Obesity: How Can It Hurt Me?

Statistics say that most of us (two thirds) are overweight. Some of us are even severely overweight…obese. Why does carrying extra weight matter? It matters because it jeopardizes our good health and our very lives. Many of us are motivated to lose weight because we hope to look better. That’s a normal aspiration, but not as significant to our quality of life as our health.

So how can being overweight hurt us? Well, to name a few of the problems being overweight can cause, consider the following:

Stroke: When a person has a stroke, it means that there has been an interference in normal blood flow through the brain. Most typically the interference results from a clot which blocks blood flow to a part of the brain. When the blood flow has been blocked, there is no oxygen flowing to an area, and the brain tissue in that area dies. Whatever parts of the body were controlled by the deprived area will be affected. For example, we may suffer loss in our ability to walk, or speak, or move, or even think.

High blood pressure: If you think of your blood vessels as garden hoses, you can think of hypertension, or high blood pressure, as a narrowing of the vessels (hoses). When the “hoses” are narrowed, the heart has to pump harder to get the blood throughout the body. When the heart, which is a muscles, has to work too hard to do its job, it will become enlarged. Enlarged bicep muscles may be good…enlarged heart muscle is not! Eventually the heart is unable to push hard enough to get blood throughout the body and disease results from tissues deprived of oxygen.

Diabetes: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a condition in which the body loses its ability to metabolize sugar properly. When the hormone responsible for dealing with sugar is out of balance, damage can occur in the eyes, brain, kidneys, and throughout the body.

Osteoarthritis: This is commonly called “wear and tear” arthritis because it results from years of too much pressure on joints. Obesity leads to more weight (pressure) on the joints and the cushioning between bones, especially knees, eventually wears down. Pain results from bone-on-bone contact. Ouch!

There are many, many more conditions that develop or worsen because of excess body fat. The umbrella effect is reduced life expectancy. Obesity is a serious condition…let’s get serious about it!

Until next time!

A trained Nutritionist developed the correct food plan for you and your family.

A Registered Nurse has independently reviewed the plan from an overall health perspective and has approved the plan.

You have nothing to lose (whoops! Yes you do.) when you make the decision to follow this logical eating plan.

You can thank me later.

Sue Bristol, R.N.

Obesity:Can It Hurt Me?