What are the Causes of Obesity?

[Baba Wawa 543]

There are many factors that impact obesity. There are genetic predispositions (nature), environmental influences (nurture), poor diet, lack of exercise, pre and peri-natal conditions, such as mother's diabetes, abuse, etc.

The problem with doctors is that they lump all of us under one umbrella of diet and exercise. After gaining 30 lbs when I became disabled due to spinal stenosis/SI Joint dysfunction, my spine doctor sent me to another back specialist to get a second opinion. After I was weighed (285 lb) he pronounced loudly that my problem was easily managed by diet and exercise! "Get off the couch and onto a treadmill!" Was his advice. I asked if he had any normal BMI patients with my problems and he said he had several. I challenged him to treat me the same as them and his answer was to get to a normal BMI and he'd be glad to.

What he didn't know, was that 3 months earlier, I couldn't lift my right foot to put it in a shoe, couldn't walk without help, couldn't dress without assistance. In 3 months, I'd been going to PT 3 times a week to get back some mobility and independence. I left his office in tears, determined that I would find a way to lose and I have. I still have spinal stenosis and sacroiliac joint dysfunction, a knee that needs replaced (injured in sports, I played softball and downhill skied until I was almost 50).

The doctors don't get to know us, because they don't have time, they don't care or they aren't educated in the area of nutrition, childhood abuse and the impact of poverty on our population.

While our food chain is also to blame, the general perception that obese = lazy glutton by our medical professionals contributes to the guilt, self-loathing and depression that makes us want those over processed, carb loaded foods. I hope for the sake of my grandkids, this changes.

An interesting factor in our family, is that my son takes after his father, maintains his ideal weight pretty easily and his kids all have normal BMI. My daughter, who like her brother is very athletic, has struggled with her weight all her adult life; all her children are slightly obese. I had gestational diabetes during her pregnancy, not with my son. My daughter had it with her pregnancies, delivering a 9 lb boy at term and 27 months later, identical 31w6d triplet girls weighing a total of 9lb12oz at birth. Coincidence, I don't think so.

Just my thoughts for today...

[dylanmiles23 2,198]

That was very nice and true about how most doctors don't know the real back ground. Do I get to blame my skiing on my bad knee? I didn't start until I was 40 but quit after about 5-7 years. I did have surgery on the knee and I do not want to replace it. Yesterday and today the pain is about an 8. Because of the knee at the gym I can only do the bike. I can't do a tread mill (PT said no to that) and the elliptical kills the left knee after 2 minutes on the lowest.

take care of your back and knees.

[Baba Wawa 543]

Sure, blame skiing! I started at 30, when we lived in an area close to ski areas. I learned weighing about 200 lb, chasing my 7 and 11 year olds down the advanced ski runs. When I crashed, it was spectacular. I played catcher for almost 20 years on our jack and Jill softball team, going undefeated, lol. My first injury to my left knee, was from skateboarding...I went to junior prom with an ace bandage around it and a dislocated thumb. That thumb is very arthritic today.

My back is a mystery, but about a year before it went ballistic, I slipped and fell hard on ice, landing on my right hip. SIJoint Disfunction is very common in women, since the cartilage there becomes soft with pregnancy to allow the baby to pass thru the pelvis. The stenosis is congenital.

I can walk a mile on the treadmill but the bikes and elliptical kill the back. My knee and back pain range from a low of 4 to 7-9 on a bad day. If I walk more than I should, the chondral lesion on my knee gets going. I had the injections of synovial Fluid several years ago after arthroscopic surgery to remove torn miniscus.

Your situation sounds a lot like mine...you take care too!

[dylanmiles23 2,198]

Sure, blame skiing! I started at 30, when we lived in an area close to ski areas. I learned weighing about 200 lb, chasing my 7 and 11 year olds down the advanced ski runs. When I crashed, it was spectacular. I played catcher for almost 20 years on our jack and Jill softball team, going undefeated, lol. My first injury to my left knee, was from skateboarding...I went to junior prom with an ace bandage around it and a dislocated thumb. That thumb is very arthritic today.

My back is a mystery, but about a year before it went ballistic, I slipped and fell hard on ice, landing on my right hip. SIJoint Disfunction is very common in women, since the cartilage there becomes soft with pregnancy to allow the baby to pass thru the pelvis. The stenosis is congenital.

I can walk a mile on the treadmill but the bikes and elliptical kill the back. My knee and back pain range from a low of 4 to 7-9 on a bad day. If I walk more than I should, the chondral lesion on my knee gets going. I had the injections of synovial Fluid several years ago after arthroscopic surgery to remove torn miniscus.

Your situation sounds a lot like mine...you take care too!

I forgot I had the injections, too but they didn't work at all. Also, the lower back I have no cushions between the discs. A few days before the band I had an ex-ray of my back because of more pain and my PCP said from arthritis I have crumbing discs, how fun is all this? The 2 of us sound 90!!

it is amazing that we both have similar problems and can't do the same machines at the gym.

Be well and enjoy the weekend.

Arlene