You just described it perfectly, Roger.

It's not new.  Sizeism (fat discrimination) has been around for a very long
time.  It's just gotten uglier.  

Yvonne

It's like it's the new pastime or

katie k

      Well, I can speak from experience there's another side of that coin.  As
a "thin" person (low carbing) in an office of predominantly overweight people,
my diet was ridiculed, I was told I wasn't eating enough, why can't I have a
donut, etc. etc. and my diet was mocked.  And yes, I have heard the same
mocking comments made by thin people regarding overweight people so I know it
goes both ways.  And no, I did not parade around rejoicing in my "thiness" ---
my diet was simply not accepted and my simple response became "you eat what you
want to eat and I'll eat what I want to eat".

Andrea

Mark et. al.,

I'm new to this group, having just started this new lifestyle. I began the
South Beach Diet on Monday and have lost 7 lbs so far in the past 5 days.
Hooray for me!!!

I chose this thread to get in on, because it (weight discrimination) has
happened to me. I was in the restaurant business for several years, and at
one time was between jobs due to a restaurant closing. I went to a new
restaurant opening up and applied for a job. I spoke the first day with the
owner, a very nice gentleman who visited with me, and after hearing my
credentials told me: "I think you will be a benefit to our team. I'm not
doing the hiring myself, however. I'll have a team in next week who will do
the interviews and hiring for me. Be sure you get your application and
resume in by Monday." ... which I did. I got called in for the interview
right away.... Me, the 35 year old, short, heavy female... in a room full of
19 and 20-something kids with firm butts and ponytails and no previous work
experience looking for a job. Never mind that my restaurant training and
experience was far above the others in the group (based on their ages if
nothing else). When I was called in for the one-on-one interview, the
interviewer, a never-been-fat-a-day-in-her-life woman never even looked at
my resume or application - just my name on the outside of the folder. She
took one look at me, frowned, and asked me exactly two questions: 1. How
long have you lived in El Dorado? (which she would have known had she read
my resume); and 2. Do you find it a nice place to live? Whereupon she then
proceded to give me the company spiel about not hiring everyone who applies,
and taking a few days getting through the hiring process, and said she'd
notify me one way or the other by the end of the week. I never heard from
them. When I called the next week, I was told by someone else whose job it
obviously was to field these kinds of calls, that I "didn't fit the company
profile." Meaning I was fat. Never mind the fact that I'd worked in that
SAME building for the previous restaurant owner before she retired and sold
her business. Anyway, I've rambled on about this, but it struck a nerve with
me. I will tell you that I got another job almost immediately. How I got
that one is another weight-related story, but at least it had a happy
ending.

I believe weight discrimination sucks. It is no less vile than any other
form of discrimination. And when I get thin and fit, I WILL call down anyone
I hear making derogatory comments about large people. The fact that we are
fat does not negate the good things we are. It's just something each person
must deal with on their own. We in this group have chosen to deal with it by
fixing it. That does not mean we should be disrespectful to others who
aren't on the same path. Had I heard the comment heard by the OP, I swear
I'd have told him that what "shouldn't be allowed" are rude comments by
ignorant people. But then, I wouldn't have heard it, because he wouldn't
have said it to me. I'm still fat. :) But I'm getting there.

Jean
Intelligent in Arkansas
182/175/140 5'3", 38 years old

I have not had a cigarette in Eleven months, 19 hours, 42 minutes and 26
seconds.
That's 6716 cigarettes not smoked, saving $685.07. But who's counting?

That's been my experience too, except that sometimes the attention I get is
unwanted.  I'm out shopping in the middle of the day because I work
afternoons and evenings, but I have to ask WHAT is with those clusters of
men outside stores just doing nothing in the middle of the day?  You have
to walk past them to get in the shops, and most are not brazen enough to
actually make what I would consider cat calls, but they do a fair amount of
leering and I get a lot more "hello"s from strange men than I used to.  I
wish I didn't have a problem with a man saying hello, it's not the saying
hello part that bothers me, it's the fact that they're just standing there
doing nothing, and they stare directly in your eyes from the moment you get
out of your car, and after you walk past they're still frikkin' staring.  
It makes me self conscious. Oh, and before you ask, this is not when I'm
dressed for going out, this is like when I have sweat pants and a t-shirt
on, no makeup.  If this is some sort of bizarre pack flirting ritual, like
they expect me to actually stop and chat and give them my number or
something, then these guys seriously need to get a clue.  Sorry.  Rant
over.

That's been my experience, too.  I still can't get over the shocked look on
people's faces if I actually dare to SPEAK and say anything they wouldn't expect
from a fat person (i.e., yes, no, I'm fine, how are you?).    

}When I lose weight, people notice me more, pay more attention to me.  
}Men look at me on the street, sometimes smiling at me, saying "Hello,"
}although I don't know them.  When I go into a store, the clerk smiles
}and asks "Can I help you?"

That is not strange at all. I have had a weight problem my entire life.
Thirteen years ago (when I was in my early 30s) a new police chief put a
bunch of us on the Balance Program, a closely supervised liquid diet
similar to Optifast. I dropped 46 pounds in 10 weeks and was down to less
than I weighed in the 7th grade (205). I was also doing a lot of running
(up to 9 miles a day) and was in the best shape of my life (~9 percent body
fat).

We were supposed to get up to 2 years of follow-up support which ended-up
being about 6 weeks (the local hospital dropped the program). I kept the
weight off for about 6 months then slowly gained it all back over a span of
about 2 years. The strange thing was when I was thinner, women noticed me
for the first time in my life. I had a hard time handling the compliments
and temptations of actually feeling 'wanted'. My 12 year marriage fell
apart (problems came to a head when I started losing weight and the wife
hated it) leaving me financially ruined. Strangely, I found that being fat
was much safer socially.

Fast forward 12 years and I am now a type 2 diabetic on insulin and way out
of shape. I went on insulin 2 years ago and gained 40 pounds in what seemed
like over night (the doc said he was happy as it showed I finally got some
control of the blood sugar). At my last visit to the endo and seeing I had
reached a personal high of 290 pounds, I asked about doing Atkins' (my
family doctor was all for it if it meant better sugar control). The endo
told me he didn't recommend it for diabetics as it was very bad on the
kidneys (mine were just tested and checked out OK). He added Trichlor as my
triglycerides were sky high 600+) to a regiment that already included 6
other meds (including Zocor). I asked how hard it was on the kidneys to be
100 pounds overweight, taking 8 different meds a day plus shooting 85U of
Lantus at night?

I read more about low carb diets and decided to give it a try. Since
starting a whole week ago <G>, I am down 5 pounds but more importantly
haven't needed ANY insulin in 6 days. I still take the pills and use that
to control the blood sugars (plus checking it more often during the day).
My sugar this morning was 82, the lowest morning reading I have seen since
being diagnosed 8+ years ago. Time will tell what will happen but if I can
endure a starvation/liquid diet for 10 weeks then this lifestyle should be
a piece of cake (pardon the pun)... :)

I do have a question. On the liquid diet I was hungry all of the time
(tends to happen when starving yourself). Now I must force myself to eat as
I have NO hunger. My stomach does have a slight 'queezy' feeling during the
day. Is that normal?

I just found this group a few days ago and have been catching up on the
subjects. However, it does amaze me the amount of discrimination toward us
fat people when in the US a high percentage of the total population are
considered obese (and climbing)...

Later,
Dave