Is being Obese an illness?

[agel]

Yes or No
Im really not trying to start an argument. I want to understand what people actually think/know/believe about this.

I am obese and am trying to gain some sort of control over my eating through therapy at the moment. I’ve tried diets and exercising that do work but long term I don’t seem to be able to change my lifestyle enough to keep the weight off. I hate living like this and how people treat me differently because of my size. My family don’t understand at all. My partner is not understanding and it’s seriously affecting our relationship in many ways. It seems unfair because I don’t feel I have much control over this. It’s actually very lonely being in this situation. I rarely mention the topic of my health or weight to others because pardon the pun it’s always the elephant in the room! But you can almost hear what people are thinking. I hate the judgemental looks and comments. I rarely go out now because of anxiety and panic attacks brought on by this situation.

People generally ate less in the past.

Chronic, widespread overeating across all social classes is a very modern phenomenon.

I think there are degrees of this, it’s a big difference the scales saying you are obese at 12stone 10 and being 22 stone Asan example- whilst being technically obese is annoying as hell it’s easily done by a few years of not giving a shit/emotional issues /fun times- to get more than 8 stone overweight though tends to mean it’s something longer term is going on with a stronger mental issue or physical issues underpinning it

yes, food was more expensive, harder to obtain and prepare.

Having said that - look at clothes in museums - there wasn't the level of obesity, but obesity existed.

This is where I do think that UPFs, designed to be easy to eat and addictive are an issue for many people, as well as a genetic predisposition to not feel full, the food itself is designed not to make you feel full.

@Crikeyalmighty I think the process of yo-yo dieting impacts on this, a lot. I was just into the obese territory for a fair while in my life. Always trying to lose a stone or two, and over time dropping some but then putting a little more back on. After having my children that's when the weight really went on. The amounts I would lose would be smaller and the regain higher. Once you reach a certain point, the hopelessness sets in and it's very easy to stop caring and just avoid thinking about it. Busy getting on sorting every one else out and not prioritising your own situation.

Yes it was for me. I had weight loss surgery- best thing I ever did .

Prior to surgery I was morbidly obese. I tried absolutely everything to lose the excess weight nothing worked.

I was addicted to food and sugar!

surgery has been the only thing that has worked for me.

It’s a disease with different causes for different people.

For some it’s a result of mental illness and disordered eating. I’ve noticed anecdotally that it’s also linked to neurodiversity - I am autistic and never feel full, even on a GLP1, it’s like I have a highly dulled sense of satiety.

There’s growing evidence that a lot of people have an unusually high drive to eat, maybe genetic, but the cause not identified fully yet.

I’ve also seen some obesity drs suggest that one day for some it’ll be found that’s it’s a manifestation of chronic illness, in a similar way to CFS.

Then there are those who are on prescription drugs that trigger obesity. A friend at 18 was put on an antidepressant, she put on 12 stone in 18 months as a result. She’s now in her 40s and cannot shift any weight.

Once someone is obese the way bodies work changes, likely for life. This has been known for some time now but is conveniently ignored because apparently it’s so much fun berating fat people

I've been on mounjaro for the last year, within a week of taking it, even before any real weight loss, i stopped having constant pain and I lost a whole layer of inflammation that I’ve had since I was a small child. I know others have experienced this as well. To me this points towards GLP1s treating something that has been ignored for decades, because it’s far easier to assume that fat people are simply lazy and stupid, when in reality that applies to very few of us.

A very dear friend of mine has been obese all her life. She's always talked in terms of 'not doing well' and 'making bad choices' but given that something like 4 in 5 obese adolescents will then go on to be obese in adulthood, I don't think emphasising personal responsibility and culpability is the way to go here, personally. The roots of the problem started for her as a little child with no control over her life, diet and surroundings, and overeating was probably something of a trauma response for her in many ways to cope with difficult aspects of her childhood, enabled by those around her who confused food with affection.

Maybe it's different for those who have healthy childhoods and enter adulthood a healthy weight, but when you have obese toddlers becoming obese children, obese teenagers and obese adults (and often with related dental and health issues), it's hard to see this as being their fault. They enter adulthood with the odds stacked against them.

I agree that personal responsibility is useful in empowering people in that people should be told 'you have the power to make changes' and 'you have the power to live a healthier life'. But this is different from saying to them 'your situation is your fault', which just isn't the case for many. So personally I think obesity is best viewed as an illness with a mix of physical and psychological aspects to it and treated accordingly.

@FlatCatYellowMat "Having said that - look at clothes in museums - there wasn't the level of obesity, but obesity existed."

There was virtually no obesity at all. And the miniscule minority that fell into that bracket were almost invariably filthy rich men who ate and drank to the very limits of excess. A prime example being the Prince Regent of Brighton Pavilion fame who could stuff away ten chickens, a whole wheel of cheese and a barrel of port for breakfast alone, and who led an indolent (basically bone idle) life.

No. Most food I eat is whole. I’m actually a very good cook. I eat few UPFs. Most food is cooked from scratch. I don’t eat takeaways oh apart from lovely fish and chips once on a weeks holiday. Over 100g of good protein a day. Don’t worry I know all the theory. I understand food and things that are supposed to help or give satiety. Anyone would think I’m a bit stupid. I’m not. But this is what we have to endure. Why do people not believe when I say I have no full switch.

Because people were not obese in the past
It barely existed until UPF became the norm

Why do you think people dont believe you?
Why do you think anyone is even interested?
Its you, your body, your choice

@StrumpetVoluntary Thank you for what I think is the best explanation on this thread.
Its also fascinating to learn about your experiences with GLP1 and inflammation; I’m also in constant pain & would love to take this, I’ve also got 4-5 stone of excess weight to lose too. Unfortunately it just is not suitable for me as I have a complex schedule of medication (10+ different dose times per day, 25+ tablets) thus cannot have anything that slows down digestion / absorption.
I fully agree that 100% of fat people aren’t lazy or stupid!

You do not need alcohol, drugs, to gamble, or other forms of addiction to live, therefore abstaining is the way to deal with the addiction. You cannot obviously abstain from food if you want to stay alive. However I believe that WLis have helped people with other addictions so there must be some form of link to the brain.

Well just count yourself lucky and normal.

You clearly disbelieve some of the accounts on here. You think we’re just lazy don’t you. And a little bit or a lot stupid as well? Or we don’t understand food and nutrition.

That’s what I think.

It’s easy to stray into the area where overweight & obese meet.

A different issue to allow yourself to become morbidly obese and it’s no longer a choice you’re making that could be considered fun.

That's not entirely true. There are certain substances that cause physical addiction such as alcohol and benzodiapines where if there is too sudden of a reduction in dosage it can be fatal. Abstinence is the result of no longer using the substance the person is addicted to but achieving that abstinence involves a lot of different things. Unfortunately recovery rates for addiction tend to be quite low.
With obesity I do support the idea of food addiction but I don't think it explain all cases or perhaps even the majority.

In berating PP like this you are emotionally dumping and managing your emotions

Other people, particularly strangers are not affected by what you eat or your size
You are

The only person who needs to understand why you overeat is you

I think for lots of people it is a MH condition.

I've never been over weight and when I gain a few pounds I can address it quickly by eating better and doing a bit more exercise. As I've got older and less judgemental, I've come to understand it's not that simple for everyone. I don't accept the argument re lower metabolism etc for most, but I do think some people are genuinely unable to make the "simple" changes required because of MH realted issues.

@Redfluffyblanket can you expand on what you think the mental health issues actually are? As in, what is the mental health condition and could it be treated?

Of course it can be a symptom of an illness. People with hormonal issues etc are at increased risk of obesity. However, obesity is not an illness in itself.

That fact that people are not obese when they don’t have access to food is irrelevant and a silly argument.

Its like alcoholism, only the obese are addicted to some foods like sugar. Though is alcoholism a disease? WHO think so.

As disease literally means 'lack of ease' I would say yes it is.
I was an obese child. It affected every single step I took literally and figuratively. Wouldn't wish it on anyone.

No it’s not irrelevant. It shows that obesity is not a symptom or a disease of illness.

Obesity is fundamentally driven by a
caloric imbalance consuming more energy (calories) than the body expends over time, with the excess stored as body fat - Whole Health Organisation.

Whether alcoholism is a disease is a great debate but i think needs a separate thread. It might also be helpful to define disease (as in whether we're talking about the medical descriptor or the standard English breakdown of dis-ease ie lack of ease. Otherwise things could get confusing)

You're being very selective about replies you answer to. Did you just not like mine regarding UPFs not being rampant in the 1960s? 😅

I do know that the more fat cells you have, the worse it gets in terms of dysregulated appetite, ghrelin amd leptin levels being out of whack (so hunger signals are all over the place), prediabetes / dysregulated blood sugar, so cravings all over the place. Then of you are peri age the different kind of estrogen in the fat cells can make menopause much much worse with all the related problems of poor sleep, low energy etc. So yea, it makes fat loss, diets etc so much worse. Exercise is a massively beneficial way to fight it but its not easy to stick to. Its good to know tho that the early weeks or months can be esp hard for obese peopme for so many reasons and slimmer people can shut it if they judge as they dont experience the same craving etc intensity. I think you should expect the first phases to be extra hard but rhe more fat you shed the less dysregulated your body and the less inrense the cravings.