It is truly amazing how much information is thrown at
Americans on a daily basis about nutrition and exercise -
newspapers, magazines, nightly newscasts, websites,
e-mails. You would think with all of the eating and workout
information available to Americans today that we would be a
very healthy collective society - yet almost three out of
every four American people are fat! Are people just
ignoring what they hear? Too stupid to understand? Too lazy
to care?
My suspicion is that we as a society are simply overloaded
with bad information. Let's be realistic - parking farther
away from the entrance to your work building or the
shopping mall will NOT help you lose weight. You would need
to walk to Arizona - from New York - to burn off the
burger, fries and soda you stuffed down for lunch.
I also think that Americans fall victim to a "not me"
attitude when it comes to fitness - or should I say
fatness. You may wake up in the morning and feel pretty
good. Maybe your clothes are a little tight, but that is
nothing that a trip to the mall can't fix. You never get
sick. In general, you feel pretty good so there is really
no need to worry about the fact that you are carrying
around too much fat. Your wife or partner still loves you
"for who you are", so why put in the effort? Because that
significant amount of fat is killing you...literally.
If you were like me, you skipped your yearly check-up with
the doctor because you were a) in your late twenties and
virtually indestructible or b) knew he/she was going to
tell you that you need to lose weight. Thanks Doctor
Obvious!
Here's the problem with that scenario. First, fat and obese
people have increased risk of: high blood pressure;
osteoarthritis; high cholesterol/triglycerides; Type 2
diabetes; coronary heart disease; stroke; gallbladder
disease; sleep apnea and other breathing problems; and some
cancers (such as endometrial, breast, and colon).
Second, hundreds of studies have shown that the medical
community does not look highly on, or hold much hope for,
the obese. The negative attitudes and reluctance of
physicians, combined with the negative body image and
embarrassment of an obese person, lead to the hesitation of
the obese to seek medical care. In women, who need
preventive screenings such as breast and pelvic exams, pap
smears, etc. this is especially troubling. By not getting
the preventive services offered by medical professionals,
the obese are putting themselves even more at risk than
they currently are.
Perhaps just as concerning are the social consequences of
being fat. Studies have shown that bias against fat people
is already formed in children 8 years old!
Obesity has linked to higher incidences of: poor grades in
school; denial of jobs and promotions; lower wages for the
same job duties; loss of opportunity to adopt children;
higher insurance premiums for the same benefits; public
humiliation (such as teachers weighing children in front of
the class and announcing their weight); firing or pressure
to resign; rejection from college; less financial support
for college (even from their own parents!); expulsion from
school (nursing student); discrimination in apartment
rentals; price discrimination (Southwest Airlines requires
fat people to purchase a second seat).
The National Education Association has gone on record as
saying "for fat students, the school experience is one of
ongoing prejudice, unnoticed discrimination, and almost
constant harassment" and that "from nursery school through
college, fat students experience ostracism, discouragement,
and sometimes violence."
Believe it or not, you haven't read the worst yet. Let's
try the general perceptions of fat people that have been
very well documented across several studies. Non-obese
people associate the following characteristics and
qualities with obese people: lacking self-discipline; low
supervisory potential; poor personal hygiene/professional
appearance; sloppy; less productive; less ambitious; less
determined; lazy; less conscientious; less competent;
disagreeable; emotionally unstable; slower mentally; poorer
attendance records at work and school; poor role models;
non-compliant; hostile; dishonest; lack of persistence in
the face of adversity; low achievers; have family problems;
lack willpower; compensating for lack of love or attention;
unintelligent; worthless; unpleasant; ugly; awkward;
repulsive; sexually unskilled(!); undesirable marriage
partners.
Are you infuriated yet? One study of teachers...educated
people...people who shape the futures of our children...in
that study 28% of responders said that becoming obese is
the worst thing that can happen to a person. So, I have to
ask...why would anyone voluntarily put themselves in a
class of people who are so biased against and perceived so
poorly?
Of course, I am not talking about the extremely small
percentage of people who have medical conditions that cause
obesity - for example, the people who really do have a
thyroid problem, not the ones who use it as an excuse. I am
talking about the ones who willingly continue to eat
themselves into bias and discrimination - the people who,
according to Dr. Kenneth Walker in his nationally
syndicated newspaper column, should be "locked up in prison
camps".
It has been said over and over again...obese people are the
last acceptable targets of discrimination!
Are you sufficiently fired up to make an honest effort to
lose fat?
----------------------------------------------------
Matt Lisk is a fat loss expert who has used his knowledge
to lose over 70 pounds of body fat, reduce his body fat
percentage to under 10% and to resolve a variety of health
issues he was experiencing. He is the author of Lean State
University's Fat Loss 101 Newsletter at http://leanstate.com
No comments:
Post a Comment