Is obesity a CHOICE?

WhoTheHellIsBen

I have wittnessed a woman well past 300lbs, crushing one of those rascal scooters in a wallmart with a basket full of Soda and cheetos, trying her hardest to reach a bag of jumbo candy hanging on a peg in the junk food aisle whilst her giant chickin wing quivered with strain.
I worked with a 6'3", 400lb man who only ate fast food and laughed about it, then claimed he had COPD not from chain smoking, ans hauling 400lbs of fat around, and living with a series of cats that were so dirty he would fill our office with dirty litterbox smell everytime he showed up, but because it was a medical condition out of his control.
I can keep going but the simple answer is, Yes, 99.9999999% obesity is a choice, when we had less of this political correctness, accept everyone no matter what crap and more accountability we had less fat, lazy, ignorant, people in the world. Say I'm insensitive all you want but it remains fact

opus649

Everyone is a victim now.

So when someone publicly insults you, you should just suck it up? That may be the way you roll, but don't expect me to lie down and take it. It's not "being a victim", it's standing up for what you believe is right.

Explain how she was "publicly" insulted.

zeebruhgirl

Watched that video, she's so inspiring! And talk about grace and poise. Love her!

AmyP619

I agree with this 100%. I don't think we consciously make the choice. I think we just kind of go about our daily routine but neglect to actually stop and THINK about what that Mcdonald's cheeseburger is going to do to my health. By not being active in your health, you're subconsciously choosing that route. You said it very well and to the point. People often use the excuse that they're addicted to food and have no willpower, and that's why they're overweight. Look at the results people get when they actually put some EFFORT into being healthy..it's amazing!

bigfatbino

Yes and No.

Yes, you choose to eat the foods that will have negative impacts on your body.
No, because many people do not know how to properly fuel their bodies.

In my case, it was my own fault. I knew pizza, beer, hot dogs, processed foods and not getting ANY exercise was bad for me. I modified my behavior, and that was 71 lbs ago.

So Yes and No. I chose to educate myself, and no I don't live that way anymore.

fishergreen

She doesn't defend why she's overweight she's just saying she is not defined by her appearance. She's gracefully using this as an example to help others who experience bullying based on their appearances. For those who are saying it's a choice you're right, but who cares. He states she's not a role model because of her appearance. Does that mean that Jillian Michaels should do the news cast instead because she eats healthy and exercises? We all make bad choices in our lives just some are more visible than others. Just because you eat clean and exercise does not necessarily make you a good role model. I care more about how you treat people. I tell my children all the time "people will not remember what designer tags you wore, how you looked but they will remember how you made them feel".

hooperkay

I think obesity is a side effect of bad choices. I don't think anyone sets out to be obese. They learn eating habits from parents and then even when they get overweight they continue to eat the same knowing they should change. It''s easier just to eat what you want than to eat healthier. There is a point that you get to, weight wise, that you do have to make a choice. The choice of do I continue to gain weight year by year or do I stop it.

nbhobbes

The point is that which our mothers used to teach us back in the ice age - if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Why does that man care so much he took the time to write and send an email? It's none of his damn business, and she was absolutely right to call him out on it. It *is* bullying behaviour and it shouldn't have any place in decent society.

The phrase, "if you don't have anything nice to say..." blah, blah, blah should be thrown out of our national cliche arsenal. It is crap designed to keep us meek and compliant when faced with the bad behavior of our betters. I prefer that people act like jerks to my face rather than act like everything is fine to my face, then talk trash behind my back.

Include the phrase, "the customer is always right," in my cliche pet peeves, too. That one also gets me hot under the collar.

Spot on..

On a side note youmight like the website www.customerssuck.com

kenazfehu

I can't speak for anybody but myself. Yes, it was a choice. I chose to eat-eat-eat instead of face my problems directly. Anything stressful and I was in the kitchen, gnawing my way through the cabinets and refrigerator like a giant caterpillar.

PinkHurricane88

I think it is definitely both. There are people who choose to eat a large amount of food, junk or not, and also choose to sit on their butt all day because they do not have the desire to workout. That can come from pure laziness, mental issues, and other factors. Then there are people who are pre-disposed to obesity, particularly children who have parents that constantly feed them junk, don't encourage playing outside or put them into activities they would enjoy. Then there are people who are having serious health issues that basically force them to be sedentary which can cause a rapid weight gain because they can barely move and do everyday tasks.

It's all about the environment people are in. A lot of people can 'choose' to not treat their bodies in a healthy manner, and then there are some people that just cannot workout due to health concerns, but can eat healthy and still weigh a ton. You have to have a delicate balance of diet and exercise to have a healthy body and lifestyle.

But to each his/her own. It is not my place to judge and I certainly would not bully because I have been a part of both circumstances.

TeachTheGirl

I actually watched the video via CNN. Small town news making the big time.

Yes, being obese is a choice. But getting healthier and dropping body-fat should be a choice too. You make a personal choice of what to eat. It should be a personal choice to if you change that.

I admire this woman for at least addressing the issue. We're ALWAYS going to have fat people/thin people/healthy people/unhealthy people in this world. Let's quit alienating one another just because we live our lives differently.

tequilasunris3

I am obese, therefore I think I should lose weight (for my health mostly, probably one of the main reasons everybody else is here too) ..however I don't think anybody else has the right to tell me that I should change.

She is obese, therefore I think she should lose weight. However I don't think anyone has the right to tell her that she should change.

There's a difference between looking at someone and thinking (or even saying out loud) "wow, they need to lose some weight" but addressing someone personally to criticise the way they look is a different story

Koldnomore

Oh goodness..apologies for the length - there were many great comments made already!

Now, there has been such a push to be 'accepting' of any and every lifestyle that there is very little motivation to better ourselves. Parents are told they are destroying their child's self esteem if they say anything about their weight or food choices. Companies are afraid to not hire someone, or to not to promote someone into a more visible position due to their weight, because they are afraid they will be sued. Kids at 10 years old are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. It is not uncommon for a 16 yr old girl to not only weigh 250 pounds, but to be nominated for Homecoming Queen. We are 'nicing' ourselves into a nationwide health crisis. We have become a nation of excess and it is killing us. We have lost the ability to tell ourselves 'NO', and insist that no one else can say it either.

This is so true.

Well then, that must mean that chain smokers who light one up no sooner than putting the previous cigarette out have chosen to possibly get cancer and that alcoholics choose to drink too much, etc. etc. on and on we could go with this particular premise.

Inaction IS a choice - glad you understand!

Seriously.. Who is the dolt that thought up the idea of it being a disease? It's not a disease, nobody ever got obese from unprotected sex. Heroin junkies aren't worried about becoming obese from sharing needles. Your mother never said put your coat on if your going to play out in the rain or you'll get obese..

I think I love you

Obesity is NOT a disease. Fat people are not 'victims'. Obesity is completely preventable AND curable and though no one decides "I'm going to be obese" the choice NOT TO ACT is just as much a choice to remain obese as having made the choice in the first place. Some people have medical issues which make it hard to control weight..it's still a choice NOT to try. There are enough people around here with every weight gain related medical issue who ARE losing weight because they have made that choice..As much as it sucks the choice to continue to take a medication which causes weight gain is also a choice - the alternative being death is obviously not a *popular* choice but it IS a choice. Likely this fact will not make me popular with many people but I gave up caring a very long time ago - that was also a choice :P

I do not think its ok for anyone to bully another. I liked that she addressed the nature of the email. I do not agree with the ending part of the video though when she compares obesity with someone's color of their skin, or sexual preference; two really big causes of bullying. These things people cannot change about themselves. We can change being obese.

It's totally NOT OK for anyone to bully another person for any reason but I agree here in that certain things like skin color, sexual preference & disabilities are definitely NOT choices and should not be lumped into the same category.

lowlevelrebel

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

This^^^^

I thought freedom of speech was you know
the freedom to speak. If you think what she is doing is wrong you have a duty to speak up about it.
I go back to my point if she was smoking on air this would not even be an issue. She would loose her job.

Freedom of speech is not freedom from criticism. He can say what he wants but 100 people can say right back that he's a bullying cowardly concern troll for saying it.

hiker359

I just watched this video thanks to a friend on facebook and it actually kind of sickened me that telling the truth is considered bullying. She admitted that she was obese, but instead went on a diatribe defending her appearance rather than trying to explain that there are changes she could make (barring some medical condition) to become healthier. She embodied the filth of 'fat acceptance' in my view.

Sure, I don't know her. I don't know her circumstances, but I do know that she could have taken a stronger stand for saying that despite being obese, there is a path to a healthier life through proper nutrition and exercise.

In most case obesity is the result of a lack of awareness of how to properly fuel your body. Our society has become one that eats too much for the amount of activity that they engage in. Being one of the people that has made this struggle, I know how hard it is to make the change, but it can be made.

The e-mail was sent to the anchorette and didn't carry what I saw as a vicious attack, but rather a calmly reasoned explanation of the reason that he felt that the woman was a bad role model. The matter was then made public when her husband posted the e-mail on facebook and then she perpetuated the publicity on television. The e-mail could have been seen as a concerned stranger who hoped that she would chose to change her life for the better; but instead she said, in essence, "How dare you try to define me by my weight?"

MFP being what it is, most of us have at some point realized that we didn't like the way we looked. We know that the content of our character is not defined by a number on the scale; however, I'd wager that most of us realized that the number on the scale was in some way correlated to the way we looked at and felt about ourselves. Because of the negative nature of this correlation, we decided that something had to change. We want to make that number go down, we want to fit into smaller clothes, we want to be able to participate in and enjoy our favorite physical activities, but our weight is somehow a hindrance to the pursuit of that enjoyment. Thus we learn and are learning how to better manage the food we eat and become more active. In some cases, we need professional assistance from a medical or nutritional expert to help us get there. We realize that obesity is, indeed, a choice and chose to reject the behaviors and habits that got us where we are/were.

NicoleisQuantized

I do agree with many points above. Everything you ingest is a choice; however, to say that there are not legitimate environmental, psychological, and/or biochemical factors that contribute to an individuals physiological state is naive. Additionally, many are missing the point of the message: every individual has worth, regardless of their physical appearance.

Many individuals on this website chose to change their lifestyle by becoming accountable for what they are eating. This woman may not yet be in a position emotionally or physically to undergo this lifestyle change. Remember, we DO NOT know her personal circumstances.

Many are delighted to offer NONJUDGEMENTAL advise and support to one another on MPF forums; can we not extend this kindness into our communities and societies?

I was overweight/ obese from a very young age into my early 20s; I was bullied incessantly. I lost 115 lbs July 2010 - March 2011 when suffering from anorexia nervosa, because I CHOSE to believe others when they told me I was worthless.

Everyone has worth regardless of their body weight, race, socioeconomic status, or country of origin.

TerrieBNLWECHANGED

The fact that the guy said "especially little girls" kinda pissed me off. Don't little boys have the same issues as little girls? or is it just that girls are less forgiven when they have a poofy belly?

He sees through the eyes of someone who has been subjected to the media's version of beauty. Since Twiggy came on the scene in the late 60s/early 70s, skin and bones have been the order of the day. Now, after seeing movie stars with protruding bones AND, thankfully, J-Lo and Kim Kardashian coming on the scene with ample figures have helped a bit in the fact that people are coming out of their anorexic comas and are beginning to realize that the curves Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe had were pretty hot.

I liked the statement one person said "no one knows what part of your journey you are on"... that's where the guy needs to jump off the cliff and keep his arrogant opinions to himself. I am almost 40 pounds lighter than I was five months ago. I have more pounds to go, but I still get made fun of when I go out to shop or what have you... and not by kids... by full grown adults (at least physically full grown adults... I am not so sure where they are mentally).

I think she should have ignored the guy completely; written him off as some ignorant, arrogant, LONELY guy who has a bad conception of what real women actually look like (not everyone was meant to be fat free like Gweneth Paltrow). Ignoring him would not have given him a platform. She now has given him a platform.

She used her issue to associate with School Bullying. If you ever have been bullied in school, you know that someone's ignorant comment and actual bullying are in two separate categories. I was bullied in high school... and it has had a profound influence on how I think of myself as an adult. I fully believe I've missed opportunities because I've always thought of myself as beneath anyone who was fit. My faults were amplified throughout the halls of my high school. Even in my senior year of high school when I shed all my weight and was fit and trim, they still associated me with the 90 pound heavier girl I was from my sophomore and junior years. When I would walk down the hall, guys would yell BOOM with every step I took. They would yell out "watch out, here comes the beached whale!". I would take different routes in the halls and be late for class just to avoid the ridicule I got on an hourly basis in between classes. Even IN class I would be picked on. Just going to my desk I would get "MOOs" until class started. I rarely escaped the ridicule. So, yeah, I would re-define her level of bullying. I just wish that people would have taken notice of bullying in the 90s when I was in school... I wonder why it has taken so long for it to come to light?

cmcollins001

Since when did voicing a personal opinion, in private (it was sent in an email and not posted on a public forum or via the news stations social media page) become bullying? Am I no longer permitted to express my opinion to someone who doesn't agree with my opinion? Well, if that's the case, tough.

Whether the guy was tactful or not, isn't the issue. The issue is, something that could have been handled with much more discretion and class has been blown out of proportion and is now a cause, and I'm referring to both sides of this argument. Now it's being spread that being obese is the same has having a different color skin and disabilities, something that can't be controlled, and in MOST cases it can be controlled. I'm fat, I'm not suffering from MS or Parkinson's. I'm fat, AND I can change that. IF the case is in fact that this news woman can not change her weight due to some medical condition, then it's simple, "Dear Sir, since you do not know me personally and you do not watch the show by your own admission, I would like to inform you that I am suffering from X disease, or I'm on X medication and under a doctors care regarding my weight. Thank you for your concern. Have a nice day." Because this has blown so out of proportion, the person who wrote the letter is now the one being bullied, but I'm sure that's OK..<insert sarcasm>...it'll teach him a lesson won't it.

People are too often crying bully this or bully that, when they just need to suck it up and get over it. People suck. People are mean. This is nothing new, and definitely not worthy of having a "month." The more you let someone get to you by their words or actions, the more you give them control of your life. I control my life, not some moron who calls me fat.

NicoleisQuantized

She used her issue to associate with School Bullying. If you ever have been bullied in school, you know that someone's ignorant comment and actual bullying are in two separate categories. I was bullied in high school... and it has had a profound influence on how I think of myself as an adult. I fully believe I've missed opportunities because I've always thought of myself as beneath anyone who was fit. My faults were amplified throughout the halls of my high school. Even in my senior year of high school when I shed all my weight and was fit and trim, they still associated me with the 90 pound heavier girl I was from my sophomore and junior years. When I would walk down the hall, guys would yell BOOM with every step I took. They would yell out "watch out, here comes the beached whale!". I would take different routes in the halls and be late for class just to avoid the ridicule I got on an hourly basis in between classes. Even IN class I would be picked on. Just going to my desk I would get "MOOs" until class started. I rarely escaped the ridicule. So, yeah, I would re-define her level of bullying. I just wish that people would have taken notice of bullying in the 90s when I was in school... I wonder why it has taken so long for it to come to light?

Definitely true.

sin485

speaking of which - this girl is going to be on the today show this morning I believe.... I'll have to see what I think after I talk to her... I think that obesity is a choice, maybe not always a conscious choice - BUT I don't think someone should be judged because of their weight. that being said, I also now think that anyone that truly loves themselves will love themselves enough to take control and make healthy choices and CHOOSE to live a healthy lifestyle.

i am not obese but i have been overweight. as she said herself she KNOWS she is obese and doesnt need anybody to tell her that. there was no need for him to clarify that for her. also talking of choices and her being an example, anyone who decides to get obese because they see her as a role model that it is THEIR CHOICE so its their fault. be it a child or an adult. some children out there actually dont know any better and they just eat what they are given. i was one of these children and i ended up overweight. i think it can have a lot to do with upbringing in some cases