Born to be fat....

I see a lot of discussions on the weight loss forums that I am on about why people are fat.  Basically a "whose fault is it" type query.  It is always an interesting discussion.  There are a lot of differing opinions that are always interesting to read and most interesting to me is the take depending on whether someone was thin for most of their life and then gained versus those of us that have always been fat.

I was talking to Jessie about this the other day.  I told her that I firmly believe that I am destined to be fat.  I've always been fat.  I still think and act like a fat person.  But I am choosing to live outside of my "destiny".  The same way that we both agreed that she was destined to be an alcoholic.  She is just an alcoholic that isn't drinking.  

This debate is repeated a lot in the field of alcohol and drug addiction.  Whether these are truly "diseases" and whether it is destiny for someone to be the way they are.  Of course, as a counselor, I have always had an answer to this.  "If addiction IS a disease, the only way to live a healthy life is without using.  And if addiction is NOT a disease, but you are addicted, the only way to live a healthy life is not using."  Pretty simple.  

But when we are talking about food and weight, we can't just not use.  We essentially have to learn moderation.  Which I would NEVER advocate for the drug addicted client, yet I have to practice it daily. 

I could point to reasons that I ended up obese.  Some evidence shows that female children of male alcoholics have eating disorders.  And there are events in my childhood that could have led me down a certain path.  Combine this with the ever-growing mountain of evidence about high fructose corn syrup and fast food and sedentary lifestyles - no wonder I was fat right?  Oh, except my brother ISN'T.

So that helps my argument that I was BORN to be FAT.  I think someday scientists much smarter then me will locate "addiction" in the brain.  A little spot that they can then begin targeting for extinction.  But it ain't gonna happen for you and I.  Nope - we're going to have to do it the old fashioned way.

So regardless of why we traveled this path we either CHOOSE to do something about it or we don't.  How we got here may be a mystery.  But how to LEAVE?  Hard fucking work.  Tears and anger and frustration and desperation.  But mysterious?  Nope.