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Should obese people receive disability benefits?

If they can't work because they are too fat, should they get disability living allowance?

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Avatar for mkap
mkap
20
well some people are 'fat' and it isnt their fault its due to medical conditions and i feel sorry for them bc they get labelled with the 'fat', lazy benefit scrounging people.
If it's self inflicted or they have a controllable disorder, then no.
If it a medical condition then yes.
Depends on why they're obese, 99% of the time it's because they simply eat too much and work too little (laziness, lack of will power, etc). If they're morbidly obese and showing efforts in tackling their obesity (losing weight, etc.), I think some encouragement or support should be given but I wouldn't want to cross the line in that we should reward them for trying to be "normal" or "healthy".

Cost/benefit analysis:
-Obese people strain the NHS more than those of average weight
-No one is forcing them to be obese
-Some morbidly obese claim disability benefits which adds the the governmental strain
-Economic cost
-Possibility of affecting the welfare (psychological or physical) of others such as an infant

What's the benefit of being obese? You can see that being obese is more of a burden than a benefit. You're deliberately sabotaging your own health AND you're burdening the rest of society unnecessarily.

So no disability benefits for obese people unless there are exceptional circumstances. There's some nuances involved but I CBA to post it all.
I presume you're asking this because it raises more questions than it answers:

Should a smoker who gave up 15 years ago but has nevertheless gone on to develop COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and who cannot work because of severe breathlessness get benefits?

Should a causal skier who's severely injured their leg on holiday and now cannot walk receive any benefits?

Should someone who's depressed over what objectively could be considered minor matters but who nevertheless can't get out of bed in the morning receive any benefits?
Original post by loveleest
If it a medical condition then yes.


Obesity is a medical condition - there's no 'if' about it.
Original post by TheBirdman
If it's self inflicted or they have a controllable disorder, then no.


What about say someone in their 20's who smokes and has lung cancer? Smoking may have attributed to them getting lung cancer but it cant be said to be the sole cause. Should they get benefit?
Original post by MasterJack
Depends on why they're obese, 99% of the time it's because they simply eat too much and work too little (laziness, lack of will power, etc). If they're morbidly obese and showing efforts in tackling their obesity (losing weight, etc.), I think some encouragement or support should be given but I wouldn't want to cross the line in that we should reward them for trying to be "normal" or "healthy".

Cost/benefit analysis:
-Obese people strain the NHS more than those of average weight
-No one is forcing them to be obese
-Some morbidly obese claim disability benefits which adds the the governmental strain
-Economic cost
-Possibility of affecting the welfare (psychological or physical) of others such as an infant

What's the benefit of being obese? You can see that being obese is more of a burden than a benefit. You're deliberately sabotaging your own health AND you're burdening the rest of society unnecessarily.

So no disability benefits for obese people unless there are exceptional circumstances. There's some nuances involved but I CBA to post it all.


Im obese and I don't cost the government more, what costs them more is not supporting my mental heath and disability as a few years back I was meant to get a training course with a job above NMW but the funding was cut meaning I spent more years on benefits.

People love to have the moral highground but in reality its a individual circumstance, so many times people have assumed I do nothing but stuff my face, the times when I have gone to the gym I have had nasty comments, and my favourite food is salad and if I get one I have had people say "you aren't fooling anybody" or even comments like "if I was that fat I would kill myself" or just "gannet"

9 times out of 10 the people who say those comments are the ones stuffing their face with things like pizza/McDonalds!

Its the assumption that if they eat junk but are thin therefore a fat person must eat large amounts of the worse food.

My blood sugar is low/normal, cholesterol low, blood pressure normal but people assume I am at doctors all the time.

And I have said to people in the past eat "too much" is a broad term, someone could starve one day, eat a small takeaway the next, starve the third and have that cycle and still gain weight despite eating next to nothing that happened to me for a while.

And the terms eat too much and move too little don't take things in context, I myself remember eating little even when slim and putting on the pounds and friends stuffing their face like no tomorrow and being lazy and staying skinny so I was thinking I was eating very little and gaining weight so something wasn't right, (to be fair I think something has been wrong with me physically for years as even doctors over the years say test results even for cholesterol make no sense)
Then we have reasons for gaining weight in first place, I first gained weight eating next to nothing every day , then gained more weight when joining uni as had a lot of assignments and flatmates had friends round in kitchen all the time so almost impossible to cook so got a takeaway that I made last 2 days.

Though I would fall under the mental health side of things, I used to undereat when first left home as was happy enough that I only ate when I was starving as I would be too busy with either work, or playing video games/watching tv that my stomach could rumble and I wouldnt eat.

Now I eat when I feel weak but still undereat in many ways its more in the evening I would just grab something when I am crashing.
Weve done this before and yes it is a medical condition..
In ince sense its simple if viewed on a calorie overconsumption basis, but in reality treating the condition is a lot more complicated as people iften have other issues sych as low self esteem , depression etc.

Its 24.9% obese and 61.7% of England are Obese or overweight according to
The Health and Social Care Information Centre. Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet:colone:ngland, 2013


https://catalogue.ic.nhs.uk/publications/public-health/obesity/obes-phys-acti-diet-eng-2013/obes-phys-acti-diet-eng-2013-rep.pdf
no. the overwhelming majority of obese people are obese because they eat too much. if there was actually a case where this wasn't the case, then maybe I'd make an exception. but it's going to be so rare that it almost doesn't matter.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by squish562
If they can't work because they are too fat, should they get disability living allowance?


As a currently fat person i have to say no. The idea that my gluttony should be rewarded with free money is absurd.
Original post by sleepysnooze
no. the overwhelming majority of obese people are obese because they eat too much. if there was actually a case where this wasn't the case, then maybe I'd make an exception. but it's going to be so rare that it almost doesn't matter.


But why do they eat too much? stress? Thinking either they can get rid of weight easily or that they wont get fat and by time they realise thats not the case its very hard to lose? etc.
Original post by Rakas21
As a currently fat person i have to say no. The idea that my gluttony should be rewarded with free money is absurd.


Maybe its gluttony for yourself but its not for everyone, like I said before it can depend on what you eat i.e you almost starve but eat something that is bad for you would be far worse than eating a lot of healthy foods.

Wouldn't the person who eat a huge amount of healthy foods be more of a glutton as they are eating large amounts to the point of excess over the person who eats one or two small things that are unhealthy?
Original post by drbluebox
But why do they eat too much? stress? Thinking either they can get rid of weight easily or that they wont get fat and by time they realise thats not the case its very hard to lose? etc.


what about the people who aren't fat who're stressed? are you saying that they should be obese? no? so you're then going to reach aconclusion that the obese ones are the ones with the self-discipline to manage their diets responsibly
Original post by drbluebox
Maybe its gluttony for yourself but its not for everyone, like I said before it can depend on what you eat i.e you almost starve but eat something that is bad for you would be far worse than eating a lot of healthy foods.

Wouldn't the person who eat a huge amount of healthy foods be more of a glutton as they are eating large amounts to the point of excess over the person who eats one or two small things that are unhealthy?


For 90% of fat people their metabolism is healthy and they have no condition really contributing to it outside the mind. Further, an hours exercise is 4% of ones day.

Now i do of course understand the difficulty in changing your lifestyle and set routines so i can't be too harsh, but for most people being fat really is their own fault.

Semantics.
Original post by sleepysnooze
what about the people who aren't fat who're stressed? are you saying that they should be obese? no? so you're then going to reach aconclusion that the obese ones are the ones with the self-discipline to manage their diets responsibly


Everyone is different, I know people who are stressed who eat like a horse and do nothing and are slim, I know people who are overweight who eat little (like myself)

People deal with things different, some sit around in home all day and may eat for comfort, some have family and friends to support them, some may go to gym (but can get a disorder doing so) Some may throw themselves into their work

Self discipline in this context shows how ignorant you are.

In reality everything and everyone should be judged in anything on individual circumstances.

I know some obese people who are right slobs, I know even more THIN people who are slobs to the point of hygine issues but they don't get the same type of negativity as a overweight person.

I know obese people who have fry ups twice a day who are smaller weight than I am now, I know overweight people who almost never have junk food, its all home cooked food and a lot of veg, and fruit/nuts for snacks

Theres so many variables.
Original post by Rakas21
For 90% of fat people their metabolism is healthy and they have no condition really contributing to it outside the mind. Further, an hours exercise is 4% of ones day.

Now i do of course understand the difficulty in changing your lifestyle and set routines so i can't be too harsh, but for most people being fat really is their own fault.

Semantics.


Hence bringing in individual circumstances, you have the logic that one hour is 4% of a day so not much, one person may spend 4 hours a day commuting, then 8 or 10 hours a day in a job.

Just like the implication own fault is very harsh in most contexts, would you tell an alcoholic its their own fault they drink despite the reason for their drinking being they may be abused.

Does it help like what happened with me at various gyms I have had nasty comments from the regulars? (when in fact they should of been positive)

So many factors can be involved its not just see food eat it.
Original post by drbluebox
Everyone is different, I know people who are stressed who eat like a horse and do nothing and are slim, I know people who are overweight who eat little (like myself)

People deal with things different, some sit around in home all day and may eat for comfort, some have family and friends to support them, some may go to gym (but can get a disorder doing so) Some may throw themselves into their work

Self discipline in this context shows how ignorant you are.

In reality everything and everyone should be judged in anything on individual circumstances.

I know some obese people who are right slobs, I know even more THIN people who are slobs to the point of hygine issues but they don't get the same type of negativity as a overweight person.

I know obese people who have fry ups twice a day who are smaller weight than I am now, I know overweight people who almost never have junk food, its all home cooked food and a lot of veg, and fruit/nuts for snacks

Theres so many variables.


it's funny how biased you are because of the fact that you happen to be fat. so this is nothing short of adorable

I've actually been pretty overweight in my life - I was 12 stone at age 13, for instance. and I was depressed. but it just took will power and discipline to change my fundamental life style from "binge eating in front of the tv" to "listening to music on an exercise machine". it's really not that challenging to lose fat. your perspection that it's too difficult is the only thing that's holding you back. some people do have different metabolisms to others, obviously, but if you are fat, then generally, you *are* overeating. you can't get fat without a calorie excess. you want a proper challenge? try gaining ****ing muscle. *that* is a challenge.
Why do people smoke?
Why do people drink alcohol?
Why do people binge eat?

Stress. Not saying that everyone who is overweight ate a lot due to stress, but that is often why people turn to alcoholism and smoking or even drugs, as a way out of the life they live. So, should they get benefits? Of course.

You might say what about people who don't eat due to stress, and most of the time they are fat as a result of their parents creating bad eating habits since a young age. That is again not really their fault, and no human being should be penalised for this.

Anyone who is unable to work for any reason should, without a doubt, be entitled to benefits.

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