Why is obesity considered deviant behavior?
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You truly have no clue what growing up with my father and grandparents was like. I ate what they made me eat or starved growing up. For some people you werent given a choice about nutrition or knowledge at an early age.
Everyone needs to take responsibility for their own health.
This!!!!!!! No one put a gun to our heads and force us to eat!!!!!!
Maybe not, but you have a choice now.0 -
People do have choices, have you ever been somewhere with a buffet. A lot of people never even look at the salad bar. They instead fill their plate over and over again with fried, carb, fat, filled food. Then they go for desert. Eating more in one sitting then most eat in a day.
I am overweight and know one made me eat, i did it all on my own.
Its not an illness its a choice!!0 -
Really? Really?!To everyone claiming that nutritious food is out of reach for poorer people: Hit up a 99 Cent store. I've never seen one in the south but when I was visiting my brother in California earlier this year I was intent on cooking my own meals to keep up eating well. We made a stop at a 99 Cents store to pick up trash bags or something and ended up getting nearly a month's worth of groceries for 3 people for under 40 bucks (and my boyfriend and my brother pack it away). That bill included fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese, bread-- basically everything but meats (we picked those up elsewhere the night before) although they had some meats. Maybe I'm way off but I would think that is no insurmountable sum of money. You just need to look around.
Shhh! Stop saying people should put in a minimal amount of effort to take care of themselves. It HAS to be someone else's fault!!0 -
and I am obviously doing a good job of it. But I have a long ways to go.
You truly have no clue what growing up with my father and grandparents was like. I ate what they made me eat or starved growing up. For some people you werent given a choice about nutrition or knowledge at an early age.
Everyone needs to take responsibility for their own health.
This!!!!!!! No one put a gun to our heads and force us to eat!!!!!!
Maybe not, but you have a choice now.0 -
ADHD, Bipolar Disorder and a considerable amount of cancers are not self inflicted or self imposed. Whereas obesity, more often than not, is self imposed.
I also respectfully disagree somewhat with your position that obesity is not a character flaw. In my opinion all addictions in part are character flaws. The addicted has exercised poor judgment or ignorance to the truths of the substance and lacked the self control or willpower to prevent, or in hindsight, remedy the situation. How is it anything other than a series of character flaws?
No one feeds me but me. I am fat because I made me fat. Not a disease, not an evil corporation, not a lack of intervention from the government, and certainly not because enough money hasn't been thrown at it. I am 100% responsible for getting myself here, and I'll take 100% of the responsibility and credit for getting myself out of here.
Agreed. People have to speak with their dollars. No company would ever stay in business if the public was not demanding their product. Nor is it the Government's place to regulate what/how much I eat. I really think the obesity epidemic is a lack of information and/or tools. Obviously I knew that i needed to eat less and move more. I just didn't know how. It took me a long time to figure out the skills needed to be successful. It is a learning process. I had to want to make a change. No one could force me to do it. Someone that really wants to make a change will SEEK out the information/tools. Just make that information/resources more accessible. DEMAND the products/services/information/skills you want and the supply will come.
Yeah, I grew up poor. Yea, I came from a situation that if i didn't eat when it was there it meant i would go hungry. I had some bad habits. When i got older i used food to medicate. The availabilty of food meant that i was safe. I had to retrain the way i approached food. I really just want to see people be more PROACTIVE in their own lives. Don't Whoooah is me. Get up and do something about it.0 -
A fat adult is a person whose life history is written on their body- they've failed. They've failed themselves.0
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I think its time we put more money into curing stupidity.0
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No one is forcing people to eat at Mcdonalds or other fast food places. The "cure" for obesity is eat less move more. But I agree that often times, the emotional part of why someone overeats must be addressed.
As was commented in the original post in this thread, the underlying reasons as to why a person is oveweight/obese need to be addressed. I firmly believe that the body is a finely tuned machine, capable of self regulation in most circumstances. As with any machine, if you throw a wrench into the gears, something is going to break down and the natural self-regulation/balance is disrupted. I do agree that the reason why we are overweight/obese is because we are inputting more calories that are being used by our systems, but until you stop and pull that wrench out of there (addressing the underlying reasons as to why we're not treating our bodies as we should), you'll never have a permanent solution to an individual's difficulty with overeating.
In any capitalist economy, I do not think that it is right for the government to try to force regulation on businesses so as to change the way that the public eats. Instead, I would like to see the public demand a healthier alternative. Specifically, I would like to see more local produce sold and consumed locally (ie. Farmers' Markets, Agricultural cooperations, community gardens, etc.). Education about nutrition or ignorance (another wrench in the machine) about it makes all the difference in what we see in the grocery store. The consumer has the power.0 -
1. Treating smokers with ridicule and disgust has helped to reduce the number of smokers. Same should apply to obesity. Don't underestimate the power of societal pressure.Obesity is an epidemic that will only get worse if we treat it with ridicule and disgust.
If I knew the world accepted me as a fat person, I'd be a lot less motivated to stop being fat.0 -
I think its time we put more money into curing stupidity.
+10 -
Really? Really?!To everyone claiming that nutritious food is out of reach for poorer people: Hit up a 99 Cent store. I've never seen one in the south but when I was visiting my brother in California earlier this year I was intent on cooking my own meals to keep up eating well. We made a stop at a 99 Cents store to pick up trash bags or something and ended up getting nearly a month's worth of groceries for 3 people for under 40 bucks (and my boyfriend and my brother pack it away). That bill included fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese, bread-- basically everything but meats (we picked those up elsewhere the night before) although they had some meats. Maybe I'm way off but I would think that is no insurmountable sum of money. You just need to look around.
Shhh! Stop saying people should put in a minimal amount of effort to take care of themselves. It HAS to be someone else's fault!!
Really.
Oh I'm sorry, I forgot. It's genetics/your family/society/restaurants/the government/food addiction. Any thing at all but the person putting too much food in their bodies and not enough exercise. Who knew running was a good thing? It's unfair that everyone's been keeping that huge secret for years.
People willfully choose to ignore what they've always known. If you're overweight you should work out and eat better. That's it. No secret. Not much knowledge that needs to be passed on. Most people have had physical education and health class throughout their developmental years. The information is out there, readily available to everyone. People choose to ignore it to remain as they are. I know I did for decades.
Once you realize the choice is yours, that you're in control of your life, you can make real changes.
Everything else is just an excuse.0 -
Really? Really?!To everyone claiming that nutritious food is out of reach for poorer people: Hit up a 99 Cent store. I've never seen one in the south but when I was visiting my brother in California earlier this year I was intent on cooking my own meals to keep up eating well. We made a stop at a 99 Cents store to pick up trash bags or something and ended up getting nearly a month's worth of groceries for 3 people for under 40 bucks (and my boyfriend and my brother pack it away). That bill included fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese, bread-- basically everything but meats (we picked those up elsewhere the night before) although they had some meats. Maybe I'm way off but I would think that is no insurmountable sum of money. You just need to look around.
Shhh! Stop saying people should put in a minimal amount of effort to take care of themselves. It HAS to be someone else's fault!!
Me? Yes really. The bill came to around 37 dollars. Obviously, the selection wasn't as good and it would've been more if you included meats, but, there you go. I have no clue why it was so cheap, but it was. I also find shopping at ethnic super markets cut cost too-- we bought our meat from an Asian supermarket and it was pretty cheap-- didn't beat the 40 dollar excursion but, hey. It didn't taste off and nobody got sick off it so... yeah. Do-able.
ETA: And I realize not everyone has the ability/ time/ whatever to look around. I'm not suggesting that. That's why I posted what I did. Hopefully somebody who needs that information can make use of it.0 -
Fighting obesity means telling Companies how and what to sell to the customer.. that isn't going to happen with the current state of government in the US.. look at all the crazies in NY when you try to limit their soda intake.. or parents that complain the government is telling them how to feed their kids (or trying to make healthy meals at school)..
Its going to start with people taking responsibility for themselves, and as we all know that will never happen..
That's communism, you can have that in many other countries, I'll take my freedom of choice and make good ones... thanks.
YES. Thank you.
Seriously? The government needs to tell companies how & what to sell consumers, parents how to feed their kids, and restaurants that they can't serve a certain amount of soda? How is ANY of that "people taking responsibility for themselves"?
Good gravy, people. We're all responsible for our own choices AND the consequences of those choices. I'll pass on the government hand-holding.0 -
So basically obese people are choosing to engage in activities which quite literally could and will lead to their deaths?
Given that the overriding biological imperative is survival that theory seems distinctly like utter rubbish to me...
How is it not " choosing to engage in activities which quite literally could and will lead to their deaths" when they are choosing to eat larger proportions than necessary, choosing to not exercise? I don't understand you logic on how that is rubbish. Overeating and lack of exercise cause health problems that cause death, yet they still choose to overeat and not work out...
To me a free choice means being able to consider two options and then consciously pick the one which is rationally in your best interests. Obese people are therefore making choices which will lead to their premature deaths, huge amounts of social stigma and generally being miserable.
For me that doesn't sound like a decision anyone would truly choose to make unless on an unconscious level something was impairing that, be that psychological or physiological or both.
Eat less, move more. Seems simple right? Then why is this mantra which is so widely touted and so much public money being used to promote such an abject failure in terms of long term weight maintenance? I can't remember the exact figures but I think I read a stat that 98% of kids who are obese at the age of 18 remain so for the rest of their lives or that only 10% of people who manage to lose a significant portion of weight keep it off for over 5 years.
If obesity has reached record levels and the answer is merely eat less move more it tends to suggest that people in the last 30 years when the obesity epidemic started rolling have either become a lot more stupid, irresponsible, weak willed and so on. I don't believe that at all. It's utterly facile.0 -
*lights up*
Orly? Tell me all of your disgusting habits. Let me shame you for them, then you can tell me how that makes you feel.
Shaming someone into losing weight will do nothing but destroy whatever little self esteem they have left.
Also, you're a peach if you truly believe that ridiculing and shaming someone into doing what *you* want them to do is the right way to go about life.
The high school mean girls club called. They want their tactics back.
Srs. The change in attitude toward smoking in the US *did* impact the number of smokers. If obese people weren't allowed to eat fast food inside, that would begin to gradually change the number of obese people.
Whether it's good or bad is debatable but the fact is that the demonization of smoking and smokers has had a HUGE impact on the number of smokers - it's taxed out the *kitten*, it's barred indoors, and all because it's grown to be considered "societally unacceptable".
I think it's completely reasonable that the obese be treated the same way. Overtaxed, marginalized, excluded, and treated as something less than a person - rude comments made freely toward them because our society just doesn't stand for it anymore.
It works.
You need to read the actual research study on this not one little article.
Anyways! there are so many wrong people on this that I cant respond to all of you wrongies!
First, OP lovely I like your insight.
Second, there is a large sum of money that is put into obesity research because it is so lucrative.
Third, the reason it is treated like deviant behavior is because honestly the educated people who study and research obesity have NO IDEA what is going on.
They can't explain really why there is a sudden epidemic, there are a thousand different studies the refute each other, there's a million different mechanisms to explain or theorize the development of obesity, there's a gazillion approaches to counter obesity, and when you look at the raw facts there is no cure for obesity.
It is truly the redheaded stepchild of diseases.
Thats why nice thought provoking post though OP.
PS-The person who cure obesity will be the richest person ever!0 -
So basically obese people are choosing to engage in activities which quite literally could and will lead to their deaths?
Given that the overriding biological imperative is survival that theory seems distinctly like utter rubbish to me...
How is it not " choosing to engage in activities which quite literally could and will lead to their deaths" when they are choosing to eat larger proportions than necessary, choosing to not exercise? I don't understand you logic on how that is rubbish. Overeating and lack of exercise cause health problems that cause death, yet they still choose to overeat and not work out...
To me a free choice means being able to consider two options and then consciously pick the one which is rationally in your best interests. Obese people are therefore making choices which will lead to their premature deaths, huge amounts of social stigma and generally being miserable.
For me that doesn't sound like a decision anyone would truly choose to make unless on an unconscious level something was impairing that, be that psychological or physiological or both.
Eat less, move more. Seems simple right? Then why is this mantra which is so widely touted and so much public money being used to promote such an abject failure in terms of long term weight maintenance? I can't remember the exact figures but I think I read a stat that 98% of kids who are obese at the age of 18 remain so for the rest of their lives or that only 10% of people who manage to lose a significant portion of weight keep it off for over 5 years.
If obesity has reached record levels and the answer is merely eat less move more it tends to suggest that people in the last 30 years when the obesity epidemic started rolling have either become a lot more stupid, irresponsible, weak willed and so on. I don't believe that at all. It's utterly facile.
THANK YOU! The point isn't "blaming" someone else for our problems at all, it's understanding the problem better and finding solutions that work on a population level! Eat less, move more isn't "wrong", but you have to admit, statistics are showing over and over again that it isn't enough to get this trend to change overall. If you respond to this saying it was enough for you, you have missed the point entirely!0 -
Why is obesity considered deviant behavior when we throw gobs of money at research for cures of ADHD, Bipolar disorder, cancer, etc. but almost none towards obesity? Obesity is an epidemic that will only get worse if we treat it with ridicule and disgust. It isn't a character flaw of someone that causes them to be obese. Obesity isn't deviance but a disease (like alcoholism) of sorts and if treated properly can be cured. By properly I mean addressing physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional needs of the obese person. McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King among others contribute mightily to the obesity problem.
As a society we also have to demand healthier products from the Food Industry and call the Food Industry on their so-called research to prove additives such as MSG and HFCS are safe. By making demands, I don't mean passing laws but refusing to eat at establishments that use trans fats, too much sugar, HFCS, and MSG. Hit the Food Industry where it counts - in the wallet. Americans need to take a more active role in their health and know that a pill will not cure everything.
It's already widely known that to be healthy you must "eat right and exercise". No gobs of money need to be thrown into studies to show what we already know. The problem is that a lot of people want an instant fix, instant gratification. They hear that you have to work for their health and they don't want any part of it. They choose to eat things that are, again, well known to be unhealthy. McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell, In-N-Out, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Cold Stone Creamery [it goes on and on and on] ... they're just meeting a demand from the public. Let's not blame them for an inability to exert self control.0 -
Why is obesity considered deviant behavior when we throw gobs of money at research for cures of ADHD, Bipolar disorder, cancer, etc. but almost none towards obesity? Obesity is an epidemic that will only get worse if we treat it with ridicule and disgust. It isn't a character flaw of someone that causes them to be obese. Obesity isn't deviance but a disease (like alcoholism) of sorts and if treated properly can be cured. By properly I mean addressing physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional needs of the obese person. McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King among others contribute mightily to the obesity problem.
As a society we also have to demand healthier products from the Food Industry and call the Food Industry on their so-called research to prove additives such as MSG and HFCS are safe. By making demands, I don't mean passing laws but refusing to eat at establishments that use trans fats, too much sugar, HFCS, and MSG. Hit the Food Industry where it counts - in the wallet. Americans need to take a more active role in their health and know that a pill will not cure everything.
People are not forced to eat at restaurants as a matter of fact it is cheaper to buy groceries than it is to eat out so I wish people would stop saying that they cannot afford to buy healthy stuff. Most people that I have come across that say they cannot afford to eat healthy are the same people that will always have money for booze and smokes. I can understand people not having the money to go to a gym but walking and running are free.0 -
My opinion....
People in this country are way too busy blaming something or someone else for things that are within their own control. The only person who controls what we put in our mouths is us.
This OP is just another example of such a mentality.
Peace.0 -
Why is obesity considered deviant behavior when we throw gobs of money at research for cures of ADHD, Bipolar disorder, cancer, etc. but almost none towards obesity?
That's not true at all. There is plenty of research being done on obesity, and that's a good thing. Not only is obesity a complicated physiological phenomenon that involves behavior, stress, hormones, gut microbes, sleep, and more, but there are profits to be made! Do a Google Scholar search and educate yourself on the very latest studies!
Yes, people can be unfairly judgmental about obesity. The science suggests that a lot of things beyond simple behavior have a role in body fat.0
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