Supersize me??

So I went to the doctor the other day, an orthopedist, for some hip/back issues I've been having for about two years. He was a total jerk... but that's a story for another day! As I entered the waiting room, I was stunned by the mass of people waiting to see orthopedists. The most appalling part? The majority of them were severely overweight. Now, I'm no doctor, but it seems like common sense that if you have joint and bone problems, being obese would only exacerbate an already painful condition. And I understand that being physically impaired makes it difficult to feel motivated to work out or maybe to even exercise at all. I tore a ligament in my ankle 6 weeks ago and have since been sidelined, and I've gained 5 pounds. Not only could I not run or do aerobics, but I couldn't even do normal "active" things in my day, like take the stairs more often, park far away, or walk any more than necessary. And my injury wasn't even that bad! I can't imagine having extreme pain when I move and how that would relegate me to the sofa or bed. And changing habits is hard, as is making time/being motivated to exercise if it's already difficult in the first place. But, my question is, why aren't changes to exercise and diet taken more seriously by people? I'm sure doctors highly recommend it. 


So I did a little digging to check the facts. Here goes.

• America is the most obese country in the world (no shocker here) with 30.6% of our population classified as obese. More women than men are obese. 
• Mexico, United Kingdom, Slovakia, and Greece round out the top 5 most obese countries. 
• The number of obese Americans has increased steadily since 1960. 
• Obesity increases your risk of developing high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cancer of the breast, prostate, and colon. In fact, obesity increases your risk of death. And that’s not all. The lesser known effects of obesity may also include asthma, pregnancy complications, infertility and even Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder.
• Arthritis and joint problems have skyrocketed along with obesity. Even losing just 10 lbs can help reduce the joint strain caused by excess weight. 
• Obesity contributes to the growing global food crisis since obese people eat 18% more on average than other healthy-weight people. So, not only are food prices increasing and shortages occurring as our global population grows, but the rising rates of obesity compound the problem as world-wide, people are eating more. 
• Medical care costs of obesity in America are staggering, ranking $147 billion in 2008. These costs are only growing as obesity and unhealthy weights continue to increase.

You can see your state's health rankings here. According to the "America's Health Rankings" website, 

"Obesity is growing faster than any previous public health issue our nation has faced. Today, more than one in four Americans are considered obese. If current trends continue, 103 million American adults - or 43 percent of the population - will be considered obese by 2018, making obesity the nation's next health battle."   

The chart below shows obesity rates by state in 2009. If you click on the link, the map is actually interactive and shows the extreme growth rate of obesity since the 1980s. It's pretty alarming.

So what are the answers? Of course, be more active, eat less sodium, less processed foods, more fruits, vegetables and legumes, less meat, etc. For the CDC's proposed solutions to childhood obesity, see here. I don't have kids, but I can only imagine how difficult it would be to teach your child healthy eating/exercise habits if they are facing weight problems. I'm sure the balance between encouraging healthy eating/self-confidence without seeming critical is pretty difficult. 


Some of the "solutions" to obesity seem like common sense, but unfortunately, for many people, it's a matter of ignorance or just unstable access to healthy resources. There are some interesting proposals out there to limit junk-food purchases with food stamps, since oftentimes the low-income population is often the unhealthiest and tax-payers foot the bill for unhealthy foods and medical care caused by high weight. At the same time, low-income areas suffer from limited access to grocery stores, sit-down restaurants, fresh produce, or even resources to plan "healthy" meals for the week. We can't just say the poor are "lazy" and "fat." As with most things in life that deal with balancing people's independence and agency with the role of government, "it's complicated." 


Many of us know the way to "be healthy" but I don't think people realize the consequences of continuing trends in severe weight gain. I'm certainly not the picture of health, but the more I read about the links between what you put in your body, the size of your body, and the correlating health of your body, I will hopefully think twice before eating a large french fry! I think America's mentality doesn't help, either. Everything in America is large: cars, furniture, houses, stores, clothes, portions. I read an article in Women's Health the other day about a woman who weighed over 300 lbs and had her health epiphany when she was stranded in Europe without her luggage and could find no clothes large enough to fit her. 

Many of you know way more about this topic than me, so if you have articles or sites with more info, leave them in the comments. It's a worthy topic, I think, that deserves more public attention, not to "hate fat people" but to trend towards healthy lifestyles instead of unhealthy. This is a problem that our country (and at some point most 1st world countries) will have to deal with, especially with national healthcare on the table that would mean we as taxpayers would more fully foot the bill for medical problems caused by unhealthy eating. And obesity is not just a matter of "duck-taping their mouths shut," as I've heard people insensitively say. There are psychological, genetic, socioeconomic, education, and other issues at play beyond just lifestyle and food choices. Hopefully, increasing awareness and changing medical prescriptions to include dietitians, nutritionists, and maybe even personal training (insurance covers physical therapy, right?) would educate and provide opportunities for our communities to make significant, lasting changes. The solution, like so many others, remains to be seen.