Testing The Post Feature on The Site

I think both positions in this debate are valid. Most diet plans hawked by the weight loss industry are either common sense repackaged as science, or snake oil repackaged as science, but even the more legitimate approaches are only as good as the commitment of the person following them. And it’s undeniable that the culture of American marketing that helped create the obesity epidemic is now seeking to profit from it by leveraging the crisis to move more products.

Another example of how the public is being manipulated is through “educational” or “reality” shows that feature the transformations of obese people who have had bariatric surgery. These procedures are held out as another quick fix–if you don’t even want to stick it out with a diet–without any realistic portrayal of the dangers and long-term side effects. I recognize that this type of surgery has a place and has value for some people, but it is being marketed to the public, plain and simple (just as various forms of cosmetic surgery are on the “makeover” shows).

Obesity is a real problem in this country and it should be dealt with seriously, but we should also be wary of those who would prey upon our insecurities. As C.S. Lewis said, a person with an obsession has very little sales resistance.