Disclaimer: This topic is hard to face and address. This article is not for the faint of heart (sic).
Obesity is the leading cause of medical problems in our country. 60% of our population is now overweight and 1/2 of those are morbidly obese. The US of A is fat, unlike any other country in the world. Obesity is epidemic, it is very dangerous, it is very costly, and it is, oh so, preventable. And, sadly, it is increasing exponentially in children.
The list of diseases associated with obesity is extensive. A short list includes: arthritis, general joint pains, depression, sleep apnea, edema, blood flow restriction in the limbs, ulcers, constipation, bladder infections, incontinence, yeast infections, skin infections, liver disease, kidney failure, several cancers, heart disease, stroke, and dementia, and diabetes, diabetes, diabetes. It is a scary list, and it is mostly reversible with weight loss.
The basic and only treatment for obesity is weight loss. The only effective way to lose weight is to effect the calorie balance such that there are more calories out vs. calories in. Any surgery, any medicine, and any special diet out there is aimed at restricting caloric intake. Most of them ultimately don’t work well because people do not manage to modify their lifestyle to balance their calories. Eating “healthy foods” doesn’t count. I have seen plenty of overweight people in Whole Foods – they eat good food to be sure but they still eat too much of it.
There are many programs out there to lose weight nowadays. Weight Watchers is by far my favorite because their point system, which directly correlates 1:100 with the calorie content of food, educates the person for lifetime awareness of their diet. Or, buy a calorie counting book and count it up for yourself. You need to cut out 500 calories a day (3500 a week) to achieve one pound of weight loss. Exercise helps us in many ways but will not achieve much weight loss without watching calories.
It does take a lot of effort and self-education to figure out what foods to eat to achieve a nutritional balance and to avoid excess caloric intake. But it really takes just as much effort to drive to get your food or to go to the doctor a lot or to take all of the medicines you will eventually need for obesity-related medical problems.
Those who criticize people for being fat are considered insensitive, but there is a real burden on our society which we all need to face. Nationally, it is staggering how much obesity-related health issues cost. Individually, avoiding weight gain or losing weight sure costs less than staying fat. This does not include the intangibles like self-confidence and satisfaction with your life.
If you can read this article, you can learn to lose weight. And, it is much more fun to be fit!
