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It's Your Week. Let's rethink how we talk about obesity

Sallee Ann Harrison   | Paste BN

👋 Sallee Ann here. Welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). 

Low carb. Paleo. Atkins. Keto. South Beach. Weight Watchers. Raw. There are enough diets and weight-loss programs out there to make your head swirl. And if you're overweight, there's enough shame and stigma to leave you disheartened.

This week we dive deeper into our project, "Rethinking Obesity."

But first, don't miss these stories made possible with your subscription:

Let's talk about obesity 

Paste BN examined how America’s weight has been changing in recent years, including advances in treatments and the scientific understanding of obesity. Answers on how to treat this epidemic aren't simple.

"I have been repeatedly struck by the tragedy of obesity – the pain of people who struggle with excess weight," health reporter Karen Weintraub said. "We have created a society that makes a huge fraction of the population (more than 40% at last count) feel bad about themselves, which actually undermines weight loss efforts."

Weintraub spoke with more than 50 experts – in nutrition, endocrinology, psychology, exercise physiology and neuroscience – and people who are intimately familiar with the challenges of extra pounds. Their complex answers and perspectives make up our six-part series.

Here's an outline of the project, so you can dive in where you're most interested:

Obesity was considered a personal failure. Science shows it's not.

Many people feel shame and guilt when they can't lose weight. Human biology, which evolved to hold onto extra calories, makes it extremely tough to lose weight on your own. Help is hard to find, but it is out there.

Extra weight increases risks in the long run. Fat shaming hurts now.

Despite rising rates of overweight and obesity, the stigma of excess weight remains in virtually every aspect of society. Some people are fighting back, but it isn't easy to counter decades of stereotyping and falsely simple solutions.

What we eat matters. Researchers search for the 'best' diet.

Biology makes it hard to lose weight. Our food environment makes it very easy to add excess pounds. What to eat if you're trying to shed that extra weight or avoid unnecessary pounds? Scientists are still searching for answers.

People don't choose to be fat. They live in a 'system they don't control.'

"Our food supply also plays a bigger role than I realized in causing obesity, both in its biological effects, as well as the fact that the unhealthiest products are the most affordable," Weintraub said.

Extra weight is often considered a personal failure, but lots of factors beyond an individual's power contribute to weight gain, including food deserts, the cost of healthy food, stress and prejudice. The situation isn't hopeless.

New drugs and surgery deliver major weight loss. It comes at a cost.

Until recently, the only way to lose a substantial amount of weight was through surgery. New medications promise to change that, offering the possibility of shedding 15% to more than 20% of excess pounds. The challenge will be making these medications available to those who want them.

How will the obesity epidemic end? With kids.

Any solution will have to start with children, experts say. Starting almost from birth, kids learn patterns they follow for the rest of their lives, so there's a lot at stake in teaching them to eat healthy, exercise regularly and get enough sleep.

More stories you don't want to miss:

Thank you

Thank you for supporting our work with your subscription. We're able to do deep dives into public health issues because of you. We also get to do fun things like writing about Freya the walrus. All of it is because of you.

See you next week!

- Sallee Ann

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