The March issue of my Ladies Home Journal included an article called "A Country of People Who Never Stop Eating." The writer talked about the abundance of food in our country and noted that Americans eat an average of 570 calories more per day than the average person consumed in the 1970's. The two-page article discussed the "psychology of mindless eating" and the way we have learned to ignore what it means to be full.
I don't take issue with what the article said - the two points above are relevant to understanding our "obesity crisis." But I have a problem with the way the article was presented: with nearly two dozen pictures of slender women eating snacks - french fries, shakes, cake, burgers, hot dogs, ice cream cones, pretzels, etc. That's not what we look like as a country! Two out of three people are overweight and 33% of us are considered obese. So why not make your point real by showing real images of overweight Americans?
Another thought provoking story this week was Chris Christie's angry response to a former White House physician who said she would love to see the New Jersey governor run for President but that she is worried he might die in office because of his weight. Christie said his 12-year old son saw the remarks and asked "Dad, are you gonna die?" Christie mockingly questioned how someone 2,400 miles away could diagnose his health.
Christie may not like it, but lots of people, not just doctors from afar, are making judgments about his health every day because he is morbidly obese. We know that obesity puts a person at greater risk for health problems. I confess that when I see a morbidly obese person and observe how much more difficult it is for them to get around than me, I think "there's a heart attack waiting to happen."
According to Abigail Saguy, author of "What's Wrong With Fat?," anti-fat prejudice may be a greater threat to the health of the overweight than "any extra pounds they may be carrying." Saguy says that doctors profile heavy patients as "lazy, self-indulgent and noncompliant" so the overweight don't always get the health care they deserve. She also says that doctors are guilty of "size profiling," assuming that an overweight patient has or is at risk of developing a condition because of their weight. Saguy complains that public health campaigns and product ads often show headless images of "torsos with overflowing guts, intended to elicit disgust..."
I agree that it is painful or upsetting to have people judge you on the basis of your appearance. An older man at my athletic club has made many comments about my Red Face after he sees me running on the treadmill - "you look like you're going to have a stroke," for example. I know that I'm fit and healthy so I have learned to forgive his ignorance. I also agree that you should not assume too much about a person's health on the basis of weight alone. But doctors make educated assumptions about health risks based on scientific evidence; it would be malpractice to ignore obvious risk factors to avoid the emotional pain of "size profiling." And the news media and advertisers don't display real images of the overweight, not to elicit disgust, but because it is still taboo to show full face images of overweight people.
There is ample evidence that obesity is a national health-care crisis, a serious challenge that we should be facing based on facts, not just emotion. We are a country of people who eat too much - restaurant super-size meals come to mind - and we eat too much of the foods that taste good but are bad for you. For the sake of our health, with apologies to anyone hurt by this discussion, I hope that we will start eating mindfully and get up and move. For the sake of the 12-year old worrying about daddy's health, I hope that his papa faces his obesity challenge with willpower and honesty.
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