GOP's Huckabee implies obese people are to blame for our health care crisis

[draft_mario_cuomo]

More "compassionate conservatism". :sarcasm: Bill Clinton and everyone from Hope, Arkansas must be ashamed that their town produced this scumbag.

==By Michael Falcone

Though he’ll be busy campaigning in Iowa over the next few weeks, if Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee wants to take a break from the trail, and say, catch a movie, he made it pretty clear today that he won’t be seeing “Sicko,” Michael Moore’s new film about health care.

On a conference call with reporters today, the former Arkansas governor said: “Michael Moore is an example of why the health care system costs more in this country,” and criticized the filmmaker for his remarks during a tense exchange earlier this week with CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer and the network’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Although Mr. Huckabee didn’t explicitly say what he meant by the jab, he went on to describe how his own health care costs dropped dramatically after he shed more than 100 pounds over a period of several years. Mr. Huckabee, who has acknowledged that he once tipped the scale at nearly 300 pounds, now maintains a strict exercise regimen.==

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/huckabee-vs-michael-moore/

[uberblonde]

1. And yet, he still has that fat head.

Maybe he could get his brains liposuctioned?

[aquart]

2. If we had adequate healthcare and follow-up

Maybe we wouldn't have these weight gains. Then again, maybe it's just the high fructose corn syrup and what does he propose to do about that?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Oh yeah, obesity causes all the problems

I've overweight, and have been most of my life--not life threatening, but actually the natural tendency of folks in my family. My husband has always been thin. He is the one with health problems, not me--including adult onset diabetes. Huckabee overgeneralizes, and probably thinks because losing weight helped him, it is the one and only answer for everyone.

[vanramp]

14. Oh

Oh' I get it being fat is both genetic and healthy?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

29. You missed the point

the point was that not all health problems are caused by weight. Compared to my husband, I am very healthy.

And yes, you can have a genetic tendency to be heavy. Mine happens to be caused by hypothyroidism and carbohydrate sensitivity which is genetically inherited (this according to MDs, btw).

I'm not saying that being obese is healthy--however being a few pounds overweight does not seem to make a difference in overall health.

[flaminbats]

33. if I want medical advice, I'll see a doctor..

if I want it from a politician, I'll listen to William Howard Taft! :eyes:

Kennedy said the same thing, but he inspired people without insulting them. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

as a doctor once explained to me.."an obese person can eat half as much as the thin hyperactive person, and still gain weight!"

losing weight and exercise are important, but IMO a service sector economy will never get us there. we'll have to change the way we live, and radically change how we make money before that happens. capitalism feeds obesity at the expense of the hungry, if we don't regulate it..darwinism will!

Republicans believe in social darwinism, Democrats believe in helping all who need it.

[Skittles]

64. funny how hateful f***s like you are always trolls

good riddance

[lisby]

32. He's not overgeneralizing, he's playing the "it's still ok to hate fat people" card.

Once we can no longer loathe gay people in the US, the next great battle will be fighting bigotry against 'people of physical substance' (hey, I kinda like that!). And don't tell me that everyone of us wasn't trained from earliest childhood to scorn the heavy...



:mad:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

44. As someone who has been teased about this their whole life

I know that that is, indeed, the case. I've been on strict diets since I was 8. It wasn't until later in life that I found out about the hypothryroidism and the carbohydrate sensitivity. Some of the diets I had been on actually made me gain weight because they were having me eat the wrong kinds of foods-like carrots and beets, which are big no-nos for me. Since being on the diet my latest doctor has put me on, and taking prescription thyroid medication, I'm in fairly good health. Oh, and btw to the other person--the fat people in my family tend to live well into their 80s, and some into their 90s--I'm talking about my grandmother's generation here, when there weren't things like heart by-pass surgery, etc.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

62. Hypothyroidism is quite common and undiagnosed.

I take Armour Thyroid which is the natural, cheap and more bioactive stuff.

Doctors generally prescribe Cytomel or Synthroid, which is not as effective, and kick and scream if you INSIST on Armour Thyroid. You may possibly do better on the natural stuff. Also, the doctor should go by how the patient feels, not by the blood tests.

It is said that 59 million Americans have hypothyroidism, more people than have diabetes, yet it is far less recognized and treated.


If you're interested check this out:

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

www.thyroid-info.com

[R_M]

4. Does he blame women who don't stay home and cook all day also?

:sarcasm:

[Iris]

42. Or how about leaders in corporate America, who insist on longer and longer work days

making it extremely difficult for a family with 2 working parents to get a decent meal on the table much less have time to even take a simple walk after a meal.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

5. Wow, what a waste of good oxygen he is!

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Mr Huckabee you are aware that

no health care program pays for .... programs to loose weight, right?

(Actually very few do, but I can count them with the fingers off, and they only pay for morbid obesity, not what afflicts most folks)

[Hippo_Tron]

7. Huckabee is right that Obesity is a problem...

Telling people "Stop being lazy and lose weight" isn't a solution. We should start acknowledging that poverty causes obesity.

[flaminbats]

10. he just lost the nomination..

if Huckabee tells Republicans to "stop being lazy and lose weight", what's left for the average GOP voter to support? :popcorn:

[LBJDemocrat]

15. Freepers hate him for it

Although it's obvious Huckabee's trying to soundbyte his way to the top, I respect his efforts to combat obesity.

[TheFarseer]

8. you can't admit he has a point at all?

Do you think fat people that can barely make it up the stairs have more health problems or people that workout and eat healthy? I'm not saying that fat people are bad people or that they weren't dealt a rotten hand in terms of genes in many cases, but you must face facts. I don't think we need to shred fat people over this but rather encourage them to have a healthier lifestyle.

[LordJFT]

9. he does definitely have a point

thought it doesn't excuse the horrible state of health care in our country right now

[AZBlue]

53. This is where I'd normally say "welcome to DU"

but you're so full of Huckabee-like stupidity and hate, I won't be doing that this time.

"he does definitely have a point"

[LordJFT]

59. Give me a break

because I think a person like Huckabee has a point in this one particular case means I have Huckabee-like stupidity and hate? In general I abhor Huckabee and his anti-gay anti-choice views. And I am a strong supporter of Universal healthcare, but i happen to agree that in many cases people can do more to combat their own obesity. I also support equal opportunity for blacks and believe discrimination still causes severe problems for them today but at the same time I feel that anti-intellectualism in black culture is also a problem (a belief shared with me by many black leaders including Obama, Charles Barkley and Cornel West). You're the one that personally affronted me because you disagreed with my view and you're the one that's showing a complete lack of open-mindedness by implying that because Huckabee is way off on alot of issues means he can't be right about anything so if someone here is full of stupidity and hate it's you. Oh and I don't need your DU welcome, I've already been welcomed by many more intelligent and couth posters here.

[AZBlue]

60. Try to stay on topic next time.

It's what us intelligent and couth DU'ers do. Just a little tip from me to you.

[Alexander]

11. He has a point, but it's part of a blame-the-victim mentality.

Telling overweight or obese people to "lose weight" is about as effective as telling an alcoholic to "quit drinking".

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DeeDeeNY]

34. Looks like Huck's a hypocrite

That goes hand in hand with being a Republican these days.
But it looks like his son has bigger (pardon the pun) problems than his weight after reading that story. Sounds like a charming young man!

[Telly Savalas]

12. Obesity is a problem

but it doesn't account for the fact that the U.S. pays roughly twice as much per capita on health care than most other industrialized nations.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Telly Savalas]

16. And this contests my point how?

[KurtNYC]

38. that's a myth -- food is more plentiful and cheaper than it has ever been

people are starving in Darfur because of WAR not a general shortage of food. It is easier than ever to become overweight and it is more than eating like a "bunny" (!?) that has gotten us to this point. Air conditioning, medications (blood pressure meds, etc.), lack of disease have all contributed.

Lack of good information about how food choices affect our health in general has many people making poor choices. Consider one example -- diet soft drinks can make you crave and retain sugars (which get stored as lipids/fat). DIET foods can make you fat (source: Harvard Nurse Study). Slinging judgements at overweight people without understanding the larger issue only furthers the impact and lack of good choices and information.

[AZBlue]

54. Look at all the growth hormones and drugs in the foods we eat.

We're processing those growth drugs too - and when you're an adult, you can't grow taller any more, so you grow fatter. Our bodies are doing what we're telling them to do.

[LBJDemocrat]

17. Agreed. It's more a cultural issue than anything else.

It is fucking wrong to live like a pig.

[AZBlue]

55. "It is fucking wrong to live like a pig"?

Can you clarify that statement for us?

[TheFarseer]

18. are you sure?

Couldn't there be some connection between the fattest country paying the most for healthcare? It might be interesting to see a study on this. I read that 60% of Medicare costs are diabetes related. I wish I could find that link but I seem to have misplaced it. You'll just have to be content with this link.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=63671

(talking about Medicare)"While increases in the program's cost have been attributed to causes such as medication costs, hospital and doctors fees, 90 percent of the increases can be attributed to people entering the program with diabetes, metabolic syndrome and other diseases associated with obesity, concluded a report published in the Aug. 22 online issue of Health Affairs.

The researchers analyzed data from two major federal studies -- published in 1987 and 2002 -- to assess trends for disease prevalence and Medicare expenditures.

They found that the number of obese Medicare recipients nearly doubled during that time period, while the cost of treating these patients nearly tripled -- from 9.4 percent of Medicare spending in 1987 to 25 percent of expenditures by 2002."

Of course we have other problems, but like I have said many times, any successful healthcare reform plan will have to decrease overall money spent on healthcare. Having the government pay for healthcare isn't going to do that in and of itself.

[Hippo_Tron]

23. You are correct sir, there are multiple problems with health care...

And anyone like Huckabee who provides one simple scapegoat like "It's the fat peoples' fault" has no idea what they are talking about.

However, I think that our side does this too often as well when we go after big insurance. We talk about single-payer as though it will fix every problem in the health care system. I admit that big insurance companies should be replaced with single-payer and have caused a lot of problems. But single-payer is not a magic bullet that will solve our country's health care crisis alone. It is merely one big step in a series of steps that needs to be taken.

[Sherman A1]

30. Agreed and Well Said.

Yes, he may have improved his life and insurance premium by his weight loss and I congratulate him for that. He doesn't get to be mean spirited because he could do it and someone else couldn't. While we all have personal responsibility in our own health, sometimes we need help to make things better, not just increased premiums and spiraling costs.

[flaminbats]

48. I doubt it..

most former Governors have the best coverage available. the premiums were probably low while in office, if he even paid them, and probably just as low now.

imagine if Huckabee wasn't a politician, and got diabetes while working in the private sector. suddenly his premiums go up, then he loses his job and health insurance. he can still get coverage, but only because of the long forgotten Kennedy/Kassabaum Act which Bill Clinton signed into law! but now his premiums are higher because of his preexisting condition, and catastrophic health coverage is all he'll get back for his money. yet he has lost weight and regularly exercises.

but he still has to pay for his insulin and syringes. this means every time he eats something, he must give himself a shot and pay for it! that costs far more than the food does. or he can save money like many diabetics do, take less insulin, eat almost nothing, share syringes, get HIV, and ultimately ends up on kidney dialysis. finally the catastrophic coverage kicks in, but only after Huckabee is more than $50,000 in debt. now he can't pay the premiums, he can't pay his bills, and the coverage is dropped.

where does he go now?

[trashcanistanista]

46. And that 43 million AMericans have no health insurace. n/t

[eridani]

22. Not being able to make it up the stairs has nothing to do with being fat

It has to do with being out of shape. If fat people climb stairs often enough, they'll get better at doing it, even with little or no weight loss. There is no reason whatsoever to assume that healthier lifestyles will make fat people thin. Probably result in weighing less, but that isn't the same as thin.

[eridani]

24. Maybe because he doesn't actually have a point?

The following is a quote from an article in the New York Review of Books "Godot Comes to Sarajevo" (Vol XL #17, pp 52-59, October 21, 1993) by Susan Sontag. She went there to put on the play "Waiting for Godot" when Sarajevo was under daily bombardment--people wanted artistic diversion as much as they wanted food. The quote is an aside from the main topic, but it's a good desciption of the basic functionality of fatness. Full article for paid subscribers only, unfortunately. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/article-preview?article_id=2433

The only actor who seemed to have normal stamina was the oldest member of the cast. Ines Fancovic, who is 68. Still a stout woman, she has lost more than 60 pounds since the beginning of the siege, and this may have accounted for her remarkable energy. The other actors were visibly underweight and tired easily. Lucky must stand motionless through most of his long scene but never sets down the heavy bag he carries. Atko, who plays him (and now weighs no more than 100 pounds) asked me to excuse him if he occasionally rested his empty suitcase on the floor throughout the rehearsal period. Whenever I halted the run-through for a few minutes to change a movement or a line reading, all the actors, with the exception of Ines, would instantly lie down on the stage.

Another symptom of fatigue: the actors were slower to memorize their lines than any I have ever worked with. Ten days before the opening they still needed to consult their scripts, and were not word-perfect until the day before the dress rehersal.

It ought to be obvious to anyone that Ines was energetic not because of weight loss per se, but because she had the weight to lose in the first place. Note that she is still fat after having endured famine conditions for a couple of years, conditions which turned her colleagues into physical wrecks and made them temporarily mentally stupid. It seems to have been much easier for her to tolerate going from 300# to 240# (just a guess here) than for Atko to tolerate going from 150# to 100#.

This clearly demonstrates why some people are fat--more of their ancestors than usual had to withstand conditions like this. It pays to have at least a few people in every society who are still mentally alert and physically functional under high stress conditions, even if they are comparatively disadvantaged when times are good. (An analogy would be the relationship between sickle cell anemia and malaria resistance.)

If you have a metabolism like Ines, the only hope for coming close to "normal" weight is a lifetime commitment to recreating the same famine conditions your ancestors adapted to and living under those conditions forever with no time off, and for some people even that may not be enough. Huckabee seems to think that fat people ought to be required to live under a lifelong state of siege--many fat people would rather have a life. And if Huckabee thinks that Ines wasn't actually starving along with everybody else he can just go piss up a rope.

[KurtNYC]

40. you can induce obesity regardless of genetics

genetics can't explain the rise in obesity within one generation because the gene pool is not that different. certain ancestories are more prone to retaining excess weight just as some are more prone to diabetes, alcoholism and other conditions. But to see the rise we have seen in just one generation means that other forces are at work.

People eat very differently than they did 50 years ago. I have 20 examples but let me do just one: We have made a high science of fattening cattle. Corn is specifically hybridized to create a rapid weight gain because it is the most profitable way to be in the beef business. Corn with a high sugar (fructose) content fattens cattle quickly. They limit the cattles' activity and prevent diseases which would stop the weight gain. The same forces work on humans. Our fattening corn comes in the form of soft drinks which are literally made from the same corn that was designed to fatten cattle.

[eridani]

50. Cattle are also fattened by fasting them occasionally

This makes them gain weight faster when they resume eating the same amount of calories. Sumo wrestlers use the same trick.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

49. He, like a typical Repuke, is scapegoating 1 group for a complex and large problem

Sure, obesity is a problem but it is not the root cause of the health care problem. It is just one part of the problem--and is compounded by existing failures in the health care and economic systems, as some have pointed out. How much exercise can someone who is working 2 jobs for 80 hours a week really get?

[AZBlue]

52. You contradicted yourself right in your own post,

exposing your bias: you claim "fat people" (a derogatory term) were "dealt a rotten hand in terms of genes in many cases" but want to "encourage them to have a healthier lifestyle" still - because a healthier lifestyle will change their genes? Nice try at dressing it up, but this is a blame-the-fat-folks comment.

[TheFarseer]

58. It's just astounding that you can't admit

there's a point in there somewhere. No matter what your genes are, you're going to on average need less medical care if you cook at home and stay physically active, than to eat McDonalds or Pizza Hut every night and watch TV. This is all things being equal of course. And just because you have heavier genes doesn't mean you can't try to be physically active and stay in good shape - and be successful at it.

[AZBlue]

61. Oh, so all the "fatties" are just out at McDonald's and Pizza Hut every night?

Gosh, that pit you're digging for yourself is pretty deep, huh? I think I see China...

[TheFarseer]

63. OK, you're right

none of us can do anything to improve or worsen our situation in life.

[getmeouttahere]

19. Just like so many things that are backwards in this country...

when buying vegetables costs more than processed, frozen or fast food, what's the real problem here? Yes, some people are just gluttons, but...

[AZBlue]

56. "Some people are just gluttons"? What a disgusting thing to say.

[ArkySue]

20. Huck needs to "get the plank out" out of his own eye first

Criticizing obese people???? Take a gander at his son... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=140x1071

As a preacher, he should know this verse from the Bible, too bad he doesn't apply it to himself.

"How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
Luke 6:42

[eridani]

21. If it's so bad for us, why has life expectancy improved a great deal right along with more obesity?

Not only from birth, but from age 65. Not even AIDS, let alone weight gain, has slowed this tendency by very much.

An interesting thing is that poverty and discrimination are more likely to keep non-white Americans from getting to age 65 in the first place, but further life expectancy from that point on is only slightly lower than that of whites.

http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0049.html

United States life expectancy at birth, 1959-1961
White male 67.55, White female 74.19, non-White male 61.48, non-White female 66.47

United States life expectancy at birth, 1989-1991
White male 72.72, White female 79.45, non-White male 66.97, non-White female 75.39

United States life expectancy at age 65, 1959-1961
White male 12.97, White female 15.88, non-White male 12.84, non-White female 15.12

United States life expectancy at 65, 1989-1991
White male 15.24, White female 19.14, non-White male 14.11, non-White female 18.02

[eridani]

25. Come to think of it, the above data tells you all you need to know--

--about why health care costs are increasing. They are increasing precisely BECAUSE life expectancy is increasing. The oldest age demographic in any society has the highest health care expenses. The more people that live long enough to get into that demographic category, the higher expenses will be.

[Perry Logan]

27. I blame the children. They keep getting sick, need all sorts of shots, and don't even work.

[dbt]

28. The Huckster's weight loss began with phen-phen

and there are persistent rumors in Arkansas of stomach-stapling and other shortcuts. IIRC, the weight loss was pretty sudden, considering his former bloated condition. (You need to bear in mind that a good many Arkies did not keep a close eye on this fool because we knew it was just a matter of time til he'd embarrass us AGAIN in the national media. See his "Banana Republic" quip on Imus, for which he staunchly refuses--to this day--to apologize and the "Triple Wide Gov Mansion" business with Leno. We were basically afraid to look...)

Bottom line, there is reason to suspect that his weight loss was not "legit" and he has no standing to talk of healthy ways to do anything.

As for his chances in '08, I'd put them slightly south of a snowball in Hell. Y'all probably don't know about his use of public funds to buy pizza, Velveeta, pantyhose and a doghouse--or his continued use of a State Police airplane for personal benefit. If/when these things get national exposure, he'll show himself for the WHINER that he is.

Relative to what it probably cost him to lose the hundred pounds, his healthcare cost AFTERWARDS probably did go down considerably.

[Totally Committed]

31. There's nothing worse than a "reformed" anything.

He used to be quite heavy-set, and has taken off the weight. Because of that he feels he's an "authority" on health, I guess.

This has NOTHING to do with the rising costs of healthcare, imo. People in this country who have access to regular, affordable, preventive healthcare are less likely to be obese than those with no affordable resources.

What a schmuck.

TC

[Clark2008]

35. And this is what the anti-smoking (to the extreme) campaign

has wrought us.

Not all health problems are caused by "fill in the blank (smoking, over-eating, booze, etc)." And, yet, once Americans let the anti-smoking folks complete their vendettas, it's become OK to blame victims for the plight.

For the record, I can see anti-smoking legislation in some, even most, places. But bars? That made it the extreme. No one goes to a fucking bar for their health and, as a rule, kids don't go to bars, either. I don't think I'm being unreasonable here, btw.

I'm not saying it's a good thing to smoke, drink to excess or overeat. Not in the least - but once you've opened the floodgates on making a group of people a pariah, then it can happen to other groups.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

36. And Dumb Fucks like Huckabee are the root of our education problem?

nt

[hatrack]

37. Pay no attention to high-fructose corn syrup in freakin' everything!

Pay no attention to a farm policy that ensures that we're practically drowning in corn, so that they have to do SOMETHING with all of that corn syrup (like putting in in freakin' everything).

Pay no attention to a food marketing system that makes sure that the cheapest foods are highly processed cookies, crackers, starches and soft drinks, while fresh fruits, whole grains, unsweetened juices and vegetables are among the most expensive items shoppers can buy.

Pay no attention to food distribution systems in which many inner-city and small town grocery stores abound in highly processed cookies, crackers and soft drinks, while having limited, expensive selections of foods that are good for you.

No, no, it's all those damned weak-willed fat peoples' fault, yeah, that's it!

:eyes:

[Iris]

43. bingo. Wouldn't want to get the food industry all riled up, now would we?

[SpiralHawk]

39. Actually, the problem is diaper-wearing republicon sex perverts

Everyone knows that already. So shut up and sit down Huckabee.

[JerseygirlCT]

41. The zeal of the convert

He used to be quite fat, too. Now that he's not, everyone else in the world who still is, is morally suspect.

[SemperEadem]

45. gee, I wonder if he says the same thing to his wife and sons

all of which are fat. Must suck to be Mike... and he's the same one who wants to outlaw miniskirts for women and institute a dress code for women in this country. Yeah---it was in Marie Claire last month--Rachel Maddow did a little vid on this.

[pink-o]

47. There is no one more insufferable than a "former " anything!

it's like they're "born again" and have to preach their fucking gospel whether you want to hear it or not. Huckabee must just be a joy to go out to dinner with.

That said: Gee, I wonder why Americans have so much trouble fighting their weight, Govenor Idiot. Could it be because there's a total saturation of completely non-nutritious globuals being aggressively marketed as food??? Or perhaps that most of our municipal areas are so pedestrian and bicycle unfriendly that you're forced to drive in your 15 mile a gallon SUV to go three blocks for groceries? Just maybe the System thrives on our being large and lazy, hoping we stay in our barca-loungers and don't shake things up too much (until we walk, that is.) After all, there's a huge amount of money being made by a bunch of corporations that are dependent on the "obesity crisis" Fast food industries, with their plastic-but-addictive product, then the weight loss industries, the oil companies (since we're in no shape to get anywhere without our cars)and of course the most obvious: Big Pharma. They all have a great interest in making certain we're all continually sick.

And with all that being thrown at us, we blame the victim. Fatty fatty, no "willpower", it's your fault, you're a failure. Or if you're like Huckabee, you can lord it over everyone--I did it I'm stronger and better than you. The whole scam is so insidious, so many corporations in collusion, it's stunning all of us don't weigh 600 pounds!!!

So yay for Michael Moore to dare point out that the "health care" in America has no interest in making you healthy. At least it's a start!

(In the interest of full disclosure, I am a 6'1" tall woman who weighs 150 lbs. But I used to weigh close to 200 about 15 years ago. I know all about yoyo dieting and feeling like you've failed. And things have gotten far worse since I was struggling to lose weight. The whole System is appalling and heinous--for profit, not health. The only solution is to educate yourself and igonore every last commerical you see on television--it's all lies!)

[NYCGirl]

51. Michael Moore agrees!

http://nymag.com/movies/features/33143/

Did Sicko change your own health?
At some point I felt that was being somewhat disingenuous when I wasn’t taking care of my own health.


Did you lose weight for this film so that critics wouldn’t call you a hypocrite?
Not at all. actually works against me. I spend so much time feeling in the minority of things that the one thing where I’ve been consistently in the majority is that two thirds of the American public is overweight. See, as I’ve gained weight over the years, I’ve become more popular. You can really track the box office going up as I put on the pounds: Roger & Me, $7 million. Bowling for Columbine, $21 million. Fahrenheit, $120 million.


How did you take them off?
Actually, Roger Ebert told me about this book called the Pritikin diet. In three months, I lost 30 pounds.


Have you also experimented with alternative medicine? Pills?
No, no. What I learned through Pritikin is pretty basic. Like, one common denominator of overweight people is, they don’t get enough sleep. Basically, my advice to the 65 percent of the country that’s overweight is to do three simple things: Get seven to eight hours sleep every night, go for a 45-minute walk each day, and eat at least 35 grams of fiber each day.



http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2007/06/michael-moores-.html

Q: So you’ve lost weight since filming “Sicko?”
A: Yes, about 30 pounds doing these three things (sleep, walking and eating heavy foods).

Q: What would it take to get you into a yoga class?
A: That’s my next step. Yoga and massage. Anything you can do to reduce stress.

Q: Did the movie inspire this attitude?
A: Obviously I dealt with a lot of people who had serious health problems. Some I felt bad for because their problems could have been prevented by lifestyle and environmental choices they made. Plus, I thought it was hypocritical to make a movie about health care and I wasn’t taking care of myself. Finally, I thought was actually an effective way to fight the system. One way to avoid the broken system is to take care of yourself and stay out of this system that kills people.

[BlueIris]

57. Gee, what else are "obese" people to blame for? The war? Ruining Plame's life?

Have you ever heard of a little thing called the Holocaust? It was fat people! It was alllll their fault!!!

(I actually have heard idiots try to say Michael Moore hurt the anti-war movement.)