Is obesity a sin?

[Annabelle_Marie]

In the first place obesity is a physical condition and no more sinful than any other condition like blindness, leanness, or red hair.

In the second place, unless you are prepared to present unchallenged, documented scientific proof that obesity is the result of a sinful activity, or of any voluntary activity whatever, rather than being the result of a metabolic disorder, you had better not even go there.

You do seem a little defensive about this…I don’t know why…the thread seemed innocent enough to me…

Obesity is a physical condition that COULD be a sign of sinfullness…ie…gluttony. But of course we have to be careful not to judge…it could be a sign of something else. And of course one could have repented of the gluttony but still be obese…because it is hard to take it off once you’ve put it on. I know of where I speak there:blush:

I myself have wondered about it…as sometimes I tend to turn to food for comfort instead of God…is that not a sin? I myself have not been swayed by the whole…it’s not your fault…it’s your genes…talk that goes on. Yes…there are studies that say that…but there are also studies that say the opposite. I sure wish I could believe all that (believe me) but it just is not true. I myself struggle to take the weight off…to try and take care of this body that God gave me…because I don’t think he meant for it to be obese. That’s why I started running.

I just think gluttony is more of an “acceptable” sin in our society because no one really wants to look inward.

 

[beth40n2]

CCC 2535 The sensitive appetite leads us to desire pleasant things we do not have, e.g., the desire to eat when we are hungry or to warm ourselves when we are cold. These desires are good in themselves; but often they exceed the limits of reason and drive us to covet unjustly what is not ours and belongs to another or is owed to him.

Baltimore Catechism No. 3 - Lesson 6
Q. 304. What is gluttony?

A. Gluttony is an excessive desire for food or drink.

This Catholic Encyclopedia give a lot of information as to how the church looks at this issue.

newadvent.org/cathen/06590a.htm pretty technical.
“Prae-propere, laute, nimis, ardenter, studiose” or, according to the apt rendering of Father Joseph Rickably: too soon, too expensively, too much, too eagerly, too daintily. Clearly one who uses food or drink in such a way as to injure his health or impair the mental equipment needed for the discharge of his duties, is guilty of the sin of gluttony. It is incontrovertible that to eat or drink for the mere pleasure of the experience, and for that exclusively, is likewise to commit the sin of gluttony.

With that being said by those references, our metabolism has a lot to do with how the food we eat translates in weight gain. Two people can eat the same food and one may gain the other person may not.

Just as mortal sin as to do with the knowledge of serious sin and then knowingly doing the sin, many people do not have a clue what foods are healthy or junk food. Knowledge is a key.

Addictions of any kind are taken into concideration in sin.

I don’t know if we can totally solve this problem, but we all need the knowledge to know when our bodies have had to much food or drink.

 

[Lui]

Finally, why is there such a concern if it’s a sin or not? Of course I do not know your intent, but usually something of this nature is asked to make one feel superior to others that might be obese.

Why is it such a concern on this board if masturbation or the occult is a sin among other recent topics people were talking about if you argue like that? I was personally thinking about this topic because I try to eat healthy and exercise because I think it is also important to keep your body as healthy as possible. On the other hand, I see so many people(including many members of my family and close friends which concerns me) who don’t seem to care about their health at all. They smoke cigarettes, drink too much alcohol, take drugs and have a bad diet. No one here would question if taking drugs or being an alcoholic is a sin even though many of these poeople have psychological problems which leads to their abuse.

Why would I feel superior to anyone who is obese? I have my own truck load of sins to deal with. I’m might not over-eat but believe me, I have so many other bad habits.

Anyway, I apologize if I offended anyone. It was not intentional.

 

[juno24]

Why is it such a concern on this board if masturbation or the occult is a sin among other recent topics people were talking about if you argue like that? I was personally thinking about this topic because I try to eat healthy and exercise because I think it is also important to keep your body as healthy as possible. On the other hand, I see so many people(including many members of my family and close friends which concerns me) who don’t seem to care about their health at all. They smoke cigarettes, drink too much alcohol, take drugs and have a bad diet. No one here would question if taking drugs or being an alcoholic is a sin even though many of these poeople have psychological problems which leads to their abuse.

Why would I feel superior to anyone who is obese? I have my own truck load of sins to deal with. I’m might not over-eat but believe me, I have so many other bad habits.

Anyway, I apologize if I offended anyone. It was not intentional.

Perhaps it was because of the question you actually asked rather than what you intended to ask. It seems that you intended to ask whether or not eating to the point of becoming overweight/obese is a sin. Such would be an action or behavior, which may or may not be sinful. However, what you actually asked was whether or not a physical condition (i.e.obesity), which may have come about due to any of several reasons, is sinful. No physical condition is ever sinful. That would be like asking if lung cancer is sinful-- it would be a ridiculous question because only actions/behaviors may be sinful; conditions never are.

 

[Lui]

Perhaps it was because of the question you actually asked rather than what you intended to ask. It seems that you intended to ask whether or not eating to the point of becoming overweight/obese is a sin. .

Yeah, you’re right but then I would have had to ask “is eating too much up to the point of becoming overweight a sin?” which is quite a long title, but that is what I meant. I repeat: I did not mean obesity from other reasons like genes or medical conditions.

I wonder if I had asked if drinking too much(which I often did in the past) is a sin would also have had such emotional and defensive responses.

 

[Lui]

Why is it such a concern on this board if masturbation or the occult is a sin among other recent topics people were talking about if you argue like that? I was personally thinking about this topic because I try to eat healthy and exercise because I think it is also important to keep your body as healthy as possible. On the other hand, I see so many people(including many members of my family and close friends which concerns me) who don’t seem to care about their health at all. They smoke cigarettes, drink too much alcohol, take drugs and have a bad diet. No one here would question if taking drugs or being an alcoholic is a sin even though many of these people have psychological problems which leads to their abuse.

Why would I feel superior to anyone who is obese? I have my own truck load of sins to deal with. I might not over-eat but believe me, I have so many other bad habits.

Anyway, I apologize if I offended anyone. It was not intentional.

 

[Paul1961]

you obviously refuse to have your privately held opinions challenged, but the recommendation to educate yourself still stands. there is NO proof that overeating causes obesity, and mounting proof of the opposite, that people overeat because they are obese. YOU are the one who mentioned sin in your OP. And yes I will respond aggressively when directly accused as you did me.

“No proof overeating causes obesity”

It does by definition. Overeating is the consumption of more calories than the body requires to maintain equilibrium. These excess calories are stored as body fat. It is not rocket science. To loss weight you must burn more than you consume. If you consume more than you burn, you will gain weight.

You can certainly debate metabolism, healthy foods, exercise, will power, etc.

The bottom line is that we are consuming excess calories and the PC culture just want us to accept ourselves and feel good. Put down the twinkie, turn off the TV and go for a long walk.

 

[juno24]

Yeah, you’re right but then I would have had to ask “is eating too much up to the point of becoming overweight a sin?” which is quite a long title, but that is what I meant. I repeat: I did not mean obesity from other reasons like genes or medical conditions.

I wonder if I had asked if drinking too much(which I often did in the past) is a sin would also have had such emotional and defensive responses.

Well, a big part of the reason you received the responses you did was because you didn’t feel like typing the question you really wanted to ask. Maybe from now on you will consider what you really want to know and ask accordingly. Your thread title does not need to contain the entire question/statement/post.
And again, obesity (a physical condition) is NEVER a sin simply because having a physical condition cannot be sinful. The state of being obese is no more sinful than the state of having lung cancer. Sin is by its nature an action or a behavior. Physical conditions are not actions or behaviors.
To use your own example of drinking: drinking is an action. Drinking to the point of drunkenness can be sinful.
Eating is an action. Eating to the point of obesity can be sinful. The actual state of being obese is not sinful, but the means by which we get there might be.
I used to be obese, and I did in fact get there by overeating. I am very, very aware of everything I consume now so as not to go back to that state, but I was NOT in a state of sin for the duration of the years that I was actually obese.

 

[MissRose73]

Yes, I am a bigger person. It does not necessarily mean I eat large portions of the fattiest foods I can possibly place on my plate or in my bowl at every meal. It does not mean I constantly snack on a large bag of crisps/chips between meals.

We cannot go without food and drink. We cannot control the fact that healthier foods often cost a lot more compared to the processed & prepared foods. For some, its buying 7 cans of the processed food items to get them through the week till pay day compared to a very small amount of healthier options.

I do try to eat less. I do try to eat better. It is a struggle, and it is my cross to bear. I am not the only larger woman out there who is also Catholic. I am glad no priest has judged me to be a bad person because of my size which is partly what I eat, partly genetics (as many in my family are larger), and partly other health/medication issues I would have regardless if I was skinny or not.

 

[houston1]

I can understand why the OP posted this question as obesity is an epidemic in the U.S. and other countries. It is a good question that should be pondered. To say that obesity is never caused by sinful actions related to gluttony would be an incorrect statement. IMO, the question is whether one is exercising self-control with regard to food and drink to the best of his or her ability (considering all the physical, mental, medical, etc. limitations).

I struggle with the sin of gluttony and I am not currently overweight though I used to be quite a bit heavier. Had I not gotten my eating and drinking under control, I know that I would have continued to gain weight to the point of obesity (I love food and drink too much!) Though I weigh much less now, I still fixate way too much on food and spend hours each day thinking about it — what I will eat that tastes good and I will often forgo eating the healthier item because I want to “save” my calories for something that tastes better like cookies and cake. I know that this has to be somewhat sinful. I struggle daily with this tendancy of mine.

As for obesity, obviously in and of itself it is not sinful. I think St. Thomas Aquinas was somewhat overweight (and he’s a well-known saint!). Regardless, each of us should examine his or her eating habits. Every person has a responsibility to take care of the body that God has given him or her. I also know that with God’s help, each one of us can make progress in the area of temperance. God and the Blessed Mother helped me with my struggle with my overindulgence in food and drink. And, I believe that He can help all of us overcome our sins of gluttony if we trust in Him. I will pray for you all. Please pray for me.

 

[Lui]

I can understand why the OP posted this question as obesity is an epidemic in the U.S. and other countries. .

One reason is that people eat more and more low quality food. If you eat a lot of food that has little nutritional value then your body basically craves more food because even though it is getting food, it is not getting enough nutrients. On the long run that leads to over-eating. If people eat mostly healthy REAL food( whfoods.com/foodstoc.php) their body will regulate a natural appetite over time. In the days of Jesus people didn’t eat Tofu or other health food stuff but they DID eat REAL food like fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, fish, meat etc. and not processed food from a supermarket. Jesus ate freshly made bread, fish, fruit, water and wine, and not Twinkies, Big Macs and Coca-Cola.
In a lot of countries nowadays the people don’t get obese with their traditional diet. Once McDonalds and other low quality convenience food is introduced to them, their obesity rate increases like in China.

Another reason is the lack of exercise. People sit all day and then they use their car to drive down to the shop one block away.

I found this on the topic: catholicbible101.com/overcominggluttony.htm

 

[houston1]

I found this on the topic: catholicbible101.com/overcominggluttony.htm

I’ve read this article before and it sounds very sensible. I wish I could follow everything that they say to do in this article but my “spirit is willing but my flesh is weak!”

Any tips on following the guidelines in the article??? Where do I begin? I so very much love my cookies and processed foods!

 

[karow]

“No proof overeating causes obesity”

It does by definition. Overeating is the consumption of more calories than the body requires to maintain equilibrium. These excess calories are stored as body fat. It is not rocket science. To loss weight you must burn more than you consume. If you consume more than you burn, you will gain weight.

You can certainly debate metabolism, healthy foods, exercise, will power, etc.

The bottom line is that we are consuming excess calories and the PC culture just want us to accept ourselves and feel good. Put down the twinkie, turn off the TV and go for a long walk.

Please, please, please Google the term Health at Every Size. Read anything by Linda Bacon. Do this before commenting more on this topic.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

Please, please, please Google the term Health at Every Size. Read anything by Linda Bacon. Do this before commenting more on this topic.

There is health at certain sizes…although I’d be hard pressed to say someone who weighs 500 pounds is healthy…

But there is also unhealthy people at any size… we’ve already said not everyone who is overweight got that way from overeating…but certainly a large number did.

Why do we try to ignore that? It’s about looking inward. Maybe people don’t want to admit it?

 

[Debora123]

More and more people are becoming obese. I think about 2/3 of the people in the USA, GB and Germany are overweight.
Is eating too much food and also mostly eating too much bad food(junk food) a sin and if not, why?
The reason I came up with this question is because I just read the “is this gluttony” thread which made me think that over-eating should actually be gluttony or am I wrong?

Yes, absolutely, eating too much food and too much bad food is a sin.

And you are right… overeating is a form of gluttony. One of the 7 deadly sins.

 

[puzzleannie]

Yes, absolutely, eating too much food and too much bad food is a sin.

And you are right… overeating is a form of gluttony. One of the 7 deadly sins.

that was not OP’s question, read it again, she did not ask if gluttony was a sin, or if overreating (which rarely reaches the extent of the deadly sin of gluttony, as in food replacing God in one’s priority) is a sin, she asked explicitly if the condition of being obese itself is a sin. The obvious answer is no. If it were proven–which it never has been–that obesity is inevitably caused by overeating, and that to the extent of sin, there might be a discussion, but since there is no such proof, I move we drop the topic which is so highly offensive and borne on conclusions that have no basis in either moral law or human physiology.

 

[Debora123]

that was not OP’s question, read it again, she did not ask if gluttony was a sin, or if overreating (which rarely reaches the extent of the deadly sin of gluttony, as in food replacing God in one’s priority) is a sin, she asked explicitly if the condition of being obese itself is a sin.

Her original post:

More and more people are becoming obese. I think about 2/3 of the people in the USA, GB and Germany are overweight.
Is eating too much food and also mostly eating too much bad food(junk food) a sin and if not, why?
The reason I came up with this question is because I just read the “is this gluttony” thread which made me think that over-eating should actually be gluttony or am I wrong?

Her first question within that post:

Is eating too much food and also mostly eating too much bad food(junk food) a sin and if not, why?

My answer:

Yes, absolutely, eating too much food and too much bad food is a sin.

Her second question within that post:

The reason I came up with this question is because I just read the “is this gluttony” thread which made me think that over-eating should actually be gluttony or am I wrong?

My answer:

And you are right… overeating is a form of gluttony. One of the 7 deadly sins.

Now that we’ve established that I read the original post correctly and answered correctly, let’s move on…

The obvious answer is no. If it were proven–which it never has been–that obesity is inevitably caused by overeating, and that to the extent of sin, there might be a discussion, but since there is no such proof, I move we drop the topic which is so highly offensive and borne on conclusions that have no basis in either moral law or human physiology.

1. Why is it offensive for someone to ask a question about obesity and gluttony, but not offensive to ask obsessive, scrupulous questions about lust? (“I had a sex dream last night… was that a sin??”) Or better yet, about anything else? Gluttony seems to be the only “accepted” sin around here.
2. I’m not sure where you’ve been, but obesity absolutely CAN be caused by overeating. “CAN” being the key word there. Doesn’t mean it always is, but it can be. The OP mentions several times that her question is aimed specifically at obesity as a result of overeating. Nothing else.
3. There is absolutely nothing “highly offensive” about this thread. And if you believe there to be, why don’t you report it to moderators? Considering there’s nothing wrong with it, I kinda doubt they’ll delete it. If it offends you, it is best to leave the thread and get your mind on something else.
4. The only person here who is being offensive is you, with your hostile attitude towards an OP who didn’t deserve it.

 

[JW55]

I don’t find the OP’s inquiry offensive. The heading of her inquiry could be misinterpretted, but the body of the message further seems to explain the intention. I don’t think it is implying because someone is overweight that it is a sin, but that if someone by their actions via the lack of self-restraint are involved (gluttony), is this a sin? This inquiry seems to be no more threatening than asking about any other vice one might have.

In regard to being healthy,no not all obese people are unhealthy, but many are and their condition very often improves with corresponding weight loss. Very often times their blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, and risks for other diseases often drop significantly with the loss of weight.

 

[Debora123]

Just as mortal sin as to do with the knowledge of serious sin and then knowingly doing the sin, many people do not have a clue what foods are healthy or junk food. Knowledge is a key.

Addictions of any kind are taken into consideration in sin.

First of all, when most obese people are evaluated for weight-loss surgery, they are given a psychological evaluation, along with the usual metabolic tests. A good deal of those psychological tests show some kind of (even mild) depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (usually made worse by the imbalance of hormones/thyroid) that tend to go hand-in-hand with obesity.

Really we should never judge.

This is very nice guys

It’s a shame we don’t see more of this truly Christian, tolerant, non judgmental attitude on threads about masturbation, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, etc etc…

 

[KostyaJMJ]

This is very nice guys

It’s a shame we don’t see more of this truly Christian, tolerant, non judgmental attitude on threads about masturbation, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, etc etc…

I do wonder if we would be healthier if we were as scrupulous about gluttony as we are about lust. But nobody ever seems interested in obsessing over gluttony. It’s a real shame too, because I’ve been having thoughts about how to prepare the best BBQ and I really need to know if they cross the line into sinful preoccupation with food.