Finally! I have found something I can rant about that involves politics and weight loss. Please read the article below and see if you are as horrified as I am. Granted this is a family in the United Kingdom but I fear it is not long before our entitlements for everyone President makes this kind of nonsense a norm. the article can be found here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5004431/Family-who-are-too-fat-to-work-say-22000-worth-of-benefits-is-not-enough.html

My comments are in parenthesis. I will disclose that some of my comments were pilfered from others but hey, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Family who are 'too fat to work' say £22,000 worth of benefits is not enough
By Urmee Khan

Philip Chawner, 53, and his 57-year-old wife Audrey weigh 24 stones (336 pounds). Their daughter Emma, 19, weighs 17 stones (238 pounds), while her older sister Samantha, 21, weighs 18 stones (252 pounds). The family from Blackburn claim £22,508 ($32,228.30 US) a year in benefits, equivalent to the take-home pay from a £30,000 ($42,955.80 US) salary. The Chawners, haven't worked in 11 years, claim their weight is a hereditary condition and the money they receive is insufficient to live on. Mr. Chawner said: "What we get barely covers the bills and puts food on the table. It's not our fault we can't work. (Oh how I would love to blame my fat on heredity. Even if there is some truth to being “predisposed” to be heavy or have a slower metabolism I still have to take responsibility for my actions.) We deserve more." (They “DESERVE” more?!?! What on Earth did they do to DESERVE more? If the condition were truly hereditary then Mr. and Mrs. Would have to be brother and sister – or do they both have that convenient diagnosis?) The family claim to spend £50 ($71.60) a week on food and consume 3,000 calories each a day. The recommended maximum intake is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men. "We have cereal for breakfast, bacon butties for lunch and microwave pies with mashed potato or chips for dinner," Mrs. Chawner told Closer magazine. "All that healthy food, like fruit and veg, is too expensive. We're fat because it's in our genes. (Is there no one who takes personal responsibility anymore?) Our whole family is overweight," she added. Each week, Mr. and Mrs. Chawner, who have been married for 23 years, receive £177 in income support and incapacity benefit. Mrs. Chawner is paid an extra £330-a-month disability allowance for epilepsy and asthma, both a result of being overweight. Mr. Chawner gets £71 a month after developing Type 2 diabetes because of his size. He was on a waiting list for a gastric band last year, but a heart condition made the operation unsuitable. (This article is frightening on so many levels. This is exactly where we are headed with our health care.) Their daughter Samantha receives £84 in Jobseekers' Allowance each fortnight while Emma, who is training to be a hairdresser, gets £58 every two weeks under a hardship fund for low-income students. Emma, said: "I'm a student and don't have time to exercise" she said "We all want to lose weight to stop the abuse we get in the street, but we don't know how." (Ok, I call total B.S. on this load of hooey. It ain’t rocket science. I will be the first one to admit that it is hard to lose weight but the process is simple. EAT LESS. MOVE MORE. I feel disdain and disgust toward the parents and I feel pity towards the two daughters. They have obviously been brought up with the entitlement mentality and they are taking after their parents – refuse to make positive changes and blame everyone else for your problems. Pathetic. Truly pathetic.)

I've changed...

I've decided to move my blogs on my dieting woes to another url (http://stmochta.blogspot.com). I've done that because this blog is meant to be outward looking not inward looking. I'm going back to basics here and will post my rants on whatever blows my skirt up.