Originally Posted by LapLap
I used to go out with someone who was very large (he had problems fitting into airline seats). I can say with all confidence that I ate way more than he did - and he was a vegan! Some people really don't have a choice.
Then he was probably eating in secret. Trust me on that one - I have the "small portions in public" thing down to a science.
I am overweight, obese even and I am baffled by this thread. I do not expect the airline to provide an additional space for me for free should I ever need it. I doubt I'll ever get there as I am finally learning how to eat and take care of my body. (BTW - I do fit into a regular seat as well as the RJ seats and do not need a seatbelt expander. I do not need the armrests upright and do not spell over into my seatmates seat. I'm a small person (5'1) who has a lot of padding.)
My weight battles are fought daily in my head and while I choose to eat, I do not choose to be fat, it's just a by-product of my compulsion. To compare my weight issues with my husbands experiences in a wheelchair is warped. While I could change my lot in life, he was stuck in a wheelchair for 4 months for reasons beyond his control. Trust me on this one, I much prefer the weight battle. Looking from a purely practical viewpoint, very few people are in wheelchairs compared to how many fat people there are. If the US government classifies obeisity as a disablity and requires accomadation then look out - we will all be losing space.
Being fat is unhealthy - as is smoking and drinking too much alcohol. My vice is visible while the other two can be done more covertly. But look how smoking is viewed today - mostly as dirty, disgusting and smokers lacking in self control. Obesity has similar charecteristics associated with it.
If another person small or big asked me to keep the armrest up I would decline. If the persisted, so would I. Space on a tin tube is at a premium so don't ask me to let you poach my real estate that I paid for. My neighbor where I live can't build on my property because he's outgrown his...he has to buy more land. As should a person on a plane who can't fit into the seat they purchased.