September 24, 2024 Share Obesity is high and holding steady in the U.S., but the proportion of those with severe obesity — especially women — has climbed since a decade ago, according to new government research.
The U.S. obesity rate is about 40%, according to a 2021-2023 survey of about 6,000 people. Nearly 1 in 10 of those surveyed reported severe obesity, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. Women were nearly twice as likely as men to report severe obesity.
The overall obesity rate appeared to tick down vs. the 2017-2020 survey, but the change wasn’t considered statistically significant; the numbers are small enough that there’s mathematical chance they didn’t truly decline.
The majority of people also don’t make meaningful dietary changes. They just eat the same things but less for 2-3 months and act surprised when going back to the old lifestyle results in weight gain. I’ve lost a significant amount of weight and have kept it off. It was very easy to lose the weight if you avoided ultra-processed stuff but maintaining while still occasionally eating that shit is nearly impossible.
Childhood obesity is abuse. Ultra-processed food should be illegal or severely regulated, institutional changes should make a good diet and exercise easier. But the fat acceptance movement is not our ally in this. Anymore than drunk driving acceptance or smoking acceptance should be.
I did say that we should ban that shit being mass produced.
While not calling for an “alliance” with the fat acceptance “movement” from which I can tell is a long gone movement in the 70s and some instagram accounts. It mostly exists in the imagination of chuds.
If telling them getting off the junk was going to work it would have worked. Same with smokers. You have to deal with all people as they are. Unique and complex neurological train wrecks that will sniff paint cants and chew lead paint if there was nothing better is available to temporarily escape the human condition. Change the environment as much as possible but people are going to find ways to fuck themselves up and socialism will just need to scale with it.
Child obesity is a a horrible byproduct of the collapse of social reproduction and advertising that affects the poorest and minorities first. Just calling it abuse is dangerous when we need real solutions like reduced working hours, healthy communal meals, sports programs for all.
My comment was in response to people who did lose weight but gained it back. The point is that people can lose weight, but most can’t handle ultra-processed food in moderation. Rebounding is not fatalistic, it is a consequence of returning to a previous diet. Saying 90% regain their weight doesn’t tell the full story.
You can make the same argument for alcoholism and domestic violence. We can acknowledge societal factors of behavior while still calling a spade a spade. Childhood obesity is abuse, domestic violence is abuse, I don’t care why people do it. The fact that you won’t label this is just disgusting. Permanently fucking up a child’s growth, hormones, and self-esteem would be considered the highest form of abusive if the method was anything but food.
To be clear, I’m not saying these parents should be arrested. But it is abuse, full stop.