Reply #100: Absolutely, but it's even worse than that

[conflictgirl]

Being overweight is presented as not a mild to moderate health risk, but a very serious health risk here. I have had doctors tell me when I was 11 pounds above my "ideal" weight according to some medical chart that I was obese and needed to lay off the McDonalds. Obviously I never went back to that doctor!

People here have such an extreme attitude toward weight and I think that's one reason this nation is so obese. (The other big cause I suspect is the processed food.) And yes, anyone who is overweight is viewed by many as having a lack of self-control and a general weakness. There is a pretty horrible moral stigma attached to being overweight here, despite the fact that the statistical majority of us *are* overweight.