Im just wondering, Will being thin(someday, hopefully sooner than later)help me and others in the workfield? Other than the physical parts(Im a plumber, moving around in tight spaces). Im talking about how others view us. I told my wife"I wonder what customers think when they open the door and see a 340# plumber standing there"? Im wondering if this will help me become more successful? I think heavy people are viewed as being different, lazy, the funny thing is Ive never had an employer accuse me of being lazy. I actually started a job(union) and one of the workers told me "you wont make it here, you work too hard"! Ive pretty much outworked most people I worked with in the past(not tooting my own horn)just making a point. Ive always had a good work ethic, I know my trade well(Master Plumber, all required certifications, just wondering if this is what could put me ahead for once? Im actually self employed and just cant seem to get ahead.

Edited April 4, 201016 yr by loserbob
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I think yes, heavy people are viewed differently in society. I have a job where I meet with physicians to discuss and try to improve patient care. I current focus of diabetic care. Recently I met with a physician who stated "well my diabetic numbers would be better if I could just get rid of all me 300 pounders.". 8 months ago he would not have said this to me, or he would have said it and given me a dirty look. Now I am by no means thin yet, but not nearly the size I was. I was quite offended by this and replied by saying "you know those are the people that need your help the most! Please don't disregard these patients because of their weight, you never know what the trigger in their life will be, and unfortunately it may never come, but when it does, they need you for direction." I feel that most people view heavy people differently no matter what the circumstances. We have all had our "trigger" to make a change. Good luck on your journey. Just because we are obese, does not mean we are lazy, but it may help you when customers see a thin guy in obtaining business, just because of that fact. It is sad, but unfortunately I think true.

I agree with Jack - "obese people are looked at AND treated differently" I've also experienced it ... many times... it's the world we live in unfortunately.

Wow what a question, where does one start! I would say yes, we are preseved to be lazy and stupid etc. I would also say that much of this is how we feel others think of us is in our head. But yes people do think of us differently because we are heavy, as people think differently of beautful people. I know that my weight was a big issue all my life and because of it I always felt less than others.

yep, unfortunately we are, and we are not only looked at differently we are also called names and stuff. at first, it used to hurt my feelings, now i just ignore them and i try to show them my positive attitude.:thumbdown:

yep, unfortunately we are, and we are not only looked at differently we are also called names and stuff. at first, it used to hurt my feelings, now i just ignore them and i try to show them my positive attitude.:thumbup:

My wife always says discrimination against heavy people is the only acceptable form of discrimination today!

How many 300-400 CEOs have you met?

Yes, it does affect you career. I work in network technology where weight is tolerated better than most fields. Size does make you less likely to be promoted. Right or wrong, people view excess size as a sign of a person being out of control, and unable to manage problems in the best cases and lazy or dumb in the worst.

One of my step fathers (their have been 6), told me point blank that my weight almost made him not marry my mother because he did not want to have to support a fat kid. Over time he learned that I had the brains to make it in the world, but people do judge initial impressions.

re: " Over time he learned that I had the brains to make it in the world, but people do judge initial impressions."

How true.

Unfortunately we only have 'one opportunity to make a first impression' and too many of us are judged on that basis regardless of other qualities.

Through training with different plumbing companies I've learned that a first impression is usually made within the first 7 seconds of meeting someone! So thats why I asked this question. So by the time a customer answers the door (and sees(saw) a 343# plumber, what impression did they have? Lets face it, its hard to keep your shirt tucked in and looking neat when your heavy! The shirts are never long enough(hence"plumbers crack" haha). Ive never had problems with customers not likeing me(that Im aware of)other than the usual ones who are mad about prices. People are usually happy with me and my work. I just figure there have to be a few or even alot who dont call back because of my appearence!

I have to make it clear, my wife wasnt saying its ok to discriminate because of being overweight. She meant, people seem to think its ok to discriminate because it seems to be accepted unlike race, religion etc. She wanted me to explain it better.

Well being both very fit years ago and a week from banding now, I can definately say I have been treated differently. However, I have also been quite lucky and my friends never said a word about my weight...mainly because I have always seemed happy anyway.

But I swear , it does wear on you..to me the words when I walk in to a restaurant or store.. "Hey Big Guy" "What's up Boss"....so tired of this and can't wait for it to end!

Especially in So. Cal. people are mostly superficial, fake and put too much emphasis on appearance. I am remembering the sleep apnea, the high blood pressure, the fact I can't tie my shoes, aching back..these are my reasons for the band...not appearance--that will be the icing on the cake!

Peace.

as a girl who works in healthcare and sales i can tell you that heavier ppl are looked at differently. on top of it im lond so i already have two strikes against me. I actually lost a job because i wasnt healthy enough. the company wanted to present a healthy image sine it was healthcare after all. im just hoping to have the last laugh. i am very good at what i do and my weight has nothing to do with it. i do think that skinny attractive people get paid more get advanced more etc. there are studies to prove it, just google it. hopefully we will all be the skinny minnies soon and all get nice big fat raises lol best of luck!

Yeah, those drug salesmen and women all look like mdels from Vouge. The cost of all that super salesmanship and direct marketing is twice what the spend on R&D and really not needed. What a waste,

as a girl who works in healthcare and sales i can tell you that heavier ppl are looked at differently. on top of it im lond so i already have two strikes against me. I actually lost a job because i wasnt healthy enough. the company wanted to present a healthy image sine it was healthcare after all. im just hoping to have the last laugh. i am very good at what i do and my weight has nothing to do with it. i do think that skinny attractive people get paid more get advanced more etc. there are studies to prove it, just google it. hopefully we will all be the skinny minnies soon and all get nice big fat raises lol best of luck!

I think that fat people are invisible to alot of people. I work in a small town Post Office, and was banded almost a year ago. I'm almost to my goal, and I can't tell you how many times in the past couple months people have asked if I'm new! I've helped these same people for the past five years, but I doubt they looked at me when heavier.

I hear the jokes occasionally and when they realize I heard they cover it up by saying something such as "present company excluded, of course". Their exclusion certainly does not remove the hurt. Maybe my choices made me fat but I certainly did not want or ask to be this way. Yes, fat people are viewed differently.

adding another direct observation, it DOES take time to grow use to NOT being the biggest person in every room. There IS a different dynamic of how the public treats us when Morbidly Obese vs as we near our goal. And we treat ourselves differently too.

I definately know that heavy people are looked at differently. I applied for a job several years ago and managed to jump through all the hoops in the hiring process getting to the last step with this particular organization, when I learned how rude some people really are. The hiring manager spoke with me for about 1 hour and told me that he like everything about me except my size. He told me that on paper that I was the ideal person for the job and if he had never actually met me then he would have probably hired me. He went on to explain that when he has worked with "fat people" (his words), they tend to be less productive than others and out sick more than other employees and he did not want to have to deal with that. I have always felt that I had to work harder and be more productive than others that I work with because of the stigma related to being big, I also never call in sick. I have been sent home a few times because my boss felt that I was too sick to be at work. It took every ounce of self control that I had in my body not to pull that hiring manager across the desk and beat the hell out of him, plus I did not feel like going to jail for assualt and battery. I figured that would hurt any future employment opportunities. I have always been very big, but very strong. I can still bench press over 200 lbs without much problem. I did talk to a layer friend of mine about the situation because I felt that I had been discriminated against. He agreed with me, but told me that most likely the courts would not. He said that it is alot easier to prove age or sexual discrimination than to prove that you have been discriminated against for being overweight. It amazes me how cold and rude some people can be because you do not look the same or fit what they preceive as the norm.

I definately know that heavy people are looked at differently. I applied for a job several years ago and managed to jump through all the hoops in the hiring process getting to the last step with this particular organization, when I learned how rude some people really are. The hiring manager spoke with me for about 1 hour and told me that he like everything about me except my size. He told me that on paper that I was the ideal person for the job and if he had never actually met me then he would have probably hired me. He went on to explain that when he has worked with "fat people" (his words), they tend to be less productive than others and out sick more than other employees and he did not want to have to deal with that. I have always felt that I had to work harder and be more productive than others that I work with because of the stigma related to being big, I also never call in sick. I have been sent home a few times because my boss felt that I was too sick to be at work. It took every ounce of self control that I had in my body not to pull that hiring manager across the desk and beat the hell out of him, plus I did not feel like going to jail for assualt and battery. I figured that would hurt any future employment opportunities. I have always been very big, but very strong. I can still bench press over 200 lbs without much problem. I did talk to a layer friend of mine about the situation because I felt that I had been discriminated against. He agreed with me, but told me that most likely the courts would not. He said that it is alot easier to prove age or sexual discrimination than to prove that you have been discriminated against for being overweight. It amazes me how cold and rude some people can be because you do not look the same or fit what they preceive as the norm.

Your story, unfortunately, is all too common. I felt just as ticked off at that guy in reading your story as if I had experienced it personally. One can only hope that he gets treated the same way he treated you in the future. The only worse situation is Old & Fat (my recent experience) wherein after 200 applications I got 1 interview from a pitite young lady whose face telegraphed disgust the minute I entered her office she tried to recover but failed. I look at myself in the mirror every day and even though I am heavy I am not a blob I work out just like you do and the only machine I use less than 150 pounds is the vertical press so my body habitus is firm I am well groomed and I dress well. 390 pounds stacked on a muscular 6'5" frame is a tad different than someone with the same weight 8-10" shorter with poor muscle tone. Even so, it hurt and I was angry. I was already in the lapband program so the event didn't cause me to seek help. But this mid 20's girl was out of her depth as a hiring manager she needed to act accepting of all types of people even if she loothes fat folks.