Fat is not a four-letter word

With all that's been written about fat and how to lose it, as well as why to lose it, very little attention has been given to the attitudes of society toward people who have fat to spare...and to lose. Most everyone will say that the chief, if not the only, good reason for losing fat is to safeguard one's health, but the bottom line is that 99.9 percent of over-fat people want to shed their excess baggage because of image. They just want to look good--or better. Not only do they want to look good for their own self-esteem, but also because of the knowledge that excess fat puts them at a distinct disadvantage in their personal and professional lives. Given that all health professionals would like to see everyone at their 'healthy' weight, the fact is that for many this remains an elusive goal...especially with the holiday season upon us. How does this 'failure to lose' affect them and the attitudes of those with whom they live and work?

A potential health hazard for many over-fat people, but one that isn't well studied, results from the discrimination, prejudice and exploitation they often experience. For example, some health professionals might be inclined, even subconsciously, to disparage their overweight clients, seeing their failure to slim down as a sign of unwillingness to cooperate with recommendations intended for their own good. To the extent that obese people are stigmatized as 'bad' or 'uncooperative' patients, unsympathetic treatment could result in less than optimum health care.

Overweight people can encounter prejudice in employment and school admissions.One study has shown that an excessively fat person is seen as a less desirable employee...even if he or she is acknowledged to have the same ability as a person of normal or average body fat. Women seem to be slightly more vulnerable to this kind of discrimination than men. Negative attitudes toward the obese are very commonly expressed, but are almost never met with the same kind of outrage or indignation that would greet a racial or sexist slur. This most definitely can play on a person's own self image; in fact, would-be fat losers often refer to a dietary lapse with the phrase "I was bad", as though food choices somehow reflect their moral worth.

One can quibble over the semantics of fatness as an illness, a condition, a disease, an addiction. No matter the cause--hormonal, metabolic, excessive consumption--I doubt anyone wakes up one day with the thought "Gee, I'd like to be fat". While they're doing their level best to slim down, let the rest of us lighten up.