Weighty matters to consider
First published: Sunday, December 31, 2006
I want to lose weight.
I want to eat less and exercise more.
I've gained 50 pounds and two inches of waistline since college. I'm tired of eating out of boredom late at night or disgust after ingesting too many calories that day.
Today's blown; I'll try again tomorrow.
I'm tired of repeating that refrain.
On how many New Year's Eves have we resolved to lose weight, then failed? Or lost weight only to regain it and make the same resolution again ... and again ... and again.
We've become a sports nation that spectates more than it participates. We spend inordinate time contemplating, discussing and rooting for teams that may disappoint us -- and we're in worse shape for it.
I know that being overweight is bad for me.
I know that being overweight or obese increases our risk for coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, some cancers and stroke. I've been told this by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the American Obesity Association, the World Health Organization, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the American Medical Association and Oprah.
When I was exercising fervidly and eating moderately I never felt better.
I want to feel like that again.
And I want that for you too.
I know that two of every three U.S. adults are overweight, and nearly one of three is obese. You say this can't be, but look at the potbellies protruding around us. Consider when paying your taxes that obesity-related illnesses cost the United States about $117 billion and New York state more than $6 billion per year.
This is an epidemic.
I want to lose weight to model healthy eating and exercise for my children. If one parent is obese, there's a 50 percent chance that one's child will be too. When both parents are obese their children's risk for obesity rises to 80 percent. Genetics play a role, but lifestyle plays a larger one. Children learn eating habits from their parents, and look at the super-sized examples we set. These are HAPPY Meals?
I can't rely on a physical education teacher to teach my children how to balance a diet and build cardiovascular endurance. I can't even count on there being phys ed class. When school boards must cut spending, P.E. is one of the first things to go.
I can't count on organized youth sports. By age 13, 70 percent of our children stop playing them and never play again. The No. 1 reason they stop playing: because they're not having fun.
I can't depend on high school sports, which cater to elite athletes more than recreational ones, so many kids choose not to play or aren't given the opportunity.
I have to turn off the TVs, video games and computers that entrance my children. I have to insist we play outside and they try new foods. It's harder this way. And better.
I'm ready to lose weight.
I'm not going on a radical diet to shed pounds, only to regain them. I'm not living at the YMCA one week, then losing my way there the next.
I can discipline myself to eat sensibly and exercise regularly. I've done it before.
Why not lose weight this new year? You could be free of the burden of those extra pounds.
Free to feel better about yourself, to live a longer, healthier life. I'll do it if you will.
Obesity and Health
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