Being addicted to food is horrid. Yes, I am sure there are bigger nightmares in the world, but as far as commonplace afflictions, I think this has to be one of the worst.

Many "normal" people are quick to assume that overweight people are merely big, fat, stupid slobs with no self-control whatsoever. I've heard people say, "Quit crying and put down the fork" as a solution to the weight problems of others.

For a food addict, putting down the fork is about as easy as it is for the heroin addict to put down the needle. Many people are more sympathetic toward the heroin addict. At least heroin addicts are not usually fat.

Do people really think that it never occured to us to put down the fork or to eat less?

Food addicts come in small, medium, and large sizes. The small and medium-sized food addicts usually slip under society's judgemental radar because they are thin and therefore to be envied, or average in weight and therefore are normal. But, the only difference between the fat food addict and the thin food addict is the quality of their purging.

I had a very good friend who worked out regularly, looked great, and attracted a lot of attention from men. Undoubtedly many women would have done almost anything to look like her. Would they feel the same if they knew that every night after work, she drove through three different fast food restaurants and binged in her closet, while she cried? Would they feel the same if they knew that she vomited this food back up and also took laxatives daily?

Many people might have sympathy for this attractive woman. And, in spite of these issues (and I say issues because no one with a food disorder doesn't have other issues to go along with the food problems), men were interested in her. She did look good.

Now imagine an obese person driving through three fast food restaurants, and then binging in the closet. Do you think there is any sympathy for that person?

No. They should just put down the fork. Right? After all, someday it will dawn on all the fat people that society hates them and it is very easy to be normal or even slender, and all they have to do is stop eating so much. Then they'll become thin and all their problems will be resolved.

Someone ought to write a book on that, they'll be rich.