I'm GOING TO TELL SOME YOU FOLKS LIKE IT IS. I'VE KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT HERE LONG ENOUGH.I HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION SINCE THE AGE OF 3 WHEN MY HAIR ALL FELL OUT AND I WENT FROM THIS SKINNY CHILD TO A OBESE CHILD.I HAVE FAUGHT MY WEIGHT PROBLEM ALL MY LIFE SINCE THE AGE OF 3 WHEN MY PARENTS STARTED DOCTORING ME THEY HAD NO IDEAL WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME. THE DOCTORS AND YES I SAID DOCTORS PUT ME ON 11 DIET PILLS A DAY AT THE AGE OF 4 1/2 I WAS SPEEDING MY BRAINS OUT AND NEVER SLEPT OR HARDLY EVER ATE I ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL TOTALY dehydrated and starving myself to death. Back then my parents thought doctors knew it all. One day my mother decided to take my meds like the doctor ordered me to take and needless to say my mom said she worked non stop for 24hours ,and then it was time to start taking the next days pill and mind you folks being on speed for a year I only lost 10 lbs where as anyone elses body would of been skin and bones. Let's move forward a few years at the age of 11 my parents whom have been wonder parents thoughout my life and wanted to do what was right and healthy for their daughter put me in research and was taken to Indy, IN to Childrens Riley Hospital and I stayed a month in the hospital going through batterys of test and being used as a ginny pig but that was ok with me I wanted to be normal like other children. Then it came overdue that I should of started my periods but never did. I was so tired of being fat and these so called specialist said I was just fat because I just ate to much instead of them being a adult and admitting that they just didn't know what was wrong with me, even though my family doctor knew there was something really wrong with me. At this time I was 15 I told my family doctor I don't care what you have to do but I want to prove to these specialist that no it wasnt' due to over eating. So my parents paid for me to have my jaws totaly wired shut and for 3 years my mouth was totaly wired shut and the only thing I could have was liquids and I was also taking the best diet pills on the market I didn't care how much it made me speed and how little I slept. And again folks in that 3 year period I lost maybe 30 lbs at the most and then at that time the specialist admitted that there was something major wrong with me medically.I never just sat on my lazy



and stuffed myself with food. I wanted to be "normal" I worked my



off I didn't eat enough to keep a bird alive. I worked on a farm a huge dairy farm we'd get up at 5am go bring the cows in to feed and milk go to school and come home do my homework and my chores and in the summer it was time to bail hay and straw and people that have lived on a farm know what hard work it is to bail hay and straw lifting them heavy bails and then stacking them and unstacking them and putting them in the hay loft to store. Living out in the country my nearest friend lived 1 1/2 miles and I walked that 2 and 4 times a day no I did not ride a bike I jogged it for the exercise and then my mom and dad
finally did buy us kids bikes and my mom would take us all out on our bikes and ride for at least 8 miles. Then move on a few more years I was 18 years old still I had no peroids my family doctor advised my parents to take me to Chicago University Reseach center to a endocrinologist. And I'm not going to go into all the details but for all the folks who don't want to believe that a medical condition can cause one to be fat please do your own research and I'll save you many many years because that is how many years it took them to find out that I have Cushing syndrome disease. Trust me if my loving parents hadn't of did the things that they did for me as a child and if I haven't of done what I have thoughout my adult life I would be one of those 500 pound woman but I've done everything in my power to be at the weight that I am and I'm a big woman. You all can ask our member here Armaann I have met her in person and she know's that I'm not some lazy



person who sits around just feeding my fat face. As a matter of fact my parents said if they could go back to when I was a child they'd be sueing them doctors. You don't stuff pills in a young childs mouth and starve them ,those doctors should of had me eating 4 small meals a day because they have learned through the years that when one starves themself they are doing so much damage to their muscles and everything else in their body. Do I agree that a lot of people are fat because all they do is sit around on their



watching t.v, sitting on the computer and so on and so forth yes I do. But before one comes here and ACTS LIKE THEY KNOW IT ALL, AND ISN'T EVEN A DOCTOR, THAT'S SAD. The doctors today will tell you there is so so much more to be learned about our endocrine system and our pituitary gland they are finally just on the tip of the iceburg with so so much more to be discovered. I would never post my personal life info. but I was just tired of reading and came across this post and could no longer keep my two cents out of this. This medical problem I have is the reason why i am not able to have a precious child, one of God's most precious gifts in life. I'M NOT ASKING FOR A PITTY PARTY NOR AM I trying to convince everyone to accept me as I am. I'M A BREATHING HUMAN BEINING WITH A HEART AND LOVE FOR EVERYONE SMALL,BIG,DEFORMED,MENTALY HANDICAP.
Originally Posted by reb
most definitely see someone her size as obese (or at least borderline), and the lady on the thread-- she's what you call morbidly obese.
One thing I find alarming in the U.S. is this whole 'it's OK to be obese.. perfectly normal, sexy, wonderful....etc....' I think there's a lot of people trying to justify it to themselves. And many of these same people will look in disgust, or criticize someone for being very thin,, go on & on about how they are anorexic, and how unhealthy they must be!! Even if being bony/skinny just their normal body shape/size! The pendulum has definitely swung the other way! It seems very hypocritical to me and smacks of jealousy than anything else. (not saying anyone here's doing this... it's just a trend i've noticed!) I think we all know obesity is (in most cases) a health risk. And morbid obesity,, unless there was a previous medical condition that caused it (and no, I don't mean a condition caused by the obesity itself!).. there's just no excuse for that. But many morbidly obese people want to fight for their rights to be treated like everyone else, not be stared at, they want everyone to think it's normal and OK to be 5-600 lbs. As in, demanding 2 seats on a plane and so on.
Sorry,, but it's never going to be accepted as normal and healthy!!! Not that you shouldn't treat the person like a human being with compassion.. but I don't think this should ever be considered OK! The human body is NOT made to carry around all that weight. and, at some point it become a public health issue and your condition becomes EVERYONE'S problem. There's something seriously wrong with that....
If I woke up one day and found myself morbidly obese, I would not be trying to convince everyone to accept me as I am.. I would be desperately trying to change with every cell of my being, and hoping everyone would support me every step of the way. I don't know if I buy the excuse of 'my genetics won't tell me that I'm full'. Is there really proof of this as an actual condition?
The things is.... the fact that America grew up with the automobile- and most living areas are positioned so that we have to drive everywhere... is the single #1 cause of our weight gain. Take most of these folks who think they have a so-called 'glandular problem', put them in a small village in Italy where they have to walk everywhere, where there's no drive-through fast food, and take away their TV... and I guarantee you they will shed those pounds in no time. This is why you hardly ever see obese people in places like that. (different diet too.)
All this being said, for all those of you struggling with weight.... more power to you and I hope you are able to be healthy, or get to a healthy size! Everyone deserves to feel OK!
And good point, whiterain, about how those who are at a 'perfect' weight and healthy can drop dead too... (however .. I don't see this as justifying being grossly overweight... in general, it's still bad for your health.)