Quote:
Originally Posted by ratbastid
No, but it's also a half-solution to look at the individual abstracted from their context. Every one of us walks around with what we think are our own thoughts and feelings, the vast majority of which are instilled in us by our culture and our upbringing. We don't have a culture that values responsibility and restraint. We have a culture that values consumption and super-sizing. So, as true as it may be that obesity is a question of personal responsibility, just saying that isn't going to have one person lose one pound. You've got to tackle the context that gives rise to people's behavior.
And I'm including about myself here--I weigh more now than I've ever weighed in my life. Not by much, I'm within a pound or two of my previous all-time high, but still. And I'm not happy about it, and I have started taking action to deal with it. But I can guarantee you that making me feel bad about my gluttony is NOT a workable approach for me to win at a fitness regimen. What works is for me to start to inquire into what's behind the actions I take and the thoughts I have. When I really look, most of the time I realize that those originated outside myself somewhere. Have I adopted them as Truth and operated from them at the damage of my health? You bet. But not breaking those down leaves me like the guy standing on the bow of the Titanic yelling "Iceburg!". If you want to actually do something to make a difference, run to the bridge and turn the wheel, you know?
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while I can certainly agree that society does play a part as you listed, for me it's still up to the individual. If someone is truly comfortable being fat, then that's on them. I'm mainly pointing my response to people who complain about being a certain weight but they just sit on the couch and watch Biggest Loser thinking how easy it is, and they are consuming loads of calories and then continue to complain because they just "can't find anything that works."
People have lost their sense of self-worth and the ability to understand that things take time and dedication. These diet pills and fads only further our feeding of the complacency and instant gratification machine. Is this society's fault, or does it really boil down to personal responsibility. I don't care how many ads you throw at me for a certain type of food, if I don't want it because I'm in the middle of a training segment, I'm not going to eat it.
and Crompsin has a point... people rationalize with themselves to make themselves feel better because they are lazy. Sure you can call yourself a BBM or BBW, but how do you really feel? Are you sniping at girls because they "need to eat a sandwich" or are you just eating because you feel justified that you don't have to conform? It's not about conforming, it's about being responsible to yourself and your wallet and in the end your family.