Do we overweight individuals choose to be big?

Question

I don't know about statistics on heavy people here in America, except that I know that there are many of us.

Is it true or false (or a combination of both) that fat people just lack discipline and eat too much, and hence, they are to blame for being fat?

Or, are people who express disapproval of the obese folks failing to take into account certain elements, like metabolism, heredity, and so forth?

Enlighten me, skinny people! : )

Answer 1

As far as I'm concerned people who express immediate disapproval over any physical characteristic are bigots. People can be overweight for a single or combination of the following factors (and others) one just doesn't know.

1) Behavior - ingesting too many calories/limited physical activity
2) Environment - various impediments to an active lifestyle (home, work, school,etc)
3) Genetics - genes influence how the body burns calories and stores fat.
4) Disease/Mental Health

The fact is being overweight makes you susceptible to health problems. So maybe those people who are critical of you for the wrong reasons are doing you a favor by spurring you on to try to lose weight.

Answer 2

I was overweight from my childhood years until my early 20's and I absolutely blame my parents for getting my into that position, but it was mainly my responsibility to do something about it. They gave me the wrong foods when I was a kid, and I didn't know any better at that point. They had the best intentions, it's not like they intended to make me fat, I just don't think they realised what they were doing at the time. I started eating better when I was in my late teen years, but the weight loss was slow. So in that respect, it wasn't my fault. As soon as I was able to do something about my weight myself, I started to do it, it's just very hard to change habits that have been cultivated from childhood. There was a genetic contribution with me as well. My father was obese, my mother is normal, very slim in fact. It's just unfortunate that I didn't naturally take after her! There are obese/overweight people who are to blame for their problems, or who specifically choose to be that way for whatever reason, but don't tar all overweight people with the same brush. There are MANY reasons why someone is heavy, and they are not all the fault of the person.

Answer 3

I don't think anyone wakes up one morning and decides to see how much they can eat and how big they can get. some are to blame because there is too much in the news about being overweight and health problems. they know they shouldn't eat so much. some don't care. some can't help it. they have a medical reason for the weight gain. this is not a cut-and-dried question. I've been fat and have lost the weight. the pounds just crept up slowly. now I know that I have to watch what I eat all the time and exercise more days than I don't. I don't blame anyone for being overweight and would help anyone (here or anywhere) to lose weight and keep it off.

Answer 4

I'm not skinny and haven't been since I was about 14 years old (smiley face with tongue hangin' out laugh), BUT...Unfortunately, I think that many (just a guess) overweight people (myself included, because I am not at my ideal weight for my height according all the charts and graphs and the backs of packages of ladies stockings...) DO choose to be big UNTIL we truly decide and mean it and get busy and stick to it---that were gonna DO something about it. Until we get FED UP with being overweight and begin to be proactive by changing our eating habits, exercise habits, lifestyles, etc. we are pretty much making a conscious decision to stay big. Some people truly are born to be
big-boned and weren't designed by our Maker to be thin (I believe that the lovely Raven Simone is a perfect example of one of those people,... though I've nevah seen her mutha...) and some of that heredity and metabolism stuff is true in some cases, but as for the rest of us, we have to take charge of how we want to look and feel and at least TRY to change things for the better. (Sorry about all the run-on sentences and stuff).

Answer 5

I think thats its a combination of everything that you mentioned. Its a physically impossbility for the vast majority of the population to become overweight due entirely to factors beyond their control. I see patients who report that they are frustrated and have tried everything. They come from fat families and undoubtedly are culturally (grow up eating high fat diets, learning to cook only high fat foods) and genetically (metabolic syndrome, diabetes) "disadvantaged". But you ask if they exercise and they don't. No efforts to modify diet either. On their end, realizing that genetics/metabolism is more reason to try harder and a whole lot more discipline in terms of diet and exercise would be helpful.

On the other end, it is incredibly easy to be fat in the US. Our cars take us everywhere with no safe place to bike and walk in most US cities. Fast food and other poor quality food is cheaper than vegatables and fruit. If 3500 kcal=1lb then it would take *one* extra regular soda everyday to gain 20lbs in a year. Thats not much extra food each day to set someone on the road to obesity.

I'm far from skinny (BMI=25.6) but I will admit that I have some degree of disapproval for obese (not overweight) people in particular. It seems that a mild reduction in food intake coupled with a mild increase exercise would easily bring most people to at least an overweight (but not obese weight range)

Just some thoughts.

Answer 6

Im a fatty also, but i must really say, i eat a lot. It takes a lot lesser to satisfy a skinny person then a fat person, however we must take into account that at least 80% of the skinnies are built with gigantic appetite, it has something to do with the hormone thingy. Only two choice we fatties had, 1 is to excersice wisely, 2 is to eat wisely, don't blame people who said that you are fat, make that an excuse to slim down, i can do it, so can you , ( I have gone down from 100+ kg to 75kg, i believe you can do it too.)

Answer 7

Yes you are. You may have been fed to be obese when you were to young to know any better, but you have the choice what to eat now. Metabolism and heredity elements play a only minor part in your weight by making it at most more difficult to keep weight off but in no way plays any real part in being overweight. Some medical conditions should be excused for but otherwise it is 100% YOUR fault.

Answer 8

I think that all of those factors play a role. Some people have a very high metabolism and can eat more than others and not gain weight. others never exercise and dont have weight issues. Its up to each individual to determine what you can get away with. Me, for example. I know that I cant eat what I consider to be "normal" or I will gain weight and I know that I am one of those people that have to work on it.. I have to get my butt moving to lose the weight but am not motivated to do so, therefore it IS my fault that I am overweight and not my poor metabolism because it is possible for me to lose the weight with some work.

Answer 9

I used to way 260 lbs and am about 5 10, I sucked it up, and went on a serious combination of diet and exercise, I started by switching to water instead of soda. Then I started to walk then run everyday. Now I am around 170lbs and have kept it off for 2 years.

A slow but steady combination of diets DO work, talk to your doctor, they can help get you on the right track. When you do diet don't starve yourself, instead of a bag of chips with lunch have a few carrots with a low fat dressing. You just have to stick with it for a LONG time until you body gets used to it. You can not diet for 4 weeks and then "cheat" for a day or two, you just need to stick with it.

Loosing weight is as much as a life style change as anything else, you must change how you think about food and what you put into your body.

Talk to your doctor and they can help to get you started but it is completely up to you how seriously you take it.

Answer 10

I really doubt that anyone would "choose" to be big if they really thought that they could be skinny.

Unfortunately, once you become really heavy there's more to it than just "eat right and exercies". If it were that easy, everyone would be thin.

The fact that the government, medical establishment, pharmaceutical industry, food industry and media keep feeding us incorrect and unhealthy information doesn't help either. Most people are so brainwashed they actually think cold cereals like Special K are healthy! (Read the label lately? Sugar, sugar, chemicals.) They promote unhealthy (but profitable) sugar and chemical laden processed foods and drugs and demonize the fresh natural foods that are good for you like eggs, butter and meat (don't forget to eat your veggies too!).

No wonder such a large portion of the population is unhealthy, fat and diabetic.