Is obesity a CHOICE?

Your example and what happened to this lady are two completely different things. The news castor can do something about her weight. It seems that we have come to a point in society where fat people believe that it is okay to be obese and take any comments toward them as hurtful or "bullying" tactics. The writer told her the truth and gave her good reasons on why she should shape up. He wasn't making fun of her. Obesity causes Diabetes type 2, Heart Disease, High Cholesterol, and leads to an early death. It is not okay to be fat.

Although no-one would choose to be obese, you choose what you put in your mouth, which in my opinion is the same thing.

That is not criticising anyone that is overweight; hell, I have the same problem or I wouldn't be here. But ultimately, anyone that loses weight makes the choice to start a healthy lifestyle.

Not true.This woman made the choice to becoem obese.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2117319/Mothers-bid-fattest-human-115-stone---shes-marrying-chef-help-her.html

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.

Here's my thought. Is she overweight? Yes, which she freely admitted in her response. Is this SINGLE aspect of her what defines her as a proper role model for young people? Because I see her differently. She has a great job, and has held that great job for many years. She is smart and well spoken. She has gone to college, and earned a degree. She is a wife and a mother. She is caring and compassionate. She is full of self worth, and stands up for what she believes in.

Now, I don't live in Wisconsin. I have never seen this news anchor before this story broke. I learned all of this about her in about 4 1/2 minutes. Whether she is overweight or not, I hope that my kids DO look to her as a role model. I hope that they grow up to be kind, compassionate people. I hope they grow up, and continue their educations, and get good jobs, and become productive members of society. I hope they get married and have families of their own. I hope that they are smart, and well spoken, and confident in themselves, and can handle sitiations like this with as much class and tact as she did.

I hope that my child would NEVER send an email to an absolute stranger, and tell them they are less than what they should be because of their weight. I hope that my child would never call someone fat, or judge someone based soley on their physical appearence.

Yes, he was correct in saying that she was overweight (or, what some of the other posters have kept saying, FACT). But what in the world gives him the right to say that to another person? Just because she is a TV personality, he can watch the show one time and feels he has the right to send her and email, tell her she is a horrible person, and call her fat? If I posted on my newsfeed that a complete stranger walked up to me and told me I was a bad role model to my kids because I am overweight - all of MY friends would be pissed. Because what that stranger doesn't know about me - is that while I am still overweight, I have LOST 75 pounds, the RIGHT way. I teach my kids to eat right, and to drink water, and to get off the couch and get outside and play. I run with my daughter, and play soccer with my son, and teach them about healthy eating habits. I try to teach them about being healthy, not about being skinny.

To me - SHE is the role model in this situation. HE IS NOT. In his email - he sent the message that an overweight person cannot be a role model. The message she sent in response - don't let anyone else determine your self-worth. I wish I would have learned this lesson years and years ago. I was bullied. I was called FAT. I was stood up for prom twice in highschool. I never had a date to a dance. I had food thrown at me in the cafeteria. I had notes written about me, and thrown at me in class. If only I knew then what I know now... my entire life would have been different.

Kudo's to her for sending this message - regardless of the number on her scale.

Here's his FOLLOW-UP RESPONSE after all the media attention.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/national_world&amp;id=8835044

"Kenneth Krause stood by his statements and was apparently unmoved by the response. He declined an invitation to appear on the television station, and then issued the following statement.

"Given this country's present epidemic of obesity and the many truly horrible diseases related thereto, and considering Jennifer Livingston's fortuitous position in the community, I hope she'll finally take advantage of a rare and golden opportunity to influence the health and psychological well-being of Coulee region children by transforming herself for all of her viewers to see over the next year," he wrote. "And to that end, I would be absolutely pleased to offer her any advice or support she would be willing to accept."

That last sentence he says I think summarizes his state of mind. He clearly is insensitive and that final statement sounds like a final dig. Despite hearing Jennifer's personal situation (thyroid condition; she IS active, etc.), he doesn't truly care. He has zoned in on the fact that she still LOOKS fat and that appearance disgusts HIM and HE"S got to have it HIS way, because he is after all Master of the Universe. Interestingly, he declines to appears to on TV. He doesn't think we can handle seeing his perfect body.

To a degree it is. Everything that we do is a choice, who we become is a choice... Sure we may have genetics or illnesses or chemical imbalances that work against us.... but in the end we still have the choice to go through the actions of laziness (instead of getting off our butt and exercising) and going through the actions of buying and eating food that we know isn't good for us. We have the choice to wallow in self-pity and beat ourselves up over how we look and eat that pint of ice cream and say "it doesn't matter anyway"... or we can do the complete opposite... it's all choice. That's not to say that everyone that eats right and exercises is going to be societies idea of skinny... but at least they will be healthy... and that in the end is what matters.