[cellshade]

Such empathy.

Do you feel the same way about people with a substance abuse problem?

To get to that kind of weight, it's more than just being lazy and not tracking calories. It's a serious psychological or physical problem. It doesn't happen just by deciding not to skip dessert.

I've always been thin, but I can still empathize with someone in that predicament. Do you think that he didn't want to lose weight and get some control over his eating habits? Read the actual article. He in fact did gain control over things for a while, through a regimented routine, but the surgery put him off it, and he lost control again.

You're calling him a "whiny bitch", but this guy, who has a family that was obviously supportive and loved him, had a serious medical issue that ultimately resulted in his death.

Try imagining them as an actual human being and not some cartoon caricature.

[kozak]

Indeed this is, quite literally, a substance abuse problem.

[yetanotherthrow]

Calling him names wasn't necessary, but his point remains. You don't eat at McDonalds and drink DrPepper when you want to get thinner. This guy didn't want to get thinner. He didn't want it more than death. And so he died.

[coverup]

That's true, but it's unempathetic, and if everyone stopped thinking there, no one would help each other. Imagine a depressed person who commits suicide. You could say, well, this person clearly wanted to die, and so she killed herself. She wanted to die more than she wanted to be around for her family, etc. and so that was selfish, the end.

But what was making her want to die? Do you think she was unaware of it, or unaware that she was having thoughts that she couldn't seem to control? Could it be the case that living with major depressive disorder might have been so mind-rendingly terrifying that it made even death seem more desirable? But isn't the best solution in this case not really death, but rather for the depression to go away, and only failing that would one ever want to die? Don't you think a suicidal person would be more aware of this than anyone?

You say this guy wanted to get thinner but he also wanted to keep overeating, and unfortunately he didn't seem to want to get thinner enough, so he kept eating. But what he really wanted was for his uncontrollable desire to overeat to go away, and he could not make that happen himself.

[mercer]

You're correct, but if this person wants death more than getting thinner, it obviously means he has mental issues. The solution to mental issues is not to point out that someone has them, but to find ways to 'fix' them.

It's like telling a paraplegic that he can't get up the stairs because his legs are fucking lame. It's technically true, but it doesn't help in any way.