"Losing Weight An Ill Fated Resolution!" In January, the time when the diet companies stop at nothing to shove their worthless products down the throats of consumers, it is important to remember their our other perspectives out there. I will continue to post links to this piece by Dr. Marcia Angell every single January!
The following link is to an editorial written by Dr Marcia Angell and it was published in the JEJM. I do not necessarily agree with the site hosting the article, it is simply the one most convenient that has the full editorial. If you care to research it, it is the very same article published in NEJM, but one needs a membership to view it there.
As a sociologist who researches body image issues and weight stigma, I certainly agree that losing weight IS an ill fated resolution! That obesity is our number one health problem is simply another lie! Of the same caliber of lies that Bernie Maddof was an honest investor, supbrime loans were not disasters waiting to happen, or that there was not another solution to Iraq that didn't involve war and billion dollar windfalls for private contractors. Whether the public is ready to believe this or not, almost all the health propaganda against obesity in the media comes from the pharmaceutical and diet industry. Weight obsession is functional for the power-elite. It channels billions from the middle class to the corporations. It keeps the population distracted. For years surveys showed that women felt their number one problem was there weight! Number one problem!!!!! Absolutely unbelievable! Don't ask how this country got into the mess it did. No one needed to pull the wool over sheeples' eyes! They were simply too busy looking at their scales to notice anything else around them.
Since I have fought against the stigma of fatness for decades, I will anticipate a few arguments. The simple minded always trot out extreme obesity. I am not arguing extreme obesity is good for ones health. Extremely obese people make up a small percentage of the population. Pharma has duped us into believing that moderate fatness in the population is our number one health problem. They have lowered acceptable weight standards against all the best science to define more people as overweight and obese! If we opened our eyes, we would see Phama only acts in the best interests of Pharma. They lie, cheat, steal and deceive for the sake of profit. Scientifically sound studies have found that exercise and healthier diets are as beneficial as weight loss for health improvement. We insist on significant weight loss because it safeguards corporate profits! Pure and simple! In this country, whatever "problem" we face, the "solution" must always make sure some special interest gets their cut.
This editorial won't be for everyone. It is not for sheeple who believe everything they read in MSM. It is not for fat bigots who need a "safe" target to project their insecurities on. It is not for the Cinderella wannabe that believes her Prince Charming and a perfect life waits her when she finally reaches that perfect number on the scale. This editorial is for those who are waking up to the bull we have been fed for years. And realizing that the magical place called thin is just one more corporate inspired delusion.
Editorial here:
http://www.junkscience.com/...
p.s. Marcia Angell, who has taken on Pharma would have been a far better choice for surgeon general that Sanjay Gupta! I can't think of a worse choice than the later!