Is obesity a CHOICE?

aliann30

I highly HIGHLY doubt that young girls will think that it's "cool" to be obese, just from seeing an obese reporter on tv. There is WAY too much media setting unrealistic ideals for way too young an audience. As a woman, you pretty much get bombarded with images of perfection from the time you pick up a Barbie.

Frankly, I don't care whether or not it's her fault for being obese. The man's intentions may have been in the right place, but saying that you can't be a good role model because of your weight is iffy to me. We all have our issues, and for the person who doesn't...well then I guess there's the perfect role model, right?

I think she was dead on for standing up against bullying, because there IS a line between "trying to help" and bullying. A TON of people hide behind "trying to help" when they are really only trying to highlight your issues to boost their own self esteem.

chljlleal

Just out of interest how would you react if she was criticised for being too thin? and therefore a role model for anorexia (or other just as serious eating disorders)

aliann30

Freedom of speech doesn't mean you have a 'duty' to go around telling people how to live their lives or to criticize them. You are welcome to do so if you cannot control yourself, but then you must deal with the consequences of being an insensitive a-hole. Her bosses obviously knew she wasn't a size 2 when they hired her, her job isn't to model bikini's, it is to report the news.

^^^ THIS!!!

RiverManUK

Freedom of speech or not, no one has the right to criticize, judge or bully another person.

This is so wrong I have to comment.
I agree that I don't necessarily have a right to judge or bully another person.
...However...
Without the right to freely criticize then there can be no freedom of speech. Being criticized is NOT the same as being judged or bullied.

angelique_redhead

My friend has put on loads of weight due to the medication she needed to beat cancer - it is not always a choice. She hates her weight at the moment but the Dr's have said it will take over a year for her body to get back to normal and for her to be able to start losing the weight. People have been very cruel to her - strangers commenting on her food choices at the supermarket etc.

It's disgusting that people feel it's ok to bully people for being fat - it isn't always a choice. Please remember that.

PS she has beaten the cancer :bigsmile:

My sister has the same problem.... she is on 32 tablets a day some of them Steroids because she had a kidney transplant 25 years ago. She then developed Diabetes and Osteoporosis.. She used to be a size UK 8 she is now a UK 28. She hates her weight and lives on approx 1200 calories a day as directed by her dietitian, but her weight still goes up by about 1lb a year now which is a great improvement on what is was when she first started her medications. She attends hospital on a regular basis and they state it is simple.... she takes the meds and the weight problem and lives or stops the meds her weight will go down and she will be dead within 6 months....NO Brainer. !!!! It annoys the hell out of me to here people slagging off over weight people. Yes some of them choose to be that way others don't and unfortunately there is no way of telling them apart from the outside. I once heard a chap on the radio saying obese people no mater why they are like that should not be allowed to travel on any form of public transport, be that buses or airplanes.... if it had been left to him anyone over weight would have been shut away in a room out of the public eye. >>.RANT Over>>> !!! Grrrrrrr

^These! I did not choose to become overweight. My thyroid bottomed out after my first child and I ballooned. I have been under 200 exactly twice since then after being put on medication and exercizing. Now it is difficult for me to exercize but I try. Luckily most folks are used to seeing fat 54 year old women so I don't catch a lot of ****! When I want their opinion I'll ask them for it though. You don't see me asking.

JoolieW68

Freedom of speech or not, no one has the right to criticize, judge or bully another person.

This times 1000.

It really doesn't matter if it's a choice or not, in this case. The jack@ss that wrote that letter to her admitted he doesn't even watch the show so 1) why the hell bother with writing a letter to her, and 2) why the hell bother with writing a letter to her? IT'S HER F*CKING LIFE, not his.

Do I think she is a good role model? I don't know - is she kind, caring, honest, helpful, and thoughtful? If so, then I don't give 2 sh!ts if she's overweight.

tejasmh87

Now, I am choosing to eat healthier, watch calories, fat and carbs and I am losing weight. Imagine that, I make conscious choices for better health and I am getting healthier. I don't think anyone INTENTIONALLY gets heavy but when we neglect ourselves and our diets, we are making a choice to become overweight.

Well said. :flowerforyou:

For me this rings soo true. My problem was my family did not have a grasp on healthy nutrition. I never learned how to eat properly or proper foods as a young kid. Later I discovered that I didn't have that "I'm full" hormone trigger. It wasn't until my early 20s that I LEARNED healthy eating habits, proper portions because I WANTED too.

I didn't choose Obesity growing up. My parents didn't watch what they ate and they didn't see an overweight kid when they looked at me (which I was). We didn't own a scale until I bought one.

HOWEVER, I did have the choice to either stay in the dark, eat all the junk I want and not care or I could learn the right way of eating and healthy weight loss. I have the choice to control what I put into my mouth and change my lifestyle.

So I think overall you have a choice but it all depends on if you SEE the existance of a choice. Cave Allagory anyone?

fraser112

Just out of interest how would you react if she was criticised for being too thin? and therefore a role model for anorexia (or other just as serious eating disorders)

Thats the point i was making. If it was cannabis/ *kitten*/ or any non fat related weight peroblem the presenter would have lost her job.
Its making one persons choice ok but arresting someone for doing the same.

NataBost

I think it is and it isn't. There are plenty of disorders, psychological or endocrine, that can contribute to obesity. While the psychological ones may seem like choices, they're obviously viewed negatively and attached with many negative stigmas, when in reality, eating is a coping mechanism for some people.

So is it a choice? It kind of is if you take away the endocrine disorders and psychological coping. Then again, think about how easy it is for us to gain access to certain foods or to eat the foods we "like to eat". Eating feels good, but we have to teach ourselves how to eat and when to stop our cravings. It's very much a choice to adopt a healthy life style as it is to stay with an unhealthy one.

Well stated. I've been watching a lot of documentaries on Netflix streaming regarding the food industry. We are getting so many mixed messages it's exhausting. You'll see commercials for fast food where people are having a good time, like say... for Pizza Hut's stuffed crust pizza, then later on, you'll see fit/beautiful people on a Sandals commercial. But, how can you get that physique if you eat Pizza Hut and drink Budweiser? Hey! Just take this new pill!

We're fed into the concept that if we get overweight, we can chase it away EASILY. We love the instant gratification. But when the pounds don't fall off immediately, we get discouraged. And when we get discouraged, we feel empty and depressed. And when we feel that way... back to Pizza Hut we go. Funny, huh?

Obesity has a LOT of factors. I think if we improved education, public transportation, treatment for mental health and our workplace environments, it wouldn't be such an epidemic. I say transportation and work because I have a decent commute, then I sit for hours on end. I now try to make it a point to get up several times a day to fill my water bottle and if I need to use the Ladies' Room, I go down a flight of stairs. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

[Edited for flow. Sorry, it's early ]

navydentalchic

bump

bluefox9er

Freedom of speech or not, no one has the right to criticize, judge or bully another person.

^^ this ^^

jamcnabb

People who are obese feel bad enough about themselves, they don't need someone random stranger emailing them about it. If it was a guy, no one would even mention it!

The guy wasn't giving her "advice", he was just being a jerk.

newhabit

hard to say on this. we choose how we eat. we choose whether we are active or not. sometimes that results in obesity. other times, it doesn't. i'm sure we all know people who can eat whatever they want and don't exercise and they are not obese. and then we know people who watch what they eat and try to exercise as much as they can and they still remain overweight. i am not sure it's a choice... i guess it depends on the person's genetics, metabolism as well as their food and exercise choices. some things you can control, other things you can't.

soulfulsally

First of all, I watched the youtube video and have only admiration for this news anchor. I'd say if anything her well-spoken rebuttal to that guy's derogatory email makes her an excellent role model, especially to young girls. But I don't watch news anchors for their bodies. I watch to get the news. (Imagine that!)

Anyway...Is obesity a choice? Sure, why not? LIfe is a series of choices, and we all have our reasons for making them, right or wrong.

lstnlondry

I am so happy I am not alone on my feelings about this subject.

FirefitMike

Yes...and no. You can be overweight and healthy. There are some who exercise, eat well, and yet are considered obese. There are also those who do none of those things and only complain about their condition.

Part of the problem is the images we are shown everyday...take a look at a Men's Health cover then look at pictures of a "strong man" from 50 years ago. Or look at the images girls think they are supposed to look like.

We need to focus more on what we are doing and less on what we look like.

mcrowe1016

The part that really bothered me about his email was when he said that she was especially a bad role model for girls, reinforcing the idea that it is better for men to be overweight as opposed to women.

However, I will say that the freedom of speech kind of does give you the right to criticize. The entire idea of freedom of speech was so people could speak against the government without fear of being arrested. So did this man have the right to send this email? Yes. Is he an idiot? Yes. Am I bullying him by calling him an idiot? Yes.

Nillia2

Interesting question
I was shocked recently when I saw a Dr.OZ show and they were (morbidly) obese women there that said it was there choice. Apparently people compete to be the largest woman in the world....Dr.OZ even offered them FREE help, and 2 of them walked away and some jus stayed because they were curious.

Needless to say I was mortified...i would love some FREE help from Dr.OZ and his team anyday.

Other than that...I dont tink it is a choice but jus something that happens, and each one of us reaches their aha moment at different times. Some people are 'fine' with how they look..and you never know she might be trying but find it hard to lose..I know many of us on here have yo-yo dieted before. As to a bad role model.....i don't know..but i think young children look to their parents first for guidance..just my view

myth4ever

.....funny how people can point out other peoples shortcomings, but for some reason their own issues don't seem to register as if they are looking at their own life in a funhouse mirror or with rose colored glasses.

HURT people....Hurt people, no one wants to be in misery along we all should share some pain!

Sometimes I wonder how hard is it to work on your own damn problems or if you see a problem in the world HELP FIX IT instead of pointing out the obvious!!!!! Yeah you are getting the "I discovered America" award........

Off10h8ed

Someone here brought up a thyroid problem. I have hypothyroidism. I learned about it about 4 years ago. Yes, it can cause quite a bit of weight gain but all is not lost. I try to go lower carb (but well above the 100g to stay healthy) and higher protein. You CAN lose weight with a thyroid issue, it is just more challenging and most doctors will tell you that. I will agree with that. However, after learning of my issue, I continued to eat the way I was eating for the past 4 years and THAT is why I topped 213 lbs. I am down 23 lbs now. It can be done. It is a matter of finding what works for you and making the right choices. It isn't easy, but it is doable. I hope you can find something that works for you.

On another note, this thread was asking if being obese was a choice. It asked nothing about bullying. That is just hateful and there is no justification for it for ANY reason in my opinion.