regardless of psychological or genetic issues, there are things obese people can do to better their situation. some people are at more of a disadvantange then others but nonetheless there are steps that can be taken to improve one's health.

I watched a family member die because of her own stubborness when it came to her obesity.

My great aunt was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes while in her thirties. At first, she watched what she ate and exercised everyday. She found this lifestyle to be restrictive and stopped caring for herself about 5 years after her diagnosis. My family would tell her that she needs to lose weight; obesity alone is bad but to mix it in with Type II Diabetes is a death sentence. In 1994, she had an infection in her leg; the doctors had to amputate it (it's common for diabetics to grow infections that lead to amputation). My family and I begged her to eat better and take care of herself. Her answer was that she wanted to enjoy life and didn't see how eating salad or low-carb foods would bring her happiness; she was a diabetic with an addiction to sugar. Fast forward to December of 2001. Once again, she ends up in the hospital with infection; this time in her other leg. The surgeons amputated her leg. At this point, her immune system was shot from years of neglecting her health. She caught pneumonia. April of 2002, she died at only 53 years old. Her reasoning for eating unhealthy and not exercising were because "she wanted to enjoy her life and be happy". I'll bet she wasn't enjoying her life as she laid dying in her hospital bed while in excrutiating pain.

I watch as my boyfriend's roommate, who has Type I Diabetes, drinks every night and eats some of the worst food that I (someone who doesn't have insulin problems) wouldn't even touch. I told him what happened to my aunt but he still insists that eating healthy would be restrictive and that he wants to enjoy life.

It is so sad to watch people do this to themselves. My aunt put our family through hell and back again. Seeing a such a bright and talented woman (she was a lawyer turned advocate for orphan rights) lay there helpless and dying in the hospital was one of the saddest sights.

I wish people who are overweight would think of the future before they put that McDonald's hamburger in their mouth. Salads might not be "fun" to eat but they'll keep someone much more healthy. It's this type of attitude that causes so many overweight, diabetic Americans. My aunt never realized the consequences of her actions until it was too late. I also think that if she realized how much pain her obesity and unwillingness to change caused her family members, she would done things differently and she may still have been here today.

I'm so sorry for your loss

I think we all have have known one or more that have self destructed like that. I had a friend tell me that she wanted to leave a pretty corpse when I got on to her about tanning beds. It is so hard to get through. Just like we have teenagers talk to a drunk driver who killed an entire family one night, we need to have these severly obese people spend a night with me and my patients. That will change their minds real fast.

Just for the record - I love salads! celery and carrots are a favorite snack of mine :D

Oh me too! My afternoon snack when I come home from work is carrot sticks, celery, and broccoli with low-fat ranch dressing. yum yum!

My Sis Grandma is a dietician and she has been helping me lose baby weight ~ she tells her clients to have little baby carrots and celery chopped up in ziploc bags ready to go when a snack craving hits. That helps stop you from eating chips or something else because its "easy". I can't go through a day now without some baby carrots :D

MMM MMM GOOD!

ZTAngel--

Sorry for your loss... It is truly a pain to see a loved one suffer...

Type 2 diabetes runs in my family, among other issues--cancer due to smoking, heart attacks due to type 2 diabetes, amputations, thyroid issues and on and on...

I watched my grandmother start with Alzheimer's to becoming a catatonic vegetable in 7-8 years at a Nursing home. And it started when I was 12 years old... I have seen an aunt not choose chemotherapy and smoke like a chimney even while on oxygen--she died...

We all have stories...

I think that most folks were not taught "how" to eat. They are taught "eat for the masses", you never know when famine will come... And most folks mentality is coming from their parents who probably lived during the depression when food was scarce...

Even during and a little after WWII, food was rationed...

Then there were natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes that quite of few folks endured and never ever wanted to be without...

Then we say, Live Life To the Fullest!!! But really what does that mean???

I say, find your peace within yourself and your belief and your faith... Find your inner sanctuary, your soul... Do whatever it takes to find that... Because for the most part, the spirit can last forever if you let it--and why not?

I hope what I said eased your hurt...