I can't help but notice....

[Schwob]

@Stoo & at all that dive off "their or their buddies" boat:

Well, so what have you done or might you do to remedy the situation of a small person having trouble getting a big, incapacitated person on board?
I mean, if diving from a boat diy style (not of a commercial dive boat), shouldn't it be part of your general MOB planning / thinking to be in a position (equipment and skill wise) to adress this?
I mean no disrespect by asking that way, I just mean to ask and to learn.
You seem to have a compelling reason to wonder about it.

I started a new thread under boating with that question, It might make sense to reply there:

incapacitated diver recovery[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

 

[The Chairman]

Difficult to conclude if there's as a significant cause and effect correlation or simply a coincidence in demographical distribution.

Most of the deaths in the Keys are tourists ergo, tourism is bad for your health.

I've been diving since 1969 without ever being bent. I haven't run out of gas since I started diving with an SPG. I believe that technique and an ultra conservative attitude are the reason. There are fat bigots everywhere. They don't understand obesity, they've really never dealt with it, but they have no compunction telling you how 'easy' it is to be thin. Might as well tell a blind person how to stop being blind. It's just as disgusting. Stereotypes are rarely accurate but are still widely held.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Years ago we raised and showed horses at very high levels National and International Champions. The horses had to be in "show shape". That required a certain amount of body fat and fitness levels.

Some of our horses we had to darn near starve to death and work them like crazy to keep the weight off them suitable for showing. They would get let out in the pen only after the other horses had basically eaten it bare so they had to search for bits of grass. I felt guilty we fed some so little!

Others we had to bog the feed to. We gave them grain, mash made from sugar beet pulp, Lucerne hay and put them out on the lushest pastures and struggled to keep their weight up. We nearly had to force feed them.

People can say that it is simple matter of more going in than you need. Try living with it and it does get worse with age! I think @The Chairman is right. Losing the weight can be crazy hard especially as we age but we can mitigate the risks by making sensible decisions about when and how we dive as well as what we do prior to diving.

 

[RayfromTX]

It goes the other way too Pete. When I was carrying a beach ball tummy and was obese nobody bothered me about it. When I lost 60 pounds through counting calories I caught all kinds of grief. I can promise you skinny shaming is more prevalent than fat shaming. I had and still have people comment on my weight every day. Oh and yes, it is the hardest thing I have ever done. It continues to be the hardest thing I've ever done and I am told all the time about how being thin is so easy for some people. That may be true but it damned sure isn't for me. Giving up weed, tobacco and booze were all easier than giving up ice cream or that extra serving. If only I could draw the line at not eating one it would not be so hard. If I had to smoke three times a day to survive but not to excess I would already be dead. My throttle is broken. All on or all off.

At the moment I am up 15 pounds from my ideal weight and the battles I go through to keep my eating under control are really difficult. It is made more difficult by being surrounded by people that make comments about how I need to eat more. Imagine a recovering alcoholic constantly being told that a little wine is good for you. Oh wait, that happens too. Many people resent it when you are fit, drug and alcohol free or at your ideal weight. People talk about heavy people in general terms. When it comes to slender people, the comments are aimed more directly at the individual. Of course there are exceptions. Just speaking in cultural generalities.

I lost the 60 pounds because I was tired of being old when I was only 49. I'm not old anymore and when it comes to scuba diving I have no fear that a cardiac event will be what puts me at risk. I no longer experience chest pain during physical exertion and I've long ago been able to give up my blood pressure and cholesterol medicine along with the acid reflux medicine and 5 others. @SeaHorse81 has written a book about this subject for those that are interested.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

@SeaHorse81 has written a book about this subject for those that are interested.

Absolutely fantastic book! I have it in hard copy and on my Kindle It is all about finding the balance and not beating yourself up too!

I dunno some of the reactions to overweight get pretty personal as well. My brothers fight to maintain weight and get a rough time for being skinny. My Sisters and Mother make me look skinny but I am still loosing the battle. I use The Chairman's approach to mitigate things as much as I can as well. It is all about finding a balance that you can live with... pun intended

 

[The Chairman]

It goes the other way too Pete.

Stereotypes and bigotry should be avoided. One stereotype never justifies another.

 

[LiteHedded]

Most of the deaths in the Keys are tourists ergo, tourism is bad for your health.

I've been diving since 1969 without ever being bent. I haven't run out of gas since I started diving with an SPG. I believe that technique and an ultra conservative attitude are the reason. There are fat bigots everywhere. They don't understand obesity, they've really never dealt with it, but they have no compunction telling you how 'easy' it is to be thin. Might as well tell a blind person how to stop being blind. It's just as disgusting. Stereotypes are rarely accurate but are still widely held.

it is easy though. comparing obesity to blindness is so absurd I don't know what to do but chortle

 

[Kublai]

Absolutely fantastic book! I have it in hard copy and on my Kindle It is all about finding the balance and not beating yourself up too!

I dunno some of the reactions to overweight get pretty personal as well. My brothers fight to maintain weight and get a rough time for being skinny. My Sisters and Mother make me look skinny but I am still loosing the battle. I use The Chairman's approach to mitigate things as much as I can as well. It is all about finding a balance that you can live with... pun intended

What's the title of the book?

 

[RayfromTX]

What's the title of the book?

Babcock Counseling & Therapy Services in Canonsburg, PA, 15317 - Why We Overeat and How to Stop

 

[HBVetera n2312]

That the VAST majority of incidents on the Accidents and Incidents forum lately, all seem to be people of a certain age group. I am certainly keeping this in the back of my mind as I age further...

ME TOO!

I have found personally that now I am 49, I can afford to do more recreational diving in nicer locations with nicer equipment. Unfortunately, the body is not keeping up with my salary nor my mental capacity. I still have the mentality of a 20 year old single soldier, but the responsibility of being a husband, father, and professional.

I am still in excellent physical shape, but I do have limitations, and I believe that is the spirit of this post. Ultimately I cannot be a burden to my dive buddies because I physically can no longer do something. Now if I want to go jump out of a plane and not pull my 'chute, that's on me. But with diving, I involve the entire group who will make the effort to rescue me. I promise to always be realistic about my capabilities as a diver. It's not just about me.