Jaime Smith
ENG102 Section 35799
Mr. Palazzolo
4 December 2015
If There's a Will, Is There a Way?
At a time when two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese, those affected by the condition are trying to find ways to shed the weight. (nih.gov, 2012) The struggle to do so is hampered by the overwhelming availability of unhealthy, relatively cheap, fast food options, and people's tendency to seek those foods when celebrating occasions or seeking comfort. The phrase "obesity epidemic" is used to effectively demonstrate the current state of Americans and their proclivity for excessive eating habits. Not every obese person makes a conscious decision to become obese. Our society, fast-paced, requiring the need for things to be quick and easy to obtain has become a major factor in many obese people's struggle. Undoubtedly there has been a nationwide movement to fight obesity, as a result a $59.8-billion-dollar industry was created (bharatbook.com, 2015). Now more than ever people are looking for help; looking for ways to liberate themselves from the burden of weight.
What is Obesity? According to the Obesity Action Coalition, "Obesity is a condition that is associated with having an excess of body fat, defined by genetic and environmental factors that are difficult to control when dieting. Obesity is classified as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater. BMI is a tool used to measure obesity. Obesity increases people's risk of developing related conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea, to name a few. Many individuals are affected by obesity and are not aware of it." (Obesity Action Coalition, 2015) Simply put, if 30% of your weight comprises of fat, you can be considered obese.
Who is Obese? The Obvious indicators of an obese person are a protruding belly, large thighs, and what the younger generation calls "a booty for days". Joking aside, obesity is pretty easy to spot. With such a high percentage of Americans being obese it's important to point out that obese people are more than just those that the eyes can see. The term Metabolically Obese Normal-Weight is probably a term that many people have never heard. Metabolically Obese Normal-Weight people, are people who are hyperinsulinemic, insulin-resistant, and predisposed to type 2 diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and premature coronary heart disease. (American Diabetes Association, n.d.) Basically this means an average person normally considered thin and assumed healthy, has the same medical characteristics of an overtly obese person.
No one would dare consider or label a thin person as obese. Such a thing would be considered offensive and disrespectful on top of being laughable. Why is that? As an obese person I can attest there is a social stigma that comes with being obese. Fewer people want to hang around you. An obese person is stereotyped as the funny fat guy or a fat girl who can sing. Other research has shown that employees who are overweight are given negative stereotypes comprising of being lazy, sloppy, less competent, lacking in self-discipline, disagreeable, less conscientious, and poor role models. Additionally, overweight employees tend to be paid less for the same jobs, are more likely to have lower paying jobs, and are less likely to get promoted than thin people with the same qualifications. (Obesity Society, n.d.) Dating is also harder. As a big man I will confide that my preferred body type in women is thin, but, I am not-most thin women's preferred type. My friends say I should get a big girl, but I am also a person who is biased towards big girls. I just don't find them attractive. Does that make me a bad person? Perhaps.
There has been much research administrated in the past 20 years regarding obesity. Some current statistics for thought:
Adults Age 20 and Older
- More than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese.
- More than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese.
- More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity.
- Almost 3 in 4 men (74 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese.
- The prevalence of obesity is similar for both men and women (about 36 percent).
- About 8 percent of women are considered to have extreme obesity.
Racial statistics for age 20 and older:
- Overweight and obesity affect more than 3 in 4 Hispanics (78.8 percent) and blacks (76.7 percent).
- About 2 in 3 whites (66.7 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese.
- About half of blacks (49.5 percent), and more than 1 in 3 Hispanics (39.1 percent) and whites (34.3 percent) are considered to be obese.
- Extreme obesity affects more than 1 in 10 blacks (13.1 percent), and about 1 in 20 whites (5.7 percent) and Hispanics (5 percent).
- Asian Americans: 11.6 percent.
- American Indians and Alaska Natives: 39.9 percent.
- Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders: 43.5 percent.
Children and Adolescents
Among young people ages 2 to 19:
- About 31.8 percent are considered to be either overweight or obese, and 16.9 percent are considered to be obese.
- About 1 in 3 boys (33 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese, compared with 30.4 percent of girls.
- About 18.6 percent of boys and 15 percent of girls are considered to be obese.
Racial statistics among children and adolescents ages 6 to 19:
- Almost 1 in 3 (33.2 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese, and 18.2 percent are considered to be obese.
- More than 2 in 5 black and Hispanic youth (more than 41 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese.
- About 25.7 percent of black, 22.9 percent of Hispanic, and 15.2 percent of white youth are considered to be obese. (nih.gov, 2012)
The statistics are staggering. Obesity Epidemic is definitely a fitting label.
People with certain genetic disorders are predisposed to obesity, but not all affected are obese. Research is currently being done to determine which genes contribute to obesity. (Obesity Action Coalition, 2015) Genetics are the unknown variable. There are so many genetic conditions out there that could contribute to obesity. Pituitary gland disorder, hyperthyroidism, depression and certain conditions of the brain are just a few causes of obesity at the genetic level. As previously stated, not all people with genetic disorders are obese. My sister has a pituitary gland disorder and her Doctors say that is the reason she is taller and heavier than she should be. Pregnancy is an often overlooked cause of obesity. I knew a guy who said that the reason that mothers gain weight during pregnancy is because they take advantage of the situation and eat to excess, splurging on food they wouldn't normally eat, because her friends and family want to make sure the baby is receiving proper sustenance. That is totally plausible, however, the effects of pregnancy are likened to a genetic condition. Some women will come out of a pregnancy the same weight, weighing less or weighing more. To say that all women who gain weight are advantageous or lack self-control is short sighted.
Medicine also causes weight gain. Sometimes uncontrollable gain to the point of obesity. I knew a woman when I was younger. She was stunning, absolutely beautiful. Not wanting to have kids before she was ready, she received injections of Depo-Provera for birth control. We lost touch and didn't see each other for a while. A year later we ran into each other at a store, she was unrecognizable. She had gained 150lbs as a side effect of medication. Weight gain via medication is a vicious cycle. Medicine is prescribed to help a person feel better, or to combat the effects of obesity, but the medicine's side effects can cause a patient to become more obese. Types of antidepressants, high blood pressure medication, and steroids can increase people's weight.
Environmental factors contribute to obesity by giving people luxuries that push them to live more sedentary lifestyles. Technology has been a boon for societal advancement but has led to more hours spent in front of a television. Whether from TV shows or video games or educational videos, people are spending more time sedentary because the information is in their home, at their fingertips, rather than having to go out and seek the information or entertainment they need. Cars can be considered a major contributor because they have replaced the need for people to walk or ride a bike to get where they want to go. The convenience of driving anywhere on a whim instead of walking is an immeasurable factor to weight gain.
Behavior plays a key role in obesity. Mostly from the fast-paced lifestyles Americans lead. We need our food quick and we have to get to where we are going quicker. The $191 billion fast food industry has thrived from this lifestyle. The high calorie - large portioned products combined with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle are a devastating combination. The fast paced lifestyle also leaves little time for people to perform physical activity that would counterbalance some of the high calorie food they eat. If more calories are going in then are being burned off by physical activity, weight gain will occur. Common occurrences of behavioral eating include:
Eating food as a reward, this leads to comfort food coping mechanism. Rewarding oneself with food enhances a person's feelings. When that person is stressed or not having a bad day they will have a tendency to turn to that food for comfort.
Becoming enthralled in a movie or a TV show. Often times people will be so in to what they are being visually stimulated with visually that they forget to control their eating. For example, when enjoying a movie at a theatre a person may have popcorn or some other type of food they don't intend on completely consuming, yet because the movie is that got they are not focused on how much they are eating and may eat more than is intended.
Socioeconomic status is the last factor that will be discussed. "Households with limited resources to buy enough food often try to stretch their food budgets by purchasing cheap, energy-dense foods that are filling - meaning that they try to maximize their calories per dollar in order to stave off hunger. Those who are food insecure also may overeat when food does become available, resulting in chronic ups and downs in food intake that can contribute to weight gain. This is especially a problem for low-income mothers, who often restrict their food intake to protect their children from hunger." (Food Research & Action Center, n.d.) I can attest to this determination first hand. Having lost my job and unable to find meaningful work, I had to live below the poverty line. My experience was that it was cheaper to eat fast food dollar items, than to by fresh, healthy foods whose shelf life was only a few days. Even if I went to the food bank, most of those products were past expiration or rotting, resulting in throwing more food away than being able to eat.
Not all people who are obese are concerned with their weight. I have noticed a recent movement on Facebook which promotes big and beautifulness. In their posts, larger people promote their largeness and encourage others to fight the popular movement to lose weight. I agree that people should love their bodies and be comfortable with it. But for others that's not an option; having difficulties doing mundane everyday chores, difficulty breathing, sweating while exerting little energy and being diagnosed with weight related diseases are effective motivation to pursue a healthier lifestyle.
According to the CDC obesity related conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and types of cancer costs $147 billion in medical costs in 2008. Medical costs of obese people were $1429 higher than people considered normal weight. (cdc.gov, 2015) Insurance for obese people is higher as well. With the creation of Obamacare insurance companies have come up with ways to pass the buck down to its customers. One such way is to 'tax' policy holders for having unhealthy lifestyles. Smoking and being overweight are just two conditions that employees are being pressured into lifestyle changes. I have a friend who is overweight. One day his employer had a company meeting and informs the employees that a new health and wellness policy will be enforced. Employees were unofficially required to report to approved Doctors for examination. The results from the exam would determine the employees cost liability for insurance. The new policy also held that if the results of the exam were unsatisfactory the employee would have a certain amount of time - months - to improve their health situation or would be let go. Unfortunately, my friend was unable to meet the approved level of health and was terminated from his position.
Being let go led to emotional, financial, and marital stresses. My friend was a mess, "What effectively happened was they said I was too fat to work there." He was not financially prepared for dismissal and as a result quickly fell behind in mortgage and bill payments. His wife's income was not sufficient to cover the bills. He was also unable to find work in a quick enough timeframe. "When I showed up to interviews they would take a look at me and their tone changed. Over the phone they seemed excited, I had the qualifications, the experience they needed, but once they got one look at me, they weren't interested. You could see it in their body language from the receptionist to the Managers interviewing me. I never had such a low point in my life." Ultimately they told him they had a more qualified candidate for the position and thanked him for his time.
What can people like my friend, myself and so many others do to try to shed the weight? There are so many fad diets, programs, routines, pills, drinks, and media to make a person's head spin. The weight loss industry is a $59.8 billion behemoth, every last company marketing to your fears to get people to spend money on their product. Speaking from personal experience, none of these products work by themselves. They are just one piece to a puzzle that is different for each person.
Extreme measures to lose weight are for people to starve themselves for an extended amount of time. Fasting in an abrupt manner causes people to binge eat when the fasting period is over. Which results in the weight coming back, and in some cases more than lost. People also try to encourage the body to shed excess water weight by performing physical activity wearing a plastic bag over their bodies, underneath their clothing. This is dangerous because it leads to dehydration, heat stroke, and kidney failure. Furthermore, the water weight that was lost will be replaced when you drink the amount of water your body requires to efficiently function.
Bariatric Surgery is another extreme measure people choose to have performed on them. Bariatric surgery options include gastric bypass, adjustable gastric band, Biliopancreatic Diversion with a Duodenal Switch, or a Vertical Sleeve. These procedures shrink the size of the stomach so they person is incapable of overeating. The average cost of these procedures are $20,000 - $25000. Some insurances may cover a portion or none of the procedure. A few of the procedures are irreversible and require an instant and permanent lifestyle change.
The most effective way of losing weight and keeping it of turns out to be diet and exercise. When coming to the realization that the age old adage is actually true, I cringed. How could such a blanket statement be the best path? With so many diets available and online sources polluting facts about the most beneficial types of exercises, how can one discern which path to take. Turns out the best source for what options will work for you is a physician. "A physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner specializing in obesity treatment provides the initial consultation. The initial consult involves a focused medical evaluation for diseases related to obesity and causative factors, along with a physical examination. In addition, the medical professional will obtain a weight history, which includes past diet attempts, and may conduct a thorough psychological history." (Obesity Action Coalition, 2015) The physician can then create a proper diet for the individual to follow and recommend physical activities to perform, which can be modified as weight loss goals are met. A physician may also prescribe medication to assist in weight loss. Current medications range from 5 - 14.4% loss in weight in a year when combined with modest physical activity and dietary change.
There may never be a magic pill that sheds away the body fat. Losing the weight is not as easy to do as it was to gain it. Obesity is a major problem that needs more attention and public awareness. Society needs to be informed of the issues and that people they may not think would be considered obese, actually are, including themselves. People need to know that viable options exist and are attainable with the guidance of medical professionals and support of friends and family. When faced with the prospect of an early death will you wallow in self-pity, or resolve to make meaningful changes to your health? When an overweight person asks for your help or support in losing weight will you help them or turn your back? Everything you need is out there, you just have to do your part.
Article I. Works Cited
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Obesity Society. (n.d.). Obesity, Bias, and Stigmatization. Retrieved 12 01, 2015, from obesity.org.
