Author Archives: Editor
If You’re Overweight But Look Good, Why Should You Lose Weight?
This title makes me want to ask a different question: “What’s LOOKS got to do with it?” [Yes, I went all Tina Turner on that one.]
Stop confusing the issues. This is not about how attractive you are, or how attractive you feel. It is about your HEALTH and WELLNESS. In an earlier post, I talked about body mass index, and what is considered to be a healthy weight for men and women based on their age and height. So, when I say “overweight” I am basing that word on science, not perception or appearance. While some people do appear to be socialized or even pre-wired to find certain body types more appealing, that is not something to hide behind as a reason to get fit, or an excuse NOT to. If you are overweight and you are putting off your quest for good health because you believe that society should accept you the way you are, then you are confused. If you look good on the outside and you believe that this means that you are healthy on the inside, then you are just as confused. It is possible that you should consider behavioral therapy, a type of professional counseling that helps to promote more positive attitudes and identify strategies to change bad habits and negative behaviors.
Two years ago, I weighed 150 pounds more than I do today. I thought I was attractive. I got approached by good-looking men, but I carried that extra 150 pounds for about 10 years before I wrapped my mind around the negative impact that obesity had on my health. Imagine seeing me today, walking down a busy street with a 150 pound adult strapped to my back. You might say that is ridiculous, but what is the difference (to my body) between that and what I was doing every day for TEN years?
Once I lost the weight and made regular exercise a habit, I remembered how it felt to be healthy. You see, over time, our bodies adjust to the extra weight, and so does our mentality. We actually forget what we should feel like, and look like. Have you ever seen a picture of yourself and thought, “Is that me?” That happened to me so many times that I began to refuse to pose for pictures!
Don’t get me wrong, I do not believe that anyone should be treated in a negative way based on their appearance. I have, however, seen a dramatic difference in how I am treated since I’ve lost that extra weight. Initially, it was a surprise to me. That is one of the reasons why I think we should talk about obesity more often … so we will focus on promoting awareness about healthy living, and become more comfortable about these types of discussions.
I used to think that people who exercised regularly were fitness fanatics. Now I realize what they already knew: our bodies were made to MOVE. Movement, especially in the form of aerobic activity or a cardio workout, moves oxygen-rich blood through our bodies and gives us a boost … all the way to the cells. Healthier cells mean healthier vital organs. Also, we feel less stressed, and we have fewer “creaks” and more flexibility than we do if we are always sitting around with little movement. You may even find that you sleep better.
The good news is: a natural by-product of exercising and changing to a healthier lifestyle is weight loss. Usually, when we get to a healthy weight, we look better. Not just because of our physical appearance, but also because we become more confident in the way that we carry ourselves. My point?
There are enough things that can happen to us, no matter what we do to try to prevent them. There is no reason to contribute to that by ignoring your weight problem! Don’t make excuses. Get some help.
© 2011 278point01.com
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Why Don’t We Talk About Obesity More Often?
Why don’t we like to talk about our weight? It’s not as if we can’t see ourselves, and those around us. At this point, most people in the world weigh too much to be considered healthy, regardless of how they feel. People who are at a healthy weight seem to look down on those who are not, and those who weigh too much feel that those who don’t are judging them. If we keep this up, nobody will get any help.
I want to bring this discussion to the table in a HEALTHY way … a way that benefits all of us. Those who find it a challenge to get to or maintain a healthy weight, and those who can help motivate them to do it.
When most people think about obesity, they think about a person who cannot get out of bed, or a person who cannot walk because they weigh so much that their legs and feet cannot support the weight. Let’s deal with the facts instead of something sensational or emotional.
Fact: Obesity is defined as “a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body.” (Merriam-Webster.com)
This excessive storage of fat is considered to be ”morbid” obesity if a person weighs more than 100 pounds over what is considered to be a healthy weight, OR if a person has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more. What may shock you is that the definition of morbid obesity may actually escape most morbidly obese women and men. Why? Because chances are, they are in the morbidly obese category and they don’t even know it.
If that sounds unrealistic to you, think about this: Recently, I took a look at photographs of college students from the 1980s, and college students from today. The difference in the average weight of the women in the photographs is quite remarkable. These photographs are very representative of what I saw while I looked at many pictures from both eras, so no, I didn’t purposely look for a certain type of photo. The 1980s photo is one of my own, and the recent photo is from a university’s website.
college students circa 1985
- college students circa 2005
My point is, it will be difficult to change our country’s problem with obesity if we don’t change our understanding of this epidemic. We need a greater knowledge base, then a greater understanding. Then we can change our behavior and, eventually, our outcome.
We can increase our awareness by actually having the conversations about being overweight. Sure, we like to talk about important things that we already know about … the importance of good nutrition and exercise. When do we talk about the hard topics? When do we actually say it out loud? “If you don’t do something about your weight, you are going to develop a chronic illness, decrease your quality of life, and/ or contribute to the end of your life!” It is uncomfortable, but our society has dealt with and attempted to move past many difficult issues.
We cannot continue to appease ourselves by making things bigger and better to accommodate our increasing size; we have got to TALK about why our size is increasing, and turn this awful trend around. It isn’t going to be easy, but we owe it to ourselves, and to our legacy, to TRY.
© 2011 278point01.com
By posting our content, you agree to credit this author and/ or provide a link to this website.
MY Obesity … Behavioral?
Sometimes it seems so simple to “decide” to lose weight. My grandfather used to say that the reason that people gain too much weight is because “every time their elbows bend, their mouths fly open!” This makes sense, but as most of the world knows, obesity is much more complicated than that. As an introduction to my lifelong battle with this condition, here is some background about me:
I was born in the summer of 19**, in a tiny rural town in eastern North Carolina, pop. 2500. My upbringing was fun, and my 3 sisters and I lived at home with my Mom and Dad. I was an overweight baby, but slimmed down once I began walking and running as a toddler. My parents worked hard, and were great providers.
There was always enough food to eat, and we ate the traditional southern cuisine. There was an emphasis on outdoor play, so it was pretty easy to stay active and physically fit. I believe that my weight gain began when, as an adolescent, I was able to go to a tiny candy store near my elementary school and buy snacks without my Mom knowing about it. My uncle had come to live with us, and he was always giving my sisters and me his spare change. When I think back, this is the time when I got bigger and kids at school started to tease me, calling me “porky” and “pig” and any other fat-related names.
What is odd about me is that I didn’t care what they said. I’ve always had this idea that stupid people do and say stupid things, and I never really thought they knew any better. The same kids who teased me about being overweight teased other kids about various things…drunk fathers, fat mothers, being lousy at sports, etc. So this was not a source of stress that caused overeating for me. I loved school, was above-average in popularity, and got excellent grades.
I do remember deciding that I didn’t like sports, though, because I would always be one of the last kids to get picked for teams when we played games like softball and kickball in my PE classes. Still, I do not remember being upset about this, because there were several of us who always got picked last. I don’t think it matters why I stopped having fun playing sports, because the result was more weight gain.
Fast forward to high school. I was still fat and happy, with close friends and extra curricular activities. Then, something happened, and to this day, I cannot figure out what it was. All I remember are a few isolated incidents that are weight-related. In my 11th grade year, I remember doing my homework during my lunch break and drinking a carton of low-fat chocolate milk instead of eating. I had stopped eating the extra snacks, but I don’t remember when or why. All of a sudden, I began losing weight at an alarming rate. I was not physically sick, and I didn’t feel tired. My grades went through the roof, and I began to get offers for college scholarships. My teachers liked me, more students liked me, and none of my clothes fit anymore. I went from 220 to about 135 in just a few months. I auditioned for, and won a spot on the color guard in the marching band, and easily fit into the uniform. What I do remember is not realizing that I was so much lighter…to me, I still looked like me.
As the years passed, from high school to college, and to the workforce, I became a yo-yo dieter. I could easily gain and lose weight, and I thought this ability was based on my willpower and discipline. After college, I rarely exercised until I was in my mid-20′s and needed to lose a lot of weight. It worked, and as soon as I reached my goal, I stopped exercising. At age 30, I had my first child. When I was 35, I had two more children (11 months apart). Gained more weight.
When I was admitted to the hospital for my third caeserean section, I weighed 299 pounds. I felt sure that I would lose the weight once the baby was born. That did not happen. While dealing with a bad marriage, three children, and working full time, I was diagnosed with chronic anxiety. A few years later, I was diagnosed with hypertension, and by then, I weighed 320 pounds. Although I’m tall, I couldn’t pretend that I was just “big boned” anymore. I got scared, imagining my children with no mother, and I hired a trainer and went to see a nutritionist. I worked out twice a week for several months, but I saw the nutritionist only once. I did make a few dietary changes for the better, but I never really stopped eating fast food. I should have seen a psychologist, because I am finally beginning to understand that much of my struggle is definitely mental. I know WHAT to do, and I know HOW to do it, but I can’t make myself do it.
I tried Weight Watchers, the weight loss prescription drug Meridia, Dexatrim, Alli, and Atkins. I tried mind over matter, prayer, tough love from my family and best friends, and slimfast. Nothing seemed to get me past those days when all I really wanted was some chicken wings and french fries (with ranch dressing).
I know it sounds crazy, and trust me, my IQ is above average. I am telling you this because I know that society perceives this to be a simple decision, but I believe that this is as difficult as it is for an alcoholic to stop drinking, and for a career smoker to put down the doggone cancer sticks. Yet, I was afraid to see a psychologist because I didn’t want my medical records to show that I had a mental problem. (As if the Lexapro wasn’t a clue…)
I began to consider weight loss surgery about two years ago, and about a year ago I began to consider it more seriously. I was paying almost $100 a month for two prescriptions to manage two obesity-related chronic illnesses, and I had just found out that I was right on the borderline of being diagnosed with diabetes (Type II, also known as adult-onset).
So, I’ve lost 100 plus pounds, am off the meds, and am now at a point where good nutrition and exercise is a way of life for me. Bariatric surgery was a tool to help me get to a place where I wouldn’t eat myself to death (literally), but I still had to make the decision to change my lifestyle … to make the right choices and keep myself motivated to exercise every day.
The pattern that I discovered with regard to my prior food choices and failure to exercise is one that many obese adults share: I ate for fun, as if it was my hobby. Exercise was hard, and it hurt, so I didn’t do it. The BIG (no pun intended) issue was this … I was slowly killing myself. I blamed THIS ailment and THAT food, but it all came down to my behavior. I’ve still got about 50 pounds to lose to get to my goal weight, so I’m going to use this blog to write about things that actually mean something to those of us who suffer from this disease. After all, obesity has a diagnosis code…so it IS a problem that deserves this type of attention.
