ian patton has a lot to say about living with
obesity.
not only as the director of advocacy and public engagement at
obesity canada, but as someone who has lived with the chronic condition since childhood. he has spent much of his career researching and lecturing on the subject.
one thing that became clear to patton over the years is the disparity between men’s and women’s attitudes in this area. “men are not seeking help or asking questions nearly as much as women,” he said at a recent talk he gave entitled
obesity is not for wimps.
in fact, in his work with different support groups, only 20 per cent of members are men, he said. “it’s an even smaller percentage of active members.”
and when patton had his gastric bypass surgery, “i was one of only three men in a group of about 40 to 50 people at orientation.”
patton was always one of the bigger kids throughout childhood. “weight was an issue as far back as i remember.”
as a male who was inclined to athletics, his size worked in his favour in some ways. “i was encouraged to use my size to my advantage in sports. i excelled in hockey, football, rugby and wrestling, which insulated me from the bullying and trauma that others might face in their childhood. on the one side, i was picked on and bullied for being fat. on the other, i gained positive reinforcement through my success in sports.”