Obesity Reclassified

 Obesity is a medical condition, not a moral failure

Special Edition LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest
June 21, 2013

Breaking News! A special edition of the LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest is hot off the press and delivered to your inbox. This special issue: "Obesity Reclassified. Obesity is a medical condition, not a moral failure" is in response to this weeks decision by the American Medical Association to call obesity a disease. You can also view the newsletter in our archive by clicking the link below. Don't miss it!

From the opening greeting, "In the world of obesity treatment and weight management the news was big this week. The American Medical Association (AMA) declared that Obesity is a disease that requires medical intervention, treatments and preventative measures (link to article). People who have undergone a bariatric procedure to treat their obesity have known this all along. If obesity were not a medical condition why-oh-why would we undergo major gastric surgery to treat it?

"This is good for society. But the best benefit from this reclassification is that it allows us, as individuals, to realize that we indeed have a medical disease, a metabolic disorder, that causes us to store excess fat and become overweight or obese. Knowing this we can work at releasing ourselves from the blame and self-loathing that come with being overweight. Obesity is not a moral failure, it is a disease. Being overweight is not a sign of weakness or lack of willpower; it is the manifestation of the metabolic disorder. Once we accept that we can intelligently and systematically work with our medical experts, mental health professionals, friends and family members in a deliberate effort to put the disease in remission.

"In today's special edition of the Weekly Digest I invite you to reclassify your personal definition of obesity. Consider the 5Ls (Look, Listen, Learn, Live, Love). I know that my weight management efforts are more successful when I approach my obesity as a medical condition requiring daily effort to manage. It serves me well to remember that I am me, I am not my disease (link to article).

"I hope you find this special edition useful in your ongoing efforts for improved health with weight loss surgery. Today marks the start of summer and I wish you the very best of health and wellness. You have the power to make this your healthiest year ever - Let's do it together!"