Dangers of Obesity

Since determining that I am that magic Body Mass Index number that equals obesity, I have been thinking a lot about what it means or could mean. I work in the health care industry and see people who are morbidly obese, and the effects it has on their health, their live style, their self esteem, their relationships, and just about every other aspect of life. You would think that seeing someone struggle to walk or even breathe would motivate me to get on track and lose the 50 pounds that I need to lose. But since finding out that I am more than overweight, I have become a little depressed and unmotivated. Realizing this is not good, I decided to do a little research on obesity and its potential dangers. Here is what I found:

• Heart disease is greatly increased in those who are in the overweight category - a body mass index of 25+.
• Those who are overweight run a higher risk of type II diabetes
• Those who are obese have a 50% greater chance of dying prematurely than those who are of a healthy weight.
• High Blood Pressure and all the health issues that come with it are twice as likely in those that are obese.
• Increased likelihood of Depression
• Increased likelihood of Gallbladder disease
• increased likelihood of Incontinence

and the lists go on and on and on and ..........

So what does it take for someone to get out of the feeling of being stuck, and to begin embracing and moving towards health. For some there is a strong emotional tie to food, and a councilor is probably needed. For others it is making a choice to change directions and habit patterns.

It is something that I believe is worth battling for, but is very tough to do alone. If you have had success in this area, please share some of the steps you took to be successful. We can all do this.