Obesity, diet and the media

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17705228

Read the above article last week. I'll save you reading by summarising the main points. The Olympics is being sponsored by several fast food companies including Coke and McDonald's. The basic gist of the article is "Fat people eat too much junk food. It is this that makes them fat. If we stop fast food adverts people will be less likely to eat fast food and thus less likely to become fat."

Again and again I see articles and comments like this on social networking sites. Just today The Medical Registrar on facebook posted this.

"Here's a weird old tip for a flat belly. Turn off the TV, stop grubbing crisps, and go a brisk walk. That way, we won't be seeing you in A&E with "?ACS" in a decade, or with OSA, hypertension, diabetes, gallstone disease, osteoarthritis, reflux oesophagitis, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, oesophageal adenocarcinoma, PCOS-related hirsutism and oligomenorrhoea, intracranial hypertension, NAFLD, and that marvellous diagnostic entity called "buried penis" - the choice is yours!"

 Yet another comment which says You are overweight because you sit on a sofa all day eating junk food. Also as someone who actually has PCOS (Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrome), although thankfully without the hirsuitism, this kind of post gets me even more angry.

I am sure there are some people who are overweight because they eat too much and don't exercise enough. But to say we all have the same predisposition to obesity is a lie. I eat less than a lot of my friends, I am a vegetarian and eat a damn site more fruit and veg than a lot of people I know. When not in an active diet I would probably consume a couple of cakes/biscuits a day.

I am currently trying everything to lose weight. I walk to work most days, I have cut back on cakes and biscuits to a malteaser every time I feel a craving. I go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week (and actually work out) and I have cut back on snacks and portion sizes, changed to skimmed milk, even virtually stopped eating bread. After keeping this up for a month - grand total of weight lost - 1lb. Oh and an inch off my hips. 

So feeling annoyed, lacking motivation and hating my body I take comfort in the internet and read that it's my own fault that I'm obese (my bmi is 31). My problem is that I sit down on a sofa all day and eat fast food. In truth I work 12 hour shifts and spend most of them standing up. I haven't eaten in a McDonalds since my teens, same for Burger King. I have never had a KFC and am not really a huge fan of chips at all. But if leading health doctors say it - it must be true.

After reading all that I just feel useless. What chance have I got convincing people? What else can I do to lose weight? The media judges me as a useless fat heffalump who brought it on herself. Yes hypothyroidism, anti depressants and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome make it harder for you to lose weight, but with will power you'll be fine. If I can stay in shape you can too.

So with the blame in my court. The knowledge that I will just have to try harder, eat even less, exercise more - ie eat next to nothing, spend every free second of my time trying to exercise I realise I have absolutely no motivation left. I'll just stay fat. Society can judge me, and I can eat what I like and stay overweight rather than starve myself, spend my free time sweating at the gym and feeling a failure every time I step on the scales.