Poll: How Much Control Do We Have Over Our Weight?

By Stewart Lonky, MD

A few years ago, a video titled “Dear Fat People” went viral but for all the wrong reasons. In the video, a self-styled and unfunny YouTube comedian named Nicole Arbour decided to use her hefty platform to address the millions of people who struggle daily with their weight.

Among other things, Ms. Arbour scolds obese individuals for being so fat that “Crisco is coming out of their pores.” She also tells these folks that they’re literally killing themselves.

After watching the video, Ms. Arbour’s message was clear: Obesity is entirely in a person’s control, and being overweight is a sign of weakness, lack of willpower, and a personal failing.

I’m not looking to debate whether or not Ms. Arbour was intentionally fat-shaming her audience. She clearly was, in my opinion, and was rightly condemned. I want to be clear: Fat-shaming should never be tolerated under any circumstances. Sadly, we’ve evolved - even that’s even the right word - to a point where such behavior is also tolerated.

Many critics, particularly people in the Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight movement and members of the media have been quick to condemn comments from the likes of Ms. Arbour and more recently, celebrity fitness trainer and self-styled weight loss expert, Jillian Michaels.

What the comments of Arbour and Michaels show me is that we sill understand very little about why people gain weight, though we know more today than ever before. One recent study found that 75 percent of the US population still believes weight problems come down to individual agency; obesity and overweight result from a lack of willpower or personal weakness.

I’d like to know your thoughts. How much control do you think we have over our weight?

Please take the poll below. I’ll share the results in two weeks.

https://vote.pollcode.com/99228854

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