Quote by WanKaDDict
I have just watched a program on fat people - too fat to work!

I'm sure that the producers picked the least intelligent people, but my question is - are these really big humans really stupid enough to think that the huge amounts of food that they consume doesn't add to their weight that along with doing basically nothing

It was mind blowing to listen to them.

Both this and the Katie Hopkins program has opened my eyes to the major problem of obesity across the Globe but mainly in the UK and USA.

Opinions welcome.
Ideal solutions welcome.

Quote by Dancing_Doll
Extreme obesity is really a form of addiction. And I'm not talking about being chubby or thick or overweight - but morbid obesity - to the point where the weight has caused an actual disability, like not being able to work or function or causing major health issues that strip decades off your life expectancy. It's not just that they like to overeat - at a certain point, they are compelled to and it becomes like an 'illness'.

I've channel surfed through similar shows where people are needing gastric bypass or are practically bed-ridden and at that point, I'm not thinking "jeez, why don't these people just stop eating"... it's like questioning why an addict keeps binge drinking or snorting 8-balls or taking oxy to the point of total obliteration where they're broke and willing to do anything to get their fix and feed the addiction. Food is really the same thing - it's a psychological crutch they can't be without. If you notice, they often have 'enablers' too - family members that are buying/preparing the food - no different than the way a drug addict can manipulate to get what they want.

When you think about it - I'm sure everyone would say they'd prefer to be at a healthy weight, and yet something is compelling them to indulge this short-term pleasure (or high) of over-eating in preference to the long-term ongoing satisfaction of positive body self-esteem and good health. It has to have a chemical and psychological component to some degree.

I do agree that it's reaching epidemic proportions, especially in certain countries. It's a combination of genetic predisposition, cultural trends of oversized food portions and the economic factors of cheap food being the unhealthiest kind. Personally I think food portions need to be re-learned. What you get at a mid-level restaurant (or a buffet) or fast-food place is often value-priced, which means it's way more food on the plate than a person should be able to consume in one sitting... but people do it, stomachs stretch, people start to think a massive bowl of pasta or supersized fries is a normal 'single portion' and then eat at home in the same way.

Whether it's just a habit or a full-fledged addiction, it takes a huge toll on the body. Once it gets past a certain point, it does impact quality of life and that's the really unfortunate thing. I do think healthcare professionals do need to treat it as an addiction though. It's common for people who have gastric bypass to just transfer addiction tendencies to some other vice when they're no longer able to over-indulge in food. You have to treat the underlying issue - the mind, as well as the body.