Is drowning a better analogy for obesity?

Updated 6.26.2013; reformatted
Here's a doctor who think obesity is not a disease, it's like drowning. I'm not sure, and I can imagine what the "healthy at every size" people would say about it.

And I think we should be careful what we wish for. Although there are no drugs to prevent drowning, parents can be and are prosecuted if they don't take action to prevent their child from drowning. I'm in favor of holding parents accountable for their kid's health— but I'm not sure I'm ready to have parents prosecuted if their kids are unhealthy. Many people are not even on board with . And plenty of bloggers state that trying to help a child lose weight just triggers eating disorders. I think it can do that, but needn't necessarily do so. It's all in how you approach it.

And the way we approached it (because yes, we did intervene with both kids to keep their weights within the normal range) is to model good eating habits (meaning eating real food prepared at home) and limiting junk foods and junk drinks.

Other takes

Here's an article with the view that obesity can't be a disease because there are too many healthy fat people. But what does it mean to be a healthy fat?

Dr. Oz comments on James Gandolfini's early death at 51. Up until the moment when he dropped dead, Gandolfini had been one of the "healthy" fatties. He did have substance abuse issues and that might have had an effect as well. But Oz points out that people don't have a problem saying that being too think (anorexic) is a problem, why side step the issue on the other end of the spectrum?

Oz focuses on waist circumference, which should be less than half your height as opposed to BMI. I think that might be one outcome of defining obesity as a disease. Doctors will demand a better marker for diagnosis.

Yoni Freedhoff thinks obesity should be considered a disease. Of course, he runs an obesity treatment center in Canada. In this essay he answers some of the criticisms bouncing around the fatosphere.

Another fat activist in the Daily Kos weighs in unhappily.

A well-known fat activist givers her view. Short version: It's all a scam to sell more drugs and weight loss surgeries. And it will increase fat shaming.

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