Is it a sin to be overweight?

[jimmy]

Evanescence:

Is it a sin to be overweight?
If so why?

Evanescence

There is no sin in being overweight. There may be a sin in how a person gets there. Lazyness and gluttony are both sins. I wouldn’t say that all people who are overweight are lazy and gluttonous though.

 

[mamarti1]

I, too have been in a situation like that Evanescence describes, having leaned on food to deal with depression. I think it’s important to remember that mental illness can diminish our culpability (so acting gluttonously may not always be a serious sin). And even if sinful action led to one’s current body size, that sin is washed away in a sincere sacramental confession. There is nothing inherantly sinful in the larger body that remains. What is important is to do our best to take care of our God-given body in it’s current state. Eat healthfully and exercise to the extent that we can. For me, that’s often not much, but friends remind me that God knows how hard it is for us and is pleased by our efforts. Another way that God wants us to take care of our body is to get help for the underlying difficulty. Please seek help, a good Christian/Catholic counselor and perhaps a medical doctor or psychiatrist can be very helpful. I’m pulling for you!

 

[Evanescence]

Thanks, mamarti1

I’m not keen on seeing anymore counsellors, but can anyone give me spiritual advice on this issue?

Evanescence

 

[cargopilot]

mamarti1:

And even if sinful action led to one’s current body size, that sin is washed away in a sincere sacramental confession. There is nothing inherantly sinful in the larger body that remains.

GREAT point! Once the sin’s gone, it’s GONE. Someone also mentioned that many factors reduce and even eliminate the sinfulness of an act.

I’d just forget about it. Of course, that’s easy to say if one’s spouse isn’t critical, but supportive. The sin lies with the critical spouse.

More than once, I’ve seen buddies fail to even consider a ‘chubby’ female, who was sweet, smart and true-blue, as a possible mate, only to favor a messed-up, multi-divorced, psychopath who was skinny. What idiots.

If I could temporarally blind my lonely single friends just long enough to introduce them to some of the sweetest, most stable and best ‘marriage material’ anywhere, they too, could be happy and fulfilled.http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon12.gif

 

[romano]

I think it would be foolish to deny that ‘much’ (though not all) obesity is caused by overeating (gluttony) and lack of exercise (sloth), two of the traditional 7 Deadly Sins.

However, I did read somewhere recently (though I don’t remember just where) that there are chemicals in certain processed foods that are actually designed to promote obesity. But whether this is true or not I don’t know.

 

[ThornGenX]

My obesity results from sin, specifically a tag team of sloth and gluttony.

 

[seek1st]

I stuggle too with weight and overeating. I have found a WONderful Catholic program that has helped immensely! the Light Weigh (www.lightweigh.com) it was put together by a beautiful Catholic mother of 6 or 7 (Suzanne Fowler) with the help of the Holy Spirit. It focuses on feeding the soul and not the body. It is a series of 12 videos that you watch as a group - check the website for more details and locations of churches that might be offering it.

It brings you to peace with food. There is a specific saint that will walk with you each week. It comes with a “spiritual growth packet” that includes a scapular, rosary, holy water, novena prayer cards, a large prayer journal and best of all, St. Teresa “good deed beads” so that we might offer our little sacrafices and triumphs over food for the good of others.

It is not a “diet” but a new way of eating - never eat unless you’re really hungry and never overeat. Other than that, you prayerfully consider all that you eat and drink and the results are amazing!

It is a beautiful program. Please give it a look.

 

[ATeNumquam]

Well, I’m pretty convinced that for many people it is not a sin, and that we should be very slow to judge or assume that someone is a glutton because they are overweight.

As has been said, there are medical conditions that predispose people to be overweight, and perhaps the commonest cause is lack of exercise in our Western way of life, where it is all too easy to be a couch potato. Then there’s the junk food problem, too-large portion sizes (and this, if you will please not be offended if I say so, is perhaps a particular characteristic of American fast-food outlets and restaurants, as many people who have visited there comment on it).

But there are also many who eat for comfort, and this is where I just don’t know about the culpability aspect, as I once struggled with it for a great many years, and all my efforts and guilt-trips got me nowhere. I prayed, I read about the issue, I just felt hopeless.
I can only say that God delivered me from it a few years ago - I know I could not have done it myself. I will always be grateful to Him for this. But at the same time, I am not presumptuous about it. Like any recovering addict, I will never trust myself to be “cured”.
So - there’s no way I am going to think harshly of overweight people, and I’m sorry to see people (like you, perhaps ThornGenX!) judging themselves severely, when perhaps they should deserve only sympathy.

God will help, in His own way and time, if you trust Him, and maybe follow Seek1st’s programme or something similar.

 

[speedy5]

well, i know that some people are predestined to be overweight. (stupid genetics!!!) i have a cousin that is handicapped, and all he does is eat. he has a rare genetic disorder. i think it’s called prater willy syndrome. it is quite common with them to have a neverending hunger. he also has the mentality of a 5 year old although he’s 16. we used to keep a lock on the refridgerator because he is always raiding it. i don’t think he’s a sinner. he just doesn’t know what he’s really doing to himself. he’s innocent.i’ve had my own battle with weight, and it had alot to do with depression and anger issues. apparently your body shuts down and your metabolism slows down during depression. i never thought i was supposed to be overweight, and it shocked me when i gained as much as i did in such little time. i think i gained 30 pounds in 9 months. now i’m back to where i should be. i don’t think i was necessarily a sinner when i was overweight. if i was, then it was probably venial. i dunno. i’m not a theologian.

 

[Lillith]

One summer when I was 14, I hung out everyday with a girl who was overweight. We walked everywhere…all over town…to the park…swimming pool…arcades (It WAS the 80’s)…we ate very little (too busy) a typical day started a 10 in the a.m…we might eat a tuna fish sandwich at lunch (her favorite) and whatever her mom or my mom might have for dinner.

I lost weight…but she didn’t budge a pound…God literally made her that way, and I don’t think it would be possible for her to lose it!

Missy was her name…Gosh I miss her…she was fun!
God Bless you Missy wherever you are, Love Lillith

 

[wcknight]

I’d say maybe, but I think it would be a much bigger sin to judge folks one way or the other (even if rightly so).

I don’t have that problem (yet) and I thank my lucky stars that I don’t. My metabolism is such that I don’t have a huge appetite, and when I do overeat, I do not balloon out as some folks are prone to do.

Some of the most kind and loving folks I know have a weight problem. I’m far more concerned for their health and not the least bit concerned for their morality.

Christ’s Peace.

 

[siamesecat]

Prater willy syndrome is awful and certainly a person like that has an excuse. There are certain metabolic disorders that cause you to be fat. And im not talking about just a belly or whatever, no one can be expected to look like Jennifer Anniston, but I mean come on, if youre obese, its because you eat! I mean, yes there are exceptions as I mentioned above. But you arent born fat and you dont just get fat. I know, food is GOOD, exercise is not fun! But Im sick of people complaining about how the weight just wont come off and diets just dont work. I like how Oprah says she has an addiction to food. Its like a drug addiction, you cant stop having something and it causes all kinds of health problems. You dont have babyfat at at 20, and people say obesity is a disease I cant overcome! If you have obesity, then youre cure is willpower. Imagine if a cancer patient could cure themselves on willpower. No, no one should aspire to look like Lindsey Lohan, but no one should aspire to look like Rosie O’Donnell either. As thin as angelina jolie may be, she looks healthy, like she eats right and works out. I could never look like her as im only 5 feet tall and not nearly so attractive, but she’s someone we should use as a role model for getting in shape. I dont know much about whether or not its a sin, but please, stay healthy and dont let your kids get fat! Weight doesnt “not want to come off” its just that laziness in America is an epidemic!

 

[movingmom]

My feeling is that you should worry more about your overall health than what the scale says. If you are a little over weight you can still make very healthy decisions - like eating properly and exercising. Not everyone can be a size 2. As for morbidly obese people, I think there are far more things involved than eating too much, these people need help from a medical professional. Rather than condemning people who are heavy, suggest they get professional help.