That fattist discrimination is allowed in the workplace?

[SortedwishIwas]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/24/fattist-discrimination-should-be-outlawed-in-the-workplace-says/

Just read this article and it says it is not illegal to discriminate against overweight people.

Yet fat people are protected only if they can prove they are also disabled

from the article. So it is seems to be ok to discriminate against someone who is fat but not if they are fat and disabled?

This is worrying though but a separate issue from the same article

New forecasts show that obesity will soon be more common than being a normal weight.The figures from Cancer Research UK show on current trends, almost three in four adults will be overweight or obese by 2035.

Manic, yes I have heard that explanation too.

Saying that, when I am stressed/tired/emotional it feels as if something is gripping me by the throat and I get a dry mouth and swallowing/eating becomes a chore. Is that unusual then?

Stress-comfort eating to me sounds plausible, at the same time, being stressed, imo, makes it hard to eat?

I'm very tall. Can I be protected too please?

I am overweight. My thyroid is basically fucked.

I am also fit. I am also healthy. I was never off sick when I worked out of the home. I have had this virus that everyone has had but so have slim people.

Other than that I visit the GP thrice a year - once for a pill check and twice yearly blood tests.

If people want to discriminate because I am overweight they can. But they'd be stupid.

Saying that, when I am stressed/tired/emotional it feels as if something is gripping me by the throat and I get a dry mouth and swallowing/eating becomes a chore. Is that unusual then?

I think this is actually one of the big factors in whether or not you're likely to become overweight - whether stress makes you comfort eat or makes you lose your appetite. I'm definitely at my slimmest when I'm calm and happy, and I've put on significant weight after work stress in the past. For me it's anxiety related. You know that sleepy, almost sedated feeling you get if you eat a lot of carbs? On my bad days that's the only way I can stop my heart racing and head spinning with anxiety. I know it's unhealthy - it's seeking a physical feeling to help mental turmoil, and so not much different to drinking, for instance - but there have been times in the past where it's the only way I could cope.

I hate threads like this and really shouldn't read them. When I was 18 and a healthy weight my eldest sister was aneroxic and bulimic. She was a curvy big busted size 14 hourglass. Some idiot at work made some comment about her weight. So started a lifetime of issues with food. Now she is imo underweight and has lost most of her natural teeth and has weak bones due to obvious calcium deficiency and early menopause.
I gradually gained weight over the years. Was in overweight category when 1St child was born but now I am definitely obese
Yet I am still probably fitter than NY slim sister. My diet is certainly better as it is more balanced. I just clearly eat too much and have no self control.

Monte - food is not physically addictive, no. But it is certainly psychologically addictive. Gambling, shopping and stealing aren't physically addictive either and I'm not sure that all drugs are. But the psychological purpose and connections they serve for a person can be so strong that they might as well be physically addicted.

I can't stand the judgement and prejudice towards people who 'wear' their addictions and struggles visibly in added weight. We've all got ways of dealing with life and theirs is no more worthy of judgement than others. My BMI is under 17 at the moment. I'm addicted to prescription pills to keep going instead of sufficient calories. Nobody judges me because I'm 'slim'. One of my best friends has a BMI of around 13 - 14 and a heavy cocaine user. She eats upwards of 7000 calories a day. But by throwing it all up again she gets to be viewed as healthier and 'better' than someone who is obese. It's a nonsense and fuelled by nothing other than that we (as a society) think fat is aesthetically unappealing, fear it on ourselves and take our insecurities out on others.

I don't think people like Ruby are unusual but I think many or most people have some kind of food/appetite related reaction to stress or upset - either they eat significantly more or they eat significantly less. For me, it's a mixture. Stress and anxiety stops me eating but depression can make me eat.

I used to be obese. Properly obese. I've lost it all now.

I am no better a person now I am not obese. All the major things in my life I achieved, I achieved when obese. Well respected in my career, (performer) won awards, wide circle of friends, lovely husband.

Also, I was obese from childhood. My three siblings were slim. Obesity is in my family. The emotional problems, food addictions, there is a genetic line down one side, of overweight people. I was the one who got that gene. The greedy one. It wasn't my mums fault, she tried her best to control me but did more harm than good.

The generalisations and almost what feels like dehumanising of fat people on here is shocking. I am the same person now I was when I was fat, and I am no more clever or committed or valuable or talented or nice than I was when I was fat.

Stop judging fellow human beings and hang your heads in shame, judge people.

PrettyLittleGuinea there are no children getting DLA when their only problem is wetting the bed. It is part of normal child development so it wouldn't be counted unless it was part of a disability that they had that required other support as well.

Things can be disabling (often temporarily) without meeting the criteria for having a disability.

... a skinny person who eats macDs and pizza all day and does nothing but sit at a desk or on the couch is at same risk of serious illness

I'm sure there are exceptions, but doubt there are too many skinny folk with those particular habits; on the whole, human biology tends not to work that way

And it isn't even necessary to go as far as Japan to find a society which strongly disapproves of fatness and considers it slovenly - it's perhaps less common than it once was, but many of the French still do the same

I read something once, might have been on here, that food is the addiction/vice of the sensible and diligent but busy and stressed person. Apparently many adults, especially working mums I believe, feel under so much pressure to 'do it all' and need some kind of destructive and unhealthy outlet to turn to. Drugs, alcohol, smoking, gambling etc get passed by in their minds because they have families, jobs and responsibilities they can't forget about. So they turn to food - legal, cheap, not harmful short term and very, very comforting.

I think this is true. It can be particularly noticeable with carers and nurses, who also have messed up sleeping patterns to contend with. The reliable, responsible nurse who powers herself on stodge is a thing, definitely.

Food May not be addictive but if you have an addictive personality you can pick your poison. Whether it be computer games,food, alcohol etc. Food is so difficult because you can't go cook turkey as you need to eat food. Plus many people are emotional eaters. Fat shaming can be really counterproductive. It could push the person to eat more (me) or causing them to starve/vomit (dsis).

Cold turkey

Catlady1976

and you win the thread.

Japan has a different way of dealing with obesity G

mic.com/articles/84521/japan-has-cut-obesity-to-3-5-in-a-controversial-way-that-wouldn-t-fly-in-america#.hyrcblJrS

Citizens must adhere to government-mandated waistline limits or face consequences. The government has established waistline limits for adults ages 40 to 74. Men must maintain a waistline at or below 33.5 inches; for women, the limit is 35.4 inches. The "metabo law" went into effect in 2008, with the goal of reducing the country's overweight population by 25% by 2015. The government's anti-obesity campaign aims to keep "metabolic syndrome" — a number of factors that heighten the risk of developing diabetes and vascular diseases, such as obesity and high blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels — in check, thus minimizing the ballooning health care costs of Japan's massive aging population.

Those who stray beyond the state-mandated waistlines are required to attend counseling and support sessions. Local governments and companies that don't meet specific targets are fined, sometimes quite heavily.

World obesity rates

roseshippy

Try

Person A is disciplined and studies trends in their field of work
Person B is undisciplined and doesn't bother

Person A is hired over person B

Person A is disciplined but over weight and has less time off due to illness
Person B is undisciplined and likes to drink, and is more likely to skive off Fridays or Mondays

Person A shouldn't be hired over person B???

We can all play this sort of game.

I am overweight. I was disabled long before I was overweight due to a spinal chord injury I suffered while active in a sport.

I struggle to think that someone who has a reversible condition, whether it is genetic or behavioural, requires the same level of protection as someone whose condition is static and prevents them from accessing the norms of everyday life.

But maybe that is just me...

No, being fat shouldn't be a protected characteristic. It's massively devaluing for the ones that are. And I wouldnt have religion or philosophical belief either as those are choices and it's become a nonsense - a belief in climate change is a protected characteristic!

No it's not just you, sisyphus Obviously this doesn't apply to all obese folk, but where someone's able to reverse their own condition - especially when it's through something like eating less - it's unfortunate to see them bending the facts this way and that to claim disability (and maybe avoid taking responsibility for themselves?)

It also can't be very pleasant for those suffering a genuine disability which they can do nothing about

OP:
Disability is usually something you cannot change whereas it is possible to lose weight either by dieting etc or by having surgery.

"ollieplimsoles

This is a very loaded subject at the moment.

I totally get Nathan's comments about people alcoholics could drink less, anorexics could eat more.

Trouble is- morbidly obese models are being celebrated, very over weight bloggers/vloggers are popular, I dont think enough people take obesity, and all the health problems it brings, seriously. Its all about image but its really about health.

Overweight people (myself included) should work on getting their bmi down, got mine down from 33 to 28- over 30 is clinically obese, and I was only a size 12.

Obesity is a condition people need treatment for- not something to be protected for the sake of people's feelings.

Stupid words like 'fattist' don't help this."

Only a Size 12? Whether that was acceptable as a size or not would depend in your height.

Only a Size 12? Whether that was acceptable as a size or not would depend on your height.

Catlady I remember you posting about your sister before.

A size 14 hourglass with big boobs is what i am now after weight loss.

In 2005, a Personnel Today survey of more than 2,000 HR professionals revealed that 93% of respondents would choose a “normal weight” applicant over an obese applicant with the same experience and qualifications.

The survey also showed that 30% of HR professionals believed obesity is a valid medical reason for not employing a person, while 15% agreed that they would be less likely to promote an obese employee.

I am the same person now I was when I was fat, and I am no more clever or committed or valuable or talented or nice than I was when I was fat

True but society and the workplace judges differently