i have a disability and its my weight . it hurts when people laugh and stare.?

Question

i know they dont understand and i need help coping with this.

Answer 1

I just had to butt in:

First of all you do find 300 pound (plus) people in 3rd world countries, and it is not because they over eat (and yes I know several and I do know what they eat). And before anyone asks, yes I do now live in a 3rd world country and have lived in several over the years.

These people have a physical or hormonal problem (not every human is born with perfect functioning genes).

Secondly there are people who has turned to food to cope with mental problems (rather it is stress, depression or your brain just does not work right)

Just as being an alcoholic or drug addict can cause disabilities and is an illness so too can "food addiction be".

I myself have problems and when I was younger I turned to alcohol somehow before knowing I had this "gene" problem I turned from alcohol to food.

My doctors say I am a "dry Alcoholic" ( I have replaced drink with food) and for the past 30 years I have weighed from 310 pounds at times upto 425 lbs...(when things are really bad)

And because of it, my body is racked, every move I make requires a little prayer. (sometimes I think the alcohol would have been less painful-but I know that is a lie)

I work everyday trying to keep that weight down while at the same time working on my problems through Jesus.

You need to be honest with yourself, do you eat because you "LOVE" the taste of food? because you have nothing else to turn too? because you get angry? or happy and want to celebrate?

You really do need to find out why you are heavy, is your body not working right? or your brain not functioning right? and if it is the brain is it from man made problems? or were you born with it...

Think about it and get some medical tests done (if you know you are haveing mental problems then talk to a expert in that field.

Answer 2

I've seen that some people who have answered are saying that being overweight isn't a disability, but I think that it depends on why you're overweight. There's a real stigma against overweight people because everyone thinks, "Oh, that person's fat--she must eat too much and sit around all day." That may be the case with some people, but with most overweight people, it's the result of a serious condition that is not the person's fault!

All you can do for yourself is eat as healthy as you can manage and exercise to the level you are comfortable with (even if it's just walking out to the mailbox.) If you do this and are still overweight, it's not your fault! You can only do as much as you can, you know?

I know how mean people can be when it comes to those who are overweight:( I used to be overweight due to overmedication, so I know first hand the cruelty of those who do not and will not understand. It hurt so much when they'd laugh, stare and make those awful comments that all I could do was go home and drown myself in sweets (which really only made the problem worse.)

To cope, I suggest keeping people around who will judge you for your personality and not your unique body shape. More importantly, realize it's okay to love yourself just like you are.
I hope you feel better *hug* and don't let the turkeys get you down. Because that's all they are.

Answer 3

#1. You are not your body!
This may seem strange,but who you are is the being inside, the outer shell is a reflection of the slings and arrows of life . I believe what we have been through in life shows in our body like when they say,you could see her life written on her face .Yes , the world has always persecuted anyone or idea that is different including that the world was round, so maybe all different ideas and people are here to open up the minds of those narrow little nuerons out there. I know that doesn,t make things easier for you ,but you are your ideas , your emotions , your heart ,not just a body. Stand tall, knowing those that judge have a greater problem, intolerance.Science is proving the issuse of fat is alot more complicated than eating and exercise, such as the body stores fat when it thinks you are going to starve it. a survival thing from the cave men days. Many more things like the amount fat fat cells we are born with and inherit through genetics.That there are white and brown fat cells both reacting different in the body. Also a high percentage of overweight persons have been abused as a child. All these and more factors put together make it an issuse without a simple answer and maybe different ones for each person. Kindness and tolerance are what can bring about a change in the way people feel about themselves, after all we all have our diabilities or shortcomings some are not apparent to the eye that is all. Stand Strong and tall , you are more than you think!

Answer 4

Get a bike. Ride a couple 3-4 miles a day for several days each week. Slowly work yourself up to 5-10 miles per trip. The process is slow, but it will build up your metabolism and your weight loss. I used to ride to work 6 miles round trip 3-5 days a week, plus the exercise I got at work, and I lost like 20 or 30 lbs in like 8 months. If I had watched my eating more, I could've lost a lot more though I think. With my mild cp though, it killed my legs because I pushed them too hard, so I had to quit biking. But I'm thinking about getting back into it again, only more slowly this time. I'm in the same spot as you, I weigh like 280lbs and need to lose around 100 lbs to reach a normal weight. My knees are getting worse, so either I do something now, or I'll probably end up with a full-time cane or in a wheel chair in the next 5 years. Now that's some scary stuff there, being immobilized by 40, yikes.

Answer 5

Please ignore all the idiots that posted very mean messages here. People who have never had to struggle with weight always seem to thinks it's such a simple problem. We lack self control, we should just eat less and exercise more.

If all it takes is "will power", I doubt there would be such a problem with obesity in this country. Your weight issues may not technically be a disability, like being blind or paralyzed. But there ARE people who have physical problems that make losing weight difficult. Not all metabolisms are created equal.

There are also people who are overweight because of emotional issues. To comfort a baby, a mother offers milk. Later it's "here's a cookie" when you fell and skinned your knee. Birthday cakes, cupcakes at school, Halloween candy .. how many holidays or special occasions DON'T have a food connection. You ate your dinner - your reward is dessert. This goes on our entire life. We are comforted by food. We're all familiar with the term "comfort food". Don't any of those insensitive people realize some people need more comforting than others? And after a lifetime of being comforted with food, it's supposed to be easy to just find the will power to change eating habits? HA!

No one wants to be fat. Some people have a much harder time than others. I know several people who can eat as much as they want and they don't gain weight. Life is cruel and unfair, but that's the way it goes.

What IS so wrong, is that being overweight is about the only thing left that is fair game to ridicule people about. Sitcoms and movies have thankfully for the most part, stopped making jokes about race, women, people with physical or mental disabilities. But a fat person? It's open season. A few years back, I used to like watching ER on tv. One episode mercilessly mocked a fat woman being brought in on a stretcher. It wasn't a quick "oh, we're going to need more help bringing this one in" - it went on and on about how distasteful it was to treat this person. I had the distinct feeling the writers must have had a personal vendetta against a fat person, since this little tirade was completely out of context with the rest of the scene.

It DOES hurt when people are cruel. Please ignore them. I'm a believer in Kharma, and I firmly believe what goes around comes around. Forget about mean people. Take care of yourself, and have pride in yourself. For weight loss, I recommend Weight Watchers. The program is easy to follow, but more importantly, you'll have the support of other people struggling with the same issues.

If you can't join weight watchers, they have a website (I believe it's something like www.weightwatchers.com) It has forums. You can get the support of kind, understanding people. Good luck to you!

Answer 6

I think what most people feel is if your only disability is your weight, then you can do something about it. And you should, because like is too short , you want to make the most of it.

You dont mention a gland problem (which is very rare) so I am assuming you just got over weight by eating too much and not exercising enough.

Your mind can adjust really fast to less food. Throw out all the junk food in your house. Load up on veggies and water and fruit juices, diet soda. DONT starve yourself. Soda is a huge contributor to obesity in America. That and McDonalds.

You probably cant handle even ten minutes of exercise to start, thats ok. Get some hand weights and start lifting those, they dont have to be heavy ones. Repitition, not weight will start to burn calories for you. Do it as much as you can several times a day.

Go to the doctor for a blood test and make sure your electrolytes and all that are in balance, trace minerals etc Get a complete check up.

Therapy might be a good idea to find out WHY you got overweight.

Answer 7

Im sorry that most of the people who have answered thus far dont see obesity as a disability. A disability is a disability regardless of how it came to be, and the over eating that causes disability is an addiction, people cant help doing it. You could compare a fat person to someone who rode their motor cycle too fast and hit a tree, severing their spinal cord, and becoming a paraplegic.......... did they choose this? NO, of course not. People should be nicer to other people, regardless of their physicality. All I can suggest is to pretend you cant see, or hear the things they say.... they only do it to get a laugh out of your embarassment.

Answer 8

I'm overweight too, but I dont attribute it to being disabled. I ate too much of too many bad foods. I'm presently on a weight reduction diet and doing fairly well. I've come to think of it as a lifetime thing. I'll have to be careful of what I eat for the rest of my life, because I tend to use food as an excuse-and as a comfort when I'm alone. I finally got tired of being fat. I hope you do the same some day.

Answer 9

Oh man I totally sympathize ith you. My sister is overweight-she's gotten greif from it in the past too. The reason why I say 'in the past' is because she doesn't take offense from those losers who make fun of her, and she's workign hard to lose weight on a new diet.

Don't worry, people are ALWAYS gonna laugh and stare no matter how big anyone is, how small, whatever. The human nature is to eat think and judge, so just ignore those losers.

Peace <:

Answer 10

Well, do you have any health issues that make you gain weight like thyroid? lymphedema? diabetes? I'm sorry people make fun of your size. You do need help coping and help to treat the condition causing the weight whether it be from a physical health issue or an emotional one that when you are upset you eat. What about a dietician or a health type club to help you?