Speaking of Fat People: The National Association to Advance FAT Acceptance(NAAFA).

[Phill]

1. Go to this link.
2. Read everything.
3. Laugh till you cry.
4. Then shake your head at how stupid they are.

Just a preview

PHILOSOPHY OF HEALTH CARE
Attitude

* As a responsible health care professional, you should acknowledge each of your patients as an individual. This is especially true for fat patients, who may avoid health care when they feel they are only perceived as being fat, and that the knee-jerk tre atment for any problem is "lose weight." If they could lose weight, many would have done so by now.
*

* As fat people are often not taken seriously by health care providers, please treat them with gentleness, tact and concern. Remember that many fat people have had years of negative experiences with health care providers, and some have been denied treatment, or given inappropriate treatment, because they are fat.

Weighing Patients

* Do not automatically weigh your fat patients, unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
* If weighing is necessary, ensure that it takes place in a private setting, and not in the presence of other patients or staff.
* The fat patient's weight should be recorded silently, free of any commentary.

MEDICAL TREATMENT
Medical Procedures

* Have several sizes of blood pressure cuffs available. Using a small blood pressure cuff on a fat patient can cause false readings.
* Have longer needles and tourniquets available in order to draw blood from your fat patients.
* Your lavatory should have a seat that is split in front, to enable fat patients to more easily hold urine specimen cups in place. A urine specimen collection device with a handle is preferable.

Diagnosing Medical Problems

* Do not automatically assume that the cause of your fat patient's condition is his or her weight.
* Remember to perform the same diagnostic tests on your fat patients as you would on your patients of average size for a suspected condition.

Treating Medical Problems

* Do not insist that your fat patient lose weight prior to receiving treatment for conditions that are not weight related.
* Demonstrate care in ordering medication dosages. Some fat patients react sensitively to small dosages of some drugs, while other drugs require a higher dosage, due to the patient's higher weight.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Waiting Room

* Have several sturdy armless chairs in your waiting room. Chairs with arms often cannot accommodate a fat person.
* There should be six to eight inches of space between chairs.
* Sofas should be firm and high enough to ensure that your fat patients can easily rise. Exceptionally low and soft sofas can be a nightmare for the fat patient.

Examination Room

* Examining tables should be wide, and bolted to the floor or wall, so that the table does not tip forward when your fat patient sits on the end.
* Provide a sturdy stool for fat patients to assist them in getting on the examining table.
* Provide super-large examining gowns for your fat patients.

[Jer]

Fat people are so funny!

[The AD]

In the waiting room section where's the bullet about providing a selection of snacks?

[Phill]

http://www.naafa.org/documents/brochures/airtips.html

[smallAXE10]

my older bro once got stuck working in an obese section for the hospital... he would sometimes come home with stories like, "I had to sponge wash this plumper for 2 weeks, she was in there because of her 30,000 cal per day diet (no joke) he'd tell me that once in a while when he would lift of a slab of her to scrub he'd sometimes find partially eaten cookies, enough lint to knit a ski cap, and mostly the usual slough pile of skin.

keep that thought till dinner tonight!

[steve]

i am fat. technically, obese - 285lbs at 6'6".
i used to be a lot fatter - 400 lbs.

why do i say that?

i say that because i HATE this organization.
i hate them with a violent passion.
and i always have.
they actively try to convince people that it's healthy to be fat.
they discourage fat people from losing weight.
these people are dangerous.

it is full of people who have "given up" on the idea of losing weight - and instead look for justification and validation of their fat from others.

the way i see it, their only valid purpose is their advocacy of public accommodations for, and improved public image of, fat people - and whether you agree with that or not, it's still valid. but EVERYTHING they do beyond that is actually, literally, evil.


to see what i mean, you can go to their website right now, and read the following "official positions":

Since reducing diets rarely achieve permanent weight loss and can result in negative health consequences, since laws and regulations protecting the consumer are nonexistent or remain unenforced, and since people undertaking diets are rarely given sufficient information to allow them to give true informed consent, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance strongly discourages participation in
weight-reduction dieting. Further, NAAFA strongly condemns any diet marketing strategy based on guilt and fear. Such approaches cause untold suffering to fat people by ruining their self-esteem and by perpetuating negative stereotypes. NAAFA demands that local, state, and federal governments regulate the diet industry to protect the consumer from misleading claims regarding safety and long-term effectiveness.

The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance asserts that individual fitness can be achieved despite a relatively high ratio of fat-to-lean body mass and affirms that fitness is a desirable and attainable goal for most fat people. Different physiques and levels of fitness are appropriate for different people. NAAFA demands that fat people have the opportunity to become fit in an environment safe from prejudice and harassment.

(translation - fat people can be 'fit'.)

The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance asserts that the primary goal of obesity research should be to improve the health and well being of fat people rather than on weight loss. In addition, NAAFA condemns those obesity researchers who use their position as public health policymakers to further their own economic interest. Further, NAAFA demands that the NIH fund new investigators and studies which focus on non-dieting alternatives to improving the health and well-being of fat people. Finally, NAAFA demands that fat people have a voice in the types of weight-related issues being researched, and in the development of public health policy about fatness.

There is no conclusive evidence that gastrointestinal surgery for weight loss increases longevity or improves overall health. There are a tremendous number of deaths and severe complications associated with weight-loss surgeries. Since non-invasive treatments for comorbidity factors exist, the presence of comorbidity factors is not a valid justification for surgery. Therefore, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance condemns gastrointestinal surgery for weight loss under any circumstances. Until all weight loss surgeries are discontinued, NAAFA urges that such surgeries be restricted to controlled studies conducted by trained medical researchers. Further, NAAFA believes that the psychosocial suffering that fat people face is more appropriately relieved by social and political reform than by surgery.

that is not funny.

[Phill]

Its funny when you first read that It is funny due to the ignorance.

I used to be fat (6'1 225) now I'm not (6'4" 175) but even when I was fat I never thought it was alright, I allways wanted to be healthy

[mtnjam]

PHILOSOPHY OF HEALTH CARE
Attitude

* As a responsible health care professional, you should acknowledge each of your patients as an individual. This is especially true for fat patients, who may avoid health care when they feel they are only perceived as being fat, and that the knee-jerk tre atment for any problem is "lose weight." If they could lose weight, many would have done so by now.
*

* As fat people are often not taken seriously by health care providers, please treat them with gentleness, tact and concern. Remember that many fat people have had years of negative experiences with health care providers, and some have been denied treatment, or given inappropriate treatment, because they are fat.

Weighing Patients

* Do not automatically weigh your fat patients, unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
* If weighing is necessary, ensure that it takes place in a private setting, and not in the presence of other patients or staff.
* The fat patient's weight should be recorded silently, free of any commentary.

MEDICAL TREATMENT
Medical Procedures

* Have several sizes of blood pressure cuffs available. Using a small blood pressure cuff on a fat patient can cause false readings.
* Have longer needles and tourniquets available in order to draw blood from your fat patients.
* Your lavatory should have a seat that is split in front, to enable fat patients to more easily hold urine specimen cups in place. A urine specimen collection device with a handle is preferable.

Diagnosing Medical Problems

* Do not automatically assume that the cause of your fat patient's condition is his or her weight.
* Remember to perform the same diagnostic tests on your fat patients as you would on your patients of average size for a suspected condition.

Treating Medical Problems

* Do not insist that your fat patient lose weight prior to receiving treatment for conditions that are not weight related.
* Demonstrate care in ordering medication dosages. Some fat patients react sensitively to small dosages of some drugs, while other drugs require a higher dosage, due to the patient's higher weight.

ACCOMMODATIONS
Waiting Room

* Have several sturdy armless chairs in your waiting room. Chairs with arms often cannot accommodate a fat person.
* There should be six to eight inches of space between chairs.
* Sofas should be firm and high enough to ensure that your fat patients can easily rise. Exceptionally low and soft sofas can be a nightmare for the fat patient.

Examination Room

* Examining tables should be wide, and bolted to the floor or wall, so that the table does not tip forward when your fat patient sits on the end.
* Provide a sturdy stool for fat patients to assist them in getting on the examining table.
* Provide super-large examining gowns for your fat patients.

as a heathcare provider I call bullshit on this.

The people making these demands are the first people to complain that health care is too expensive. They don't show up for their scheduled scans. They put healthcare providers at risk for personal injury or equipment damage.

Hell, half the time we are unable to provide accomodations for scans for the patients that are obese because they CAN'T FIT on the scanner beds.

[VTskibum]

As a former frequent business traveler I had a hard time reading the airline traveler section:

# PRE-BOARD - Even mid-size people have trouble squeezing down the micro-sized center aisle of most planes, and this task is even more difficult the plane is already plump with passengers. For this reason, you should preboard the plane with the rest of the passengers who need extra time in boarding. The gate agent probably won't hassle you, but if she asks, just say that you're a large person and need a little extra time.

# ARMREST UP - When you get to your seat during pre-boarding, raise the armrest between seats. This may give you the inch or two of extra space you need. The chances are that the passenger who will be seated next to you won't say anything; if he does, smile pleasantly and say that you'll both be more comfortable if the armrest is up.

I bought a seat, you bought a seat, part of that includes the divider.

[glademaster]

Its funny when you first read that It is funny due to the ignorance.

I used to be fat (6'1 225) now I'm not (6'4" 175) but even when I was fat I never thought it was alright, I allways wanted to be healthy

6'1'' and 225 does not mean fat, you could have been built like a brick shithouse instead of your current stick-like state. But anyway, these people are fuct. If you can't find your dick, you CANNOT be healthy, no two ways about it.

[smalls]

wow

NAAFA RESOLVES TO:

* Educate the public, the media, and potential dieters as to the low long-term success rates and possible negative health consequences of weight reduction dieting.

,,,,

[brice618]

Damn those weight reduction diets!!! Its their fault!

[leroy jenkins]

as a heathcare provider I call bullshit on this.

The people making these demands are the first people to complain that health care is too expensive. They don't show up for their scheduled scans. They put healthcare providers at risk for personal injury or equipment damage.

Hell, half the time we are unable to provide accomodations for scans for the patients that are obese because they CAN'T FIT on the scanner beds.

Theres some reality show on tv about medical care for obese people. I can't remember what channel its on, but I saw one episode where some fatass had to be taken to the zoo just to be weighed because no hospital could accomidate him.

I laughed.


I know that the morbidly obese are people too, and I know it must be hell to live like that, but I still can't bring myself to feel much empathy for them.


EDIT: I will say that the "no weight reduction diet" thing is a good idea for people just looking to lose a few pounds. Starting to excersize is a much better way to go about things than just dieting. I can't understand how so many people would rather not be able to eat anything they like instead of just get off their ass for a little while.

Somehow though, I don't think thats what the Fatass league was talking about.

[mc_roon]

http://www.naafa.org/hall_of_fame/

Buddha? They put Siddhartha Gautama Buddha in their fat person hall of fame?



and some pictures from their website...



and my personal favorite:

[RootSkier]

Hell, half the time we are unable to provide accomodations for scans for the patients that are obese because they CAN'T FIT on the scanner beds.

Discrimination!

[The AD]

http://www.naafa.org/hall_of_fame/

Buddha? They put Siddhartha Gautama Buddha in their fat person hall of fame?

What about Mama Cass? Great person for your hall of fame: someone who died from heart failure at age 32.

[runethechamp]

Best ad campaign ever (in 97 or 98 I think) was the one 24 hour fitness launched in SF (and maybe other places as well). Picture of a typical alien with the text: "When they come, they'll eat the fat ones first".

Some fat people org got all pissed about it so they had to pull it after a short while.

[leroy jenkins]

http://www.naafa.org/hall_of_fame/

Buddha? They put Siddhartha Gautama Buddha in their fat person hall of fame?

That whole "Buddha was fat" thing is a myth. He was an aestetic, fasted for long periods of time, then decided moderation was the way to go.

Not correcting you, just agreeing with you that its ludicrous.

[splat]

What's worse is how Big Pharma made fat a disease and then made a pill to cure it.

[G]

Rune, that is awesome!

[Free Range Lobster]

What's worse is how Big Pharma made fat a disease and then made a pill to cure it.

Pooping oil: so hot right now.

[orlowskij]

and my personal favorite:

Wow.

12334

[Boomer28]

Good friend of mine was a nurse for years and apparently if you are over 500lbs and need and MRI at Columbia in NYC they send you to the Brooklyn Zoo to use their machine as it is more "accomodating"....

But her best story was this: Once a HUGE (500+) woman came in for a laundry list of health problems and Katie and some other nurses had to "clean" her up with sponges. She pulls back this one fat roll and finds a whole but rather smushed Twinkie. She takes it out and is like "holy god.." The woman starts laughing and says "Oh sorry about that, my husband and I have a little game we play called hide-the-twinkie, I guess he missed one..."

[runethechamp]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/art...110D73.DTL&o=0

(07-17) 12:05 PDT MILWAUKEE (AP) --


A 500-pound man injured while rafting down a shallow stretch of the St. Croix River was pulled to safety Tuesday by dozens of rescue workers who spent hours carrying him to a navigable part of the waterway.


Martin Rike, 39, of Pine City, Minn., was treated at the Burnett Medical Center in Grantsburg 12 hours after authorities first received reports that he had run aground.


Rike was rafting alone Monday afternoon about 70 miles northeast of Minneapolis and some 370 miles northwest of Milwaukee when he experienced an unspecified health problem, said Chief Deputy Steve Ovick of the Pine County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota. Rike left his raft and began walking but tumbled on the slippery, irregular rocks and injured an ankle and knee.


Rike's family called authorities around 8:15 p.m. Monday, concerned that he was overdue, Ovick said.


A helicopter crew spotted him and directed ground rescuers to him, but their boats and canoes got stuck because the river was only 2 inches deep in that area, Ovick said.


Rescuers labored unsuccessfully to reach Rike, first with an all-terrain vehicle and then a hovercraft.


"Every resource we had simply did not work until we got down to physical manpower," Ovick said. "The aircraft that found him said they could not lift that amount of weight."


Eventually authorities managed to load Rike into an aluminum boat.


"There wasn't enough water for it to float, so they physically used that as a stretcher," Ovick said.


Some 40 to 50 rescuers took turns hoisting the boat, carrying it 2 feet at a time until they found a spot in the river deep enough for the boat to float down to a waiting ambulance.


"It was very taxing. It was probably 70 degrees and the humidity was very high last night," Ovick said. "Lifting him, moving 2 feet at a time, you get tired real quick with 600 pounds of cargo."

[MrClean]

Good friend of mine was a nurse for years and apparently if you are over 500lbs and need and MRI at Columbia in NYC they send you to the Brooklyn Zoo to use their machine as it is more "accomodating"....

But her best story was this: Once a HUGE (500+) woman came in for a laundry list of health problems and Katie and some other nurses had to "clean" her up with sponges. She pulls back this one fat roll and finds a whole but rather smushed Twinkie. She takes it out and is like "holy god.." The woman starts laughing and says "Oh sorry about that, my husband and I have a little game we play called hide-the-twinkie, I guess he missed one..."

I just threw up in my mouth.