IS Gluttony a Disease or Choice?

Nurses General Nursing

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With so much brouhaha on obesity, is gluttony a disease or choice then?

I know exactly when I overeat- my stomach tells my I am full;

My brain sends me signals that I am full;

My sluggish rhythm tells me that I should stop.I know I should,

But I just have to have that last piece, so I would know it's gone and not be tempted again.Right?

So what better place to save the last piece than in my already capacity filled stomach:).Aaah, the food tastes so good.

Or I am feeling under the weather and having a pity-party of two, myself and food that is.

Food gives me a happy feeling (short-lived though) because I realise that when the pity-party is gone, I feel much worse when I can't fit into my clothes or I become more sluggish then when I first started.

That makes me feel much worse because now I've gone and done it -ruined the victory I had achieved in dealing with weight. So I feel sad all over again and resort to eating more perhaps that would help lift the blues that I feel right now from not fitting properly into my dress.

The blues lift (albeit temporarily) and I go to try my clothes again and feel much more worse, because the fit is even worse than before and then I feel the blues all over again and resort to food to make me feel better...you know the rest. It's a vicious cycle.

Oh wait(happy ending:), perhaps I can substitute something in its place, I'll go read a book, or maybe call a friend

Perhaps take a walk or maybe....Yeah right. I'd rather sit and have this last bite, it tastes so good.(Not so happy after all LO:rolleyes:L)

Is gluttony a choice or disease?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

I say choice (in a majority of cases).

Obesity did not afflict previous generations in the same epic proportions as current generations. Therefore I doubt that DNA is involved.

Overeating is a learned behavior.

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Specializes in ED, MICU/TICU, NICU, PICU, LTAC.

Hm. Is anorexia a choice or a disease? Or bulimia? Again, food is the issue, it's just the size of the person in question that's different. I'm not sure whether you're trying to be funny or actually being serious - if you're going for humor, I think it fell rather flat; in fact, "Not so happy after all LOL"

As far as it being a choice - as with the abovementioned disorders (anorexia and bulimia), I'd say they have a choice. Eat (or stop puking) or die. With all three -obesity, anorexia, and bulimia - there are underlying mental issues going on.

But I guess anorexia and bulimia just aren't as funny.

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Never was much of a choice for most of human history when food was not as abundant as it is today.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Compulsive eating disorder is a legitimate disease. In fact, it is just as legitimate as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

FreeMD Compulsive Eating Disorder Definition

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I would say it is an addiction-as in "Food addiction." I don't feel I chose to weigh 240 pounds(in the past). I wanted to stop overeating back then but I couldn't. The more I would eat the more I would want to eat even more.:crying2:

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Specializes in School Nursing.

Weight problems are not just about eating. Genetics DO play a role. Environment DOES play a role. Physiology plays a role.

This is such a dynamic issue that you can not just say, "Oh- this person is just a glutton with no self control". Anyone- anyone- anyone who has had a severe weight problem can attest to that.

Some people are born with a genetic propensity to hold on to weight. Some are born with a genetic propensity to burn weight.

My guess is the most vocal about dogging on the obese population have no idea what it is like to be:

1. Born with a genetic predisposition to be fat

2. Roller coaster between weight loss and weight gain your entire adult life

3. Dieted properly for months on end only to see no weight come off the scale

I've said this before and I'll say it again. I feel sorry for people who are so judgmental.. they have such a narrow view of life and often, reality.

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Wow. Is this a nurse writing this? A new nurse, or nursing student? "Gluttony" is a word better situated in the Old Testament or in a house of worship than in a scientific community. How about addiction, or binge eating disorder (if appropriate), or even poor eating habits. Certainly there are choice elements to overeating, but the addictive elements are complex, ranging from our poor food quality to the uptake of sugar by the same receptors in the midbrain that take up heroin (yes, it's true).

Educate yourself...

1. Food, Inc. (incredible documentary about the health impacts of our industrial food production)

2. Fat: What No One Is Telling You (PBS documentary about the individual and social complexities of obesity)

3. www.weightcenter.org - Mass General Hospital's Weight Center site. Dr. Lee Kaplan is doing great research on why it's so dang hard for some people to manage weight, especially long term.

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Overeating and being overweight are two different things. Overeating is a behavior. Everyone does it now and again, and for different reasons. When that behavior begins to interfere with and negatively affect one's physical and psychological well-being it crosses over the threshold from normal to pathological behavior.

Being overweight, on the other hand, is a physiological state. There are many reasons for the overweight condition to occur. It may be behavioral, cultural, psychological, emotional, or physical or a combination of factors. Research has shown us that there are changes that occur in individuals in regards to certain hormones, including ghrelin, leptin and GLP-1, among others, which can affect the metabolic process. For example, the GLP-1 discovery is what led to incretin hormone therapies for diabetes, such as Byetta.

I leave this message in hope of creating a framework for positive interactions by which we leave our personal judgements out of the picture and deal with the facts at hand. Being a diabetes educator for over a decade, I can say there is no place for being judgemental towards those who struggle with their eating patterns and/or weight. We all have our problems to deal with. For those who are overweight, their burden is that their struggles are visible for the whole world to judge and critique.

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Gluttony by definition is described as excessive eating and drinking. If you are putting a negative connotation on this word it is because you are choosing to do such. It is not a bad word, you are just interpreting that it is.

By definition the majority of people have succumbed to gluttony at some point in their lives. Yes, they eat too much or drink too much. Hence, GLUTTONY.

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Wow. Is this a nurse writing this? A new nurse, or nursing student? "Gluttony" is a word better situated in the Old Testament or in a house of worship than in a scientific community. How about addiction, or binge eating disorder (if appropriate), or even poor eating habits. Certainly there are choice elements to overeating, but the addictive elements are complex, ranging from our poor food quality to the uptake of sugar by the same receptors in the midbrain that take up heroin (yes, it's true).

Educate yourself...

1. Food, Inc. (incredible documentary about the health impacts of our industrial food production)

2. Fat: What No One Is Telling You (PBS documentary about the individual and social complexities of obesity)

3. www.weightcenter.org - Mass General Hospital's Weight Center site. Dr. Lee Kaplan is doing great research on why it's so dang hard for some people to manage weight, especially long term.

Yes this is a nurse. Your point Ma'am?

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Never was much of a choice for most of human history when food was not as abundant as it is today.

So it's a disease then?

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