The article “Rethinking Weight” by Amanda Spake opens with a biography of Maria Pfisterer, and her struggle with her weight. This testimony is immediately proceeded by an exploration of the costs associated with obesity and their effect on everyday life. Spake also examines multiple studies surrounding the weight debate including twins and bottomless bowls. Spake proceeds in her article by exposing common frauds connected to obesity. This section highlights Samantha Moore and her battle with the insurance company to pay for her gastric bypass surgery. The article concludes with a comparison between fitness and fatness. Spake effectively highlights the biology surrounding obesity and her convincing substitution of fitness for healthiness. Spake’s
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It is questionable whether obesity should be classified as a disease. Stephen Ball, an exercise psychologist at the university of Missouri, says, “If we call obesity a disease, then anything that reduces one’s fatness or lowers BMI would be a successful treatment, such as liposuction or a very low-calorie diet, when we know these are not healthy. By the same token, if you don’t lose weight with an exercise program but your blood glucose becomes normal, cholesterol improves, then that could be considered a failure, because it didn’t reduce weight. Fitness is a more important indicator of health outcomes than fatness (Ball).” As stated in the quote, obesity cannot be considered a disease because of the lack of accurate data. Spake effectively emphasizes this point by substituting an idea of healthiness with an idea of fitness. She explains how a person can have a high BMI and not be considered fat (Spake 159). The BMI chart fails to consider muscle mass, which can be a perpetrator of inflated BMIs. If the author encountered the chance to talk with Steven Blair from the Cooper Institute in Dallas, they would immediately become enthralled in conversation. Blair would provide a knowledge of the BMI scale and lab tests on BMI that Spake would find intriguing. Likewise, Spake would bring personal testimonies of patients struggling with weight that Blair would find fascinating. Both Blair and Spake would agree with comments from each other because of their similar views of obesity. Overall Spake effectively highlights the biology surrounding obesity through quotes and studies. She uses accurate speech in her writing and attempted to appear unbiased. While being effective, Spake remains extremely logical, stating numerous times personal tidbits as opposed to quoting multiple other sources. Spake closes the article by revisiting Maria Pfisterer’s search for a solution to her struggle, effectively creating an ending to match
It is questionable whether obesity should be classified as a disease. Stephen Ball, an exercise psychologist at the university of Missouri, says, “If we call obesity a disease, then anything that reduces one’s fatness or lowers BMI would be a successful treatment, such as liposuction or a very low-calorie diet, when we know these are not healthy. By the same token, if you don’t lose weight with an exercise program but your blood glucose becomes normal, cholesterol improves, then that could be considered a failure, because it didn’t reduce weight. Fitness is a more important indicator of health outcomes than fatness (Ball).” As stated in the quote, obesity cannot be considered a disease because of the lack of accurate data. Spake effectively emphasizes this point by substituting an idea of healthiness with an idea of fitness. She explains how a person can have a high BMI and not be considered fat (Spake 159). The BMI chart fails to consider muscle mass, which can be a perpetrator of inflated BMIs. If the author encountered the chance to talk with Steven Blair from the Cooper Institute in Dallas, they would immediately become enthralled in conversation. Blair would provide a knowledge of the BMI scale and lab tests on BMI that Spake would find intriguing. Likewise, Spake would bring personal testimonies of patients struggling with weight that Blair would find fascinating. Both Blair and Spake would agree with comments from each other because of their similar views of obesity. Overall Spake effectively highlights the biology surrounding obesity through quotes and studies. She uses accurate speech in her writing and attempted to appear unbiased. While being effective, Spake remains extremely logical, stating numerous times personal tidbits as opposed to quoting multiple other sources. Spake closes the article by revisiting Maria Pfisterer’s search for a solution to her struggle, effectively creating an ending to match