Well let's see... in the end, my obesity is my fault. It didn't necessarily start off that way. My family has always eaten extremely unhealthy (sorry mom and dad) and those eating habits were the norm for me all my life. I blew up as a kid, and continued to eat eat eat even when I was old enough to make up my own mind and know better. <snip>
You know, I used to think this was a silly question. Of course it was my fault, I used to think, I ate too much and when I ate less I lost weight.
But as I read more and maintain longer, you know what, obesity was not my fault.
The biggest issue I have is that I (you) can eat a lot of healthy foods and not get fat. It's just all the cr@p food available out there, often branded as healthy but not, and misinformation with nutrition (even doctors don't know much) that means you do get fat if you eat too much of certain foods. This was my story.
Had someone schooled me to eat the foods I eat now I would have never been obese despite eating so much.
And if that means a calorie is not a calorie, then I am starting to believe in that way of thinking.
I lost weight by eating less. I maintain weight by eating way more than I ever did but of stuff that is good for me. And exercising.
Love this post because you ask a seemingly simple question- which can actually be quite complex.
In my opinion, obesity may or may not be your fault. Whether or not you choose to live a healthy lifestyle, or whether or not you choose to feel good about yourself, is ultimately up to you. In that regard, I think all of us have control of our own destinies.
No. I ate my way into this mess. Yes, most likely a portion of it is genetic, but that does not mean you need to become overweight. I mean a portion or whether a person became a doctor or a basketball player or an artist is also genetic.
I truly admit my obesity is my own fault and no one else. I overeat, making very poor food choices,not very active. I did this to myself and not commited on making an ongoing lifestyle change. Had lost weight twice in my weight battle. gained it back..I am not dieting, but am pursing a lifestyle change for life. I learned my lesson. and sick and tired of my obesity lifestyle. I am in this to become healthier and pain free in my upcoming years.
I have been searching the Web for surgical information and a ran across this phrase on the bottom of the page regarding Obesity......and it stated..
Obesity is not your fault?
So my question is do you think Obesity is not your fault?
and if it not our fault....then who's fault is it? This just made me stop and scratch my head...about the different theories why were fat.
Roo2
I think obesity is and isn't my fault. It is my fault because I am the one eating the food. It isn't because many people don't struggle with their weight and it is not because they are exceptional people or better than me. It just isn't in their genes or just not a personal struggle. I don't struggle with addiction to drugs, but I do like excess food. Another reason it isn't my fault is that I was on medications that caused me a lot of weight gain for about 5 years. I put on about 100 extra pounds that I am trying to take off during that period. Oh, and I have had weight problems from the time I started elementary school.
Last edited by jessicadb2; 06-26-2015 at 11:12 AM.
Did I have control over it? Sure. Is it harder for some people than others? Yes, I believe it is. So... is it my fault that I am an endomorph who didn't figure out for DECADES that carbs (any carbs) induce cravings and make it difficult for me to control my eating? When, even now, the ADA and many doctors still spout that "whole grain carbs should be a part of your diet." Maybe for MANY people that is good and OK, but it's not for me and a lot of people. Grains and starches are just bad news for me.
Is it my fault that my metabolism is fairly slow (and I know this is true now with watching how much I eat, burn and lose (or don't lose)?
So... when I get stressed or just want to cut loose and such and my husband who wants to do the same, the results are different. 2 weeks of just eating to fill hunger and "hanging out" for me can mean a 10 pound TRUE weight gain. For my husband, 1 lb, maybe. AND, because I probably ate a lot of carbs, etc, I then have to get over the sluggish blahness I feel to get back to eating right and the desire to exercise.
When one person has to be constanly vigilant and others just have to be somewhat watchful, that's a HUGE difference. And I'm not making excuses. It's a reality.
Hi, I think I am an endomorph as well, but I have to eat carbs and whole grains. Otherwise I feel hungry. I do agree that it is harder for some people than others. It is rare to find a person who doesn't struggle in some area with excess, so I know I am not alone in my struggle with excessive eating.
If I had to blame someone, I'd only blame myself partially. My older sister grew up skinny to average size, but I've been overweight from the start. Sure I did my Mickey Mousercises and I was flexible, but it didn't do anything for my weight. My parents were in charge of what I ate growing up, not me, so I partially point a finger at them and the general misconception of what is truly healthy food and what isn't. Both my parents were overweight by the time I was born. Despite me being an obese child there were no real attempts to make me not obese. For a while dad used to make us weigh ourselves weekly which made me feel bad because I knew I was overweight, and yet no one in the house really did anything about it except buy some low fat cookies and rice cakes. Sure, I knew that sugar was bad and veggies were good, but I never felt like I ate differently or more than people who were skinnier than me.
The first time I lost a lot of weight was my first year at college, and I wasn't even trying. I definitely blame myself for not keeping the weight off when I regained. I also blame society for throwing so many cheap and convenient processed foods in my face all the time. I was raised on them.
My parents didn't help much either with actual changing my lifestyle and learning portion control. They did help by going through health kicks every now and then and they would try to get me more active. They kind of saw my weight as a protective factor so didn't try as hard to change it. One thing that is different about me is that I had two thin to underweight sisters and I know I ate a lot more than them. I would binge on sweets probably once a week to every three weeks.
Naturally there exceptions to this rule (true and rare exceptions mind you) but in general, I would have to say that yes, you are responsible for your own obesity issues.
It is easy to say it is not one's fault in order to feel better about one's self. While a child may not have the ability to take responsibility for what they eat, as an adult we are more than capable to research, learn, and understand proper nutrition. We have the ability, we just don't act on it.
It also doesn't help when parents don't pass on the knowledge of proper nutrition. As a kid growing up, it was just "eat your veggies", "clean your plate", "you can't have seconds"... but there was no actual explanation on proper nutrition. In this day and age, kids aren't learning the importance of healthy eating and it has become the act of convenience. Busy moms (or dads) just buy prepackaged meals and don't consider the consequences of the type of nutrition they are providing the family. "It's food, isn't that good enough?"
I for one, didn't learn anything about proper nutrition until I took a basic biology class in college four years ago. That is a long time to wait...
I know in Japan and China, most kids are raised knowing nutrition and what foods and good and bad. They still have tons of sweets and bad food available to them, but having the right knowledge growing up was partly key in preventing obesity.
Update: definitely not my fault. There is too much misinformation out there on diet, nutrition and exercise for anyone to make an informed decision about their own weight and body composition.
Doctors don't know. And the science is weak and all over the place.
The only way is to make a leap of faith and find out what works for yourself.
Cutting calories works but a calorie is not a calorie so there is an easier way...
I can tell you how I can lose weight but it probably won't work for you.
So, obesity is not my fault and it's not yours either.
Unless you have found "the path" to your own personal weightloss but ignore it. But why would anyone choose to be obese?
I don't think my obesity was my fault. I was a child when I became obese - that's more on my parents. And they and my doctor taught me NOTHING about nutrition. Absolutely effing nothing.
However, once I became old enough to research and reason and experiment with what works for me, it was my fault for staying obese.
It's like it wouldn't be my fault if someone tripped me and I got hurt. But it would be my fault if I disregarded my injury and let it get worse and worse.
So, yes and no. But I agree with IanG - there's a lot of biased science and a lot of misinformation and conflicting info out there. Very confusing for a lot of people.
I don't think it's a matter of fault, or placing blame... I think it's more of accountability, and taking responsibility for your health..
I buy the genetics angle up to a point, but that hasn't stopped others with a predisposition to obesity from keeping average weight.. When i hear stories like people with serious illnesses, and senior citizens dropping tons of weight, and are in the best shape of there lives.. There's really no excuse for the rest of us.
There are three reasons why people are obese, lack of exercise, poor diet, and excessive eating..
Last edited by fit_tiff83; 07-01-2015 at 01:58 AM.
I don't really believe in self blame for it. I have lost and gained weight several times. I know for a fact that most people in the western world consume more calories than they need. However a lot of people, especially when they are young, don't keep storing endless amounts of spare energy. Their bodies regulate their fat storage despite their consumption. Whilst the rest of us experience weight gain when we overindulge. This is obvious if you observe the behaviour of friends as you go through life. Plenty of mates would eat more, drink more, and exercise less than myself all the while their weight would not fluctuate at all despite these normal excesses of modern life. For those of us not blessed with forgiving bodies for the excesses of modern life we just have to do our best and learn what works for us and what doesn't. For me foods based around sugar and grain are evil. My weight just explodes when I consume these. Beer is the worst
