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If you are obese then you are the only person to blame,(unless there is a significant medical reason) I have lost weight and because I eat less and don't eat the foods I used to eat people are surprised. I have never blamed my weight problems on society or pressure to eat (even though I have been pressured and have succomed to it at times) Now I have learned to say "no thanks" then I get "are you sure"? Yes I am sure. They leave me alone. I have even trained my mom who loves to cook and bakes things for us. I told her no cookies this year (Christmas time she bakes alot) no candy for Easter or valentines day. She has complied. Before I got on the weight loss mind set I would have let her give us all those sweets, I would have ate it then hated myself in the end for gaining weight but never blaming her because she did not force me to eat it. So, there is social pressure to eat but you have to decide if you are going to give into it or not. Oh and in regards to vacationing we do plan it around food as well as sight seeing since vacation time is the only time we get to go out and eat and really enjoy different foods, it's a treat to me.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no...you are NOT going to get away with blaming obesity on peer pressure.
While I will go along with the idea that food is in your face (either by media or by social occasions or whatever) all the time, you cannot blame that for poor choices.
It's like your mother always said, "Would you jump off a bridge, too?"
That is not the reason they are obese, but the pressure to eat is obviously a struggle for them. If they had the will power don't you think they would use it? Its just one of the many reasons why it is so hard for people to lose weight.
That is not the reason they are obese, but the pressure to eat is obviously a struggle for them. If they had the will power don't you think they would use it? Its just one of the many reasons why it is so hard for people to lose weight.
Everyone has will power.
Whether they choose to exercise it is the issue.
I don't buy the 'I had no choice or control' victim mentality.
That absolves people of their responsibility.
Which is what they want. They want to believe nothing is their fault.
This is actually a perfect example.
People blaming peer pressure to eat for making them fat.
On the other side, people say the media is making people too skinny and anorexic or having eating disorders.
Where do people and their personal responsibility come in?
And which is it? Do we feel pressure to be fat or thin?
I don't agree that people are "making" anyone fat. However, people who know they have problems with self-control, are discouraged when they are pressured to eat in a food-oriented event (such as going out to dinner with your friends). When you are -already- working extra hard to get fit, among friends who don't have to work as hard because they're already fit, then the pressure to comply with what your friends are doing, is an added stressor to an already stressed situation.
The friends aren't making the overweight person overeat. The pressure is not forcing them to comply. However, the person is -already- struggling, and the pressure makes the struggle more difficult.
Peer pressure is a contributing factor to overeating. It is not a cause of weight gain.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no...you are NOT going to get away with blaming obesity on peer pressure.
While I will go along with the idea that food is in your face (either by media or by social occasions or whatever) all the time, you cannot blame that for poor choices.
It's like your mother always said, "Would you jump off a bridge, too?"
You know, I don't even think of it so much as peer pressure really, though that can be part of it, but sometimes I just think that expectations are "built-in." I believe that there is the societal expectation that everyone should be able to perform a balancing act between being thin and still being able to partake in whatever food is being offered, but in fact some people are really good at that and many are unable to do so without suffering. By suffering, I mean the feeling that you're either being deprived, or of knowing that you're not at all happy with your weight. And that is more than half of us--what is it now? Two thirds? I don't think this is so much an excuse for them as just an acknowledgement that it is so. Seems like Gary Taubes book started out talking about this very thing--people who were trying to lose weight were constantly feeling like they were missing out on something--they were constantly feeling bombarded by messages to eat and it was causing a lot of mental distress.
I agree everyone has willpower. But look around you, there are more obese people than ever. If it were as simple as willpower that would not be the case. It is up to the individual to make the choice to lose weight, but that road can have many bumps. Not everyone is strong.
I look at some people and I am amazed that they ever let themselves get to the point of morbid obesity. I am much different. If I gain some weight I am going to take care of it before it gets out of control and the amount I need to lose is not overwhelming.
People and the media do not make people fat. But they are contributing factors for people who's willpower is not all that strong.
I agree everyone has willpower. But look around you, there are more obese people than ever. If it were as simple as willpower that would not be the case. It is up to the individual to make the choice to lose weight, but that road can have many bumps. Not everyone is strong.
I look at some people and I am amazed that they ever let themselves get to the point of morbid obesity. I am much different. If I gain some weight I am going to take care of it before it gets out of control and the amount I need to lose is not overwhelming. People and the media do not make people fat. But they are contributing factors for people who's willpower is not all that strong.
I think the BIGGEST contributing factor is that we have made it ok to be fat. We are not allowed to say anything disparaging (not that people should go around saying mean things about people EVER) or 'insensitive' and we have tv shows that say that this is part of how 'everyone is different' (like being obese is the same as being a different race or having cerebral palsy or something)...
Societal acceptance, peer acceptance, family acceptance...THAT is, IMO, the reason it's gotten so out of control.
I don't know about you, but in my family, there is weight policing done by every member...encouraging when people look good...gut checking when people need to get to work...when I see a family (mom, dad, kids) walk in and they are all morbidly obese, I just can't help but think that those parents are NOT doing their job. And they are sending a very bad message.
I know feeling pressure is not the same as succumbing to it. Point Im trying to make is there is no need for anyone who is an adult and capable of making their own decisions to FEEL like there is pressure. If people are like "Oh me oh my, I am being pressured by people to eat things" or "Oh goodness, I feel so much pressure to eat the doughnuts that Big belly Bertha brought to the office" then it becomes more of a mental issue. Point is, people should NOT feel pressure by this. They just should not. So, again, I reiterate, one should not feel pressure, and one should definitely not succumb to it.
I reject Ambers post above where she say when people go traveling they usually have eating/eating locations at the top of their list. Well, I take that back, people who are NOT into healthy/fitness lifestyles may but me, the top of my list is usually things to do, things to see. NOT places to eat.
The food is very high on my list. I live trying different types if food and that is a great reason to travel. And I have friends ranging from super buff to not so much doing the same thing. You are probably not as into food as part if the experience as others are. For me it is just as interesting to see cool architecture as it is to see interesting ingredients and food techniques.
The food is very high on my list. I live trying different types if food and that is a great reason to travel. And I have friends ranging from super buff to not so much doing the same thing. You are probably not as into food as part if the experience as others are. For me it is just as interesting to see cool architecture as it is to see interesting ingredients and food techniques.
Mmm, and the food in SE Asia and Italy and France and . . . to die for. And even though I eat all I want I always lose weight on a trip. And then we come back and get fat on the food here that isn't even as good.
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