"Blaming individuals for their personal weight gain is no longer acceptable. The environment in which we live is the overwhelming factor amplifying the epidemic"

This is full of fail. I can see his point about the fast food, remote control culture we live in. But we also live at a time where learning about nutrition and exercise has never been easier. Jesus, between the internet and the book store, there is more reading than one could do in a life time, though it really doesn't take much effort. There are actually free websites where you can keep track of all the calories you put in your body ever day. But it takes a little effort, which many obese people don't like to put forth.
Not becoming obese is as simple as not putting too much food in your body. So it basically comes down to the individual.

No one believes you, chubmitter.

angryjd: No one believes you, chubmitter.

Hehe, nice one.

Waaah!! I have no agency. I have no responsibility. My culture tells me that eating large amounts of fried foods at every meal and getting no exercise is normal. Don't blame meee.

The enviroment we live in?
Yeah, if you farking live at Burger King.

"Put down the fork! - FACE!!"

It's your fault you're fat, fatmitter. Quit looking for scape goats.

When the government takes over healthcare, be prepared for the "War On Obesity" and the sin tax on McDonald's.

You heard it here first.

Because God forbid you have to walk more than a block to go someplace.

Gluttony- a definition that defies your waistline

I call bullshiat on this whole thing. I DNRTFA but I know that I am fat, and I know why I am fat. I drive a desk for 18 hours a day, and don't eat the things I should when I should eat them. Nobody's fault but mine.

way to go, fatassmitter

Is it really that hard to eat less?

(I wouldn't know, because I have the self-control to not get fat in the first place.)

way to go, tubbmitter

Oh so its not my fault i'm fat? Great! Where do I sign up for free government aid like the rest of the losers who blame everyone else for their problems?

YixilTesiphon: Is it really that hard to eat less?

(I wouldn't know, because I have the self-control to not get fat in the first place.)

Self control doesnt taste nearly as good as chocolate. ;)

Kanyon: It's your fault you're fat, fatmitter. Quit looking for scape goats.

Found one (pops).

I'm busy gaining weight on purpose. So feck off you nanny state lovers.
I don't need to order two meals in place of just one meal.

/Got some spare time.
//Looking for about 190#.

I blame fark on my lack of excersise and weight problem.

yeah, in your face FATASSbiatchTITSMITTER.

Get Lost: I'm busy gaining weight on purpose.

Eat AROUND the banana, dad, it's just empty vitamins!

YEAH! Because McDonald's forces fat people to order half the farking menu and shove it down thier kid's throats.

Well, Duh!

Now where is that super-duper size quad-quarter pounder with extra-extra cheese.

Ummmm, 75% lean beef!

I think there is probably a grain of truth in this. I imagine that a lot of people get into a negative cycle, and the willpower required to get out gets larger and larger.

It took me all year last year to get to a normal weight for my height (only dropped 10-15 Kg). Time scales like that can be daunting.

YixilTesiphon: Is it really that hard to eat less?

(I wouldn't know, because I have the self-control to not get fat in the first place.)

See, I don't have the self control (I had cookie dough for breakfast this morning), but I do bicycle like crazy so it evens out.

So all of you "personal responsibility" folks think that at some point in history for some unknown reason, droves of people just randomly decided to say "fark it, I'm going to eat a lot, get fat and shun exercise."

Riiiiiiiiiight.

NeuroticRocker: I blame fark on my lack of excersise and weight problem.

Do you blame fark for your failure to use grammar correctly?

yeah, cause kids know better- but i think the bigger problem here is that we live in an environment/lifestyle we arent equipped for.

Obvious? Really.

Submitter is obviously as weak of mind as they are weak of will.

Fatty.

I just had a beer. It has calories. It must be society's fault that I drank it, because even though I totally knew it had calories, I drank it anyway. You can't blame me, it's the damn culture that made me.

Go back to your fatty friends, subby, you fatso.

I'm still confused as to why I gained 30 lbs. in college. I really didn't -feel- like I was doing things much differently ...

Honestly, this has been true pretty much since we invented agriculture and got it to a point where food was always available year round. Humans weren't really designed for that, but we were built to store fat for the half of the year when food was lean. But, no, I'm sure all of your massive intellects and wills of iron are more than capable of completely overcoming that.

/Got an extra 10-20. Don't give a damn.

what is grue

the guy is right about our culture/surroundings promoting obesity (because they do) but people are still responsible for themselves. stop telling them it's not their fault, because it is very much their fault.

RIP Personal Responsibility

dawn of time - 2008

I think he's right and makes some very good points. A lot of you that probably DRTFA and are attacking need to realize that obesity is not an individual problem. The numbers don't lie. It's a societal and cultural problem. You don't fix that by changing individuals. If you really want to reverse the trend [probably won't happen] and attack this problem, it's got to be done by chaning societal structures.

Want to lose weight? Don't eat so goddamn much.

/wish I could afford a billboard with that on it.
//
//

Ever tried to gain weight with your hands tied behind your back?????

I'm fat. Its not entirely my fault i'm fat. Yes it is mainly my fault but every dam time i put myself on a diet my mom will make my favoite thing and put it on a place and shove it in my face. i blame my mother or my parenting for about 20% of my problem.

Nice one, Submittlard.

/ Burn her!
// Article raises some good points.

Does my shirt make me look fat? I'm concerned and need some positive reinforcement.....kthx.

We're a victim of our evolution. Now that we don't have to have to do physical labor all day and we always have a full meal on the table, we no longer need to gorge ourselves with food, but we still do because the cavemen needed to do so because they had no idea when their next meal was going to be.

There are certainly many people who are overweight or a little obese could get themselves at a good weight (myself included) with better diet and exercise, but keep in mind food, like drugs and alcohol, can become an addiction and is an addiction for most morbidly obese and for those people we need to give them the help and support that alcoholic and smokers get and not shame them for something they need help controlling.

Did someone say there were looking for an escaped goat ?? - I think I found it.

Hmmm. Not the best name to avoid getting attacked Baron...

;)

I blame cars. It's a hell of a lot easier to be thin in places like Chicago or New York where you can walk everyplace.

Uncle Pim: So all of you "personal responsibility" folks think that at some point in history for some unknown reason, droves of people just randomly decided to say "fark it, I'm going to eat a lot, get fat and shun exercise."

Riiiiiiiiiight.

Blame the democracy that says it's a right to sell fatty foods and a right to eat them.

I'm missing the chemical trigger that initiates the hunger response so I'm really getting a kick out of these replies.

/never feel hungry
//of course I get physical symptoms, eventually
///some scientist should study me

Uncle Pim: So all of you "personal responsibility" folks think that at some point in history for some unknown reason, droves of people just randomly decided to say "fark it, I'm going to eat a lot, get fat and shun exercise."

Riiiiiiiiiight.

Hmmm, you may have a point there. Europeans get like 14 months vacation a year and they are mostly skinny people....

Me. personally, I blame High-fructose corn syrup. Its a conspiracy between the food industry and the pharmaceutical companies!

Another query: Are there any obese people without hands?