Should the obese be forced to buy two plane tickets?

[Steelers_Fan]

So the people that sit next to them need to suffer for it? Sounds more unfair to me. How do you think it feels for the guy who can monitor his weight and eat right to have to deal with the sweaty, 500 pound blobby next to him coming onto his lap and into his arm and shoulder for what could be the next twelve hours?

Unlike people who are handicapped and can't ever undo the permanent damage that has been done to them, overweight people CAN lose the weight if they train, commit, and dedicate themselves to doing it. If you eat a piece of non-buttered toast in the morning, a salad for lunch, and a light dinner that's under 500 calories, and then top it off with a good hour of strong, rigorous exercise, it's not physically possible for you to actually gain weight from doing that. You will lose it as long as you religiously commit to the program, and ignore the McDonald's-eating nutcases who think you're weird for doing it. The problem is most people who try this give up too early and go back to their usual degenerative habits, or they're doing exercises that just aren't enough strenuous activity.

But really, normal people shouldn't have to roll the dice every time they get on a plane and hope they don't end up next to someone that's going to make a really long and already boring flight ungodly disgusting and uncomfortable.

Then make it like a warning system, if there is a 500+ person in a seat flag it to let everyone know they probably won't have much room and will be half sat on. Paying for two seats isn't fair.

I eat under 1,000 calories a day and exercise for 2-3 hours a day, and at least 1-1.5 hours of that is me playing soccer. I've lost under 20 pounds in 6 months of this. Seeing as you hold yourself high above everyone else with your knowledge of how metabolism works, tell me why I haven't lost more weight then I have.

 

[firebolt]

It does not seem right in some cases but to me some obese people brought it on themselves. With fuel prices going up we are already paying alot to go on an airplane, if i am playing this sort of money i want have a comfy flight. As long as someone obese is not sitting next to me i dont mind what happens.

 

[Ryn]

Well, I am considered obese by medical standards (I have a condition that causes me to be obese, and no, it's not a thyroid issu. And I'm physically disabled so I'm unable to exercise the way I used to), and yes, I weigh over 300 pounds (but I'm also six feet tall and I have a bone structure twice the size of an average female) but I carry my weight well, and let me tell you, I've never had a problem fitting into an airplane seat. So sure, maybe if you're big enough to take up two seats, or you can't fit into one, buy two tickets out of common courteousy. But not *every* single person that's "fat" by society's standards should be forced to buy two seats.

But not everyone that's obese is lacking in self control. I hate when people assume that. Sure, there are a lot of obese people who can't eat a healthy meal or exercise to save their life- but I also know some people that are skinny as a rail and eat nothing but junk food and sit around all day and some overweight people who exercise and eat right daily but still don't see size 8 pants. I eat under 1,000 calories a day and swim for an hour twice a week, but I'm still over 300 pounds. Granted, I have lost about 30 pounds in two months once they finally put me on medication for the disorder that's contributing to my obesity, and I'm still losing.

 

[Avenger Angel]

Then make it like a warning system, if there is a 500+ person in a seat flag it to let everyone know they probably won't have much room and will be half sat on. Paying for two seats isn't fair.

I eat under 1,000 calories a day and exercise for 2-3 hours a day, and at least 1-1.5 hours of that is me playing soccer. I've lost under 20 pounds in 6 months of this. Seeing as you hold yourself high above everyone else with your knowledge of how metabolism works, tell me why I haven't lost more weight then I have.

20 pounds in 6 months isn't that bad, although it could be a factor of carbohydrates that might be slowing you down a bit. Or it could be that your BMI is low and you're building muscles instead of burning fat. Still, keep it up and don't stop. You're not going to lose hundreds of pounds in only weeks, it does take time for some people.

And perhaps try swimming. When I was on the swim team, I found it easy to lose weight and I went from being 180 down to 165 with all the exercise I got from swim practice. And now's the perfect time to try it while the weather's warm.

 

[Malanu]

Im just glad i dont se many obese people when i travel in airplanes. Then again, i dont live in a country with many obese people...

There is fat and there is FAT. Even if you have a disorder, you can control it.

Always with the fat. What about the football players, power lifters and body builders who have really broad shoulders and chests that would also displace passengers? It isn't just fat people who are obese. FYI I did a test... David Batista is 6'5" 265 lbs and he is officially obese at 60 pounds over weight for his height!


One more growl... Do I look 100lbs overweight in my picture below?

 

[ChedWick]

Or the plane industry can make bigger planes with bigger seats.

Neither cost effective or realistic to just say "make new planes that are bigger"

Then make it like a warning system, if there is a 500+ person in a seat flag it to let everyone know they probably won't have much room and will be half sat on. Paying for two seats isn't fair.

I eat under 1,000 calories a day and exercise for 2-3 hours a day, and at least 1-1.5 hours of that is me playing soccer. I've lost under 20 pounds in 6 months of this. Seeing as you hold yourself high above everyone else with your knowledge of how metabolism works, tell me why I haven't lost more weight then I have.

Are you counting every single calorie? Are you actually exercising or are you just going for walks thinking you are working yourself (like half the middle age woman who complain about being fat) is your diet actually proper? Is your workout actually proper? How old are you, how tall are you? You sure as hell better be short as hell to be eating under 1000 calories. There are a lot of unanswered questions those who complain about their weight need to answer and 9/10 times there are numerous flaws in what they think they are doing verses what they are actually doing to lose weight.

oxygen is free.

This is completely unfair. It is discriminatory against a certain type of people, you can say that it's their fault but you don't know their situation; medical problem, financial problem, physically unable to control their weight.

It'd say its discrimination toward normal sized people. Charging them the same price for less just because they are thin. As far as their situation... only 7% of people have a medical excuse, no person with extreme financial problems is gonna be that large.

As far as treating others how you want to be treated. I'd like to have my personal space that I paid for respected. If you are taking up my space I'd expect to either be paid for that portion of my space (unrealistic) or expect you to pay more it really is only fair.

Well, I am considered obese by medical standards (I have a condition that causes me to be obese, and no, it's not a thyroid issu. And I'm physically disabled so I'm unable to exercise the way I used to), and yes, I weigh over 300 pounds (but I'm also six feet tall and I have a bone structure twice the size of an average female) but I carry my weight well, and let me tell you, I've never had a problem fitting into an airplane seat. So sure, maybe if you're big enough to take up two seats, or you can't fit into one, buy two tickets out of common courteousy. But not *every* single person that's "fat" by society's standards should be forced to buy two seats.

Though you may have a condition for those who don't, just being handicap does not provide a foolproof excuse for being overweight. You could be bed ridden and still be thin so long as you are not eating a surplus.

But not everyone that's obese is lacking in self control. I hate when people assume that. Sure, there are a lot of obese people who can't eat a healthy meal or exercise to save their life- but I also know some people that are skinny as a rail and eat nothing but junk food and sit around all day and some overweight people who exercise and eat right daily but still don't see size 8 pants. I eat under 1,000 calories a day and swim for an hour twice a week, but I'm still over 300 pounds. Granted, I have lost about 30 pounds in two months once they finally put me on medication for the disorder that's contributing to my obesity, and I'm still losing.

Weight transformations DO NOT happen overnight. 30lbs in 2 months is great, its actually outstanding considering a healthy amount of weight to lose per week is about 1-2lbs.

Always with the fat. What about the football players, power lifters and body builders who have really broad shoulders and chests that would also displace passengers? It isn't just fat people who are obese. FYI I did a test... David Batista is 6'5" 265 lbs and he is officially obese at 60 pounds over weight for his height!

The BMI is a flawed system but yes, if you are that muscular that you are taking up someone else's space then yea you should pay more too.

 

[Ryn]

@Chedwick- Yes, I know. I was bedridden for a while, but I cannot do the gym workouts I was doing before my disability caught up with me. Like I said, I do swim since it's easy on my back and legs, and that's the part of my body I'm having trouble with. My father is a paraplegic amputee and has been bedridden for five years. He's managed to lose over 50 pounds (But that might be because he's in a nursing home and his diet's controlled for him since he's developed diabetes).

And I know transformation doesn't happen overnight. I've been struggling with my weight since I was young. It's been a constant issue for me. Like I said, now that I have been diagnosed and am finally getting some treatment for my disorder, losing weight is becoming more doable for me. I was put into a hospital for people with eating disorders of all kinds seven years ago and lost 75 pounds there... but I gained a lot of knowledge. I eat a lot better than I used to, let me tell you. And I've only lost 30 pounds in two months because I have so much weight to lose. But it's so motivating when your clothes start fitting a bit more loosely and you actually have the willpower to walk past the candy bars in the supermarket.

I will agree: my mother is a fitness trainer (take that in for a moment). She excercises over 15 hours a week and eats well-balanced meals. She's lost a bit of weight, but she's still 187 pounds and 5 foot 6 inches... (but she also works with the disabled, and can lift up to 600 pounds easily) and she's STILL considered obese! But she tells me stories of these people she works with. And she always tells me that you cannot maintain that kind of weight (400-800 lbs) without eating a colossal amount of calories in a day. And she's definitely right.

Perhaps being obese is a choice. But some people also have a serious addiction to food. Addiction *is* an illness, and a lot of people are in denial and don't seek help. And that's when they balloon to enormous sizes.

But my standpoint is still if you're too big to fit into one airplane seat, then yes, you should have to buy two plane tickets. But I'll say it again: if we have ALL obese people buy two plane tickets, even when some of us can fit into an airplane seat with no problem at all and it doesn't bother the people we sit next to, that's discrimination.

 

[Grei]

I really see no reason why a overweight person shouldn't pay for two seats. If they are so fat they are spilling into the next seat then that means that the airline more than likely won't be able to use that seat. More important, airplanes are already calculated for a certain combined weight of all the passengers. More than likely if you are that freaking fat, you weigh at least twice as much as the calculated weight of a average passenger. So mathematically already you are costing the airline for two passengers via fuel. There is no reason why the airline should eat that cost because of the poor life decisions you made.

As much as I dislike BigLutz, I agree with him to an extent. I get that genetics are often a factor, but I feel like you can't place all of the blame for your obesity on genetics if you're so obese that you spill over into another plane seat. More likely than not, your eating habits had something to do with it, or at the very least, your eating habits did nothing to help subdue your obesity.

I don't think planes should start having an "obese section," though. The last thing our nation (or the world, really) needs to do is cater to the obese. Obesity is a problem that needs to be stopped.

Always with the fat. What about the football players, power lifters and body builders who have really broad shoulders and chests that would also displace passengers? It isn't just fat people who are obese. FYI I did a test... David Batista is 6'5" 265 lbs and he is officially obese at 60 pounds over weight for his height!

How many people do you know that have so much muscle that it spills over into other people's personal space? I dunno about what you've seen, but as far as I know, muscle generally sits pretty close to the body. Unless they're one of the hardcore bodybuilders, any muscular person should be able to fit in a seat easily.

 

[xblader519]

thats cool XD

 

[BigLutz]

But my standpoint is still if you're too big to fit into one airplane seat, then yes, you should have to buy two plane tickets. But I'll say it again: if we have ALL obese people buy two plane tickets, even when some of us can fit into an airplane seat with no problem at all and it doesn't bother the people we sit next to, that's discriminatory and no better than when we had black people sitting in the back of buses.

You... are kidding right? Please tell me you did not just compare Fat people having to buy two seats for their weight, to black people being forced into the back of the bus. Not only is that wholy ignorant and dismissive of the racist attitude of the South at that time. But Black people cannot control their skin color, they had absolutely no choice but to get to the back of the bus. On the other hand no one in their right mind would say the same about the morbidly obese who are so fat they spill into another seat. Like it or not when you are that fat it is not just genetics, it is a life choice. And to compare it to the racism of the 60s, is stomach turning disgusting.

 

[Absol6028]

As much as I dislike BigLutz, I agree with him to an extent. I get that genetics are often a factor, but I feel like you can't place all of the blame for your obesity on genetics if you're so obese that you spill over into another plane seat. More likely than not, your eating habits had something to do with it, or at the very least, your eating habits did nothing to help subdue your obesity.

I don't think planes should start having an "obese section," though. The last thing our nation (or the world, really) needs to do is cater to the obese. Obesity is a problem that needs to be stopped.

But I can almost guarentee that 99% of the time, people think it's 'an eating disorder' and assume it's their fault. They should understand why first before they make them pay for it.

 

[Ryn]

You... are kidding right? Please tell me you did not just compare Fat people having to buy two seats for their weight, to black people being forced into the back of the bus. Not only is that wholy ignorant and dismissive of the racist attitude of the South at that time. But Black people cannot control their skin color, they had absolutely no choice but to get to the back of the bus. On the other hand no one in their right mind would say the same about the morbidly obese who are so fat they spill into another seat. Like it or not when you are that fat it is not just genetics, it is a life choice. And to compare it to the racism of the 60s, is stomach turning disgusting.

Discrimination is discrimination. Not everyone can control their body size, and yes, no one can control the colour of their skin. And if you ask me, our society is very, very prejudiced against heavier people and jump to the conclusion that every fat person has no control in the matter is quite similar.

But I digress. I did not mean to offend or disgust anyone, and I will erase that comment as to not offend anymore folks.

 

[bel9]

Guys, cut the genetics shit. Genetics cannot explain our absurdly high rate of obesity. There are factors that we may not control such as parents with bad eating habits or parents not keeping our baby fat in check [both show links to causes of obesity.] However, there is no reason that another individual should have to suffer through a plane ride because of your obesity. Remember that there is another person buried underneath all that fat.

And making the planes bigger? That won't solve anything, but it sure will throw away tons of money that could be spent on something useful.

 

[Malanu]

Not a problem with that Grei. It's the Obese=fat stigma that gives me fits! I personally know a few body building types that would need two seats. Really broad shoulders! Surprisingly I don't know anyone personally who would because they were to fat.

 

[poix_the_yak]

Heck, they should pay for three seats for the extra two fold-out tables.

 

[BigLutz]

Discrimination is discrimination. Not everyone can control their body size, and yes, no one can control the colour of their skin. And if you ask me, our society is very, very prejudiced against heavier people and jump to the conclusion that every fat person has no control in the matter is quite similar.

But I digress. I did not mean to offend or disgust anyone, and I will erase that comment as to not offend anymore folks.

People control what they put infront of their mouths, they control what goes in their body, and they control how much exercise they get in a day. They can also control what kind of medicine to take to manage their weight. People how ever cannot control the color of their skin.

 

[Absol6028]

Honestly, it all really depends on your views and the situation. If you can't control it because of an eating disorder then yes, you should pay for 2. But if you can't because of genetics, then NO, you shouldn't have to pay for 2.

 

[Ryn]

Guys, cut the genetics shit. Genetics cannot explain our absurdly high rate of obesity. There are factors that we may not control such as parents with bad eating habits or parents not keeping our baby fat in check [both show links to causes of obesity.] However, there is no reason that another individual should have to suffer through a plane ride because of your obesity. Remember that there is another person buried underneath all that fat.

And making the planes bigger? That won't solve anything, but it sure will throw away tons of money that could be spent on something useful.

Right. A lot of people cannot blame their genetics on their obesity. It is a combination of bad eating habits and what was put in front of you as a child. For most. But some people do have legitimate problems, genetic or not. And no one should have to suffer a plane ride with a person who is in your personal space.

And agreed. Making the planes bigger would cost more money to make- and bigger plane means more fuel. Fuel is already stupidly expensive nowadays, and the last thing we need is the cost of a plane ticket to rise any higher than it already is.

People control what they put infront of their mouths, they control what goes in their body, and they control how much exercise they get in a day. They can also control what kind of medicine to take to manage their weight. People how ever cannot control the color of their skin.

The point of the comparison was for the discrimination factor mostly, not the point of controlling it or not. I realise it was a terrible one to make, and I'm sorry it offended you.

 

[BigLutz]

The point of the comparison was for the discrimination factor mostly, not the point of controlling it or not. I realise it was a terrible one to make, and I'm sorry it offended you.

Except there is a valid reason here for making fat people buy a seat, there is no valid reason for pushing black people to the back of the bus.

 

[Ryn]

Except there is a valid reason here for making fat people buy a seat, there is no valid reason for pushing black people to the back of the bus.

You're right, but not everyone that's considered "obese" spills into the seat next to them. Should they still have to pay for two seats, just because they're considered obese but are not in their neighbour's space? That's the point I'm trying to make. I don't think EVERY SINGLE obese person should be forced to buy two seats, just because their bmi is over 25.