There are a lot of people bashing GQ_jumper for his stance on obesity but I wholeheartedly agree with him that it should be a concern for EVERYone. If you read his words more carefully there is no HATRED of obese people - but rather an expression of concern and a call for the rest of society to be more concerned, whether it be just for their own wallets (paying for the obesity problem) or for the true health&wellness of the obese people.
I DO NOT hate obese people but I share the same concern as GQ_jumper does of trying to be more aware of where our society as a whole is going dealing with obesity. I've been a personal trainer for years and have visited all parts of the globe and I definitely see a warped social attitude in America towards the obesity epidemic. There is an odd combo of denial and entitlement when it comes to overeating and consuming calorically-dense but nutritionally-deficient food (which is the MAIN cause of the obesity epidemic along with the lack of exercise of course). And no, you can't deny the small percentage of folks that are obese due to physical disabilities or the RARE genetic conditions that lead to being overweight. If it was all about genetics I'd have to ask then did these freak genetics develop just these last 2 decades? America's obesity problem was exploded since the 80's. I've dealt with clients that are everywhere from 5 lbs to 150 lbs overweight and yes, dealing with people that are morbidly or clinically obese takes a much different approach to helping people develop a more normal BMI and healthier lifestyle but as a whole our society DOES end up paying for their weight problem. These are stats from National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease:
***On average, obese workers tend to lose a week of work a year due to ailments related to their weight. A firm of 1,000 employees loses $285,000 a year due to obese—not overweight—employees, about 30 percent of which is attributable to increased absenteeism.
***Overweight males incur medical costs that are $170 more annually than their leaner co-workers, while overweight females incur costs $495 higher than their counterparts. Hospitals have to pay more to treat the obese—oversized wheelchairs can cost about $2,500, eight times the cost of an ordinary wheelchair, and operating tables that are strong enough to support the severely obese can top $30,000.
Personally I really do believe that people that are morbidly obese need to seek a therapist's help ALONG with seeing a nutritionist and lifestyle coach/personal trainer. The usual culprit of obesity is a combo of food addiction that is tied to something deeper, but again, this is just an indicator of America's problem in particular with obesity compared to other nations. I think obesity is a manifestation of a cultural deprivation here in our country and it's a slow form of suicide as a lifestyle.
And instead of just telling them to get help, I think allllll of us need to help create supportive environments through public policy and media that promote healthier lifestyles. Don't be an enabler and telling those that are obese that it's okay. It's not -- not for their health and not for our society. We need to encourage EVERYONE around us to get off their asses and slow their roll on overeating sugary, fatty foods. And people should probably start looking at people who let their kids get obese as a form of abuse because it's not the KID that's going grocery shopping and making dinner - it's the friggin parents. According to one Harvard study – published by the Annals of Internal Medicine:
***Doctors evaluated the health habits and medical records of more than 100,000 women who had provided data through the Nurses’ Health Study (an ongoing federally financed study on women’s health issues) since 1989. Researchers found that those women who were overweight or obese at age 18, had a far greater risk of dying from cancer or heart disease before reaching middle age.
If Americans could stop being in denial and start practicing moderation and portion control it would help tremendously. Hopefully the medical community will get off their asses too and stop promoting meds and surgery and start being more frank with their patients and telling them to get psychotherapy.
