I lost 21 lbs since April. I'm a diabetic. My sugar went from 130-80. Didn't follow any diet. Told my wife to quit sitting food on the table, I'd fix me something when I felt like eating. Back to medical cost, I've had 2 MRI's 2Xrays, an EKG and my usual medicine, 3 dr's appointments. I have Blue Cross. My copay this month was more than I bring home.I have 9 different diseases with Lupus and Diabetes at the top of the list. If this keeps up I have no other choice but to file for bankruptcy. I had blood clots in my lungs last Nov and almost died. I'm on Cumadin now. My doctor told me if I wreck my motorcycle I would bleed to death before anyone could get to me. I'm not even supposed to shave unless I use an electric razor. I look like ZZ Top LOL.

I'll check into it Mon. Thank,s Jerry

Fri my doctor of 15 years told me she was retiring. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Her and I are close. She's saved my life a couple of times. She wouldn't come out and directly say it but we both knew its because of Obamacare. I have 9 different diseases with Lupus and Diabetes, high Blood Pressure and Heart Disease at the top. I don't know if I can find another doctor that will take care of me like she did. I know I'm gonna die some day but I don't want to die because some idiot doctor screwed up. I'm afraid most of the good doctors will retire because of the stupidity of Obamacare. What could have been a great resource was furked up by Congress.

Calorie dense foods.. likePizza &Ice cream?
Dont thosepeopleknow they can raise a GARDEN?

Sorry to hear that WD, it's been a strange summer everywhere. Floods in the deserts, too much rain in the southeast, temps like 114 everyday in Phoenix, unseasonable cool weather here in the north country....wonder what the  winter will be like??.

Star -
Being "lazy" has nothing to do with Southern obesity.  You are correct that poor people tend to have yet poorer eating habits.  It's not because a poor person can't eat healthy; it's because most don't know how to, or don't care.  
A healthy breakfast of oatmeal costs a whole lot less than eggs, bacon, sausage.  Oatmeal and pancakes cost about the same, but the calorie count, fat calories, and glycemic index are nowhere near the same.
My point was simple - rural people generally don't walk as much as big city folks do.
In Chicago, for instance, I'll walk from my hotel to the courthouse, about 15 minutes each way, or 30 minutes round trip.  That alone is sufficient for the 30 minutes of walking each day that a person should do.  Why spend $10 - $15 for a cab ride, in heavy traffic, when the walk doesn't take that much longer?  Sure, I'll cab it in the rain, or on the bitter cold winter days, but most of the time, I walk.
It's about the usefulness of walking - if you go to big cities very often, you see people from all walks of life hoofing it far more than in the rural areas, where folks get into a car or a pickup to drive a couple of miles, or less.
Why do we have a Boston Marathon, and a New York City Marathon?  I've never heard of a marathon in Hattiesburg, Mississippi or in Plains, Georgia; have you?
Again, "lazy" has nothing to do with it - it's about culture, and what's perceived as important.  Poor people generally have shoes - in fact, come with me to court some time and see the $150+ fancy athletic shoes on the feet of some of the poorest kids in town as they stroll by the courthouse.
All it takes to walk is normal attire ( pants up around your waste, not your butt ) and a pair of shoes, and my bet is that most fat people own both.  Culture and habits are what need to be changed to get this obesity epidemic under control.
The is a Golden Corral not far from my office - I eat lunch there now and then.  They have boiled cabbage, lima beans, broccoli, and cauliflower on the buffet, as well as broiled fish and fairly lean pot roast.  I like those things; I'm not much into "yuppie food ".  I'll fill my plate with the aforementioned veggies, and take a piece of pot roast about the size of a deck of playing cards, or similar sized piece of fish or roasted chicken.
Frankly, I'm probably the best dressed person in the place.  The fat ones have the salad loaded with sour cream, mayo based dressings like ranch or blue cheese, then for their entrée they hit the mac and cheese, pizza, pasta, loaded baked potato, and then go straight to the desert section and load up on cake, pie and ice cream.  The fat ones act like it's a contest to see who can eat the most quantity of high fat, high calorie and high glycemic foods.
I pay the same price they do, and I come out of there having had a very healthy meal - they come out 2500 calories later, and wonder why they are fat.
It's all about choices, not monetary status.

Tony S wrote on 08/21/13 at 19:38:29:


The prevailing view is that driving is a privilege that comes with ability to do a lot of damage thus the states are able to compel drivers to be covered. I think young people don’t want to pay Medicare and SS taxes because they know they will never get anything out of it. It is a Ponzi scheme on the verge of collapse with the sole purpose of giving politicians a plank to use other than the actual issues.

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Isn't it the inidividual's own right to make their own choices? Who am I to tell you that you can't drink coffee because I think it is bad for your health?

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Why? What right (talking moral right now as traditional rights are a thing of the past) does the government have to tell someone what to buy.

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Sounds like they are getting screwed, sounds like a mugging but through the mail.

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Not a good reason to forcibly compel someone to hand over their hard earned wages to prop up an ill conceived and unworkable cluster of social programs.