Fat-o-Phobia
We have officially gone crazy.
In Japan, employers are forcing their employees to eat fish sausages, participate in a “lifestyle reform programs,” and attend boot camps designed to reduce the incidence of metabolic disease or metabo.
Not to be upstaged, the Japanese government has introduced compulsory ‘fat checks‘ for people over 40 years of age.
It’s not just the Japanese that are panicky about obesity.
This article in The Independent brought my attention to all of the medical classifications we now have for obesity and supposedly aberrant eating behaviors.
We all know about bulimia and anorexia.
But did you know about:
- drunkorexia – substituting meals with alcohol
- orthorexia – obsessive healthy eating
- bigorexia – men bingeing on protein for more muscle mass
- Lipophobia – avoidance of fats in food
- Wannarexia – a label applied to someone who claims to have anorexia nervosa, or wishes they did.
- Selective Eating Disorder - avoiding the consumption of certain foods.
- Binge Eating Disorder – eating too much and feeling guilty about it
and my personal favorite
- Rumination – Like a cow, ‘bringing up’ partially digested food and then spitting it out or digesting it.
How about:
- Cibophobia, Sitophobia — aversion to food, synonymous to Anorexia nervosa
- Dysmorphophobia, or body dysmorphic disorder — a phobic obsession with a real or imaginary body defect.
Maybe, for simplicity’s sake, we could lump all of these conditions together under one banner:
- Obesophobia – a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of gaining weight
I am not for one second suggesting that people have legitimate mental & physical issues concerning food and their bodies.
But, why oh why, does every human peculiarity have to become a syndrome or a condition?
Why do we have to be afraid of everything?
If you are interested in a better way to eat, click here or here or here.
Thanks.
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DR
May 11, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Thanks for the comments.
Mariko,
I am heading over to your site right now
jeffsher63
May 11, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Because when something is labeled, the politicians can go after it more easily, and thus further restrict our lives.
For example, my son came home with a “report” from the school nurse telling us that his BMI is elevated, and that he is overweight. Gee, thanks, as if I didn’t know that. But these statistics will be used in the future to legislate what we can and can’t eat. And that is scary….
notjustskindeep
May 11, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Heyyyy!
I was tag surfing and your interesting post grabbed my attention!!! Which explains why I’m here
The photo certainly played a part in getting me interested too, that I won’t deny! 
Anyway, although it’s hilarious sometimes watching people getting all worked up over particular issues (in this case, fat), I agree with you that it’s also very very sad living a life of fear.
I’ve actually started a blog on perceptions of beauty and self esteem which you might be interested in, so do pop by sometimes, yea?
This is an issue I feel deeply about and perhaps is a manifestation of how destructive fear can be.
Yet, just a thought and do share with me your opinions on this – do you think we could ever live life to the fullest with no fear at all? Doesn’t the fear of death for instance also propel us to make the best of every waking/ living moment?
But I guess often we take fear to the extreme and that’s when it becomes destructive.
Do keep posting because I’ll certainly be one of your avid readers!!!!!
Cheers,
Mariko