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glutony and ignorance

S

suzi

Well-Known Member
Messages
754
Location
Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
Dislikes
people who are rude and ignorant, and people who have no patience in queues.
Last week we had an 18 yr old student in at the playgroup in which i work partime. I was amazed at lunchtime to see her consume 4 rounds of cheese sandwiches(8 slices of bread), 3 packets of crisps, 2 milkyway yoghurts, a thortons bar of chocolate , 2 slices of maderia cake, and a banana!!!!!!!!! She was quite a hefty girl and i couldn't help myself, i had to try and educate her on her diet and point out the risks of T2 diabetes.
She seemed quite shocked and as my collegues all do weight watchers they told her she had consumed all the points she would be allowed and more in one meal that should last all day. We hoped we had helped, but that afternoon, 3 hours after her lunch we saw her coming out of the local chip shop with a large burger and chips.
Just pure glutony and ignorance, i'm afraid she may join the ranks of a T2 in the future, but i do hope that our chat will have sown the seeds of change, but i doubt it.
Suzi x
 
Suzi,

How could anyone eat that much! :shock:



Nigel
 
Perhaps you ought to read the thread that I put in Diabetes Discussions this morning, "Overeating likened to drug addiction". There are all manner of reasons as to why people overeat. How about if she was sexually abused as a child and has never told anyone and this is her way of coping? it is not just gluttony and ignorance and it is dangerous to make judgements about other people.
 
In my observation of her, glutony and ignorance was the only way to describe her, she may have a genuine poblem with food, she may be over eating to compensate a past experience.
But in all honestly, she seemed a well rounded (no pun intended, honest) kindly sort of girl, very chatty and she worked and played hard, had a fantastic social life and didn't seem to fit the 'over eating to compensate something'.
I'm sorry if you feel i was making a judgement on her Catherine, i was purely pointing out a teenager who was ill educated in her diet, and i couldn't believe how much she consumed in one meal.
Suzi
 
I have had food issues all my life - It was never about glutony or ignorance - I hated myself for it and knew it wasn't right but couldn't stop.

I couldn't have eaten as much as that in one go but would "pig out" very often - and do you know the first thing I would do after people had commented - however kindly and constructively they though they were doing it? - pig out all over again! - a vicious circle

There are lots of reasons why people over eat - I know you meant well but I actually feel sorry for the young girl - she is only 18 and to be faced with a group of women telling her how it should be done must have been awful for her self esteem - I know it would have had me down the chippy as fast as I could get there

If anyone was to ask me what has changed now I really don't know - maybe I have more will power - maybe its because I have a responsiblity to my son - who knows - all I know is that these feeling never really go away and I may be ok for weeks or months - but they are still there in the background waiting to take over control - and that is what scares me about my diabetes - food has always controlled me one way or the other - and its never going to be easy
 
suzi said:
she seemed a well rounded (no pun intended, honest) kindly sort of girl, very chatty and she worked and played hard, had a fantastic social life and didn't seem to fit the 'over eating to compensate something'.
Click to expand...

You Just described me and almost every over eater I know
 
Hi suzi,



I felt you were making a judgement about the young girl and also on Type 2's.
I also felt it odd that you mentioned that your friends were weightwatchers. This implies that they were overweight too and had issues with food. Admittedly they were doing something about it and were probably not as obese as her.
I have worked with teenagers with eating issues in an acute setting. It is not black and white and because they portray themselves as happy go lucky individuals it does not mean that they are. Some of the stories I could tell would break your heart.
 
I have to say I agree with some of the comments above Suzi. As someone who is obese and fighting with food / weight issues every day, all your "talking to" would have done to me was pushed me to eat more. she may have had the seeds of her obesity sown as a child. Certainly I was told I could not leave the table until I had eaten everything on my plate as a child , and whilst I would never lay the blame squarely at the door of my parents, I have been told by specialist that this sort of reinforcement when young contributed to my weight issues now.

I can understand your frustration, but just think what that thread heading reads like to someone like me. Please try not to "judge a book by it's cover", even if the cover is a lot bigger than yours!
 
I apologise to you all, i never meant to hurt any one with my chosen words of observation.
As a mother of a diabetic child who has to watch and count every morsel he eats, i suppose watching her bought out the instinct to tell her the harm she could do herself without thinking of any issues she may have in her personal life. In future i'll keep my observations to myself and only use the forum for helping other parents.
Suzi x
 
Not every obese person is diabetic and not every diabetic is fat! I can understand that you mean well though. Being overweight is horrid so just from that point of view she needs help. That is a he'll of a lot of food to be packing away.
Keep posting o/p the whole point of this forum is surely discussion.
 
You didn't hurt me suzi, no apology needed for me - just wanted to give the view from the other side - I was that young person (still am inside though very much lighter - and a lot older haha!) - I too know that using your motherly instincts that you meant well - please keep posting - nothing wrong with healthy debate
 
Hi suzi,
A healthy debate is all about opposing views and that is what makes it interesting. I am sure there were people who agreed with both sides but did not post.
As others have said, you meant well but the title was a shocker for some of us.
No hard feelings I hope and please post anytime you see something you would like to respond to.

Take care,
Catherine.
 
Suzi - you were mean to a fat girl. Then a gang of other people joined in. Bet she felt like she was back at school again.

Maybe tomorrow you can steal her lunch money.
 
No hard feelings Catherine, in future i'll think of the whole picture and especially the title before posting.

Suzi x
 
I had the privilege to meet a brother and sister aged 16 and 17 respectively. They were both morbidly obese and were the life and soul of any party. They were also intelligent.
As their story unfolded it became clear that their food issues were deep set and perfectly understandable.
From the age of 5 and 6 respectively they had to fend for themselves and try and find things they could eat in the home. Their parents were alcoholics and left them on their own whilst they went to a pub and drank themselves into oblivion.
The kids told of menus they had like frozen peas and dog biscuits. :shock: :shock: They didn't have the skills to cook the peas and ate them frozen. They also scavenged the surrounding neighbours dustbins. There was very little food in the home. These kids were starving through no fault of their own.
Eventually social services woke up to their plight and they were shipped between foster homes, children's homes and spells with their parents.
They had recently moved into a council run hostel when I met them and were spending every penny that came their way to buy food although they were catered for in the home. They were also shoplifting chocolate, biscuits and savouries. It was so obvious to all that they had both decided that they were never going to be hungry again and they did not have the skills to decide how to control food.
They got lots of taunts from their peers and members of the public stared at them wherever they went. With psychological input and positive reinforcement that they are worthy of a happy life, and general kindness they are well on the road to recovery.
 
Well done catherine stories like this puts it all into perspective doesnt it?
 
Patch said:
Suzi - you were mean to a fat girl. Then a gang of other people joined in. Bet she felt like she was back at school again.

Maybe tomorrow you can steal her lunch money.
Click to expand...

Not sure if that is meant with humour, but I agree with it.

So you didn't agree with what she was eating, but how dare you approach and offer unsolicited advice and criticism to this girl.
 
I doubt if anyone of you could have watched her eat so much without making a comment of some kind, even innocent ones.
I've already apologised for my wording in the title post.
But i won't apologise for trying to help a fellow human being in that situation.
Suzi
 
I would never do what you did. Where do you stop? Do you tell smokers not to smoke? Tell someone not to have a drink? Tell parents not to shout at their kids?

Not your place to tell her. I have no doubt that you made her feel terrible. She probably went home and ate like crazy (after the burger and chips) to make herself feel better. You didn't help her.

And Viv - it wasn't meant with humour. It was meant in all seriousness.
 
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