This looks to me like a troll, but it raises a few valid points and
links to a very interesting article, so I'll comment.

First, not everyone CAN lose weight. Some have metabolic issues that
make it impossible, and others, such as myself, have intense hunger
bought on, probably, by high insulin levels or blood sugar swings.

I was lucky; Going low carb eased of the insulin highs or the sugar
level swings, and for whatever reasons my hunger became more normal,
allowing me to lose all of my excess weight within a few months.  I
was also lucky that in my case it wasn't a lot, just 30 pounds, so
fairly easy to do. For most, the challenge is vastly more difficult,
both in amount and difficulty.  

Secondly, if someone chooses to spend their own money on treatment,
who the heck are you to tell them they can't?

Thirdly, good blood sugar control is not cheap, and the supplies
required are often not covered by insurance. So, in many cases the
poor CAN'T get the needed supplies, and without good BG control weight
loss becomes harder, far harder.

Fourth, note that the article mentions the correlation of poverty and
obesity: This is because many of the cheapest foods are among the
worst for both weight gain AND blood sugar control. It's also true
that the poor are the least able to afford the dietary changes needed
for diabetes management.

And, finally, the article itself. But, the whole thing is worth the
read, but I really found the bit below both enlightening and
frustrating.

" Yet for years, public health authorities around the country have all
but ignored chronic illnesses like diabetes, focusing instead on
communicable diseases, which kill far fewer people. New York, with its
ambitious and highly praised public health system, has just three
people and a $950,000 budget to outwit diabetes, a disease soon
expected to afflict more than a million people in the city.

Tuberculosis, which infected about 1,000 New Yorkers last year, gets
$27 million and a staff of almost 400. "

And then this shocker:
"But in 2002 , the health department found that 89 percent of
diabetics did not know their A1c levels. Of those who did, presumably
the most conscientious, four out of five had readings over the level
the American Diabetes Association says separates well-controlled from
poorly controlled diabetes."

You have a point...

Mary

You know, my disgusted friend, your post seems to be about one of the most
insensitive things I have ever read. Obviously, you have limited experience
of life, and no social skills, to be as offensive as this. Needless to say,
things from my perspective are not so simple...

Remember the song, "Amazing Grace".... It might as well be "I once was fat,
but now I'm not....."  You, like everyone, may reasonably expect to have
serious adverse health issues in your future, unless you would have us
believe you are not human. At least the folks in this NG, unless they be
trolls like you, are trying to do something positive about their health.

The fact is, no one I know, who has diabetes wants to be unhealthy, and no
one who is overwieght wants to remain that way. I know from personal
experience. I was about as overweight as anyone, before my diagnosis, and it
was only because of an educational process and groups like this that I was
able to regain control of my health, to a small degree. Being cruel and
making snyde, useless posts never helped anyone. Education, research, and
sharing of information in a sensitive and caring way makes a world of
difference, on the other hand.

They say life is a terminal illness. No one survives. I guess that means you
should not get any care, either, no matter what should befall you....

Forgive me if I appear to be too harsh. But, you need to think carefully
about what you are saying, before you post such offensive rubbish as this.
Maybe you were intoxicated, or something, but I would respectfully suggest
that you think before you post in the future.

Will, T2