| Search Sensei Talks |
|
|
| Labels |
|
|
|
| Tuesday, November 25, 2008 |
| Is Obesity a Personal Issue? |
Is there room in the “no-holds-barred war on obesity” for an opposing view or a philosophical difference? How does the philosophy of fat-acceptance deal with the issues of obesity for our children, “our families, our society and our health care system?”
Robin Marantz Henig, a contributing writer for the Sunday New York Times magazine is the author of Losing the Weight Stigma. She presents the opinions of “a growing social movement known as fat-acceptance.”
The “core argument of fat-acceptance is that it is possible to be healthy no matter how fat you are and that weight loss as a goal is futile, unnecessary and counterproductive, and that fatness is nobody’s business but your own.” They “encourage exercise, but for its emotional and physical benefits, not as a way to lose weight. It advocates tossing out the bathroom scale and loving your body no matter what it weighs.”
“Many fat-acceptance activists prefer a new approach to dieting that focuses on nutrition, exercise and body image,” not weight loss. Linda Bacon, a nutritionist and physiologist and author of “Health at Every Size” is an advocate of this plan. “In 2005, Bacon led the only randomized control trial to test the hypothesis physiologically in a group of 78” women. Those enrolled in her Weight Loss group lowered only their “self-esteem.” The second group of 39 women, “assigned to a ‘Healthy at Every Size’ group lost no weight, but their healthier behavior led to lower blood-pressure and cholesterol levels, which stayed low even two years later.”
Fat-acceptance activists “insist you can’t assume someone is unhealthy just because he’s fat, any more than you can assume someone is healthy just because he’s slim.” They offer as evidence the “August, 2008 Archives of Internal Medicine report that fully half of overweight adults and one-third of the obese had normal blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar-indicating a normal risk for heart disease and diabetes, conditions supposedly caused by being fat.”
The “weight-related factors linked to poorer health” are well documented, and learning to love and accept yourself can be a struggle for anyone at any size. The multiple reasons for trying to achieve a healthy weight should not be philosophically at odds with fat-acceptance. Obese and overweight adults may well develop arthritic problems, and degenerative arthritis from the stress of weight on their bodies. They are also likely to develop diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, triglycerides and heart disease in the future.
All the same risks exist for obese children, and “include psychological conditions that were uncommon in children three decades ago.” Concern for personal health, not personal appearance should clearly be a goal for everyone though changes in personal appearance often accompany a change in healthy eating habits. With so many healthy, nutritious, delicious foods to choose from, learning to make changes in what you eat, slowly practicing portion control, and adding some activity allows your body to move gradually to a healthier weight. You will be healthier and feel better. That’s a reasonable goal we should all be able to agree with.
- Nancy
Labels: food for thought, Mindful Eating, Nancy
|
posted by The Sensei Team @ Tuesday, November 25, 2008   |
|
-->
add to del.icio.us
|
|
|
|
|
|
