard with the "if it wasn't on the planet 500 years ago, don't eat it" comment. I eat what I want, when I want. If I want a big hunk of meat, I eat it. If I want a banana split, I eat it. I stop eating when I'm full, and I excercise. That's all it takes. Eat in moderation and excercise. You don't have to give up sugar alltogether - just don't take it in in massive quantities. Even though I eat whatever I want, I have normal blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol levels.

 

[LJDRVR]

Yeah, I probably sound a bit extreme, but cutting out sugar all together is still a good idea. When I say 500 years ago, what I mean is all refined sugar and any processed carbohydrates, such as white rice , potatoes or hybrid vegatables. (Corn is nasty stuff) Human physiology was simply not designed to eat the types of food we ingest at the begining of the 21st century. For eons, our body didn't have to contend with what have become the biggest part of today's American diet (White bread, white flour, white rice, white potatoes, hybrid grains and the aforementioned soft drink.)
I believe most of today's disease is directly attributable to the fact that we no longer feed our body the way it is designed to be fueled. (Why with modern medical advances and vaccinations has there not been a large increase in lifespan, just a small one?)

While responsible portions and exercise are commendable, (You're doing much better than your average fellow citizen.) You still needlessly load up your pancreas with extra work everytime you indulge in something like a bananna split. Your blood chemistry would be even better if you gave the stuff up completely, not to mention you'd feel the difference.

I've gotta stop, I sound like the food police here, and I'm not one of those. (If you and I flew together, you'd never hear any of this from me.)

For what It's worth I eat steak every day. mmmmm....steak.

 

[12FLIEGER]

All the qualifications a person needs for a 1st class medical is the ability to see, hear, speak and have no history of or current disqualifying condition. None of the medical conditions on the medical form apply to obesity or lack of strength. So if a crewmember can meet all of the medical requirements for a medical they cannot be denied because of weight or strength. But, if an AME were to deny an applicant of a medical because of doubts about their ability to perform the duties required of them. The applicant has several processes of appeal available to them. The point I’m getting at is it’s nearly impossible, under the current system, to deny someone a medical if they do not have a one of the predetermined medical conditions. With that said. Aviation is in large measure is an honor system. Everything from filling out your logbook to the truthfulness of your health is based on the integrity and honesty of that person. So when a 300+ pilot climbs out of the cockpit of an airplane you question their honesty. As does the public that sees it. Which draws the integrity of us all into question in their eyes. I’m not trying to preach to anyone. It just, to put it lightly, makes me mad when someone makes us all look bad.

 

[cdog]

Probably can't do this north of the Rio Grande but I just let a pilot go because he got to fat.

The health/looks, (as in taking care of themselves) of your employees reflects directly on your company image.

Lawyers and the litigation lotterys took all the fun out of operating up north.

 

[Crizz]

Now that I'm done ranting, is there anyone else out there who has given up sugar and found it has profoundly changed their life?

You said it perfectly. I am 6'4" and this time last year I weighed ~340 lbs. I held a first class medical without problems. Also this time last year I made the decision to cut all soda/juice/unnecescary sweets from my diet. Currently I am at 259 lbs. and am still losing.

I am a firm believer that sugar is addictive every bit as it is unhealthy. I was raised in a famliy of "fat bodies" and figured I was predisposed to be such. But looking back on it I was never really limited in food intake. Luckily I realized this earlier than later and am still in a position to do something about it.

There are people out there (and everyone knows one) that seem to have turbo metabolic capabilities for one reason or another. They eat twice what a normal person does, and never gain an ounce.

I still believe that genetic disposition has alot to do with a person's physical makeup. However, I dont subscribe to the notion that one is unable to do something about it. For some it is alot harder to maintain a healthy weight than others.

Those of you that think it is simple to change a lifestyle that is engrained into you have not been on that side of the coin. I would agree to a limited extent that it has to do with laziness. However there are many many reasons that people end up in such disgraceful physical shape. Some reasons are very easy to change, and others take alot of willpower and determination to turn around.

I can honestly say that without the aviation brass ring hanging in front of me, I would still be drinking soda and probably getting closer and closer to my first heart attack. For myself it took my love of flying to force the realization of a healthy lifestyle. I fear that most of the "fat" public does not have the kind of influence in their life.

 

[acaTerry]

Where's Richard Simmons when you need him?.....

Shoving pills down kids throats doesn't help either. Bad in school? Give them a pill. Tired? Give them a pill.
Gosh man. Now being a fat-a$$ is caused by emotional problems? Eat a carrot!