Obesity

According to the Centers for Disease Control 35.7% of Americans are obese. Medical costs associated with obesity top $147 billion. Obesity-related conditions include: Diabetes 2, stroke and heart disease. I bring all this up, because of a concern I have for people's health. As you know I have been obese, dangerously obese. I have spent years fighting it. Some days are better than others.

My shopping center where I work is a tale of two cities. Here is what you find.....

Weight Watchers
Bob Block Fitness Equipment
The local running store
Fresh Market
Dunkin Donuts
Handels Ice Cream
Chipotle
Boom Bozz Pizza

On a daily basis I see all shapes and sizes of people. I work with those who are rail thin, to those who are obese. My job is to help people live a healthier life.

Let me tell you what I saw yesterday which sparked today's post. I saw a couple in a car. Both were obese. I know this, because they were both so big, they couldn't sit side by side in the car. The were both seated almost sideways, and the man was driving like that. They were parking at the ice cream stand, and I watched them struggle to get out of the car to go get ice cream. I wanted to cry.

There are many reasons people are obese or overweight. For me, I am an emotional eater. My mood leads me to eat all kinds of things - good and bad.

Food manufacturers make it too easy for us to be obese. We live in a topsy turvey world. I can go into a store and find that Twinkees are cheaper than apples. A frozen pizza is faster and cheaper to make than baking a chicken and stir frying veggies. The foods that are high in fat, have high fructose corn syrup, and are really really yummy are cheaper than yummy food which is good for us. This is wrong to me. There is some powerful food lobby out there.

Let's just say we get people to eat better, that is only one part of the equation. They have to move and exercise. Personally I don't care what form that exercise takes. I love running, but if someone wants to walk, bike, jump rope, swim, I don't care....do it.

If you need help to lose weight, see a doctor, join Weight Watchers, find a support group, or join a gym. Do something, because being obese and shortening your life isn't worth it.

I have friends who are obese, and I have not been a good friend, because I need to let them know I am concerned about their health. I just don't want to be rude if I say something. Then I realized, no one spoke to me about it. Other than the occasional talk from my parents(who weren't good at those talks), almost know ever pulled me aside to share a concern. I won't name their names in this post, but I will let them know I am concerned.

We need to take action against obesity. We need to talk about it. We need to act on it. We need to be encouraging to those who struggle to lose weight. There are all kinds of reasons we need to fight obesity, but mostly we need to fight it, because we love our friends and family and want them to live long, healthy lives.

Charlie