Monday, July 1, 2013

Obesity Should NOT Be Classified as a Disease!

As seen on Diet.com!

The American Medical Association recently designated obesity as a disease, and in doing so, has created a terrible disservice, and potentially damaging situation.  Why bother striving to live a healthy lifestyle, when you can just take a pill for temporary weight loss, which typically results in weight gain? 

Onto the next solution, as medical, surgical, and hokey diet businesses thrive, at our expense.  There is not a single remedy available that seems to keep weight from returning, in the vast majority of people. 

Go ahead, eat like a pig, and never move your butt! They’ll just gut your guts, and you’ll be fine.  (Except for awful side effects, and often dismal long term results). “On sale now, and paid for by your insurance company,” (since there is finally a formal diagnosis.)  Oops, time for a raise in rates!

The AMA went against the recommendations of its own Council!  The Council stated that obesity should not be classified as a disease, since the primary diagnostic measurement, BMI, is flawed!  And seriously flawed, at that.  It does not consider whether body mass is fat or muscle, or whether you eat healthfully, or ever put on a pair of sneakers!

Could there be any advantages, for anyone who doesn’t stand to make money off this?  Can it possibly make us healthier? 

Only if they come up with a magic bullet, because treatments now have incredibly high relapse rates.
Only if they solve poverty quickly, because the greatest concentration of obesity is in those areas. 

Should we pay for them to be on meds or have surgery?  What if most of the population is classified as overweight or obese?  Should everyone be on meds forever???

It’s crazy talk. 

Here’s the truth.  People come in small, medium and large, and we should all simply strive to become our personal best.  The other day, I was on the beach, and about 5 adolescent girls in bikinis passed by.  One said to another, “You don’t have to exercise, you’re naturally thin!”

Is this the message we should be teaching our children?  It’s absurd.  Exercise is healthy for everyone, just as partially hydrogenated oils are toxic for all.  And by the way, I have no idea who said it to who.  They all looked thin to me!

If there’s a silver lining to all of this, fat people might finally receive a bit more sympathy from others.  If they are “ill,” and it’s not “their fault,” there is a more sympathetic tone.  What a refreshing change, from suggestions that “they are weak-willed, lazy, and disgusting.”  Perhaps this will diminish discrimination against people of size, and engender pity, instead of disgust and shame.  How exciting….

Society would be much better served if we simply protected larger peoples’ feelings by accepting that diversity is good in a species.  We must recognize that everyone should strive to be healthy, equally, regardless of size.  There are different advantages and disadvantages to being small, medium or large.

What if North Korea decided to nuke us and our food supply was contaminated?  Who would survive until the next harvest?

Let’s face it; it’s survival of the fattest!

Diagnosis be damned.

2 comments:

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Unknown said...

I agree! However, I know it is harder for some people to lose weight, but I've seen some friends have great results at weight loss centers.

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