What obesity is doing to you!

Obesity is an epidemic that harms health and claims lives. One-third of Americans are overweight, and another third are obese. 6 percent of Americans are morbidly obese, with a BMI over 40 and frighteningly high risks for diseases. The effects of obesity are stunning.

The United States pays about $190 billion per year in medical costs related to obesity. That includes things like hospital bills, prescription drugs and special equipment necessary for treating obese individuals. Then, of course, there are additional costs related to things like worker absenteeism because of more illnesses among obese employees. Your own insurance costs and healthcare bills can go up because of your obesity.

You know that obesity is unhealthy. Everyone says that all the time. But do you know just how harmful obesity can be? It increases your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure and osteoarthritis. It can cause sleep apnea and asthma. It can make you ashamed of yourself and be a trigger for others to look down on you. Obesity can take ten or more years off of your life.

Here are a few quick fact about what can happen when you lose a significant amount of body fat.

• If you have type 2 diabetes and are obese, losing weight can almost certainly get you on lower doses of diabetes medications – or off of them entirely!
  
• Your knee pain, back pain and are probably being caused by your obesity. When you achieve a normal weight, you’ll probably be pain-free.
  
• High cholesterol and high blood pressure will almost certainly drop when you lose excess weight.
  
• You’ll feel happier and more confident when you can go shopping in normal stores and fit into your car without sliding the seat back.
  
• You’ll have more energy because – let’s face it – it’s hard to carry around all that weight all day.
  

Okay. You know obesity harms physical health. It can cause depression and low self-esteem. People may look down on obese individuals. Nobody wants to be obese. So why are so many people obese? You already know this one! Too much eating, and not enough exercising! Our whole society is built to make us obese. Consider these factors leading to high calorie intake and not enough calorie burn.

• Fast food is cheap, tasty and high in calories, fat and sugar. Plus, it’s everywhere!
  
• High-calorie food tastes good, is everywhere and is heavily advertised – so you can’t get away from it.
  
• Healthy food is more expensive and often takes longer to prepare.
  
• We drive and take the elevator instead of walk and take the stairs.
  
• It’s hard to find time for exercise.
  
• Sitting around and watching television means that you’re not moving and burning calories – and it often means that you’re eating potato chips mindlessly.
  

If you’re interested in learning more about what obesity is doing to you and millions of others, check out Chapter 1 of The BIG Book on the LAP-BAND^®. It has simple explanations for all of these medical conditions and also a clear description of the body mass index – or BMI. Doctors use your BMI to assess your weight status, so you’d better be familiar with it as you continue your weight loss journey!