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)
Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).
There is a genetic disorder, known as Prader-Willi Syndrome (a deletion on chromosome #15), in which a person will literally eat themselves to death. They have to be supervised around food at all times; they never feel full. So, definitely in those cases, it is not a choice.
There is a genetic disorder, known as Prader-Willi Syndrome (a deletion on chromosome #15), in which a person will literally eat themselves to death. They have to be supervised around food at all times; they never feel full. So, definitely in those cases, it is not a choice.
Thanks, I learned something new:).I'd have to look that up.
Gluttony is a term with a long-standing negative connotation. It is one of the seven deadly sins best known from Dante's The Divine Comedy. There is no way in which gluttony can be taken as a neutral term. By longstanding Western cultural tradition, gluttony is a negative term, a sin. Saying people today are choosing to put a negative connotation on this term is inaccurate - the negative connotation for this term has existed for over a millenium.
I have no issue with having a discussion about this topic, but choosing such a loaded term to start the debate does tend to set the stage for anger and judgment, rather than an exchange of well-reasoned ideas.
Some people are predisposed to be alcoholics. Of those people, some become alcoholics and some do not.
We all have control over our choices. No one makes any person choose McDonald's over a salad. No one makes an addict shoot up for the first time. No one makes the smoker light up their first cigarette.
We all know the dangers of overeating, doing drugs, and smoking. Those of us that become addicted, obese, or smokers made the choice at some point to do so.
Yes, genetics play a part. Yes, environment plays a part. But we all still have a choice. Unlike many people here, I'm not willing to label the obese as incompetent and mentally ill individuals who have no control over what they put in their bodies. A very small minority fall into that category that also includes it's opposite, anorexia. The majority of the obese are obese because there is a large deficit between the amount of calories consumed and amount of energy burned.
The only people one can argue that environment is largely responsible for their obesity are children. And, in some of those cases, I think a case could be made for child abuse, but that's possibly another thread.
Gluttony is a term with a long-standing negative connotation. It is one of the seven deadly sins best known from Dante's The Divine Comedy. There is no way in which gluttony can be taken as a neutral term. By longstanding Western cultural tradition, gluttony is a negative term, a sin. Saying people today are choosing to put a negative connotation on this term is inaccurate - the negative connotation for this term has existed for over a millenium.
I have no issue with having a discussion about this topic, but choosing such a loaded term to start the debate does tend to set the stage for anger and judgment, rather than an exchange of well-reasoned ideas.
I agree that gluttony was not the best choice, but words do not have magical powers. Their meanings are entirely dependent on us. The only power a word has is the one you give it.
I am hungry all of time. I can eat every two hours or so, during waking hours. Of course, I can eat whatever I want and still lose a ton of weight right now, since my graves disease is very active. I've lost over 30 pounds since mid September. As for your question, depending on ones situation gluttony can be part of ones disease OR a choice.
Specializes in ICU, Acute Dialysis, Telemetry/Stepdown.
I'm curious why everyone must be so P.C. all the time. I understand why the OP chose the words she did. Overeating and gluttony both have the same meaning IMO.
Rather than focus on word choice, why don't we discuss the point?
I think there are many factors to obesity. Personal choice is definately one of them. No one makes the individual shove that extra piece of pie into their mouth, they do it on their own. Mental health, availability of food, environment, behaviors concerning food learned in childhood, etc. They all make a difference.
I've personally watched my inlaws this past year make personal choices in changing their eating and exercise habits. My mother in law has literally shrunk to half her previous size because she is presently watching her portion sizes and carb intake. Her and my Father in law were both diagnosed with type II DM about a year ago. They have both been poster children for compliancy...and, yes, their primary care physician has made similar comments regarding this. They have made a complete turn around and show that personal choice can make the difference. Now, my husband still has some of the food habits learned from them as he grew up. He overeats often and eats crap often. I have warned him that he is looking at his own future with regard to the DM if he continues down this path...but, it has to be HIS choice to make those changes. He gets frustrated with me for losing weight (after having each of our 3 children) with no trips to the gym and "not really trying"...but I often turn down dessert after dinner when he is having 1/2 a gallon of ice cream. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the difference between our habits and the results of those habits. Now, he has improved his habits significantly from the first time we dated (met 10 years ago, been married for 8). When I first met him, he ate fried foods ALL the time. blech. Now, he rarely eats fried anything and when he does, it gives him a tummy ache....a reminder IMO that he shouldn't be eating that kind of stuff.
I agree with the previous poster's comment that mentioned obesity is a new problem. Americans used to have a more physical lifestyle and not the access at every corner to junk food/fast food/nasty fat filled food that is cheap to purchase and highly available. Farmers back in the day did used to eat very hearty meals...bacon, eggs, etc for breakfast...meat and potatoes for other meals...the difference is, they were physically active ALL the time. They had to be to survive. Nowadays, people sit on their hind ends at desk jobs typing on computers all day...and children do the same while playing video games. Not to mention, when schools get in a financial bind, physical ed programs are often cut.
I think a gluttonous lifestyle is something that can be changed if the person living it makes the CHOICE to change, regardless of whatever mental stress is attributing to it. JMO.
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
I would say it is a choice for the majority. However, there are many complexities involved. It is not a level playing field. Genetics, stressors, and many other factors have a lot of influence also.
I agree that gluttony was not the best choice, but words do not have magical powers. Their meanings are entirely dependent on us. The only power a word has is the one you give it.
/end derail.
thanks once again, fribblet.
i agree...that words can only have the power that we ascribe to it.
as for "gluttony", i was automatically reminded of all sorts of addictive behaviors, and not just eating.
from dictionary.com: gluttony.
2. "a person with a remarkably great desire or capacity for something."
that would certainly be the neutral definition, yes?
as for disease or choice, i haven't a clue.
if i call it a choice, it makes all of us 'addicts' (smoker, here) seem totally weak and compulsive.
if i call it a disease, then it makes us helpless and hopeless.
i think it's an unhealthy combination of both.
but the bottom line is, if our psychs weren't so messed up, we wouldn't be 'addicted' to our vice of choice.
i do believe it's a complex, deep-rooted issue that merits further research, before calling it a mere 'choice', however.
There is a genetic disorder, known as Prader-Willi Syndrome (a deletion on chromosome #15), in which a person will literally eat themselves to death. They have to be supervised around food at all times; they never feel full. So, definitely in those cases, it is not a choice.
And what percentile of the obese fall into this category? Definitely among the extreme minority. The majority overeat because they either deliberately or subconsciously choose to overeat.
I agree that gluttony was not the best choice, but words do not have magical powers. Their meanings are entirely dependent on us. The only power a word has is the one you give it.
/end derail.
In theory, perhaps. In reality, most people are going to be more far more receptive to being told "According to your weight today, you are overweight" than they will be to being told "According to your weight today, you are a glutton." In the everyday world, words have genuine power. They also have connotations that can significantly impact discussions.
If the point of the OP's post was to start an intellectual discussion about the nature of obesity, choosing a term loaded with 1400 years of negative connotations was extremely counterproductive. However, if the OP simply used it to start a somewhat controversial and response-filled thread, it's succeeding quite well. Both types of threads have their uses. There's a difference between "being PC" and simply being aware of the heft of individual words and the impact they're likely to have.
That said, I believe obesity has both a learned/behavioral component and a genetic component. While some may be predisposed to obesity because of genetic factors, there are behaviors that can limit the impact of those factors in most cases. There are obviously mental health conditions that can make controlling one's weight much more difficult. IMO, we just don't know enough to declare obesity either a choice or a disease.
Just as the level of talent in athletics or intelligence levels, everyone is different. Some people will gain weight easier, or faster than others, just as some people will learn something faster, or get better at throwing a baseball faster.
However, not everyone with talent uses that talent, not everyone that is able to run fast, trains hard and runs fast, not everyone that has the genetics to gain weight easier, gains weight fast or is overweight.
So yes, genetics obviously play a role role in a persons body figure potential.
But the fact is that you have the choice to not exercise, you have to the choice to ignore a proper diet and self control, you have the choice to ignore that fact that some people will have to work harder than others to maintain a healthy weight, it may seem unfair, but in general life is unfair, we as humans, much work ourselves to even the playing field. If you must run 1 extra mile compared to your buddy to get the same effort, DO IT, if you have to monitor every calorie while your buddy eats everything they see, well DO IT.
Genetics may play an obvious role, but the role is limited, we have the CHOICE to address the Genetic factor or ignore it, as most people do.
SO, I believe that we have an obvious CHOICE that effects obesity. Blaming obesity on genetics alone is very american, and just another way for someone to pass blame on there own faults, to something else.
iteachob, MSN, RN
481 Posts
There is a genetic disorder, known as Prader-Willi Syndrome (a deletion on chromosome #15), in which a person will literally eat themselves to death. They have to be supervised around food at all times; they never feel full. So, definitely in those cases, it is not a choice.