Do I Have A Disease or Am I Just Fat?

There was a time, many years and many pounds ago, that getting dressed was a rather uneventful thing. But lately, when I put my clothes on, it's a 50/50 shot whether they'll fit comfortably or cut my circulation off. It's certainly understandable since I've packed on about 20 pounds over the past couple of years. But at the same time, it's rather depressing.

But a month or so ago, I saw a news segment where a doctor was explaining that weight gain and obesity aren't necessarily the fault of the individual. Instead, to my surprise and delight, he said that obesity is now considered a disease. Instantly, I felt the guilt leave my oversize body. My fondness for craft-brewed ales and Chesapeake Bay chicken wings would no longer be attributed the my expanding waistline. It's the "obesity disease" that's at fault and I just happen to be it's latest victim.

I used to work out at the gym several times a week, I was in much better shape and had a smaller waist size back then. But over the past couple of years, I go to the gym about as often a kid gets out of the pool to pee. So, it might seem logical to blame my absent workouts to my weight gain. But I can't take personal responsibility here. That would be unfair. After all, I've got a disease.

Over the years, I've met a lot of people of all shapes and sizes. I'm now wondering if I caught obesity from someone else. Maybe I caught it from shaking hands with an infected person? Now that I think about it, there was a large-framed guy that I worked with years ago. He would routinely eat an 18-inch pizza and wash it down with a 12-pack of Bud Ice. As a result, he displayed all of the outward signs of the disease. It's very possible that I caught obesity from him.

In today's society, there's never a shortage of someone or something to blame.Obesity is the latest example. Are there cases where a person really can't help being overweight? Sure, there are. But in most cases, obesity is the result of bad personal eating choices and a lack of exercise. If you take in 5000 calories a day but only burn 500, you're going to gain weight. Plain and simple. But advocates will will argue that dismissing obesity as a disease because it can be caused by poor lifestyle choices is like saying that lung cancer isn't a disease because it can be caused by excessive cigarette smoking. 

By overeating and boycotting the gym, I will inevitably gain weight. Therefore, according to the American Medical Association, I have a disease called obesity. Now, what happens if I change my diet to fish and alfalfa sprouts and start working out like an illegal immigrant on a roofing job? I will most likely see a noticeable weight loss. Is that some kind of disease too? Is my body now free of all of those obesity cells?

This whole thing is a bit confusing and I don't know what to believe anymore. But just to be safe, if you ever run into me at a bar or restaurant, don't get too close or you might get fat....

kw