I've lurked on MN for ages now, but reading all these threads about obesity lately has spurred me to join, simply to encourage people to look into the Health at Every Size movement. We are given permission every day to believe that being overweight or obese is synonymous with being smelly, lazy or stupid. The word "fat" has become an insult, when it's not. It's simply an adjective, like tall, thin, short, etc.
I have struggled with my weight for years. While I'm finally nearing a weight at which I feel comfortable, I have also found that reading about Health at Every Size has encouraged me to be less judgmental of other people. I was so ashamed of my own weight that I had a strong bias against others who were overweight. I've now realised that I can't really know how any one else lives. No one would judge a family of thin people for having a lunch of sausage rolls from Gregg's, but a fat family's eating habits suddenly becomes the business of everyone around them. I'm not saying it's acceptable for parents to fail to teach children healthy eating habits, because it certainly isn't. Unfortunately, it isn't any outsider's place to pass comment.
Fat is a complicated issue. I really recommend people research Health at Every Size, which demonstrates that the BMI scale is flawed and it is possible to be healthy and obese. The woman who writes this website is an amazing example of the kind of judgment and prejudice fat people face, despite the fact that she can probably exercise circles around most thin people!
Most importantly, and despite what many people on here seem to believe, you can't shame someone into being thin. You can say over and over that a fat person is disgusting or should lose weight or that it's simple! Just calories in versus calories out! But that won't make them thin. Even the guise of concern over their health is inappropriate. Weight is a personal issue and it's time for it to be taken out of the public domain.