Fat Acceptance vs Diet and Exercise

Fat Acceptance vs Diet and Exercise

By

Paul J Murphy

President of www.obesitythunderbay.ning.com

June 24, 2013

            The conversation regarding obesity has heated up like never before. In the last few days the AMA (American Medical Association) has identified obesity as a disease. The conversation continues to percolate and for advocates like me, it is a wonderful time to be involved. Attitudes are being flushed out and media coverage has moved into a variety of locations. As an advocate I am   so very lucky to be involved at such an amazing time. I was struggling to create a written piece to capture this shift and then by chance I found something on Twitter. The statement is very profound and well worth sharing. There are so many people that deserve to be thanked for opening up dialogue on the complex issue surrounding obesity. These include people from the eating disorder, mental health area and food experts as well as body acceptance areas.  Some of these advocates are professional, while others are people with a passion that is built on promoting acceptance.

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            This statement is laced within the current diet and exercise model. The statement indicated that fat was something to lose and any notion related to fat acceptance was a mistake. This is a very heavily supported belief and for the longest time and many have fully engaged and in the belief of this. Day time TV is packed with this message and of course this promotes programs like the “Biggest Losers “.It takes the notion that anyone can alter their body make up. The message is everywhere and it is difficult to break down. The weight loss and the food industry have been milking this message for well over 40 years. This belief has been used to block any meaningful conversations for a very long time. Why would forces want to block the discussion on obesity? It supports blaming the individual and does not bring an environmental discussion to the table. The diet and exercise model makes sense, but does it work and does it create the change needed to promote wellness with addressing health determinants.

           

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            Obesity is many things depending on your position and depending on your circumstances. For people who are committed to weight loss surgery and exercise the issue is very simple. For those who believe in environmental impacts such as poverty or food additions the obesity discussion is enriching and very fertile. We must discuss health determinants and the complex areas such as acceptance .Fat acceptance has faced a lot of criticism and the newest attack came for the American Medical Association, now that they have labelled obesity as a disease.  My friend posted this on Facebook and she was kind enough to give me consent to use and share her statement. “It’s too easy to focus on everything that’s wrong in our life; we actually begin to lose focus of everything that’s right in our life,”   (Roseanna Ferris 2013). I could not sum up words that were more congruent than Roseanna’s statement.

 

                       

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            Now for the excitement of the day that many have been working and been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. The time to engage and participate in an open free- thinking conversation on fat and acceptance is upon us. Does acceptance mean that we should not care for our health? We want people to care and fully engage in protecting their health, but I do not believe destroying their sense of self-worth is needed. Our focus on obesity is sending the wrong message to our children and it is time we created a dynamic free-flowing discussion. After all ,overweight and the obese, are not the enemy. Feeling better about one’s self can be catchy and feeling better may provide a starting point for an improved overall health. The diet and exercise model has earned the current obesity statistics and I do not believe it has reached the intended outcome. Obesity is a by-product and until we begin to address those underlying aspects, we will continue to fail.

            Closing

            As an obese or fat person I am not impressed with calling my obesity a disease. However, I am thrilled and excited to see the fat conversation taking shape and taking aim. For the longest time the obesity discussion has been blocked and shaped by many stakeholders and advocates have been unable to reach out using mainstream media in a way that engages the general public. Now that the American Medical Association has labelled fat people like me as diseased the conversation has escalated .Advocates are eagerly taking full advantage of the opportunity and I am very excited to try and make a small contribution to this discussion. Overweight and obese people are not the enemy. For many, they are the victims of eating disorders, or unhealthy food environments and do not need to be attacked .Obesity is a very complex issue and will require a complex, dynamic intervention based on inclusion rather than isolation.

Paul J Murphy

www.obesitythunderbay.ning.com

paulmurphy@obesitythunderbay.ca

PS (Paul has been working on advocacy and that means finding ways to engage with more and more people. This has allowed me to focus clearer and keep my eye on the real objective).