story about obesity on NPR this morning

violon

Did anyone hear this? I thought it was very courageous for this woman to agree to be interviewed and broadcast for millions to hear her story.

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/25/138606501/one-womans-struggle-to-shed-weight-and-shame

Edestiny7

I love NPR and I did hear it. And I was thinking, 'I wonder if she knows about myFitnessPal?'.

veganjeanie

Yes, I agree that was brave of her, but she also said things to not take responsibility for her choices, like it wasn't all her fault because of plentiful availability of fattening processed foods. No one made her (or me!) eat all that stuff, it was entirely our own bad choices.

peacehawk

I heard it too, and I thought the same things. I was thinking, she is struggling at 300 pounds, and I got up to 299 and panicked and started MFP, and am so glad I did. souds like she has been working really hard and struggling with some of the same issues as me. I wanted to call NPR and tell them to tell her about MFP!

Jeneba

LOVE NPR!!! I was surprised because this isn't your ordinary Morning Edition type story! But - it is an increasing epidemic in the US and I am really happy to have been listening. If you go to the website, you can see her photos. She looks really active & energetic, so hope this will help her combat her "tendencies." We ALL have them. Wish her the best!

slp2112

Yes, no one made her eat those things, but she does live in a country where those things are far less expensive than, say, the ingredients for a salad. Additionally, I think her point is that there are some genetic/psychiatric components that are not all the same for everyone, e.g. it might be easier for some of us to resist the bag of chips on the counter, to avoid the plate of brownies at work, etc. And for her - due to genetics or environment (like how she was raised) - that's a much harder struggle. I kind of always liked the way Jackie Warner talked about this. She always said, it's not your fault if your fat, but it IS your fault if you stay that way. And this woman seems to be working pretty hard to try and drop her weight.

Other favorite quote from that piece: "If there were an easy solution [to being overweight], Oprah would have bought it." So true.

melsinct

Thank you for the link, very interesting!

violon

I kept thinking that it sounds like she needs a professional to give her some guidance.. Maybe a dietitian or someone to coach her. It's hard to do it all on your own, which is what it sounds like she's trying to do. Support helps!

tammykoon

I think she is right about the population being more harsh towards obese people. I have seen a change in the past few years and it's not a good one. Yes, everyone is intitled to their opinion but do they have to share it with the world. I have been called names, by strangers, to my face. Once I was told that the management of the restauarnt I was eating at should not let people like me in because seeing someone as fat as me ruins their appetites and is bad for business.

Yes, it is ultimately my fault that I have remained morbidly obese. That however should not excuse common decency.

veganjeanie

That however should not excuse common decency.

Absolutely. In general, civility and common courtesy has been valued less and less in recent years. It's frightening.