Too fat to work..

[Huntersmum15]

Slightly controversial for a Sunday morning I know.. But am I the only person who is angered by people who are too fat to work and claiming disability.. Being fat is a choice (I am aware there are many medical conditions that influence a persons weight and obviously this is not a choice) but it angers people that these people are such a drain on the NHS and cost thousands in obesity related illnesses and then claim benefits aswell?

Considering that tax credits are being cut and (according to reports) many children will live in poverty, is it not only just that obesity related disability benefits also be cut too?

AIBU?

I agree saucony that there is a debate about types, depths, lengths of therapeutic intervention and the effectiveness for different problems but OP's assertions that "Doctors are quick to prescribe quick fixes like medications" and that there is a shortage of therapeutic provision are just plain WRONG.

Anyway, the point is, whilst the NHS is supposed to be helping people overcome whatever problem has caused them to become so obese they can't work, how exactly is it going to help them to withdraw financial support in the meantime? Is the idea that if they can't afford food at all they will damn' soon get thin, as per the deleted fellow's comment earlier? How about people whose health has been permanently affected so that all the therapy in the world won't get them back working, do we just withdraw financial support altogether so they... what?

Oh, and taking their children into care is expensive, so it won't save as much as you may expect.

Strawberry I don't know actually. While I don't agree with the OP overall, some doctors are too quick to give medications and there really isn't enough therapy available. There are a lot of people who are probably on the border of being eating disordered and would be able to lead happier and healthier lives if the help was there.

CactusAnnie - very good post. Thank you.

I have had eating problems in the past. I was fine for the years when the kids were little as I walked everywhere. I am getting fat again now. I eat too much and don't move enough. I will only survive if I recognize that this is something I can change.

How does withdrawing benefits from morbidly obese people (who therefore are effectively disabled by this) help them?

Culturesucks maybe I should have been clearer. Food vouchers for healthy food, veg, fruit and meat rather than junk food, fizzy drinks etc. See my point?

Yes, it does tend to help when you actually say what you mean rather than something different...

Presumably you'd advocate something similar for alcoholics, vouchers to be spent on non-alcoholic things only. Not sure what you'd have to do with drug addicts?

They'd have to have zero access to any cash whatsoever though, as sweets only cost pence.

Culturesuck - precisely. Yes everyone should still eat of course. But impose the limitations, junk food, cigarettes, alcohol etc. I don't understand why there should be access to these 'luxuries'

Not only is it part of the vicious cycle I keep harping on about its insulting to working families who live month to month, hand to mouth who can't have the little luxuries like take aways.

So, how do you stop these morbidly obese people having any access at all to cash or credit? You'd have to stop any child benefit they get, as that could be spent on unhealthy food. It might be easier to section them under the MHA and put them in special morbidly obese hospitals and then you could 100% guarantee no access to luxuries. And then they wouldn't be insulting the hard working families as well as they'd be nicely out of the way.

Culture - you are ridiculous. I won't continue to argue. Obesity related illness/benefits are a huge drain on our society.. 10 million a year.. Check the facts.

Continue to enable them, I'm bored of talking to someone with a giant stick up their arse who is scared of saying the wrong thing with their political correctness.

Goodnight

Excellent response OP, thanks. Was really hoping you'd actually explain how you envisage reducing morbid obesity through removing benefits. Instead you seem focussed on how their very existence is an insult to hard working families.

We have an ingrained cultural problem with obesity, that isn't going to be solved by any quick fix approach. Yes absolutely morbidly obese people should be treated in a way that addresses the root of the problem rather than the symptoms. Quite why they'd need their benefits removed whilst this is happening is beyond me.

But you've thrown your toys out of the pram so I guess you won't be back to discuss it. Hey ho.

Not only is it part of the vicious cycle I keep harping on about its insulting to working families who live month to month, hand to mouth who can't have the little luxuries like take aways.

How do you know what people spend their money on!?

You sound like a political bot churning out cliché after cliché whilst playing buzz word bingo.

maybe I should have been clearer. Food vouchers for healthy food, veg, fruit and meat rather than junk food, fizzy drinks etc. See my point?

Last time I checked you can't pay bills with food vouchers!

electric shock every time they eat more that 20g carbs

done.

i'm so good at this advice lark

I always wonder what sad lives people like the Op lead. Something must really be lacking in the intellect and compassion department to cause a person to post a thread like this.

How would you decide who gets vouchers and who remains in receipt of money?

AnthonyBlanche

I challenge you to take steroids for 6 months and lose weight at the same time.

I mean if Olympic athletes cheats can't do it I'm sure you will have no problem.

Then try doing it when you struggle to get out of bed and the max exercise you are allowed is to get to the bathroom.

Like it or not eating disorders of all sorts are on the rise. Anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder, with an estimated 1.6 million people in the UK living with one sort of eating disorder or another www.priorygroup.com/eating-disorders/statistics

10% have anorexia (which has the highest rate of death for any mental disorder, so that's 160,000 people). 40% have bulimia and 50% have binge eating disorder.

So only 7000 people out of 800,000 with binge eating disorder are on disability benefit?

I wonder how many anorexic's are?

While certainly there are people with weight issues that don't have mental issues, I would say they are probably on the lower end of the weight scale. The one's who have eaten to the point that they can no longer work most definitely have mental issues.

anyone who has such a weight problem that they can't work will be in an unhappy place and no matter what treatment they get from the NHS or whatever benefits they draw will not compensate for the massive loss of quality of life.

For that, you lack compassion so YABVU

I'm sure you're right about it being self-perpetuating and that it doesn't necessarily stem from a recognisable single event or condition. What people are taking issue with on this thread is the suggestion in the OP that we who are not so disadvantaged should be angry at those who are, the implication that people have just up and decided to eat themselves into such a state that they can opt out of social responsibilities, that the latter should have benefits withdrawn, and the downright assertion by another poster that "all" they have to do is just decide to eat less and exercise more and voila! Sorted. I dare say you could dredge up a handful of people who do that eating-as-excuse-to-be-idle thing, but for the most part it isn't like that at all. Pretty much like all benefits really; I doubt anyone would deny that scroungers do exist, but the vast majority would really rather pull our weight (ahaha) and punishing us for being unemployed isn't going to make us any more determined to become self-supporting as soon as humanly possible. Or like telling a person with depression that they need to put on some happy music and go for a run.

CactusAnnie all your posts are excellent.