Why Should I Lose Weight?
With news stories on the obesity epidemic surfacing daily, it shouldn’t be news that being overweight raises your risk of diseases. This is another “blind spot” many of my clients bring to the table when seeking professional help with weight and fitness issues. They do not read or pay attention to news stories touting the risks of being overweight or obese! It’s easier to bury their heads in the ice cream bowl.
Heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, some cancers, and metabolic syndrome are directly tied to overweight and obesity. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors that often precedes type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Signs of metabolic syndrome include abdominal fat, high blood levels of triglycerides, low levels of HDL or "good" cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar.
The CDC recently admitted a math error leading to bogus numbers of 400,000 people dying yearly from obesity related diseases. The correct figure is estimated to be closer to 250,000 to 350,000 deaths per year depending on who you ask.
According to one new research study, annual obesity-related deaths “likely” are comparable to the 85,000 annual deaths from alcohol consumption or the 75,000 from infections (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 12/03). I would question this finding because when they say “likely” they sound like they’re guessing.
In a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health, a group of CDC researchers found deaths attributable to obesity is affected by age and the risk substantially decreases with age. They wrote: "we observed over a 10-fold difference in the magnitude of the estimates, from 23,313 to 297,835 deaths, depending on age specific mortality relative risks." If this is true, you should be more concerned with your weight if you’re young. But the real issue isn’t death due to obesity, it is quality of life and premature illness which it affects.
Two of the leading causes of mortality today are still obesity and diabetes, and the co-morbidities that come with these conditions, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer, including breast, prostrate and colon cancers. Obesity is still the number two leading contributor of preventable death in the United States today. The key word in the previous sentence is “preventable”. Nearly every scientist, doctor, nutritionist, fitness professional and personal trainer you ask will agree: obesity is preventable with exercise and a healthy diet. And the most effective treatment to date is also exercise and a healthy diet.
Overweight people have much higher rates of high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels and poorly controlled diabetes, conditions that contribute to blood vessel damage and blockages in the heart as well as the brain. Fat tissue is metabolically active, increases levels of hormones and other substances that can contribute to brain cell death and premature dementia. They also are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis or degenerative joint problems, sleep apnea, heartburn and acid indigestion, urinary stress incontinence and venous stasis in the legs.
If suffering with disability and disease, and reduced quality of life these cause, is not enough to convince you it’s time to lose weight and keep it off, try these motivators on for size:
Being heavy hurts your wallet:
• Overweight and obese people earn less than their thinner co-workers, take more sick days and spend more for health care.
• People who are obese spend almost $700 more on prescriptions each year, according to the Mayo Clinic.
• Obese people are not only facing health risks, they also have to brace themselves for sky-high insurance premiums.
• Insurance companies are taking a tough line on overweight and obesity, loading premiums by as much as 250 per cent for those with no other health issues and discontinuing coverage of obesity surgeries such as stomach stapling and gastric bypass procedures.
• People who gain 20 pounds or more typically increase their medical bills by $500 per year for three years.
• Obese people have 105 percent higher pharmacy costs, 49 percent more inpatient hospital days, 36 percent higher costs to the health plan and 39 percent more primary care visits compared with members with normal weight.
• People with extreme obesity, or body mass index of 40 to 50, have 78 percent higher medical costs than members with normal weight.
Carrying excess body fat affects your social life and your sex life:
In a new study released by Duke University’s Diet & Fitness Center patients reported difficulties in several areas of their sex lives. Obese people reported 25 times as many problems as people of weight levels considered healthy. Both men and women suffered from lack of sexual desire and enjoyment along with hampered performance.
Many reported avoiding sex entirely. The study results revealed many fat people share similar challenges on the sexual level, said study co-author Martin Binks, a clinical psychologist and director of behavioral science at Duke University's Diet and Fitness Center.
Two percent of the normal weight group interviewed as a comparison reported difficulties such as lack of desire for sex, compared with 50 percent of obese treatment seekers. Close to half of the obese treatment seekers, a whopping 42 percent, had sexual function difficulties, while 41 percent said they avoided sex.
The normal weight group comparison group responded to the same questions with 1.8 percent reporting sexual function difficulties and 2.5 percent reporting avoidance of sex.
For many, obesity becomes a contributing factor to infertility and pregnancy complications:
Infertility is a growing problem for many with one in six couples experiencing difficulties in conceiving.
One doctor practicing as a fertility expert estimates that 10 percent to 15 percent of her patients have weight-related infertility and weight is a contributing factor in other cases. Obesity can also affect a man's fertility, contributing to lower levels of testosterone, a diminished sex drive and lowered sperm production.
Overweight patients have a poorer response and a weaker absorption of fertility drugs. Many obese women are refused infertility treatment until they lose weight.
Babies are at risk as mothers' obesity doubles. The number of pregnant women who are putting themselves and their unborn babies at risk because of obesity has doubled in the past decade, a shocking new survey has revealed.
The study found that one in five mothers-to-be who came for their first prenatal visit between 2002 and 2004 was clinically obese. In 1990, the figure was just one in ten.
Experts say the obesity epidemic among pregnant women is particularly disturbing because studies show they are 50% more likely to die during pregnancy than those of normal weight.
Obese women are also far more prone to complications such as miscarriage, gestational diabetes, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, pre-term labor, and stillbirth.
There is evidence that babies are also adversely affected, suffering a host of prenatal and postnatal complications.
There are also psychological implications to obesity:
Studies clearly show higher levels of depression, guilt and lowered self-worth in the obese.
Almost every area of life is more difficult or less satisfying if you are overweight or obese: shopping for clothes (as well as furniture if you are very large), obtaining affordable medical insurance, career earnings and advancement, dating and finding a life partner, pregnancy and parenting, socializing and travel. Weigh these hardships against the temporal pleasures of overeating and inactivity and decide for yourself whether weight loss and weight control are worthy life goals.
If you are of normal weight, you owe it to yourself and your love ones to stay in shape. Good health and longevity depend a great deal on a healthy diet, physical activity, and an optimal body weight. The information and advice in this book can help you remain fit and healthy throughout your life. You will be much less likely to suffer the diseases that are killing Americans by the hundreds of thousands a year.
If you are overweight or obese it is in your best interest to lose the excess weight and include regular activity in your lifestyle. Even moderate amounts of excess weight can damage your health and compromise your quality of life. This book gives you the keys to permanent weight loss that can make all the difference in your body and your life.
The average sedentary person begins losing muscle mass as early as their late 20’s and if unchecked, by weight training or other resistance training, you can lose a scary percentage of muscle mass by middle age. This does not mean you will just be weaker. Muscle is your metabolism. Muscle burns fat even at rest. The more muscle mass you preserve or build, the more fat and calories you can burn. I’ll be repeating this later in the section on resistance training.
Copyright 2003-2008 By Juicy Britches Publications & Carol Bardelli
All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction or Reprinting Please.
