Is being fat a desease for most obese people?

Question

I don't feel that obesity is a disease for MOST people. If it were than why has America become more obese in the last 15 years? Where were these people 40 years ago, before fast food and cable tv? If you know that you have a slower metabolism, and you eat poorly, who is to blame for the weight?

Are we making victims out of too many people? We know that McDonald's is bad for you, just as we know that cigarettes cause cancer, so who is really a victim?

Answer 1

Most fat people just plain eat too much of the WRONG FOODS.

Man have glandular problems etc.. and no matter what - they remain obese.

Answer 2

It is interesting that this question is in the Etiquette section. The trend of obesity seems to be tied in many ways to many cultural and lifestyle factors that have changed since 40 years ago. There is a disposable culture sensibility and a need to have more things, thus we work more to obtain these things. We find that, in order to afford modern conveniences and beat inflation on the durable basic items, both husband and wife must work full time, or if single, that person must work 2 jobs or lots of overtime. There is less time for careful and conscientious food preparation. This is catered to by merchants and marketers who pick up on trends like this. They offer convenience foods at as low a production cost as possible for the greatest apparent output of food bulk--the hard-working millions are fed and new markets are nurtured. It takes some years for this trend to play out into fruition, i.e., for the major wave of obesity borne of these new habits of modern society to manifest in statistical charts.

I'm not blaming society; I'm simply noting an observed trend. People as a mass have changed their everyday habits and not for the better. It takes a real focus of will NOT to fall into the pattern dictated by the necessities of modern living. Some folks learn good coping strategies but many do not, and they find that they are unhealthy, overweight and overworked with a fast moving treadmill underneath them that they can't seem to jump off.

Am I overcomplicating things? No, I think the answer is even more complex, but, as individuals, we are all responsible ultimately for our own choices. Many people just don't notice that they've been making unhealthy choices for years until, all of a sudden, they're fat and unhappy and don't know how to escape the trap they've walked into. They are not victims; they are simply asleep to their own lives and are in need of wakening.

Answer 3

I understand. What has happened is that in society today most of us use our minds more than our bodies. Back when I was a child my mother was a stay at home mom and when I would come home from school I would go out and play. But today most mothers are at work and the child has to come home and stay in the house. Children today communicate by sms, or cell phone or computer. Then when mom gets off from work, she is too tired to cook and it is easy just to get some kind of take out. Plus with society today, we are just too busy to cook healthy food. I hate that there are so many overweight children. But its up to the adults and parents to coach these children to eat better. I am an overweight person myself and had the gastric bypass and can you believe I gained my weight back. However I am back to watching my weight and have lost 15 pounds and I will not stop until I am back at 150.

Answer 4

Years ago we walked much more to the store, into town and so on.
Now we cars, parking places within inches of the store entrances, and at home the garage is just feet away from the entrance. We drive a lot, instead of walking a lot.

Another reason could be that we eat to much and don't burn up enough calories, therefore, our spare tire around the midriff is being padded more each day.

I don't know how truthfull the food manufacturers are with us. Are they adding chemicals that make us crave more food???
There are so many unknowns - can a Dietician help - or are they just as overweight as we are?

Answer 5

Being fat is not a disease. Glandular problems are actually near unheard of in causing morbid obesity. One man on Q&A had a good point a few about ago about there not being ANY fat people in Hitler's concentration camps, and that at least ONE would have been noticed if there were.

Obesity comes from eating too much, exercising too little. PERIOD. I am fat. So don't give that bullshi* that I have no feelings for others.

Answer 6

Some of it is genetics. No matter how much I watch what I eat or how much I exercise, I can't seem to lose weight. I also know a lady on thyroid meds who ballooned up to some 500 lbs because of her pills.
Although you're right about McDonalds and them not helping very much in the healthy food department. Americans have also gotten lazier in recent years. Sometimes it's a bit of all of this.

Answer 7

It is only in America that people are obese at these levels. North Americans are obsessed with food. We have tooo much compared to the rest of the world. We advertise food. We celebrate with food. Food is availabel every where you turn. Candy bars, instant gratification. There is super sizing of unhealthy foods. There is sugar hidden in everything. Do we really need sugar in peanut butter or canned fruits?

With two parents working just to pay the mortgage these days, food preparation time seems to suffer. Hence the leaning towards fast foods. I am always amazed when I hear how many times the average American (whatever that might be) eats at McDonalds, a place I have avoided completely. If these people had time to go home and make a good salad and a healthy meal many problems would be avoided in terms of weight. But in today's stressed and overpaced society it is easier said than done. I got around it by making large or double everything and freezing. This way, no matter how hectic the schedule, good food was always just a thaw away.

What our ancestors ate was purer as well, who knows what all these modern chemicals do to us? Cows are fed hormones to increase this and that and we cannot be so naive as to think we do not get the residue in the meat we eat, if we eat the stuff. Our ancestors also worked and played and used their bodies to GET that food they ate. There was less access to the exotic and food was plain but nourishing.

When I was in the Far East this summer past I did not see many fat Indians or or Pakistanis and I was in areas where the people were healthy and well fed. These cultures celebrate with food as do most cultures but food is not in your face 24/7. If you want food you either eat out or start from scratch. You buy your ingredients from the markets or vendors along the roadside, take them home to prepare and eat.

We have too many decisions and too many unhealthy choices here. I noticed even the poorest tea pickers in the hills all had perfect teeth! Interestingly enough, by eating Indian foods and fruits, in 3 months I lost 40 pounds with no effort at all.

The first thing that shocked me to the core when I returned home was the size of our stores, the amount of food available. The aisles of our small market seemed endless and the varieties overwhelming. I ask, do we really need 30 different types of strawberry jam to choose from? We just have too much over here!

I am a fat woman. I make no excuses for myself. I first gained weight when my idiot of a doctor put me on steroids during my development period. From then on, the pattern was set. I did not know any better at that time when I was younger, or even really care, and here I am. Now, at my age, my metabalism is slower and I will probably never be slim no matter what I do. But I do keep in good health and as fit as possible. I have never considered my self a victim. But then, I tend to take responsibility for my actions. Or, in this case, inactions.

However, on the positive side. North America is waking up to this crisis. Here in Canada schools are changing the products offered in vending machines and cafeterias. They are starting to bring back physical education into school as well. I think that when phys ed was softened up the subtle message to the kids was... exercise is not necessary. I think we will get past this.

I would not consider myself diseased. I consider myself blessed to be in such excellent health despite the abuse I once heaped upon my body and thank Allah each day for the gift of life. The disease comes in the form of bad knees, heart problems, etc, not the fat itself.

Answer 8

Everyone seems to be labouring under a misunderstand of just what "disease" means.

As an impairment of a normally functioning body due to an imbalance in nutrition, obesity is most definately a disease.

Answer 9

Some people are predisposed and there aren't any really good methods for people to lose weight and keep it off.. Part of the problem is that most dieters are normal weight women and that's who weight loss products target. I'm not sure who are more screwed up - overweight people, normal weight people, or underweight people. Probably weight doesn't really have much to do with how screwed up you are - it's more your attitude. It doesn't offend me when people are overweight - who cares.

Answer 10

Being fat is not necessarily a disease, though it can be caused by several diseases and disorders, and can also lead to many diseases.

However, being this skinny is always a disease:

http://www.jibjab.com/jokebox/jokebox/jibjab/id/418770/jokeid/101116

So try to have some sympathy for us overweight people out there. We're all people, too.