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Obesity
Obesity is more than just being overweight. It means having so much excess fat that your health is in danger. A person is defined as obese when they have a BMI of 30 or higher. BMI stands for body mass index and is a combination of your height and weight.
Obesity can lead to serious health problems. An alarming 31% of the American population are obese and 63% of Americans are overweight.
Causes of Obesity
The body uses calories for energy. When you take in more calories (by eating) that you use, your body stores those excess calories as fat and you gain weight.
What and how you eat, your level of activity, and other things affect how your body uses calories and whether you gain weight. 100 years ago, our everyday lives were very different.
There were no fast food restaurants, no frozen dinners, no prepackaged foods and we were basically active from the time we woke up until we went to bed. We pretty much used all of the calories
we consumed without even thinking about it. Today, we eat a lot of take-out & prepackaged meals and we don't get nearly enough physical exercise. Work often involves sitting at a desk for 8 hours instead of the manual
labor that it took to run a farm & household 100 years ago. Our children's lives have changed dramatically in just the last 20 or so years as well. With the invention of home video game systems and many schools cutting down or
completely eliminating physical education classes, our children are far less active as well. So now we know why our society has a problem with weight, what can we do about it? Well, there is no magic solution to losing weight. Many people
try diet after diet and fail again and again. To lose weight, you need to think about your overall health and change your lifestyle. A good way to start is to keep a food journal for about one week. Eat as you normally do and write down everything,
and I mean everything that you eat and drink. Yes, even what you drink. Many people do not realize the amount of calories in beverages. Here are just a few examples:
Calories in Common Beverages
- 12 fl oz (1 can) of Coca Cola - 155 calories
- 12 fl oz (1 can) of Sprite - 148 calories
- 12 fl oz (1 can) of Orange Soda - 179 calories
- 12 fl oz (1 can) of Grape Soda - 160 calories
- 12 fl oz (1 can) of Mountain Dew - 165 calories
- 12 fl oz (1 can) of Nestea Ice Tea - 135 calories
- 8 fl oz of Whole Milk - 150 calories
- 8 fl oz of Orange Juice - 100 calories
- 12 fl oz (1 can) of Budweiser - 145 calories
- 4 fl oz of Wine - about 100 calories (differs slighty per variety)
- Water (any amount) - 0 calories
* You can see that those calories can add up fast just from the beverages you drink.
Now after you keep that food journal, for about a week, see you doctor. It is important for your doctor to examine you before you start any kind of weight loss plan.
Work with your doctor to develop a plan that will work for you. Your doctor can also refer you to a nutritionist if needed. There's a lot of food out there and it can be
very confusing trying to figure out what's healthy and what's not and that's what your goal should be - a Healthy lifestyle. Set small short term goals for yourself.
If you start out with the goal of losing 50 lbs, that can be very overwhelming and scary. Take baby steps, as small as you need for you. Most people have more success when they make small changes, one step at a time. For example, you might eat 1 extra piece of fruit, walk 10 minutes more, or have replace 1 soda
each day with a glass of water. It's also helpful to be mindful of serving sizes. Read the nutrition information on packages. You'd be surprised what the actual serving size is on many foods.
Realize that it will take time and effort to get your body back to a healthy weight and condition. Be sure to see your doctor on a regular basis so he/she can monitor your progress and your health.
Health Risks of Obesity
Many things can affect obesity affects your health including including your age, gender, where you carry your body fat, and how physically active you are.
Obesity increases your risks of developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, coronary artery disease (CAD),, stroke, and sleep apnea, among other conditions.
Losing weight will reduce your risks of developing these diseases.
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