Another Round of Fatlogic

Who's in there_There is a difference between recognizing that a condition is unhealthy and demonizing people who live with that condition. Many dedicated scientists, medical professionals, therapists, and others are vitally interested in helping people escape from morbid obesity. This does not mean they hate or look down on people who are overweight or obese. But somehow, the very existence of anti-obesity programs brings out a hostile defensiveness in a segment of the population.

A small but eloquent number of “fat acceptance” advocates seem to view anyone who tries to reduce obesity as the mental twin of a dictator committed to ethnic cleansing and the moral equivalent of a tyrant who plans genocide.

In “Fatlogic’s Power to Cloud Minds,” we looked at the difference between rationality and rationalization, and unpacked the observation Dr. Pretlow once made about a contact:

One parent vehemently claimed that her 250-pound 13-year-old needed 2,800 calories per day for his weight.

That is a delusional mother, working on the assumption that her responsibility is to maintain her child’s present weight. Or maybe it is only a case of poor education. Maybe from a doctor or a TV show, the mother grasped the principle that alcohol and drugs affect people differently depending on their size. A 250-pound surgical patient needs a certain amount of anesthesia to knock him out. Therefore, a 250-pound son requires a certain amount of food to keep him going. It makes sense. In the fatlogic universe, this is how things work.

To maintain the fatlogic mindset, a person must be able believe two things that can’t both be true. The ability to engage in cognitive dissonance is a uniquely human trait, and a certain amount of it is necessary for humans to survive. It probably demands a heavy psychological price, because deep inside, most of us know when we are lying to ourselves. This awareness does not stop us from deceiving ourselves, but adds another layer of guilt. In “Genetics and Fatlogic,” we reviewed first-person accounts from grownups who wish their parents had not brainwashed them into believing such a harmful philosophy.

Growing Up in Fatlogic Land

In “Fatlogic and Self-Deception,” we examined the fine art of kidding the self and made, not for the first time, a case for early intervention. The earlier obesity and fatlogic set in, the more difficult they are to reverse. How early should intervention start? Before a child’s conception. How can society convince women to make sure their bodies and minds are healthy before they even consider getting pregnant? Whoever answers that question will be the hero of the century.

Of course, individuals are not the only proponents of fatlogic. Giant, planet-encompassing corporations do their share. Coca-Cola

makes news for several reasons, like the sketchy attribution of research funding. The company is quite the fatlogic cheerleader. It supports research to prove that caloric intake is meaningless, and co-opts dietitians and nutritionists who can be persuaded to tell the public that Coke and similar products are good snack choices. In publications, the company places “sponsored articles” that are nothing more than advertisements inflated with extra prose. It even employs experts who attest that the nature of a sugar-sweetened beverage somehow magically changes if the beverage is consumed from an itty-bitty can.

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Image by Martin Lindstrom

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Profiles: Kids Struggling with Weight

Profiles: Kids Struggling with Obesity top bottom

The Book

OVERWEIGHT: What Kids Say explores the obesity problem from the often-overlooked perspective of children struggling with being overweight.

About Dr. Robert A. Pretlow

Dr. Robert A. Pretlow is a pediatrician and childhood obesity specialist. He has been researching and spreading awareness on the childhood obesity epidemic in the US for more than a decade.
You can contact Dr. Pretlow at:

Presentations

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the American Society of Animal Science 2020 Conference
What’s Causing Obesity in Companion Animals and What Can We Do About It

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the World Obesity Federation 2019 Conference:
Food/Eating Addiction and the Displacement Mechanism

Dr. Pretlow’s Multi-Center Clinical Trial Kick-off Speech 2018:
Obesity: Tackling the Root Cause

Dr. Pretlow’s 2017 Workshop on
Treatment of Obesity Using the Addiction Model

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation for
TEC and UNC 2016

Dr. Pretlow’s invited presentation at the 2015 Obesity Summit in London, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s invited keynote at the 2014 European Childhood Obesity Group Congress in Salzburg, Austria.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2013 European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool, UK.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2011 International Conference on Childhood Obesity in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dr. Pretlow’s presentation at the 2010 Uniting Against Childhood Obesity Conference in Houston, TX.

Food & Health Resources