Obesity Action Coalition Blog

On behalf of the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) National Board of Directors, volunteers and staff, we would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season. This year has truly been a banner year for the OAC. Looking ahead for 2009, we have many exciting plans to continue our educational and advocacy efforts.

Thank you to all those who have become involved in the OAC and dedicated their time and resources to improving the lives of all those affected by obesity.

Happy Holidays,
OAC

On January 20, 2009, the OAC will issue a formal letter to President-elect Barack Obama encouraging him and his office to begin taking proactive measures in the fight against obesity. President-elect Obama has shown initiative in the area of childhood obesity during his time in the Senate. It is vitally important that we, the OAC, serve as the leading patient resource for President-elect Obama.

The OAC needs your support in signing on to this letter to display the importance of obesity in today’s healthcare. To sign-on to the OAC’s letter and show your support, click here.

Headlines all across the media this week have talked about Oprah Winfrey and her weight regain. Ms. Winfrey’s very public weight struggle of the past 20 years is very much like the struggle of many Americans, and although not at the same scale, many of us receive the same level of scrutiny in our day-to-day lives if we gain (and/or lose) weight. The simple question then needs to be asked if such scrutiny is fair? Just because obesity or weight-gain/loss is visible as we “wear” it, why is it fodder for public discussion? If an individual or celebrity was struggling with diabetes or any other medical condition, privacy is most often respected (tabloid journalism excluded) unless the individual chooses to discuss it publicly.

So my question is has such scrutiny affected you in your personal struggles with your weight? If so, was it positive or negative and how did you deal with it? Also, feel free to share your thoughts on how obesity is treated differently in the public eye from other health conditions.