I heard a short spot as I was listening to the radio this morning that was encouraging everyone to visit the Obesity Action Coalition website and sign the petition to help make obesity a disease. The first question that came to my mind is, "how can you sign a petition to make obesity a disease?" It either is or is not a disease... signing a petition can't change that either way.

Also, could obesity even qualify? Let's look at the pertinent definition of the word "disease" from Dictionary.com:

"a disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment."

Is it still a good thing?
"But so what? While their logic may be faulty, can't the Obesity Action Coalition still stand for a good thing?" I took a quick look through their official list of positions, and while there are many points that I think make sense and are worth supporting, in my opinion there are a number of questionable positions covertly mixed in.  

Here are some of the positions that I can easily agree with:

1. ". . .It is the second leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., and is associated with a large number of co-morbid conditions. Care should therefore not be seen as simply having the goal of reducing body weight, but should additionally be focused on improving overall health and quality of life."

I think the key factor in this statement is that the main focus should be on "overall health and quality of life." It's not just about weight. It's about living a healthy life.

2. "Efforts should be made to both prevent and treat obesity at all stages, and in all age groups. . . ."

I definitely agree, and I think perhaps the prevention part of this equation should receive the most emphasis!

4. "Obesity is a condition that is currently having and continues to have an impact at all levels of our society. As such, action is needed at the levels of the individual, community, government, healthcare and insurance."

Pretty straight forward.

5. ". . .Obese individuals frequently struggle with not only the health and physical consequences of their disease but also with professional and social consequences. Discrimination against obese individuals occurs in schools, workplaces, doctors’ offices and more. No person should be discriminated against based on their size or weight. Individuals with obesity should be legally protected against such discrimination."  

I don't think that we should discriminate against anyone for any reason. If a person can fulfill the duties required by their job, it shouldn't matter what they weigh. Especially from the Christian point of view, we should love everyone regardless of how much they have messed up in the past or are messing up in the present, because Jesus loves them like that!  

These two positions are tough ones, and I personally could waffle either way on them:

3. "Health insurance should cover care for obesity as a standard benefit. Insurance should cover the most appropriate and proven treatments to treat the given stage of overweight or obesity. Recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, insurance should also cover necessary long-term follow-up care for obesity treatment. Access to care needs to be both mandatory and reasonable, and should not require undue tests or prerequisites on the part of the patient."

I am not totally sure what I personally think about this. What do you think? Please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section below.

6. "Obesity is often misunderstood, which contributes to both discrimination and care issues. It is important to educate the public, health professionals, and policy makers about obesity as a disease, the issues impacting obese individuals and the treatments available to help."

It depends what exactly the mean by "misunderstood," but as for the "obesity as a disease part," as I've already said, I disagree.  

Finally, and I think most importantly, these are the positions that I take issue with:

1. "Obesity is a complex, multifactoral, and chronic disease that requires a comprehensive medical approach to care. . . ." For a refutation of the "disease" point, please see above.

2. ". . .This may include, but is not limited to treatments such as surgery; physician supervised programs; drug, diet and lifestyle interventions; educational programs; and school and community-based programs."

I think that the vast majority of the emphasis should be placed on diet and lifestyle change. This is one of my biggest hangups with the position that the Obesity Action Coalition is pushing. As they stated in the small foreword to the petition/open letter to Congress, "The Open Letter urges Congress to recognize obesity as a disease and support legislation to provide greater access to and acceptance of all effective treatments, including weight-loss surgery." In my opinion, weight-loss surgery should only be visited as a very, very last resort. This sort of "quick fix" will not solve the underlying problem that many people face: a lack of self control. Also, any major surgery carries serious health risks with it... and weight loss surgery definitely qualifies.

5. "Obesity is not a condition of personal choice. . . ."  

Personal Responsibility

Not a condition of personal choice? Bull.

I will concede that some people have hormonal conditions that cause them to be overweight, but for the vast majority of America today, that is not why they're (we're) fat. They are fat because they have made a long string of poor choices.

Maintaining a healthy weight is simple: you need to balance your calorie intake with your calorie output. If you're already overweight, losing weight is simple: eat better, exercise more. Take in less calories (and better calories) and put out more. This isn't rocket science. For instance, I know that if I really wanted to shed those last couple of pounds to be a truly lean mountain biking machine, I could just stop drinking Mountain Dew. But I love Mountain Dew, and so I make a choice every day to keep drinking it.

Even if someone is already obese, there are so many examples that I can give you of people who have made the choice to get healthy and lose weight. And all of these people have done it through diet and lifestyle change:

• -"Scott Cutshall was so fat that doctors told him he'd die within six months." Then he decided to make a change, lost 320 pounds, and now leads a healthy, athletic life.
• -344pounds.com is all about a man who lost almost 150 pounds by just counting calories.
• -FatCyclist.com, the most popular sports blog on the internet, is written by a cyclist who once was fat and now is not.

These people are all living proof that obesity is a condition of personal choice! And these are just a few examples!

So what is up with the Obesity Action Coalition, then? I think that the Obesity Action Coalition has an agenda, even though they may not consciously admit it to themselves. Spread throughout many of the "positions" that I analyzed above are phrases and concepts designed to eliminate the need for personal responsibility.

Think about it: if obesity is labeled a "disease," then it is something that happens to you... it's not something that you control, not something that you do to yourself. If it's "not a condition of personal choice," then again, what can you do about it? If someone is bulbous and their joints are failing due to long term stress, just a quick heads up: it's not anyone's fault but their own.

And to top it all off the Obesity Action Coalition is trying to push the weight-loss surgery as quick fix.

This attack on personal responsibility is not OK. If no one takes responsibility for their actions, what will happen to our society, to our world? If this philosophy permeates our culture, the effects will be devastating. In fact, I posit that we are already beginning to see some of them all around us.  

Your Turn:
Sound off on the Obesity Action Coalition and personal responsibility in the comments section below!