subject: Lose Weight And Live Longer Or Stay Obese And Die Younger [print this page] Obesity has now almost reached epidemic proportions and what are Americans doing to stop it? The majority is still doing nothing about their weight problem and most choose to ignore the repercussions on their health. I personally talk to several people a day who have diabetes and blood pressure conditions. I relay the information about how weight loss may prevent them from being on medication the rest of their lives. How many patients do you think really listen? As you guessed, it is very few.
Almost 300,000 deaths are attributed to obesity every year and the numbers are rising. Research studies have shown obese individuals are 50-100% at more risk to die from any condition than that of a normal weight individual. Some of the risk factors for obese people are type 2 diabetes, cancer, fatty liver disease, apnea or other breathing problems, joint degeneration, heart disease, high cholesterol, and complicated pregnancies. With all this data to substantiate the risk factors of obesity, why do most people continue to eat their way to a shorter life?
Here are a few true incidences I have personally witnessed. When I first started my office, I had the normal cushioned chairs with armrests. I soon notice that some of my patients could not fit into these chairs. I was flabbergasted. I had never considered this possibility. I then switched my office to a church style pew to assure my patients did not have to stand. The next incident involved my daughters concert where I seen a man have to sit on two fold up chairs because he could not fit on one or a woman so obese, she broke her ankle just from her weight with a little twist. I know these are extreme cases, but it is fast becoming more prevalent in our society. Do you think these people can actually be proud of themselves? I really do not know the answer, but I keep digging.
Our culture today is very physically lazy. The further advances we make in technology, less physical activity is needed to complete the task. Remember when we had to get off the couch to change the channel to the TV? Imagine how horrified society today would be if we had to revert back to the "old ways".
An average overweight individual with a bmi less than 45 can expect to lose 2-5 years off their life. If you have a bmi over 45, anticipate 8 years off your life being a woman or 15 years off your life if you are a white male. Even with these startling statistics, death is not even a deterrent and people are still heading to the refrigerator.
by: Shawni Groezinger
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