Obesity Poll

info_nrs

Then it is actually 'thyroid disease' not obesity as the disease. Obesity is a SYMPTOM of many underlying diseases or conditions (whether it's stress, thryoid, food addictions, or pure laziness and gluttony) but calling the actual 'obesity' the disease is missing the point. If for instance, your thyroid wasn't checked out because the obesity itself is considered the disease, then you'd never get well. And before anyone jumps on me about the stress thing, yes, it is medically proven that constant stress can contribute to obesity (maybe not as much as sitting on the couch eating a tube of cookie dough, but it does make it hard to loose a belly!!!!) :blushing:

My doctor called it "adrenal burnout" for lack of a better term. Ten years ago, when I was first diagnosed with acute recurring pancreatitis and had NONE of the normal conditions (no congenital deformities and not alcoholic), my doctor ran a battery of tests, including cortisol level and other stress indicators. Mine were through the roof! She said this really did explain why I ballooned to 300 pounds despite not being able to eat anything of any substance most days and vomiting almost daily for two years. Made me feel even better that there was a cure for it She promptly wrote me two prescriptions. One was for an hour of exercise daily and the other was stress management purposes. (Really, she wrote a note to my mother that I had to have the time to exercise or I would die before she did! Then who was gonna take care of her?!?)

Before I get pounced about not taking care of my mother, there is wayyyyy more to that story than I care to share here.

This is exactly what I mean. . . stress DOES lead to obesity. Treat STRESS then. We need to live healthier lives, it's an all-around thing, not just 'don't eat too much'. . . nothing is THAT simple.:grumble:

ldrosophila

The government and private sector should support the fight against obesity (8216) - 31%

We gave up our rights to privacy long ago.

ldrosophila

wow that is really messed up, I bet if you did the same poll here in Canada more people would want better obesity care, we have a different mentality especially when it comes to health care.

This is what I want to know I see the typical American attitude here, but I want to know what the rest of the world thinks.

Lovdiamnd

A poll came out on Yahoo! Finance today:

How do you feel about the American Medical Association's decision to classify obesity as a disease?

The government and private sector should support the fight against obesity (8216) - 31%
Employers shouldn't be required to cover obesity treatments (5796) - 22%
Policy makers need to stay out of people's personal lives (12824) - 47%

I find it ironic that the highest percentage is a defensive response, and the lowest is the one that requires personal responsibility.

So, MFP world, what do you think? (I voted for the second one)

C: I'm not sure how you see that as a defensive response? Unless I am misunderstanding something.

MrsJ1105

I think all 3 to some degree.

I do not believe that obesity is a disease. It is an effect of something else, whether it is a thyroid, stress, or whatever.

Those that I know who are fat/obese are this way because they are lazy. They eat whatever, don't work out, and just have an F it attitude. There is nothing medically wrong with them.

I agree with the poster who said to get to the gym, get a workout DVD, get on YT, or get OUTSIDE.

Carol_L

wow that is really messed up, I bet if you did the same poll here in Canada more people would want better obesity care, we have a different mentality especially when it comes to health care.

This is what I want to know I see the typical American attitude here, but I want to know what the rest of the world thinks.

Canada...where more people rely on walk in clinics because they cannot find a general practitioner who is accepting new patients...where you can't get in to see any kind of a specialist without a referral from a general practitioner...and should you find a physician who is willing to make said referral, your waiting time is measured in multiples of months. And this is what you're headed for in America.

Don't assume that all Canadians are enamored with our irrational, rationed medical system, where access to cutting edge treatments is largely dependent on where you're located, who you know, and the whims of a largely unaccountable bureaucracy. Honestly, anyone with a potentially serious condition who can do so runs across the border to access facilities like the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I guess that option will be gone soon enough though. Given how well our Provincial governments run healthcare, the last thing I would want them to do is to start imposing lifestyle rules on me.

Yes...I am Canadian.

Lovdiamnd

Why is this being discussed on 4-5 different threads. Pay attention people grrr.:mad: Ok I need a snack. :grumble:

Big_Bad

I expect a large percentage of #3.

But I'm guessing those people also don't want taxes raised. Which is a bit inconsistent given how obesity-related illness is costing our healthcare system.

#1 for me. I don't believe in forcing anyone's hand or taking away the choice to do what you want with your body. But I certainly believe in government programs for education and obesity prevention.

JingleMuffin

Food labeling in this country is a joke. Food provided to out kids in school is fast food. People hardly cook at home anymore. I think that the govnt in charge of labeling food needs to step up and be accurate to the food were buying. Did you know when margrine was first invented before it was sold it was dyed pink? So everyone would know it was fake butter?

Its true.

theres no way to know whats GMO, the labeling doesnt require it, things like LOW FAT ellude to a product being healthy when in fact it could be incredibly proccesed/full of sugar.

xampx

One.


Jobs that make you sit on your asss for 9 hours a day should help pay for obesity treatment/help.

I sit on my *kitten* all day at work, but I go to the gym for an hour before I get there... Sitting down at work is not what made me fat!

Sarge516

Obesity is rarely CAUSED by a medical condition, it is usually caused by under-exercising and overeating.

However, once a person becomes obese, it definitely causes medical issues.

I know a woman who went to South America for surgery (gastric bypass maybe - not sure), then back twice more to have excess skin removed -- and did a bunch of FUND RAISING here at work to pay for her trips, but to this day, she takes the ELEVATOR down one floor to buy a chocolate bar twice a day from the stash for the "social" fund. She also has a "disabled" parking pass for her vehicle to get the best parking in the office. Now, I don't claim to know her medical history, but if what I think is the truth - that she became obese from overeating and not exercising -- I think she should get the parking space as far from the office as possible, and stop buying chocolate bars, and maybe go to the fully equipped, free gym we have at work, or take part in the free noon hour exercise classes. Our employer pays for a wellness coordinator to be here full time. There's no excuse for being fat where I work. None.

Oh, and before someone asks how I came to be able to lose weight, and was I overweight?

The answer is that I overate and didn't exercise, that it was my own fault, and it was due to bad habits & laziness and NOT a medical condition.

brower47

1. The government and private sector should support the fight against obesity (8216) - 31%
2. Employers shouldn't be required to cover obesity treatments (5796) - 22%
3. Policy makers need to stay out of people's personal lives (12824) - 47%

I'll vote for 1 when the government or the private sector are force feeding people into a calorie surplus.

I'll vote against 2 when employers force feed people into a calorie surplus.

I'm voting for 3 because at the moment, the decision to overeat is firmly in control of the individual as should their responsibility to fix the problem that is entirely their own doing.

aloranger7708

I work for a non-profit and part of our benefits package is the company pays for our gym membership, Curves, and Weight Watchers (if you choose to use it), and we have almost monthly weight loss challenges. It's funny because there are maybe 2 (myself included) obese people at our office.

I don't think obesity is a disease... more like a side effect of different factors.

19kat55

1. The government and private sector should support the fight against obesity (8216) - 31%
2. Employers shouldn't be required to cover obesity treatments (5796) - 22%
3. Policy makers need to stay out of people's personal lives (12824) - 47%

I'll vote for 1 when the government or the private sector are force feeding people into a calorie surplus.

I'll vote against 2 when employers force feed people into a calorie surplus.

I'm voting for 3 because at the moment, the decision to overeat is firmly in control of the individual as should their responsibility to fix the problem that is entirely their own doing.

Agree with this 100% People need to stop blaming everyone and everything for such things. I was fat. I did that to myself, no one else contributed to it. I did not have a disease. I had a failure to monitor my intake and move my body. It was me and me alone. So did I think because of my failures the government or private insurance owed it to me to give me a gastric bypass? No. I took responsibility for myself, monitored what I ate and started an exercise program. And I lost 100 pounds. All on my own. Imagine that!

ldrosophila

Obesity is a condition. It is not a disease. There is no microbe or pathogen that causes this.

Actually...

Mo Med. 2012 Sep-Oct;109(5):402-3.
Adenovirus-36 antibody status & BMI comparison among obese Missouri adolescents.
Tosh AK, Broy-Aschenbrenner A, El Khatib J, Ge B.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23097948

PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e42031. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042031. Epub 2012 Jul 25.
Association of adenovirus 36 infection with obesity and metabolic markers in humans: a meta-analysis of observational studies.
Yamada T, Hara K, Kadowaki T.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22848697

PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e41652. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041652. Epub 2012 Jul 27.
Adenovirus-36 is associated with obesity in children and adults in Sweden as determined by rapid ELISA.
Almgren M, Atkinson R, He J, Hilding A, Hagman E, Wolk A, Thorell A, Marcus C, Näslund E, Östenson CG, Schalling M, Lavebratt C.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22848557

DAM5412

I am sooo firmly in the 3rd camp: Government needs to stay of my personal life.

And I am very surprised by the number of MFP'ers who feel otherwise. This site is about health and fitness. It is about developing personal strategies to become (more) fit and healthy. No one on this site is waiting for the government or their boss to tell them how to get there and what they should do for it. No one on this site who has been successful in their fitness journey has gotten there by crediting someone else for the personal achievements. They realized they had a problem, and hey worked to fix it.

By classifying obesity as a disease, people are, once again, throwing their hands up in the air and saying "but it's not MY fault"....um, hello, yeah it is. We chose our lifestyles, what we eat, where we work (and therefore what type of environment we work in), what we eat and what we do for fun or to be (or not) active. I know there are SOME people out there who have real health issues which contribute to their being overweight, but rarely does someone become obese without having some form of control (ie if you have thyroid issue, and you don't seek treatment and still eat crap and aren't active...um, you're contributing).

I don't want the government telling me that I am fat. I don't want to open the door to them throwing a "fat" tax at me, or eliminating my choices for certain foods and activities in my community. I also don't want my health insurer being told by the government that they have to create more programs for obese participants, which will cost all participants higher premiums. I think the government and insurance companies now give enough education and options (which perhas some people need to make better use of) available as it already is.

Finally, a few quotes pulled from some of the articles:

"Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death. " Preventable death...because we have the options of making choices which will either contribute to the acceleration of these true Diseases, or help PREVENT them.

"During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States, with more than one-third of adults (35.7 percent) and approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and teens considered obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." It is not a coincidence that this increase in obesity occours as society becomes more technology focused (You can go anywhere in the world on the internet or you can go bowling with your WII)...

But here's the one which resonates the most to me:

"I have never liked the idea of characterizing obesity as a disease, because disease occurs when the body is malfunctioning," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center. "Turning surplus calories into a fat reserve is not malfunction, it is normal physiology."

DAM5412

And this... too...

1. The government and private sector should support the fight against obesity (8216) - 31%
2. Employers shouldn't be required to cover obesity treatments (5796) - 22%
3. Policy makers need to stay out of people's personal lives (12824) - 47%

I'll vote for 1 when the government or the private sector are force feeding people into a calorie surplus.

I'll vote against 2 when employers force feed people into a calorie surplus.

I'm voting for 3 because at the moment, the decision to overeat is firmly in control of the individual as should their responsibility to fix the problem that is entirely their own doing.

JUDDDing

But I'm guessing those people also don't want taxes raised. Which is a bit inconsistent given how obesity-related illness is costing our healthcare system.

What's the inconsistancy?

Don't the same people who want their healthcare to be a private matter also want to pay less taxes?

Conversely, don't the people who want healthcare to be nationalized want (someone) to pay more taxes?

RoadsterGirlie

Obesity is rarely CAUSED by a medical condition, it is usually caused by under-exercising and overeating.

However, once a person becomes obese, it definitely causes medical issues.

I know a woman who went to South America for surgery (gastric bypass maybe - not sure), then back twice more to have excess skin removed -- and did a bunch of FUND RAISING here at work to pay for her trips, but to this day, she takes the ELEVATOR down one floor to buy a chocolate bar twice a day from the stash for the "social" fund. She also has a "disabled" parking pass for her vehicle to get the best parking in the office. Now, I don't claim to know her medical history, but if what I think is the truth - that she became obese from overeating and not exercising -- I think she should get the parking space as far from the office as possible, and stop buying chocolate bars, and maybe go to the fully equipped, free gym we have at work, or take part in the free noon hour exercise classes. Our employer pays for a wellness coordinator to be here full time. There's no excuse for being fat where I work. None.

Oh, and before someone asks how I came to be able to lose weight, and was I overweight?

The answer is that I overate and didn't exercise, that it was my own fault, and it was due to bad habits & laziness and NOT a medical condition.

I wouldn't give her a damn penny, and I would encourage my co-workers to do the same. :explode:

bob_day

Obesity is a life choice, not a disease.