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Fat Facts
Fat is a fact of life. In primitive days, body fat served as an insulator and reserve food supply. Our work and play was more energy consuming. Today, we consume more than we burn so we have become an overweight society. More than half of U.S. adults are overweight and nearly one-quarter of U.S. adults are obese. Dieting has become a national pastime. Weight management gurus get rich by touting and selling their inspirational brand of instant results. It is a simple but long term problem-we consume more than we burn. We’ve collectively become too big.
Overweight refers to an excess of body weight compared to set standards such as height/weight charts or Body Mass Index chart, BMI. The excess weight may come from muscle, bone, fat or fluid. Obesity refers specifically to having an abnormally high proportion of body fat, not muscle or fluid. Non-athletic overweight and obesity are known risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and other respiratory problems and some forms of cancer. Health risks also increase as waist circumference increases. A waist measurement of more than 35 inches may be at particular risk. This is all common knowledge. The many public health and advocacy groups do a decent job publishing information to alert people about risk factors and early detection of illness.
Fad diet promoters usually play upon the depression, negative self-image and impatience that can accompany both overweight and obesity. They depict either quick fixes or happy thin people who probably lost 100 pounds last week. Maybe the people in the commercials are really former big folks and not paid actors.
Sorry to say that there is no solution other than less eating and more moving. Gimmicks and machines and pills can focus your attention on the fact that you have a problem for awhile. Many people with long term chronic overweight and obesity are expert at yo-yo weight management. Long term weight reduction is possible for everyone. Begin at once. Move more, eat less.
Are you overweight or obese? Contact the Park Forest Health Department for copy of the body mass index.