Obese? Stop preaching that it's 'okay'.

Obesity kills. Fact. Obesity causes organ failure, cancer, diabetes, if one thing doesn't end your life short, something else will. And it will all be related to the obesity. There is no need for anyone to be this way. Sure, there are some rare medical conditions - they do not make up the largest % of those that are obese. Sure, there are some medications that are known to cause weight gain. However, those do not make up the biggest % of those who are obese.

The biggest % are simply people greedy people that eat too much, eat too much of the wrong things, and don't walk anywhere.

That's it. No big mystery. The reason why women in the 40's and 50's were slimmer than they are now, was due to the fact they stayed at home, and were often engaged in work that involved being physical. It is true, that the quality of food available needs seriously addressed. But it is still the person that buys the food, decides on the quantity, and spends most of their day putting it into their mouths.

All they need do is put less food in their mouths. And use their legs from time to time. In no time at all, they would magically find that they went from being obsese - to not obese. And it's all free to do this. How easier can it be, for anyone with self respect?

But no. Despite the best efforts of the medical profession to warn society that it is sitting on a time bomb, what happens?

We get this politically correct and frankly dangerous message that 'big is beautiful', and 'what does it matter what size someone is', esp from obese presenters etc on tv.

For one thing, they are clearly kidding themselves when they say obese is beautiful.

Ridiculous. It shows a lack of self care, self control and self esteem. What's beautiful in that? Moreover, while by no means saying that a girl of skin and bone is attractive either, the only men I have ever known to claim they like obese women are obese themselves.

Be honest - by and large, most people would not call obesity beautiful.

However, that aside, in putting out this message, they actually convince other obese people that it's 'okay' and that they should do nothing at all, other than 'love themselves'.

Wonder how 'loving themselves' will play out when they later go blind with that diabetes?

It would be precisely like heavy smokers being promoted on tv to send out a message that heavy smoking is beautiful, and that if you are a heavy smoker, you should just bash ahead.

 

I really, really, really hate having to agree with JN on anything, but he has hit the nail on the head on this topic. Obesity basically has no positives to it (appearance, health issues, national defence concerns, etcetera). If kids are obese they and their parents DO deserve to have scorn poured upon them: then maybe they would take the issue more seriously. Given the current level of obesity in North America and Western Europe, it is now predicted that the next generation (in aggregate) will have shorter life spans and will consume more healthcare resources.

 

This seems more or less like you're just hating on fat women. Some of them have thyroid issues. Ever heard of those? Some of them are poor and only have access to cheap food. Ever heard of that?

As well, it's funny you say 'heavy smoker' as though you don't want to include yourself in a criticism because you yourself smoke 'but only half a pack a day'.

I'm not saying all women are blameless, but there are other factors at work and simply ignoring them (or the fact that there have been fat people present throughout the entire history of the world) makes your argument disingenuous and more like you drank a pitcher of hater-ade.

 

I also cannot help notice that obese parents tend to have obese children.

Sometimes even obese pets.

What they are doing there(to the children), is passing their own pathology onto them.

Risking their lives. Shortening their lifespan, when it could be avoided. Is that not child abuse? Is that not neglect? I believe there is a strong argument for saying that it is.

 

Again, for reasons best known only to you, you are making this gender specific. It's not. So why do that?

 

Thyroid problems are RARELY the cause of obesity.

 

I find fat people to be disgusting examples of gluttony .

 

Indeed. He calls me out for not making any mention of such things, yet in my OP, we can clearly read this..

"Sure, there are some rare medical conditions - they do not make up the largest % of those that are obese."

Thus, not only did I pay mention to it, I did so with accuracy.

 

Mostly obesity is related to food choices, portion size and exercise.

 

Gluttony is what it is. Not only do they want that to be ignored, they want to pretend it is 'beautiful'. It's not. And it is dangerous to promote the idea that it's okay. They do seem to like spending a small fortune on expensive diet plans. They almost never work for them. Why? Because what they really need to do is just eat less, and walk more. Do that for one year and they would notice a difference. But that is too much effort of course(ironic), so they hope to find some magical answer in insane diet plans.

Or by having a gastric band fitted.

 

Exactly. I also find it all ends of hypocritical that obese people, esp women, seem to be so thin skinned(no pun intended) lest anyone dare make ref to the issue of weight - while at the same time, they feel it's open season to pass any remarks they like on those they perceive as underweight.

 

So do you smoke as you were accused of because if you do this is the most hypocritical thing I have read in months.

 

Look.


I get bored with you doing this.

Stick to the actual topic at hand.

The topic is not the member.

The topic is not smoking.

The topic is not Hitler.

The topic is not global warming.

Just for once, stick with the actual topic.

 

I think it's part of a larger trend. We've lost the collective ability to say "that's not OK" except in cases where someone else says something is not OK. This is perhaps the biggest case-in-point of that larger trend. We won't say that refusing to identify your child's gender is not OK, we won't say that it's not OK to cheat on a test, we won't say that it's not OK to cheat people in general, we won't say that it's not OK to choose vacations over savings. That's the thing -- Everything is OK.

We used to have the concept of the 7 deadly sins, Gluttony, Sloth, Greed, Lust, Anger, Envy, and Pride (http://www.deadlysins.com/sins/). The thing is that we no longer suggest that there's something wrong with doing that. Lust is the big one. Porn is such a big industry that it dictates whether HD-DVD or Blu-Ray will be the next video disk format. Not ordinary movies, porn. Nobody would say much about a married (even gay married) man ogling the wait staff at the bar, in fact, it's almost weird to the rest when someone doesn't. The one who doesn't lust needs to "loosen up". Sloth? In some circles it's normal for able-bodied people to never work, and to sit on welfare. Nobody says anything. No shame in that. Pride? Not a sin anymore, we celebrate ourselves 24-7 unless we're attending an ethinc or sexual pridefest in which we congratulate ourselves for being Black, Gay, Irish, or Greek. No one ever wants to be the humble one, and in fact we encourage everyone to toot their own horns.

 

An excellent post. You cover the essence of it all very well indeed. It is down to ego centrism. And the misconception as to what 'freedom' is. Since the 60's, the message seems to be freedom = doing whatever you want, regardless of the wider social impact. That's not freedom. That is ego centrism being passed off as freedom. If anything, it impacts and imposes on the freedom of others. There is no moral compass.

It doesn't make for a better nation when you follow this route to it's inevitable festering conclusion.

It makes for the dysfunctional mess that you see today.

The situation is extreme. As such, extreme measures would be required in order to speedily address it.

 

The social approval of physical appearance is subject to social factors. Right now men are approved if they have a masculine figure. Broad shoulders, narrow waist and hips, large chest diaphragm, well muscled all over. I think that might be a constant, not sure. Women, well it depends. Right now women are approved if they have slim figures (in both genders I'm ignoring facial features). But from a male point of view there is constantly an admiration of what we might call "voluptuous" women. The woman who probably most represents that at the present in popular western culture is Christina Hendricks. But in history males have really had an eye for voluptuous women - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Willendorf

It seems to me that both the "masculine figure" and "voluptuous woman" are directly related to evolution and reproduction. Women find the ideal male form to represent an ability to procure food and to protect. Males find the ideal female form in reproduction (see the link above). Social views of female desirability have changed and are continually changing far more than they are for men though.

Now let's go from social admiration to health.

As has been pointed out, excess weight has implications for health. That is a health issue. People are entitled to know the issues and the remedies. Physiological problems leading to excess weight should be managed as best they can. Behavioural problems leading to excess weight should also be managed.

Any social movement that attempts to tell society that being fat is okay is threatening the health of people simply to push some sort of social agenda that protects fat people from social disapproval.
While it may be admirable in a way, to make fat people feel better about themselves, it does tend to blunt the health message somewhat. I'm not advocating shaming fat people, I'm advocating a realistic social approach. A man might want to lose his fat guts for aesthetic reasons but the health benefits should be a better reason. Same for fat women.

As for fat kids. Outside of physiological problems it's got to be behavioural and guess who showed them how to behave in a way that made them fat? Those of a certain age would remember when the fat kid was an object of schoolyard taunting. These days any skinny kid doing that is going to get beaten up by all the other fat kids who are heading for a majority in the schoolyard.

 

I agree completely with your post.

Here's an example of that political correctness you're talking about: http://thisisthinprivilege.tumblr.com/

Basically, I somehow have privilege because I'm not obese. It's interesting how everything is a privilege these days.

 

Exactly my point.

And yet, despite this, you are almost socially harassed for making a logical point.

The other week, some women were posting stories about these new design of clothing mannequins. They were all saying what a great idea they were, because they were based on a size 16 shape. You try to point out that this isn't really helping the obesity issue - all you get is rage. 'But the average size of a women today is 16', they cry. Yes. But that average is based upon a nation whose women are running at a 60% obesity level. They don't seem to understand that.

 

This is why we need to separate the issues. A woman with a size 16 dress size might be perfectly healthy, it's her natural size and all indicators are that she isn't suffering from obesity-related conditions. Her appearance is a matter for her, her health is also a matter for her but it's far more important than her appearance.

On the appearance issue, I think a bumper sticker I saw the other day is okay, "NO SCRAWNY WOMEN!"

But for individual health, we should all encourage good behaviours that enhance health without regard, either way, to appearance.

And for men's health I advocate diplomacy. Next time she asks, "does my bum look big in this?" be diplomatic.

 

"Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Once associated with high-income countries, obesity is now also prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.

Governments, international partners, civil society, non governmental organizations and the private sector all have vital roles to play in contributing to obesity prevention."

http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/obesity/facts/en/index.html

 

Why do the non-obese people constantly complain about the fat and morbidly obese? What's it to them? What business is of theirs? Americans should be glad they live in a country deluged by food. Ask any poor person in a third world nation why they want to come to America, and they'll say they want to live in a country where everyone is fat.

Granted, obesity causes illness and takes more taxpayer dollars to treat it. But the Obama Government recently proclaimed obesity to be a disease. Consequently, with the advent of Obamacare, fat people are free to eat all they want and Obamacare will pay for their glutton-related afflictions.

Gracias

Deja de quejarte y vete a comer una caja de Twinkies!

 

Ask the entire medical profession.

 

Actually if you are complaining about the healthy choices of others while ignoring your own then yes that is on topic. But I understand,

 

Okay, well if it is that important you to then no.

I also barely drink.

Some red wine, on occasion, and with food.

I also never gamble. Never placed a bet in my life.

I am also not obese.

Okay?

 

I agree with Jack. There is no excuse at all to be the size of a whale these days. Put down the fork and go for a walk. You are lazy and fat and that's all there is to it.

Stop saying its okay to be fat. Get rid of those stupid websites where fat people can post pictures have have other skinny people tell them they look good, which encourages them to eat more.
They drain the health care system, costing the taxpayer millions of dollars. Our hospitals don't have the equipment to take their huge size.

Stop clothing manufacturers from making clothes for those who are larger than a size 18 - maybe if they had nothing to wear, they'd lose weight. Don't give that 'I have a medical condition' crap, because there is no medical condition in the world that makes you put on so much weight you look and weigh the same as a baby elephant.