Depends on whose definition of "obese" you're using. According to my insurance company, if I weigh more than 155# (at 5'10"), I'm obese. My physician, on the other hand, tells me that 220# is just right for my height.
There's a lot more to this issue than just "people not being able to push away from the table". Genetics plays a huge role. As does our moving away from being an agrarian society towards being an industrialized nation to our new status as a nation built on outsourcing. One piece of the puzzle is psychological. People of size tend to substitute food for love and affection. This creates a downward spiral. As we get larger, our self-esteem gets lower. The thought process is that no one could possibly love us because of how we look. This is reinforced by the stereotyping of and the outright discrimination against large people. So, if people disappoint you and food never does; where will you turn? The joke amongst large people is: "Food is our friend". Ergo, the more you eat, the bigger you get, the worse you feel about yourself, the more you eat, ad infinitum. Just like a drunk or a junkie. Only they have a disease. We're just lazy.
In case you're wondering, yes, I've been there and done that. I know of what I speak.
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