A Quick Response on the Matter of Obesity

I’ve got a twenty minute training run to do before lunch today, so I’ll be brief.

This morning Sunday Morning Live on BBC 1 with Sian Williams featured the item Is Obesity a Disability?

Inflammatory titles draw both commentators and viewers, so we’ll chalk that one up to necessity.

Issues raised: exercise doesn’t result in weight loss? Lots of conflicting evidence out there but the one thing that pulling on your trainers and getting out there will do is make you feel a whole lot better about being yourself. If we’re talking about metabolic benefit then Michael Mosely is right in that it doesn’t physically melt weight but if we’re going to get to the bottom of the mental health issues that so often cause obesity in the first place, then exercise is the very best place to start. As I’ve said before:

I know I’d rather be breathing in and out in the sunshine rather than crying into a pot of processed low-fat goo

The programme opened with a great VT of fat runner Julie Creffield (check out The Fat Girl’s Guide to Running) but was not mentioned again. Why? She’s a force for good. The panel member patched in from another studio mentioned that when you get to a certain size, you feel helpless. Instead of promoting what Julie does, as a woman who gets big people feeling strong and vital, the panel continued with the same shit about food in and calories out.

Yawn. Change the record.

Those who know nothing keep spouting the same prejudiced, ignorant garbage and they aren’t helping. The likes of Julie and Lilz (and the HOOP organisation promoted on her t-shirt) are talking from an informed position. Taking away blame-talk leaves space and energy for us fatties to solve our own issues with the help of real science and research.

And then there’s the matter of Mail columnist Peter Hitchens. Well known for getting controversial speech and being a twit confused, his ignorance on the matter of addiction raised a quiet informed smile from experienced and well read broadcaster Michael Mosely sat on the couch opposite. It was a beautiful moment.

So, all in all, more sound bites, more over simplified truths, more ignorance about how people become overweight and how we manage/talk about the problem.

The only constructive voice on the coach was Michael Mosely, a well known advocate of fasting for health but notice how he didn’t feel the need to mention this once. He spoke science, compassion and strategies rather than anecdotes, moral judgement and blame.

That’s the way forward – not just because it’s kinder but also because it’s more likely to work.