750 pound man on TLC

Wow. I watched this documentary tonight. I don't know what to feel for
someone like that. I feel a combination of pity and disgust. How does
somebody get to be that overweight? This guy was fat his whole life---even
as a young kid. Do you place blame on the parents? Once he became an adult,
the responsibility fell on his shoulders, I suppose. Watching the
documentary was painful, especially when he was in the nursing home and
still continuing to stuff snacks in his mouth. Very disturbing.

Ad0re...

You blame the same person when someone ends up Autistic, with Cerebal Palsy,
or any other genetically influenced disease. You blame biology. Even with a
very strict 1000-calorie a day diet, this person would have ended up obsese.
Biological constraints can't be overcome.

Mortimer Schnerd, RN...

I understand all of that but there is one difference that causes people to do
that: the patient contributed to his obesity by overeating. We see him eating
and think "why doesn't he just stop eating so much?" as if he could help
himself.

None of those other things mentioned have a behavioral factor involved. Is it
fair? No, not if biology rigs the game in advance. And yet we see him eat and
wonder why he doesn't just stop.

Normal people get signals from their body that tell them when it's time to eat
and when it's time to stop eating. His body doesn't provide those signals.
Normal people think *everybody* is just like they are and should therefore be
able to just push away from the table.

One other thought about the 750 lb man: I'd bet inside all that fat resided a
man who thought just like everybody else about the events of the day. And yet
people would talk around him as if he weren't there much of the time. Why is
that? I've seen the same thing around people in wheelchairs.