There’s something that’s been bothering me. While obesity is getting a much more significant focus – by the First Lady, by the media, and by congress, the way the topic is handled puts so much focus and blame on the obese people. And people who appear to be obese deal with a great deal of discrimination – on the street, in the workplace, and at the doctor’s office. While I don’t abdicate people of their personal responsibility, it’s simply not as simple as it seems.
First of all, there are people who are clinically obese, but who have an excellent blood lipid profile, exercise frequently, and eat healthy foods. I know a few people like this in real life, and because I know them, I know that they pursue healthy behaviors. But those who don’t treat them with disdain and disrespect. And similarly, there are people who appear to be at a healthy weight, but have insulin resistance, high cholesterol, or other hidden health problems.
But I have to be completely honest…when I come across someone I don’t know who appears to be obese, I find myself getting caught up in the same trap as everyone else, and judging them for their appearance, what they’re eating, etc. Meanwhile, I don’t make the same snap judgments about skinny people, even if they’re eating the exact same food.
One strategy I use to get past this is I put the person in context. In my mind, she’s having her cheat meal after a week of healthy eating, or maybe she has been working so hard that she is now 20 pounds lighter than she was at the beginning of the year. When I put people in this positive light, no matter their background, I find I’m able to view them without my ingrained bias.
Would I love to help some of these people achieve their health goals? Absolutely! I want to help everyone achieve their health goals, no matter their current size. Unfortunately, the deck is stacked against all of us. As Jamie Oliver’s show “Food Revolution” has shown (season finale tonight!), there is a real emphasis on highly processed food in our society.
The problems with these highly processed food are numerous:
- High in fat
- High in sodium
- High in sugar and/or sugar substitutes
- Filled with unnatural ingredients
- Nutritionally deficient
And, perhaps worst of all, the food manufacturers have done enough research that their foods are often designed to create a significant reaction in the pleasure centers of the brain similar to the way illegal drugs do, making it difficult to avoid going back over and over again. Food addiction? Maybe! I know I had a problem with soda that I’ve described as addiction in the past.
Well what about exercise? Don’t I recommend people exercise? Of COURSE! You hear all the time in the media this advice that we need to be more active. Well, would you believe that Americans ARE more active than we were 30 years ago? It’s true. The problem is, that you simply can’t get enough exercise to offset the negative effects of the typical American diet.
If the answer isn’t just exercise, what is it? Eat fresh foods? Cut back on processed foods? Not so easy if you live in Coatesville, the city right near where I live. Why? Well, you see, like many urban centers with a high concentration of socioeconomically disadvantaged residents, it has no grocery store. So if you want fresh fruit and vegetables, and don’t have a car, you’d have to take the bus to the nearest grocery store – a mile or more out of town. Is it any wonder obesity is statistically linked to being low income?
So how does this relate to obesity and being judgmental? Well, here’s the thing: once a body has gained weight, it’s much harder to lose it. The better thing is to never have gained it at all. I wish I could say it was easy, but it’s simply not. People who have become obese have to overcome significant hurdles to get to what is perceived as a healthy weight. And that’s even before you consider the effects of addiction, the lack of accessibility of healthy foods, and the other environmental issues that drive weight gain. While we care about the health of our fellow Americans, we need to love and respect them. I hope you, like me, will have some perspective and try to catch and correct any snap judgments about overweight people before you let them affect the way you treat others.
Popularity: 8% [?]
GREAT post Liz.
It is tough to change life long habits, and lose extra weight you have held onto for years, and unfortunately our society is not built around supporting healthful eating, and regular exercise.
Hopefully this will help people be more aware- and think before they judge.
All so true I am obese and when I do eat out I don’t feel I should have to buy a salad when I dine out but I do take home 1/2 the meal to not overfill myself. I don’t dine out much and when I do I don’t want salad. If I am eating out it also a matter of convenience like at a school function I don’t mind fruit but never a salad out. Also, my doctor messed up with my thyroid meds and I gained 10 lbs in 2 mths with getting soda out of my diet. So it’s not fair from any side.