On The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore last night, he and his guests discussed a rather sensitive issue for a lot of people - obesity. The majority on the show seemed to believe that while obesity is often times disabling, it in and of itself is not technically a "disability." The majority also seemed to believe that what kinds of foods a person consumes is their choice and that it's wrong to discriminate against obese individuals.
Writer and "fat-acceptance" defender, Marianne Kirby, appeared to be in the minority on a number of these topics. Ever since accepting herself as an "obese" woman, she's staunchly defended people like herself, in trying to garner more widespread acceptance of obese individuals. She seemed to scoff at the idea that diets or lifestyle changes ever work, seemed to ignore the common health risks associated with obesity, and even when asked by host Wilmore in his segment Keep It 100 if she'd want to switch places with a skinny woman, while hesitant, she basically said, "No. This is who I am and I'm fine with that."
I have mixed feelings on Kirby's comments and of obesity in general. I have even more mixed feelings after altering my lifestyle and losing 45 lbs. as a result. First off, no, obese individuals, like anyone else, shouldn't be discriminated against. One shouldn't treat an obese person any differently than a skinny person. However, we also can't neglect the fact that obesity is becoming more widespread in this country and that there are serious health risks which are very common in obese individuals, such as diabetes, heart problems, arthritis, cancer, etc. Sure, what one consumes in a given day is their choice, however, shouldn't we be more mindful of the potential repercussions of that very choice? Also, since First Lady Michelle Obama made it one of her main initiatives to decrease childhood obesity through healthier food options in school, childhood obesity has decreased, and isn't that a good thing? Sure, when they grow up to be adults, it's their call on what to eat and drink day in and day out, however, if they get started off on the right foot in childhood as far as healthy dieting is concerned, won't they be less prone to being obese and suffering the potential consequences of that in adulthood?
Like Ms. Kirby states time and time again, it's wonderful to accept oneself, flaws and all, but isn't it also good to try and learn from mistakes and improve oneself as well? One area where I strongly disagree with Ms. Kirby on is with regard to her claim that lifestyle-changes don't work. Granted, diets rarely work in the long-term, but that's because diets are temporary. It's very common for a person to resort to their old bad habits once they reach their dieting goal, and at the end of the day, they wind up gaining all their weight back and then some. However, that is quite different than a lifestyle-change. When it comes to a lifestyle-change, the new healthy diet isn't temporary; it's permanent. So in this scenario, it's much more likely for a person to lose the weight and keep it off than if they were to simply go on a temporary diet. This is what I did. Sure, it's not easy at first, like most major life changes, but once one gets into a certain routine and has the focus and determination necessary to not regularly get sidetracked, it's quite doable. Lots of people may seek a shortcut to losing weight and being healthier, but if they were to ask any doctor what the two main ingredients are for doing that, they would be: 1) A good, healthy diet and 2) Being physically active. If one works out just 20-30 minutes every day and starts eating better, not only will they see results, they'll feel them too. When I started eating better and exercising more, I'd like to say I accepted myself for the most part, yet I saw room for improvement. I felt tired often times (when I shouldn't have) and just felt out of shape, so I decided to change my life. Instead of eating fried meat, I went the grilled route (yes, it can still taste just as good - especially with the right seasonings or sauces). I started snacking better, going from eating a full bag of potato chips or box of ice cream to a few pretzels, crackers, or grapes. Out went the soda and sports drinks and in came the water, and lots of it. Sure, water may not present the most exciting flavor in the world, but not only does it quench one's thirst, it keeps a person hydrated, healthy, and feeling good. Like most people, I'm far from perfect with this lifestyle-change. There are times I'll crave some wings, perhaps drink a Whiskey and Coke, or may just want to veg out on junk while watching football. However, as I've come to learn, that's fine when done in moderation. It's okay to have an off-day here and there, so long as it doesn't become a pattern as it is for most obese individuals. And yes, many of these "bad" foods taste great, but they'll taste even better if one spreads out the occasions in which they're consumed, and if they make that change, not only will they treasure those wonderful tastes more than ever, they'll also feel better. It's like with addicted smokers or alcoholics, sure the buzz might be nice, but is that temporary buzz really worth increased serious health risks down the line?
So, for all people, Ms. Kirby included, while I think it's important to love oneself, I also think it's important to continually strive to make improvements, to better oneself, and increase the odds of a long, happy, healthy life. Whether a person is skinny (I know unhealthy skinny people as well, but the odds of this are far less than that of unhealthy obese individuals), average, fat, a smoker, a drinker, etc., it's important to moderate one's bad habits, eat well, and exercise in order to decrease the potential for serious health issues down the line and to increase the odds of living a long and healthy life. Sure, it's our choice what we consume day in and day out, but those very choices have a significant impact not only on our own well-being, but on those closest and dearest to us, not to mention healthcare costs as well.
Writer and "fat-acceptance" defender, Marianne Kirby, appeared to be in the minority on a number of these topics. Ever since accepting herself as an "obese" woman, she's staunchly defended people like herself, in trying to garner more widespread acceptance of obese individuals. She seemed to scoff at the idea that diets or lifestyle changes ever work, seemed to ignore the common health risks associated with obesity, and even when asked by host Wilmore in his segment Keep It 100 if she'd want to switch places with a skinny woman, while hesitant, she basically said, "No. This is who I am and I'm fine with that."
I have mixed feelings on Kirby's comments and of obesity in general. I have even more mixed feelings after altering my lifestyle and losing 45 lbs. as a result. First off, no, obese individuals, like anyone else, shouldn't be discriminated against. One shouldn't treat an obese person any differently than a skinny person. However, we also can't neglect the fact that obesity is becoming more widespread in this country and that there are serious health risks which are very common in obese individuals, such as diabetes, heart problems, arthritis, cancer, etc. Sure, what one consumes in a given day is their choice, however, shouldn't we be more mindful of the potential repercussions of that very choice? Also, since First Lady Michelle Obama made it one of her main initiatives to decrease childhood obesity through healthier food options in school, childhood obesity has decreased, and isn't that a good thing? Sure, when they grow up to be adults, it's their call on what to eat and drink day in and day out, however, if they get started off on the right foot in childhood as far as healthy dieting is concerned, won't they be less prone to being obese and suffering the potential consequences of that in adulthood?
Like Ms. Kirby states time and time again, it's wonderful to accept oneself, flaws and all, but isn't it also good to try and learn from mistakes and improve oneself as well? One area where I strongly disagree with Ms. Kirby on is with regard to her claim that lifestyle-changes don't work. Granted, diets rarely work in the long-term, but that's because diets are temporary. It's very common for a person to resort to their old bad habits once they reach their dieting goal, and at the end of the day, they wind up gaining all their weight back and then some. However, that is quite different than a lifestyle-change. When it comes to a lifestyle-change, the new healthy diet isn't temporary; it's permanent. So in this scenario, it's much more likely for a person to lose the weight and keep it off than if they were to simply go on a temporary diet. This is what I did. Sure, it's not easy at first, like most major life changes, but once one gets into a certain routine and has the focus and determination necessary to not regularly get sidetracked, it's quite doable. Lots of people may seek a shortcut to losing weight and being healthier, but if they were to ask any doctor what the two main ingredients are for doing that, they would be: 1) A good, healthy diet and 2) Being physically active. If one works out just 20-30 minutes every day and starts eating better, not only will they see results, they'll feel them too. When I started eating better and exercising more, I'd like to say I accepted myself for the most part, yet I saw room for improvement. I felt tired often times (when I shouldn't have) and just felt out of shape, so I decided to change my life. Instead of eating fried meat, I went the grilled route (yes, it can still taste just as good - especially with the right seasonings or sauces). I started snacking better, going from eating a full bag of potato chips or box of ice cream to a few pretzels, crackers, or grapes. Out went the soda and sports drinks and in came the water, and lots of it. Sure, water may not present the most exciting flavor in the world, but not only does it quench one's thirst, it keeps a person hydrated, healthy, and feeling good. Like most people, I'm far from perfect with this lifestyle-change. There are times I'll crave some wings, perhaps drink a Whiskey and Coke, or may just want to veg out on junk while watching football. However, as I've come to learn, that's fine when done in moderation. It's okay to have an off-day here and there, so long as it doesn't become a pattern as it is for most obese individuals. And yes, many of these "bad" foods taste great, but they'll taste even better if one spreads out the occasions in which they're consumed, and if they make that change, not only will they treasure those wonderful tastes more than ever, they'll also feel better. It's like with addicted smokers or alcoholics, sure the buzz might be nice, but is that temporary buzz really worth increased serious health risks down the line?
So, for all people, Ms. Kirby included, while I think it's important to love oneself, I also think it's important to continually strive to make improvements, to better oneself, and increase the odds of a long, happy, healthy life. Whether a person is skinny (I know unhealthy skinny people as well, but the odds of this are far less than that of unhealthy obese individuals), average, fat, a smoker, a drinker, etc., it's important to moderate one's bad habits, eat well, and exercise in order to decrease the potential for serious health issues down the line and to increase the odds of living a long and healthy life. Sure, it's our choice what we consume day in and day out, but those very choices have a significant impact not only on our own well-being, but on those closest and dearest to us, not to mention healthcare costs as well.
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