Americans are among the fattest people on earth. Obesity is one of our leading public health problems. So serious is this disease that 36 million people are at significant medical risk.
“Miracle Diets”
Far too many people fall prey to fads and eating plans that offer quick results. Like a conditioned reflex, extra pounds spell d-i-e-t to most people. A recent survey found that 40 to 50 percent of Americans between the ages of 35 and 59 were on some kind of diet at any given time.
The sad truth is that unless people make lasting changes in their lifestyles and choose healthful foods on a regular basis, their efforts are largely wasted. Up to 90 percent of dieters regain their lost weight within a year, and often with a bonus. Constantly losing and regaining weight is frustrating and demoralizing and does more damage than good.
The Rhythm Game
For many people, remaining overweight would be less harmful than endlessly playing the rhythm game of girth control. Before running up the white flag of surrender, however, take a careful look at the health risks of being obese:
When compared with people of normal weight, markedly obese people are:
• three times more likely to suffer from heart disease.
• four times more likely to suffer from high blood pressure.
• five times more likely to develop diabetes and elevated blood cholesterols.
• at higher risk of developing cancer of the colon, rectum, prostate, breast, cervix, uterus, and ovaries, and of suffering osteoarthritis and low back pain.
People with excess weight are like ticking bombs waiting for one or more of these diseases to explode in their lives. In addition, extra weight affects self-image. In today’s appearance-oriented society, being overweight can be a great psychological burden.
What causes obesity?
The key to the problem is calories—too many of them. Overweight happens when you eat more calories than your body can use. Whether calories come from fat, protein, sugar, or starch, the leftovers are turned into fat. Some of this fat floats around in the blood, plastering and gradually plugging vital oxygen-carrying arteries.
The rest of the leftover fat ends up in the body’s central fat bank, located around the midsection. As the central fat bank overflows, embarrassing branch offices often pop up in other parts of the body. For every 3,500 excess calories received by the body, one pound of fat is placed on deposit.