Here’s my take on the controversy and debate surrounding the relationship between obesity and health.

If opponents first agree upon and definition of obesity and a definition of health, then any debate or controversy about the obesity/health relationship (or lack thereof) is straightforward and resolvable.

However, without accepted definitions (by both parties) of obesity and health—at least for purposes of a specific discussion—then any further discussion is pointless.

For example, if one person believes health is subjective (1st person), and another feels health is objective (third person, measurable), then they will nearly always disagree about obesity’s relationship to health.

If someone cannot tell me a priori how they define obesity AND how they define health, then it’s a waste of my time to engage with them on this subject.