Food can also be an addiction. And by the way, I've smelled some nasty thin people on the bus too.
For those of you who don't know I once weighed 330 pounds. I got fat over a period of many years. I was an athlete up until I was about 30 and then no longer was capable of keeping my weight off. I ate more than I was able to exercise off. I had a gastric bypass and lost 160 pounds and have kept it off. I have a tool that most obese people don't have, I am able to exist on less than 1000 calories a day without feeling starved.
When you get yourself to a point of 100+ pounds of weight you can NOT diet it off or even exercise it off. That has been proven. Disagree with me all you like. I've done the reseach while preparing for my gastric bypass. Your metabolism will slow down so much that you won't lose weight on a 600 calorie a day diet, you will instead lose muscle mass. Your body (designed perfectly by Jehovah?) will hang onto that fat as though it were gold.
Ever try to lose 20 pounds and keep it off? Pretty difficult isn't it? You will feel weak and drained because without strenuous exercise you'll just lose muscle. That perfect body is doing its best to keep its fat stores. It's a lousy design.
Here's a funny thing though. In all honesty I deserved to get fat. I felt like most thin people feel. I felt that fat people were just smelly and weak willed. Not as strong and strong willed as I was. What a surprise I was in for.
I've spent a couple of years as a moderator for a weightloss support group. I have heard so many stories, especially from women, that would break your heart. I wasn't fat in school, I never understood how an obese child feels. What made my job as moderator so rewarding is watching these women who once were made fun of become beautiful and confident. Life became worth living for them.
I try hard to not be a judgemental person these days. I didn't like myself as a JW. I was everyones judge. You are all entitled to your opinions on this. But remember this. There are some obese people here on this board. You suggest that they should be DFed if a smoker is DFed. That is very unkind and hurtful. Maybe just try to be a little understanding on this topic, especially if you've always been thin and don't really understand the mindset.