“He has to be eating something like 4,000 calories to maintain that size. Take responsibility for stuffing your own face, that’s what I did.”

I can assure you I’m not eating 4k calories, but have had problems with overeating in a single sitting and eating the wrong foods.

I started at ~450 lbs and have lost over 150 lbs. It just takes work.

Like Russ said, it’s a cautionary tale, nothing more.

A few things:

“I can’t believe your opinions on this flying issue. If you are 5′ 10” 370 you need to buy an extra ticket. How the heck does the logic of ‘I’m fat and if you sit next to me it was your choice’ work?”

I tried to explain my particular dimensions on the show and it sounds like I wasn’t very successful. I’m not wide enough to “spill over” into someone else’s seat. I fit nicely into one seat, arm rests down. If I ended at the waist the person next to me would never know I was there. My mid-section extends out, not to the sides. I have to ask for a seat belt extender, but again, the person next to me isn’t affected.

Here’s the problem – my shoulders. If I sit with my arms alongside, I’m into the next person’s space. If I cross my arms, we’re back to zero involvement with the person next to me–but there’s also zero clearance between us.

If someone wants to sit there, I’ll do my best to make them comfortable, but my weight has nothing to do with the width of my shoulders. I carry my excess fat in my upper thighs and belly and most of my muscle in my arms and shoulders.

“Because the person was late to the plane they should penalized?? They didn’t pay a ’sit next to a fat person’ price.”

That was an unfair dig on my part–I have a pet peeve when it comes to punctuality. I’m always early, so I feel a twinge of “you deserve it” whenever I see someone running late enough to delay a plane. We didn’t do the show with a script, so candid responses are strewn throughout.

Also I am a consultant that make 1K status on United in 6 1/2 months.

Travelling full time is not easy to control your diet and exercise but it can be done.

A couple of years ago I was sitting next to a man that was morbidly obese (I am not being mean, by clinical definition that is what he was), I can’t venture to guess how much he weighted but it was pretty substantial. He could not put the arm rest down and he couldn’t contain himself in his seat. He ended up body pressing me from knee to shoulder. I couldn’t move over anymore … it was a nightmare. Within 10 minutes I went from being of a comfortable body temperature to sweating because he was hot and sweating … gross.

Frankly, I don’t really mind if people over-eat … it is their body and their life however, I do feel any encroachment that imposses on someone else is substantially rude.

The first commentor is correct. First class has wider seats both in the butt and in the shoulder area, it can be verified here at seatguru.com. And yes, I believe that man sitting next to me should have bought another seat.

I frequently have guys (not so much girls) touch a shoulder or bump me quite often but I am okay with that. We are in close quarters. But I vowed I would never sit next to a man / woman that could not put down that arm rest and contain themselves in their seat again.

Any why should the airlines charge everyone more for a ticket when those few should just get charged? Fair is fair, why would I pay for someone else’s problem? By the way, the infrequent time I do fly SWA … the big burly overweight guy always wants to sit next to me. Presumably to get the extra seat room that I am not using. Yes, I have tons of stories about this too. Life of a road warrior.

I am sorry Steve felt put out, especially since he can fit into his seat and is not that guy. But there are more people out there that are that guy and less considerate that Steve.

Thanks.

BTW: the airlines are trying to fit more people in each flight, because we all want low fares.

Overall I was not sympathetic to Steve. Sorry.

Sue L.

The article or another linked in it, also mentions that all the snacks in the park are carbohydrates laden. Churros, popcorn, ice cream, cotton candy, etc. I have to say that while that’s true, they do offer healthy snacks, if you want to pay $3.00 for an apple.

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/weight-loss/disney-small-world-ride-a-casualty-of-the-obesity-epidemic/

I have a non-biased, 100% consistent analytical way to approach the travelers of size issue.

Prior to boarding, have all passengers walk through a doorway that is the same width of the airplane seats. If they can’t easily fit through the doorway, then they have to pay for two seats.

The airlines have measuring devices for carry on luggage, so they should apply the same logic here.

This obese airline passenger issue is very symbolic of a MUCH MUCH bigger issue in our society when it comes to obesity, its cost, and how it affects everyone.

In the very rare event that I go to a place like Olive Garden, I just cringe, as the majority of the people in that restaurant are obese, to morbidly obese. They come in, and consume huge 1,800 calorie meals, loaded with sodium and saturated fat. I know that it will be my tax dollars that end up paying for their joint replacements, and artery bypasses. I know that when they fly, they will either spill way over into my personal space, or that part of my ticket cost could end up covering their extra seat.

Sure, I want to eat those same bad meals too, but I have the restraint, self control, knowledge, and long term vision to know that this will ultimately lead me down a wildly unhealthy path.

So why should part of my tax dollars pay for someone who has no self control when it comes to food, and the health issues they will face? Why should that person spill into my personal space on an airplane? Why shouldn’t an airline charge for an extra seat for this person?

In your podcast, we saw the affect it had on your caller. It became the catalyst needed for him to lose more weight.

With the state of our healthcare in this country today, and where it could be going, the healthy end up paying for the choices of the unhealthy. If all overweight people had to pay more for healthcare, or pay higher health care taxes, I can guarantee you we will see more obese people working to become healthy.

Volumes have already been written on this, and I could certainly go into more detail, but this is just my $.02.

For some background, I am a 30 year old IT professional, who travels quite frequently for work. I lost 50 pounds over a 1.5 year period, and have spent the past 2 years maintaining my body weight and shape. I live here in Eastern North Carolina, where you see a ton of barbeque, french fry, and hush puppy eating overweight people, so I’m probably more sensitive to these issues than someone who has always been thin and lives in an area like California.

In closing, as Andrew mentioned in his post, it is about taking personal responsibility. The lazy and mediocre love programs like Welfare, and organizations that “fight for the rights of fat people”. Why? Because it means you can keep eating what you want, or not working, and be taken care of.

Bottom line = If the obese have to pay more for certain things because they are obese, they will work to NOT be obese.

I can’t believe your opinions on this flying issue. If you are 5′ 10” 370 you need to buy an extra ticket. How the heck does the logic of ‘I’m fat and if you sit next to me it was your choice’ work? Because the person was late to the plane they should penalized?? They didn’t pay a ‘sit next to a fat person’ price. And you never once mentioned when you were feeling sorry for him that THIS IS ALL HIS FAULT. He has to be eating something like 4,000 calories to maintain that size. Take responsibility for stuffing your own face, that’s what I did.

And by the way, I had the same opinions when I was 310. When I would travel it would be with at least another person and I would make sure that I got the aisle or the window and the person I was traveling with was in the middle. And you could argue that this guy is traveling alone, that’s fine, it just means he needs to buy another ticket.

Another thing, you mentioned that people are getting larger and so they are making furniture larger etc. so they need to make the seats in planes larger. Flying is a choice in this country. You do not have to fly, you don’t even have to fly a certain airline, and you can even buy first class (btw, he was wrong about Delta first class. It is different on different types of aircraft and on the majority of aircraft the seat is much wider). My point is because you got so fat you can’t fit in a seat doesn’t mean the airline should fix that problem, IT MEANS YOU SHOULD FIX THAT PROBLEM. Take some responsibility for own actions, it seems like this entire country doesn’t want to do that. And if the country does get so fat that there is enough demand then there would be a discount airline called XL Air or something like that. It will form to service the demand of all the obese people.

Just downloaded this podcast but before I listened, I checked out the links listed here and could not get the “Weight Loss Simulator” link to work…says invalid URL. Will do a google search anyhow!