Obesity is an epidemic. Many reasons; mostly excuses. Too much work. Too much time on the computer. Horrible gyms that charge too much.
Not feeling comfortable around skinny sweaty fit people that make faces, and whisper snide comments.
Frightening small children.
The reasons go on, but in the end who really suffers? I have a weight issue. It’s mostly in my genes, but I also have severe sleep apnea. A lot of people don’t realize that conditions like Sleep Apnea can actually cause weight gain.
It’s an ugly cycle. Lack of sleep triggers the body to eat more to get the energy needed to move through a day; however not burning those calories leads to a larger less efficient body which causes the apnea to get worse and speeds up the cycle.
I had a gastric bypass. I’m very happy with the results and it probably saved my life, but weight does creep up.
I’ve been to Over Eater’s Anonymous in my life. Weight Watchers, different diets; gone to gyms; had trainers, worked with professional weightlifters, and those annoying nutritionists that all seem like they’re anorexic or bulimic.
I have two resolutions this year. One is to take a French course or two, (or six) and try and become more proficient en Francais. My second one is to get back to exercising and eating healthier.
So my question to you; my fellow readers in the area is which gyms or facilities do you like or recommend? And I’m even toying with creating a Cornwall Free News Weight Life Club or doing a Cornwall’s Biggest Weight Loser web show? Feel free to contact me via info@cornwallfreenews.com or post your comment below.
LINK “Obesity causes as much or more disease than tobacco, says the study, conducted by researchers from Columbia University and the City College of New York. It adds that while smoking rates are starting to decline, obesity now shortens as many or even more healthy lifespans than tobacco use.”
PS – the picture is not of myself as per the many emails I’ve received. 🙂
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I am not expert but I think 10% is a good goal to start. I heard that muscle is heavier than fat so maybe you shouldn’t take what the scale says too seriously for the first part of the process. You could be on the right track and losing fat and gaining muscle but the scale says the same weight.
Maybe gauge your progress by how easily/hard you can do a physical activity from week to week.
Go Go Jamie. Here is one club that is doing its part for fitness in Cornwall. http://www.cornwallmultisportclub.com/
Thanks Joe. I’m going to be spending some time looking at the health and fitness opportunities in the Cornwall area.
Please don’t start any false rumours that I’m fat!
It is an infinitesimally small number of people that have any excuse for being overweight (medical or otherwise). There may be a lot of reasons for being over weight, but in all honesty, there are very, very few excuses.
It is what, and how much you eat. Exercise can reduce the effects of this, but the kind and amount of exercise to overcome a bad diet is not something most of us are capable of.
Oh, I ate with abandon like a pig when I was running 30 miles a week and swimming another 4 or 5, but who can maintain that. When I slowed down I changed the way I ate (made somewhat easier by the reduced appetite that came with reduced exercise).
And it is simply a matter of changing behaviour. Just like quitting smoking, it only takes a couple of weeks to get over the cravings. Then eating right becomes your new habit.
Simply switch to skim milk, low and no fat cheese and desserts, and eat normal portions. Skip the salt and sugar added crap (you’ll find your taste buds perk up and cravings drop).
Cut back on alcohol, quit smoking, walk when you don’t have to hurry somewhere. And if you have to hurry to do things in this Canada, this lap of luxury… maybe you need to examine how important the things are that you’re doing, or schedule them a little better.
And one little piece of advice, that even if you don’t do the rest, will work… do not eat prepared foods, and never, NEVER EAT OUT (that includes Tims). Hell, forget the calories and fat you avoid, the money you save will give you a Caribbean vacation every year. (1 large coffee a day is a week in Cuba every year).
There is so, so rarely an excuse for being overweight (which should be an utter embarrassment in a world where 36,000 people starve to death every day) that we simply must admit that it is just a lack of command over ourselves.
There’s nothing to discuss, …eat what you need and eat healthy.
That my friend is easier said that done. In our society today many people don’t even have time to eat. 30 minute break for lunch, if that? Single parent families. Excuses. Yes in a sense, but day to day realities can drag anyone down.
Add in conditions like Sleep Apnea or other sleep deprivation conditions that lead to weight gain and you can see how the Obesity Epidemic inches forward.
You are right. It does take a change in behavior. A change in attitude, and a change in priorities and choice. It’s going to be wonderful year, this 2010 and we’ll be doing a series of stories about making our lives better.
I can attest that it is simply a lifestyle change. I was once 100lbs heavier than I am now. I did not have surgery, I did not starve myself. I changed my eating habits (removed all empty calories and processed foods) and became moderately active. I have been able to keep the weight off for years.
Its about caloric intake, types of food, and physical activity. You do not have to run a marathon, but keeping active is important.
Think about this. If you eat 100 calories more per day than your body consumes (as its basal metabolic rate), then you will gain 10 pounds in 1 year. To put it simply, all excess calories are going to be stored as fat. Once fat cells are created they are near impossible to completely remove (you can only shrink them). Dieting or starving oneself will only make the problem worse because your body will then store as much fat energy as it can the next time you resume eating.
Procedures such as gastric bypasses can be very beneficial, as long as you augment your eating habits (esp portion sizes), which is retardedly difficult to change in this town considering most single meals are enough for 2 people.
Secondly, eliminate all calories that do not provide adequate nourishment, think sodas, candies, etc.
Finally, eliminate processed foods that exacerbate other conditions (blood pressure, etc). It is not difficult or expensive to eat healthy, big food corporations have just convinced us that it is so. Why eat products that are like eating plastic?
You can boost your metabolism in a number of ways. One way is to build muscle, slowly, and it will metabolize more calories and consume stored fat. Two, is to incorporate more spices, especially items of the capsicum family(hot peppers), as they boost metabolic rates.
The very wise City Counsel is correct 😉 (Mark is that you?), there are too many excuses, many of them instilled in us by corporate marketing programs for fast food/processed food conglomerates.
√ Single parent …did it for 15 years.
√ Sleep apnea …got it.
√ Half hour for lunch …who doesn’t?
Rhyming off reasons, and convincing yourself that you can’t eat right, or that there is some predeterminant for your obesity, are indicators that you will fail to attain a healthy weight. Accepting failure before starting? Put that nonsense behind you.
And just to start debunking “excuses” …a half hour for lunch is perfect for weight loss — no time to run out for junk — just sit down with a peanut butter sandwich on proper whole grain bread (that’s right, take some time to chew and taste it), have a glass of milk, and follow it up with an apple (have an orange or banana later at break, not juices), that, and a leisurely walk for 5 or ten minutes from or back to your workspace, is about as simple and cheap an example of how to conquer obesity that there is.
A support system of family, friends or likeminded individuals will be helpful (with the added bonus of interpersonal and social satisfaction). But don’t, …DON’T think for even a minute that you need to spend a dime on getting healthy. You don’t need to pay for a health club, or a gym, or meals from diet plan marketers.
Eating less, eating healthy, and adopting a less sedentary life style is a money saver, plain and simple. (no ifs, ands, or buts, “just do it” as they say)
Jim
We are all creatures of habit. As such, you must set specific short term goals such as (1) walk for 30 minutes a day every 2 days, (2) cycle 50 kms a week, (3) eat salad at 1 meal a day (4) only one drink a day, and then get into the habit of doing it. I put my goals in 3 or 4 places in the house to tell me what I have promised to do. Tell your partner or friends about your goals and allow them to nag you if you don’t do it. But once in a while, take a day off to be your old self. This will tell you that you would rather be your new self. The new self can be habit forming and that is the objective..
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