'I have obesity'

Sometimes I feel like people these days look for over complicated ways to explain the most simplest of things such as this.. Obesity is not a disease, it is a state in my opinion. You become obese via poor lifestyle decisions.

I would love to hear more of an explanation from the experts regarding their rationale for classifying obesity as a disease. Could be just so that it has a higher classification of diagnosis, which means that insurance would cover treatment for the obesity itself, not just for the health issues it causes down the road. I am a mental health professional and hope that this will help us provide services to people who want therapy and other forms of mental health treatment for the purpose of losing weight and figuring out what is behind the overeating. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy are both very helpful in helping people address the emotional and cognitive aspects of overeating or making poor lifestyle choices. To my knowledge, at present insurance would not cover these services unless there are other mental health issues. Hopefully that will change if obesity has a different classification.

That being said, I do think that more explanation is necessary. I would hate for people to misunderstand and take it to mean that they can't do anything about it or that it is something out of their control. I have heard many people use this rationale for alcoholism and drug abuse. Yes, people say it is a disease. Some people are more prone to developing drinking problems or becoming addicted to drugs. But it isn't something that just happened to you without you making choices to get you there.

I don't see it as someone "having obesity" in the same way that someone has a genetic disease. The way I look at it is that obesity has previously been seen as only a lifestyle problem but we know that it really goes hand in hand with many other health problems. Rather than focus on the specific symptoms that accompany obesity (high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and so on) we can look at the underlying factor and hopefully prevent the other problems in the first place as well as improve the effectiveness of treatment for those problems. Looking at the whole system of the body and lifestyle rather than each individual part.

It is not a disease. It is an addiction to food.

omg i have obesity! i did not know i was diseased!

Thank the gods, now i can go to the doctor and get a medication for my obesity and i will be cured!

erm... yes i have obesity cos i'm a lazy git who eats too much anything in one go! Abit like reverse anorexia, oh wait, that's binge eating and is already recognised as an eating disorder.

i'm just too proud to get professional help for it and instead help myself by also being addicted to exercise. works pretty well.

It is a disease in that it is an impairment of normal physiological function affecting all or part of the body.

People can argue (rather poorly) over the causes of the impairment but that does not take away from the cascade of medical impairments associated with obesity.

I would say 99.99% of the time its an addiction to food. I have yet to meet an obese person who did not overeat.

it is categorized as a disease now

I get that people have various reasons for being overweight (esp in cases of childhood obesity) but this is someone who is refusing to accept any fault for the fact that is/was overweight.

He ate too much, didn't exercise enough... maybe he even has a medical condition that makes it difficult to lose weight but to claim it was some disease, like cancer, that he has little/no control over is a cop out.

This is just an excuse.

I see the point though.

There are research articles stating that even years after losing a lot of weight, a formerly obese person's brain still behaves like before, and it takes a lot of effort and willpower not to pile on the pounds and end up back at square one. Like being a recovered alcoholic...you're only one pint away from where you started.

In that sense it is almost like a disease of the mind.

People have done studies into leptin receptors (which control satiety in the brain) and these are also disordered in many obese people so that they do not feel full after eating 'normal' amounts of food. Their stomachs are also larger (usually to accommodate the years of overeating) so they don't get that stretch which again releases hormones to signal satiety.

Also, a lot of obese and overweight people lose lean body mass when they diet, so when they are smaller, their energy requirements are lower than would be for a person of a similar size and activity level who was never overweight.
The studies say that the best ways to combat these tendencies are regular vigorous exercise and weigh-ins.

Don't get me started on our obesogenic environment and lifestyles of convenience, with readily available and affordable calorie-dense, addictive food with little nutritional value.

These are not excuses, just the reality of the situation.

high calorie deficits + cardio = muscle loss and skinny fat syndrome

the solution is NOT vigorous cardio exercise (my inference of your meaning) and weigh-ins. the solution is eating sufficient amounts of protein (meeting or exceeding the 0.85g/lb LBM recommendation) and lifting heavy weights. in addition, trying to keep your calorie deficit as moderate as possible is advisable.

I see the point though.

There are research articles stating that even years after losing a lot of weight, a formerly obese person's brain still behaves like before, and it takes a lot of effort and willpower not to pile on the pounds and end up back at square one. Like being a recovered alcoholic...you're only one pint away from where you started.

In that sense it is almost like a disease of the mind.

People have done studies into leptin receptors (which control satiety in the brain) and these are also disordered in many obese people so that they do not feel full after eating 'normal' amounts of food. Their stomachs are also larger (usually to accommodate the years of overeating) so they don't get that stretch which again releases hormones to signal satiety.

Also, a lot of obese and overweight people lose lean body mass when they diet, so when they are smaller, their energy requirements are lower than would be for a person of a similar size and activity level who was never overweight.
The studies say that the best ways to combat these tendencies are regular vigorous exercise and weigh-ins.

Don't get me started on our obesogenic environment and lifestyles of convenience, with readily available and affordable calorie-dense, addictive food with little nutritional value.

These are not excuses, just the reality of the situation.

high calorie deficits + cardio = muscle loss and skinny fat syndrome

the solution is NOT vigorous cardio exercise (my inference of your meaning) and weigh-ins. the solution is eating sufficient amounts of protein (meeting or exceeding the 0.85g/lb LBM recommendation) and lifting heavy weights. in addition, trying to keep your calorie deficit as moderate as possible is advisable.

The studies never specified whether they (successful dieters) did cardio or weights. However, these people weighed in daily on average. I'm not necessarily advocating that, just saying what was found. I weigh myself monthly at the most; and I do both cardio and weights as no one can convince me that either is superior. The main advantage of cardio is its accessibility - all you need is a pair of trainers and you're good to go. Unfortunately the weights room at the gym still frightens a lot of people (especially women) away.

Here is an easy way to tell if you have a disease of obesity or just poor choices. (eating and activity-wise) -

for one week, change your habits - eat right, and/or exercise.

In that week, dont eat your usual food that may have gotten you fat - i.e. cheeseburgers, pizza, fried chicken, eating for comfort or stress or other emotional reasons other than hunger.

then see if you've changed in any way on day 8. then you might be able to figure out if thats what you have or what you DO.