From a former fat man: Can something this boring really be fun?

By Mark Perry, My Ideal Weight Center

Everybody seems to be talking about weight today. Pick up any newspaper, turn on the TV, or visit your doctor and weight always seems to be the topic of conversation. Why is our weight such a huge issue today?

Aside from social stigma, your health and quality of life are the real issues and need to be addressed … but not today. I want to talk about how we got here and what we can do to take personal responsibility for our lives.

Now before you stop reading let’s get the stigma of wording out in the open. No one likes to be referred to as obese.

Fun fact #1: Obese is a classification of weight and for the sake of this article I’m going to use the less threatening and politically correct reference, “overweight” rather than obese, fat, big boned … you get the idea.

Fun fact #2: More than 2/3 of adults are considered to be overweight. A body mass index (BMI) of 25 is considered overweight for an adult (By the way, 30+ is considered obese and 40+ is considered extreme obese).

What happened?

Are you ready for fun fact #3?

In 1977 the war on fat was declared and the low-fat diet was recommended to all Americans. Food manufactures, to stay competitive and responsive to this new American diet, reduced or eliminated fat from their products and replaced it with the one thing consumers love more than fat … sugar.

In addition to the hidden sugars in our food, ALL carbohydrates become sugar when digested. In 1905 a study was conducted showing that North Americans on an average ingested about one-half pound of sugar annually. By 2013 this amount skyrocketed to an amount between (+/-) 150 – 200 pounds each year.

So what’s the answer? You’re not going to like this, but take responsibility for what you put in your mouth. You are the last line of defense. Read labels, look for sugar and sugar’s many other names and as my mother always told her children, “Make good decisions.”

Attacking obesity, leaving a legacy.

Pick up the phone and give us a call 972-746-6910, we’ll help you to achieve your ideal body weight and bring out your inner confidence!