We are each responsible for the image in the mirror

The American Medical Association recently classified obesity as a disease, saying the new definition would help in the fight against Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The AMA got it wrong, and obesity should not be classified as a disease. When it comes to issues of weight, unless there is a true underlying medical condition, which isn’t the case most of the time, your weight is your responsibility. Classifying obesity as a disease does nothing but add to the psychological delusion that being fat isn’t our fault.

Americans love to play the blame game. People say they’re fat because of the food manufacturers, the restaurants, portion sizes and more. It’s everyone’s fault but our own.

Americans have been programmed to believe diets don’t work because of the inability of the average person to stick to them, and their unwillingness to take responsibility for their own failure.

Make no mistake: Many diets work very well and have been scientifically proven to do so. Because an individual lacks the mental toughness to stick to a diet doesn’t make the diet any less effective. People have a difficult time accepting their own behavior so they blame their diet. That’s no different than a college graduate begging for money on the street and then blaming the school for his failure to succeed.

The bottom line: We are all responsible for what we see in the mirror, and nobody forces us to eat the way we do or not engage in an active lifestyle. There’s nobody holding a gun to your head forcing you to eat the doughnuts and the cheeseburgers. It’s time for people to realize that nobody is going to save you from yourself; not the government, a doctor or any magic pill, lotion or potion. A caped hero isn’t going to come flying in singing, “Here I come to save the day.”

Doctors need to get with the program, too, and stop coddling their patients by telling them that their weight isn’t their fault. Doctors need to stop worrying about losing patients and need to be more honest by telling them the way it really is, that if you’re fat you’re just whistling past the graveyard. This isn’t a game, and it’s not about being nice; it’s about saving lives and waking people up.

It’s ludicrous to classify obesity as a disease when the solution is simple: Americans need to grow up emotionally and make the decision to get fit and healthy once and for all. You are the problem and you are the solution. It’s your choice.

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