There's a lot of talk of the "obesity epidemic" and this is often discussed in scientific terms, about "counting calories" to lose weight, or fad weight loss diets (which can work), or just "exercising more and eating less"
But I've thought from time to time that maybe this is more of a spiritual problem of the sin of gluttony, and as such it may not be as easily solved by self-will and discipline, but by the grace of God through people undergoing holy fasts for the good of soul and body
What do you think about the spiritual dimension of the "obesity epidemic", or the traditional idea of the sin of gluttony?
Catholic encyclopedia on gluttony: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06590a.htm
Aquinas on gluttony: https://www.newadvent.org/summa/3148.htm
Another prime factor is poor diet, most fat people have radically unhealthy "food" in their stomachs, pantries and fridges. The chief offenders are sugared drinks and junk food with high fructose corn syrup. But the sugar isn't the only issue many of the junkfoods and sweeteners have byproducts of modern agricultural techniques or poorly tested lab made fake sugars which cause other health problems that have effects on the cardiopulmonary system which make consumers less likely to want to suffer through exercise, and I mean suffer, a healthy person can easily enjoy a run but for a person with asthma or various dietary or pharmaceutical induced disorders on top of obesity and already weak cardiopulmonary health it is suffering, they genuinely need rehab and I don't mean billed rehab they need a guide to overcoming it step by step.
There is chain of causality and there aren't enough warning signs because society has embraced and normalized the poisons and healthy people who haven't been poisoned can't empathize and generally refuse to sympathize.
I know purity spiralers will be mad at me for giving leeway but most fat people didn't know they were doing anything they shouldn't anymore than anyone else and that is primarily the fault of ad men and the long standing efforts to normalize obesity in media. I place the obesity epidemic at the feet of regulators, agricultural and pharmaceutical companies, junk food manufacturers, the education system, the media and advertising industry and then the parents last. If one of those sounds out of place I can explain it.
I'll be clear that I do support portion control to treat obesity.