Hey fatty bum bum (Obesity)

Member Name: lellagrace

Product:	Obesity
Date:	23/02/07 (1655 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Obesity is bad for your health

Hey fatty bum bum, - remember those lyrics to a song years ago? Cruel taunts like this can make the lives of obese people a misery. There are laws about racist comments, people dislike ageist remarks but calling someone fatty is often dismissed, even though it can be very hurtful.

OBESITY

What is obesity? It means an excess of total body fat and there are varying degrees of this. Someone can be slightly obese or very obese.

With new electronic devices it is now possible to find out how much of your weight is made up of body fat, or you can work out your BMI Body Mass Index. There is an online BMI calculator at www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

There is a difference between being overweight and being obese. Someone weighing a lot may in fact have a low amount of body fat, the weight being made up of muscle mass. But that is no excuse, it you know you are obese or even overweight then admit it and do something about it! You may be happy being fat, but chances are you can be happier for a lot longer by extending your life and improving your health if you shed a bit of weight.

HEALTH

We are constantly being told that being overweight is bad for our health. High cholesterol levels lead to heart disease etc and we are now being educated about healthy eating. Food labelling makes it easier to find out how healthy foods are and the five a day slogan should be heeded by all.

Exercise is something we should combine with healthy eating, but of course this is not always possible. Some people may have a disability that prevents them from exercising and they may have a sedentary lifestyle, resulting in weight gain.

However, what concerns me most is the number of obese children and young adults. Eating junk food has been blamed for this, but today’s kids don’t get as much exercise as they should do.

Being driven to school is almost the norm for today’s kids, I know with parents having to rush to get to work and the dangers of walking on the streets makes it difficult for kids to walk to school. However, some kids never seem to walk anywhere! And not all kids want to play sports, I know I hated sport and PE when I was at school and I know there are others like me! But I did walk to school, to the shops, to the bus stop etc. It concerns me that we are not only breeding a generation of kids who will be obese but they may also have limited mobility if they don’t use their legs while they are young!!!!

CAUSES OF OBESITY

In my family we all have a battle to keep our weight to an acceptable level, and for years I insisted there must be a genetic link. Thankfully now this has been proved, but of course it is no excuse for being obese.

There are also valid medical reasons for someone being overweight, for example thyroid problems. Certain types of medication also make it difficult to lose weight, and can even cause weight gain. I have been on steroids for a medical condition and my weight rose drastically. Thankfully now the dose has been reduced the weight is stabilising.

One relative of mine who is grossly overweight insisted her underactive thyroid was the problem. Tests showed this was borderline but her GP give her medication. After a few weeks on the tablets when no miraculous weight loss had manifested itself she decided the tablets were no good. She then decided it was water retention that was making her fat. In fact her problem is not her thyroid or water retention at all, but the fact that she eats pies and sandwiches and cakes instead of a balanced diet! But instead of eating sensibly she goes on a fad diet every couple of months, loses a few pounds then reverts to normal eating and the weight goes on again, so she insists that no diets work!


DENIAL

I know many obese people are in denial about their weight. My relative is an example, she knows she is obese, yet denies it is her fault! She is depressed because of her size, rarely goes out and sits in the chair all day watching tv, insisting she can’t walk far because her joints ache. How do you make someone like this see the folly of their ways! You tell me if you know, because we have tried everything we can think of! We are sincerely worried about her health and did persuade her to see the dietician at the doctors but to no avail. She convinced herself that the diet she had been given was not doing any good and gave up after a couple of weeks. In fact, it was not a diet as such, simply a guide to eating sensibly.

People like this insist dieting does not help but if you eat healthy then dieting should not be necessary. I was in the supermarket the other day and a woman in front of me was very overweight and she had two podgy kids with her. The trolley was piled high with junk food, fizzy drinks, crisps, biscuits etc and a couple of packs of fruit! She was moaning to the cashier about her weight problem and saying she found it difficult to lose weight. I felt like tapping her on the shoulder and telling her to shop properly, but of course I didn’t!

MAKE THE EFFORT

I decided a few weeks ago that my weight was gradually creeping up again. When I consider that over the last couple of years because of a change in my lifestyle and illness I have gained almost three stone, I decided it was time to do something about it.

My health is not great so I am not about to start a fad diet, but by cutting out sugary foods (all the Christmas chocs are now gone!) and by cutting down on starchy foods I have managed to lose a couple of pounds every week. I am happy with this, I do not want to be obese or to have to buy clothes in a bigger size, but I am the first to admit it is an uphill struggle! But I will get there in the end!

I was always an acceptable weight when I was younger and today when I look at young people who are very obese I am astounded. Why don’t they realise they are putting their health at risk?

The other night in a restaurant, you know the chains where they have a carvery or a two for one offer early evening, we were sitting next to a group of four young women, all in their twenties. Every one of them was grossly obese, in fact one was so fat she could hardly squeeze herself into the chair! The waitress knew them and it was soon apparent that they ate there several times a week. What did they have? Chips and pies which were served with vegetables. But what happened? They ate the chips and pie but left most of the veg!!!

EXCUSES

Unless someone has a medical condition which prevents weight loss or exercise, then there is really no excuse these days for being obese. I am not suggesting we all try to slim down to size 8 (even 12 would be a bonus for me at the moment!!!) but I do think it is time we sat up and took notice of the damage we are doing to our health by not eating or exercising sensibly.

ACTION

So it is time for action. If you or someone in the family has a weight problem then the first thing to do is to look at what they eat. I know to some people salad is still a lettuce leaf and a tomato that you eat with boiled ham for Sunday tea, but forget this and gradually introduce salad with most meals.

Stop buying biscuits and cakes or stop making them, no sweets or chocolate, no fizzy drinks and cut down on the alcohol. Make meals from fresh produce instead of buying ready made convenience foods. Oh yes, I know it is easy to open a packet, but it is just as easy to cook properly and a lot healthier.

Take a short walk every day, even just a stroll around the block in your lunch hour, or walk the length of the shopping mall or supermarket.

Drink lots of water too. One friend told me “I couldn’t drink a litre of water a day!” Then I realised she thought she had to drink it all in one go!!!! Have a bottle or glass of water by your chair or on your desk, or in the car, and keep taking sips.

CONCLUSION

Perhaps this review has turned from being about obesity to about eating sensibly, but the two are linked so I make no apologies.

I do hope it has been useful to you reading this and if you are obese, then do please try and do something about it. I know it is not easy, but for the sake of my health I am giving it a go and hope you will do the same.

Summary: For health's sake try and lose some of that fat