Is being overweight a physiological defect or a bad personality trait?

Question

i have had a lot of bad stuff happen to me last year , most i could not influence (sh*t happens)

all ways been overweight . got into my head the only things that a human has full control over is there body and mind (with out medical problems that is )

so got my head into shape as well as body , no more its my genes, or big boned etc

its the stuff into my mouth..

i beleave being overweight is now a physiological defect or a bad personality

any opinions ?

Answer 1

Many people are addicted to food. That makes it more of a disease of the mind than anything. People get a high from eating so it makes sense that food can be abused. That does not mean one has a license to stay fat. There are methods of recovery. You are right to treat your mind as well as addressing your body. I do not buy into the "big boned, bad genetics, I have thyroid problems" bullsh*t either. You have to hit rock bottom and get on a path of recovery just like you would from drugs, alcohol or gambling.

Answer 2

A bad personality could mean a lot of different things - Ted Bundy had a bad personality, so did Jeff "What's Cookin'?" Dahmer.  Oddly enough, both were thin and "in shape" and they did have control over their bodies, and look what they did.  True they are aberrations of human behavior, but nonetheless they are examples just the same.

As far as overweight people are concerned, I say blame the parents.  Overeating and attitudes toward food and exercise, looking after one's health all gets started in childhood.  Parents teach the child what to eat, how much to eat and they are also responsible for providing a healthy home for the child.  

Medical conditions have very little to do with it - this includes physiologial and psychological in nature.  It is possible for a person to eat so much that they make themselves sick and cause illness, but it is rare that an illness causes a person to become grossly overweight (as in 500 pounds).

It is very simple - everything that an adult is today is the result of two key things:  

who they had for parents

and

the choices they made for themselves as adults based on what their parents taught them when they were children.

Healthier families yield healthier children - it all begins at home with responsible parents who take proper care of their offspring.

Answer 3

You may be right. But more likely than not you're consuming more calories than you are burning. Try this for one week:

Write down or take note of the nutritional value of everything you eat from when you rise to sleep time. Note down the amount of protein, carbs, and saturated fat you take in daily OR just take down that calories for the day. You'll be amazed on how much you take in compared to what gets burned (or used up as energy).

Try to eat less than your weight times 10. For example:

I weigh 180 lbs. so if I'm trying to cut down weight, I'll shoot for no more than 1800 calories per day.

Of course, if you're active (or an athlete) you need to eat more cuz you're buring more.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I feel that I have trouble finding sympathy for the obese since it seems so controllable. I agree with you, it's what you put into your mouth and your lifestyle. I'm not saying that being thin is the only way to be happy. There definitely is a genetic role in being chubby, but being obese? I don't think so.

As for it being a physiological defect, that might be under debate, b/c being obese isn't really a "mistake". It's a lifestyle. And as it for being definitive of someone's personality, I think that's wrong. I know people who are very skinny and have horrible dispositions.