# Obesity is now an illness. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 16, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449 "2004-07-16T17:32:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/241 "2004-07-20T18:25:07Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I ask this: Of those of you who say that losing weight is so easy, have you tried to lose more than 30 pounds? Were you successful? Has it stayed off for five years or more? If not, your opinion isn’t worth much. Losing weight isn’t easy, but it is really simple. I was around 215 in 2000, and have stabilized at 150 +/- 3. Doh! That’s only 4 years. Guess I have to wait another year before my “Eat reasonable portions, eat balanced, and get lots of excercise” opinion is worth something. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/242 "2004-07-20T18:26:41Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Lots of tuna and turkey. Both are good for protein and neither has a lot of fat. For dinner (my 5th meal of the day) I was grilling a hamburger outside and eating it on whole wheat toast with a scrambled egg and a slice of cheese on top (man, is that good!). Also a lot of milk and yogurt, as calcium apparently helps metabolize fat. I also ate lots of fruit: bananas, apples, grapes, and peaches. It’s been a few years, but that’s the gist of it. Of course, I was also lifting weights and doing cardio 3-5 times a week. Never heard that about calcium, good to know. Do you have a cite for that by any chance? The burger, however, just sounds evil. Take away the bun and we’re in Atkins territory. It sounds very different from what my dietician told me, which was to eat anything I wanted, but cut back on sugars, try to get 20g of fiber, and (most importantly) get no more than 10g of saturated fat per day. You can probably see why I didn’t stick with it long. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/243 "2004-07-20T18:28:17Z")
I’m going to throw my $.02 here again. Feel free to ignore if you like. I think simple consciousness of what you (general you here) are eating is an important part of weight maintenance, too. Example: In my office I was assigned a secretary who always had a huge bowl of M&Ms or wrapped candies on her desk. We got along very well, but she was really motherly, and whenever I stopped by to talk or set something on her desk, she offered the bowl, pressing candies upon me. I’d eat a handful and promptly forget that I had, only to come back to ask for something and have her offer me more food. I’d eat more, and found that, within a period of four months, I had gained nearly 5 pounds. I wondered where the hell the extra weight was coming from - I couldn’t remember having changed my eating habits. So I started keeping a plastic baggie with me. Whenever I snacked on something away from my desk (I always kept fresh veggies at my desk for snacks), I’d toss it in the bag instead. I was teased mercilessly for doing this, but it made me realize something - I was sometimes eating almost 500 additional calories per day in candy, and I didn’t even realize it, because I had been grabbing it as I passed or eating it as I talked, and I forgot about it almost as soon as I had eaten it, and continued to eat the rest of my meals per usual. I think this probably happens a lot to people working in an office environment - people have junk food sitting about on their desks, sometimes there’s free food in the breakroom, sometimes there are free lunches during meetings. Often, people just don’t realize what they’re eating, or they forget that they ate anything at all. As soon as I began working at home, I immediately dropped almost 10 pounds, simply because I don’t have food sitting about, so I have to go through some sort of effort to prepare food. It was a real eye-opener for me. I wouldn’t say that obesity is necessarily a disease; however, there are a LOT of contributing factors that go into it. Culture has a lot to do with it, sometimes it’s medical, sometimes it _may_ be simple laziness, perhaps it’s embarrassment. Whatever it is, I used to be of the school, “oh, well just eat less and exercise more,” but it’s not quite that easy. Maybe it would be more apt to describe it as a condition, or perhaps even an eating disorder - after all, compulsive exercising and starving onesself are considered eating disorders… ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/244 "2004-07-20T18:37:50Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Never heard that about calcium, good to know. Do you have a cite for that by any chance? [This study](http://my.webmd.com/content/article/23/1728_56703) is from 2000, but showed that calcium, particularly that from low-fat dairy sources, was a great aid to fat loss. > [@tdn](#): > > The burger, however, just sounds evil. Take away the bun and we’re in Atkins territory. It sounds very different from what my dietician told me, which was to eat anything I wanted, but cut back on sugars, try to get 20g of fiber, and (most importantly) get no more than 10g of saturated fat per day. You can probably see why I didn’t stick with it long. Sure, it sounds evil. But it tastes heavenly! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/245 "2004-07-20T18:48:07Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > [This study](http://my.webmd.com/content/article/23/1728_56703) is from 2000, but showed that calcium, particularly that from low-fat dairy sources, was a great aid to fat loss. You sure about that link? It timed out on me, twice. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/246 "2004-07-20T18:53:48Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Oh, and **Heart On My Sleeve** , that was not directed at you specifically, as **tdn** suggested. Your comment reminded me of a story that I thought was applicable to this thread. I apoligize for the misunderstanding. That’s very gracious of you. My apologies as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/247 "2004-07-20T18:57:40Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > You sure about that link? It timed out on me, twice. Huh. It works fine for me. Here’s the URL just in case. > **[WebMD - Better information. Better health.](https://www.webmd.com)** > > The leading source for trustworthy and timely health and medical news and information. Providing credible health information, supportive community, and educational services by blending award-winning expertise in content, community services, expert... ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/248 "2004-07-20T19:02:36Z")
In other news, the FDA and American Heart Association are lowering cholesterol guidlines. This is [based on the findings of 9 cholesterol experts, all but one of whom have received money from the manufacturers of cholesterol-lowering drugs](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/07/16/national1701EDT0680.DTL&type=health). Hello, conflict of interest! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/249 "2004-07-20T19:27:39Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Huh. It works fine for me. Here’s the URL just in case. > > [http://my.webmd.com/content/article/23/1728\_56703](http://my.webmd.com/content/article/23/1728_56703) Nope, still didn’t work. Not even going to the home page. Not on IE, not on Mozilla. I’ll try again from home. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mermaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@The\_Mermaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mermaid)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/250 "2004-07-20T20:03:31Z")
I look at these threads and it just makes me tired all over. If you gain weight it is because you do not expend enough calories to use up your ingested calories. It is as simple as that. Now, that said, the reasons a particular person doesn’t expend enough energy to expend the calories are numerous and individualized. To assume that all people who are overweight do nothing but eat junk food and lay on the couch is presumptious, judmental and just plain wrong. Just in case any of you are wondering, I am overweight but this has not always been the case. I am overweight because I do not exercise enough. I do not exercise enough because I have a chronic lung condition that prevents me from doing so. I’d compare my diet against anyones. I may try to act aloof but I do care what others think of me. Oh how I wish I had the body I had when I was 25. If merely being aware of the problem and caring enough would make a person lose weight, I’d be back in my size 9 jeans in a jiffy. Do not assume that a fat person doesn’t know or care how they look. We are more accutely aware than you could ever imagine. Do you think that I do not dress and bathe myself everyday? Do you think that I don’t have access to a scale or a three way mirror? Do you think that you are being witty or helpful when you say “jeez, you’re fat”. But even all I ever did was lay on the couch and eat bon bons, it still does not give anyone the right to judge me. How about instead of assigning blame and feeling superior, you try to work on being supportive and accepting. If people would only try to be a part of the solution instead of the problem threads like this would wither and die. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/251 "2004-07-20T20:16:20Z")
> [@The Mermaid](#): > > Do you think that you are being witty or helpful when you say “jeez, you’re fat”. I don’t think they care. I don’t think they are trying to be helpful. I think they’re being mean. I keep saying it: people are mean. I learned this when I was really young. I’ll repeat it again: people are mean. There is no other explanation for their behavior. They’ll go _out of their way_ to say something unkind to a person who is doing nothing to them. _That_ is the definition of mean. It’s sad, or strange, or something, to realize that some people don’t understand that people are essentially mean. I guess some people haven’t been the target of meanness, and they don’t realize that it exists at such a basic level. Or, they are one of the mean ones themselves, and they (of course) won’t acknowledge that they are mean. They come up with reasons or rationalizations for their mean behavior and their mean and crappy attitude, but it all essentially boils down to: they’re mean. **Crafter\_Man** seems to be a perfect example of this: mean. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/252 "2004-07-20T20:34:26Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > I don’t think they care. I don’t think they are trying to be helpful. I think they’re being mean. > > I keep saying it: people are mean. I learned this when I was really young. I’ll repeat it again: people are mean. There is no other explanation for their behavior. They’ll go _out of their way_ to say something unkind to a person who is doing nothing to them. _That_ is the definition of mean. This is a message board, not real life. The idea here is to discuss things. It’s not fair to expect one side in any argument to sit there and bite their tongues, nor is it reasonable to expect to walk into a conversation in the Pit and not be insulted. In real life as I’m walking down the street and I see a fat person, I don’t think twice about it. Here in the U.S. there are so many overweight people that it’s just the norm. I would never walk up to a person I don’t know and say, “Why don’t you get your fat ass into a gym?” If you feel that you’re fat and you don’t like what some people have to say about it, then why would you open a thread in the Pit with the word “obesity” in the title? ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/253 "2004-07-20T21:07:19Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > This is a message board, not real life. The idea here is to discuss things. I was not saying that everything in _this thread_ was mean. I was just giving an insight of Real Life. People are mean. It’s really that simple. > [@](#): > > It’s not fair to expect one side in any argument to sit there and bite their tongues, nor is it reasonable to expect to walk into a conversation in the Pit and not be insulted. Pardon me, I am sure I did not make myself clear. Discussions about obesity aren’t always mean. But some people are. **Crafter\_Man** ’s posts exude contempt: mean. Yours? Not so much. > [@](#): > > In real life as I’m walking down the street and I see a fat person, I don’t think twice about it. Here in the U.S. there are so many overweight people that it’s just the norm. I would never walk up to a person I don’t know and say, “Why don’t you get your fat ass into a gym?” But the thing is, many people _do_. That’s what I am talking about. People are mean. Like I said before, I learned this early on. When you are ugly _and_ fat (I wasn’t really ugly, but I had bad skin, so that equaled “ugly” in some people’s minds), people are not on their best behavior. They’ll show you who they _really_ are: mean. When I wasn’t all that terribly fat (but had bad skin) people would yell insults at me from the street. I was minding my own business, just walking, and they’d go out of their way to yell at me. Why? I keep on saying it: because people are mean. People treat attractive people and unattractive people differently. Surely I don’t need to give you cites backing that up. And, as we can tell, some people have more than a few “issues” with fatness. Even though it’s none of their business and the fat person isn’t _doing_ anything to them. Some people will go out of their way to be unkind, or to exude contempt, or to be flat-out cruel. Why? One more time: because people are mean. There are some people who have never been the target of this kind of meanness, so they don’t quite believe it. They’ve never seen how people can be mean in this way. They may never see it, because, since they are attractive, they are treated differently. (I know there are some exceptions to this, but in general this is the case.) It’s great to be treated well or with a little extra measure of respect or politeness, but it doesn’t hide the essential truth—that people are mean. They only focus their meanness on those who “don’t count.” You know, like ugly people, or fat people—because their feelings are inconsequential, apparently. So, when The Mermaid wrote: > [@](#): > > Do you think that you are being witty or helpful when you say “jeez, you’re fat”. I answered her. People don’t say this to be witty or helpful. They say this because they are mean. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/254 "2004-07-20T21:27:18Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > Like I said before, I learned this early on. When you are ugly _and_ fat (I wasn’t really ugly, but I had bad skin, so that equaled “ugly” in some people’s minds), people are not on their best behavior. They’ll show you who they _really_ are: mean. When I wasn’t all that terribly fat (but had bad skin) people would yell insults at me from the street. I was minding my own business, just walking, and they’d go out of their way to yell at me. Why? I keep on saying it: because people are mean. One has to wonder – how old are you? And how old are the people insulting you? I ask because this sounds _so_ junior high. Back when I was a youngun, I was thin, I had hair, I was devastaingly handsome, and I was Og’s gift to women (IMO). And people were mean to me all the time. Almost the very day I graduated high school, that sort of thing stopped, like a light switch had been flipped. Not that no one has been mean to me in the 24 years since, but I can probably count the instances of meanness on one hand. Maybe it’s because I surround myself with emotionally mature people. Or maybe I just look intimidating. I may be fat, but I ain’t jolly. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/255 "2004-07-20T21:40:24Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > One has to wonder – how old are you? And how old are the people insulting you? I ask because this sounds _so_ junior high. Well, yes, that was when it was the worst. But even in adulthood, the meanness, the less respect, the looking at you as if you are invisible—it still happens. It’s not so bad here in Hooterville (more people are fat here in Hooterville), but it’s an issue everywhere. I do think that some of it is regional: I am from the San Fernando Valley, where fatness is less tolerated. Actually, a friend of mine moved down to L.A. from Seattle for a year. He was not very tall (not short in my opinion, but not tall) and while I always thought he had a very nice, pleasant face, I guess he wasn’t “handsome” enough for some folks. Because he was treated like he was a second class citizen. He wasn’t used to that sort of treatment and it freaked him out. He could only single out one cause: his looks. I also think some of the meanness is sexist: it’s less “forgivable” to be a fat woman than a fat man. A fat man can somehow overlook his pot belly hanging over his belt and delude himself into thinking he isn’t that fat, but no such slack is given to a woman. A woman, according to some mindsets, is obligated to be a hot babe. If she’s not, she’s taking up space: unforgivable in some circles. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble soliciting stories from others here, sharing examples of the meanness of humanity. It _is_ a reality. People are mean. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/256 "2004-07-20T21:42:15Z")
> [@Coldfire](#): > > Well, like I said, the last thing I want to sound like is judgmental. > > But _why_ do most people gain the weight back again? If you succeed at losing weight, you can keep it off by _continuing_ to work out, and _continuing_ to watch your diet. I think a lot of people are very hard on themselves throughout their diets, and then go, “Right, so I’ve lost that 40 pounds now. Goal accomplished!”, and they lapse to their old eating and workout habits, pre-diet. That is part of it, but for a huge percentage of these people, it’s exactly the same as any other addiction. That is, that the reasons BEHIND the need for the addictive behaviour weren’t addressed. So while they were able to suspend their addiction for a new one (that of working out etc), once they find that they’ve gotten to their goal, and they are no happier, in fact in many cases MORE unhappy, then the need to turn to the behaviour that originally took away the pain, resurfaces, many times with a vengeance. I think it was **Manda Jo** who wrote an AWESOME post on emotional pain, and why people turn to their addiction of choice during times of stress and pain. She outlined very well, and compassionately how the cycle of pain and depression works. (if anyone knows the thread and post I’m speaking of, I’l love a point in the right direction). [quoteIf you’re an adult with a propensity for weight gain, you will have to work hard for the rest of your life to keep the pounds off. I guess that’s what I’m looking at, too. So be it. It’s either that, or weighing 150 kilos in 10 years time.[/QUOTE] This is exactly what I’ve been saying all along, and all that goes into that “working hard for the rest of your life” is ANYTHING but “simple”. And to say “well, it’s easy all you gotta do is…” is to be not only insulting, but as **tdn** pointed out, to completely forget the human pyche element here. Humans have a psychological side, and it is NOT logical, you cannot fit some neat little equation into each human. There are 6 billion people on the planet, to state that the same formula for weight loss is “simple” and works for everyone because of “physics” is idiotic and very shortsighted. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/257 "2004-07-20T21:44:10Z")
> [@Daisy Mae](#): > > I sincerely wish I could be the nurse treating you when your health starts to go so I can stand over you and tell you how you brought it on yourself and to get your wallet out because the people who pay premiums to your health insurance carrier aren’t obligated to help aborb YOUR health problems that YOU obviously brought on yourself. I’d say it with a smile, I really wouldn’t care what you thought. My healthcare would be paid directly by me, or my insurance company (of whom I pay premiums to). I have no problem with health insurance. And I have no problem with the premiums and coverage being contingent on personal upkeep. If you smoke, the premiums should be higher. If you engage in risky behavior the premiums should be higher. If you’re overweight the premiums should be higher. This is a good plan, since the costs associated with certain behaviors would not be passed on to the folks who choose not to engage in such behaviors. Of course, I think it would be wrong to force an insurance company to offer such a plan. But we have a free, competitive market, and insurance companies should be allowed to design any kind of plans they want. > [@](#): > > Your “brother” Lord Ashtar tried to argue that since an obese person can “undo” being fat and a reckless driver can’t “undo” a car crash, you can’t consider them the same. That’s stupid bullshit and nitpicking. If someone CHOOSES to speed then by your analogy they CHOOSE to run a higher risk of accident so they DESERVE what they get and their insurance company shouldn’t pay their medical bills because of their CHOICE. You do realize that under insurance, your premiums are driven by losses paid for all people insured right? I don’t have a problem with an insurance company refusing to pay if the company and the customer agreed upfront on the contingencies. The health insurance company could offer two plans (A and B). Under Plan A the insurance company would pay no matter what. Under Plan B there would be contingencies for risky behaviors (driving too fast, being fat, taking drugs, drinking too much alcohol, etc.). You have a _choice_ on purchasing Plan A or Plan B. The former has high premiums, while the latter has low premiums. Tell you what? _You_ can chose Plan A, and _I’ll_ choose Plan B. And then we’ll both be happy. > [@](#): > > By your standards if you fall and break your leg while skiiing, you should have to pay for your bills because you CHOSE to do something that could cause injury. The list could go on and on. See above… if the skier purchased a low-budget plan with a “risky behavior” clause, then yes – the skier should pay. If the skier purchased a premium plan without a “risky behavior” clause, then the insurance company should pay. > [@](#): > > You have an issue with obesity, we allllllllllllllllll get that. Your issue makes you blind to logic and your points make little sense because you only CHOOSE to apply them to certain situations. With your mode of thinking, most everyone will be paying for their own medical bills because taxpayers (for welfare, medicare, etc) and people covered under private/employer sponsered insurance shouldn’t have to pay for each other’s bills even though that is exactly how the theory of insurance works. Two things would make me very happy: 1) The complete elimination of the welfare state. This includes tax payer-subsidized healthcare. 2) Insurance companies offering plans with varying degrees of “risky behavior” clauses. Since I don’t routinely participate in risky behaviors, and I wish to not pay for the consequences of other people who _do_, then I would sign onto the plan with many “risky behavior” clauses. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/258 "2004-07-20T21:52:31Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > **Crafter\_Man** seems to be a perfect example of this: mean. Perhaps you mean “politiically incorrect,” of which I plead guilty. But I’m not “mean.” I’m simply part of a dying breed of people who still believe in personal responsibility and accountability. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/259 "2004-07-20T22:06:50Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > I used to be of the school, “oh, well just eat less and exercise more,” but it’s not quite that easy. It’s apparent many of us are confusing “the solution” with the _execution_ of the solution. A clear distinction should be made between these two items, since the former is simple to define, while the latter can be difficult to pull off. For 99% of fat people (who want to no longer be fat), the solution itself is _ **extremely** _ simple: 1. Eat less 2. Eat better 3. Exercise The difficult part is _executing_ the above actions, i.e. having the will power to _ **do it** _. It admittedly takes a _lot_ of commitment and discipline, since you have to permanently modify many aspects of your lifestyle. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449/260 "2004-07-20T22:23:01Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > My little brother is 6’1" and a solid 240 without an ounce of fat on him. His boss asked him one day what he was doing after work, and he replied that he was going to the gym. His boss looked **stunned. "Why? Look at you, you don’t need to work out!"** > > My brother responded, “If I didn’t work out, I wouldn’t look like this.” > > Like I said, it’s a lifestyle change that most overweight people need to make. They need to learn to eat better and to incorporate some sort of physical activity into their life. _ **Generally speaking** _, anyone who says they don’t have time to workout just isn’t trying hard enough. A lot of people would make a significant change in their waistline if they would just wake up 20 minutes earlier and go for a short walk in the morning. bolding mine. With you own words, you just made one of my key points for me (and the others in this thread that are trying to get you to see it). I started training in dance when I was 10, taking lessons in jazz, ballet and tumbling. Then in high school I was into gymnastics. Plus I read a LOT. Started (my mom claims) when I was about 3 and a half to 4). I’ve taught PE at the university level for 6 years, not including classes I teach outside the university environment (except this past spring semester when I foolishly moved to Texas for a spell :D). I have a lot of students of all ages, shapes and sizes going through my classes. So, I have a smidge of knowledge. You sound as if health and fitness is a longstanding habit with you, and you sound as if you have a lot of knowledge regarding the phsycial side. What you seem to be missing, is that not everyone (and in fact LOTS of folks dont’) has this sort of “ingrained” knowledge regarding fitness, fat loss, and the most effective ways to eat right and exercise. Many people, like your brother’s boss, HONEST TO GOD, do not understand how those that are fit and healthy get there. Particularly since, as has been described a huge number of times in this thread, many of them have tried (and not from a base of longstanding practice and knowledge like folks like us), and failed numerous times. Why don’t they “just know” as you and I do?? Lots of reasons. Having grown up in a family that was also ignorant of the proper ways to eat and exercise. And if they did have obesity forced upon them as children (through ignorant parents) their childhood was likely one of dante’s 7 circles of hell. And you scoff at someone saying they don’t want someone 'snickering" at them at the gym?? Now, you and _I_ know that most people in the gym are focused on their workouts (or their image in the mirror), but someone with a hellish 'fatty fatty 2X4 memory of gym class doens’t. I don’t think you’re truly trying to be mean, but I think that you’re ingnorant, or disbelieving, of the incredible psychological issues that many people face. Humans aren’t quadratic equations. It isn’t a “insert x calories here, get x burn out” matter. There is every variable under the sun. Now, I AGREE with you that none of those is sufficient to equal weight loss being “impossible”. But those issues and variables are valid issues, ones that have just as much “weight” (sorry pun not intended), in the battle of the bulge as the physical ones. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-is-now-an-illness/255449.md?page=14)