Seeking Help For Obesity

There are over 180 million Americans who are overweight andalmost 90 million of them are severely overweight, or obese.That means 30% of adults in the United States are so overweightthat they are at an increased risk for at least 30 medicalconditions, some deadly, including heart disease, cancer of thebreast, colon, uterus and esophagus, hypertension, glaucoma,gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis. Andthere's a significant chance that any random American citizenreading this article also wishes they could shed a few pounds. Obesity has recently been dubbed a serious, chronic medicalcondition by the medical and scientific community. Only in thepast few decades have experts taken notice of the problem, butthat's not because it isn't a legitimate problem. It's simply amatter of it being new to them! Over the last twenty years,obesity rates in America have doubled. (For children andadolescents, rates of being overweight have tripled!) And if you are obese (i.e., you have a body mass index thatexceeds 30), you are not alone. And you shouldn't feelembarrassed or ashamed about it. While obesity is a problem,there is plenty of treatment available and your genes mayfigure into why you struggle with weight. The key is determine why it is you have a weight problem in thefirst place and then to take the necessary steps to riddingyourself of those unhealthy, life-threatening pounds. Beingjust overweight may not be an issue for you, and in some casesit ought not be, but if you are severely overweight, it's timeto wake up and make life changes that will increase the qualityand not to mention, length, of your life. But how can you do this? Unfortunately, thanks to messages sentout from magazines and television, you may feel very depressedabout your self-image as underweight supermodels typicallyresemble beauty in the American media and instead of thesemessages encouraging you to get outdoors and exercise and eathealthy, you probably just find yourself answering morecravings for unhealthy food. This is because a height of fivefeet and eleven inches, accompanied with a weight of 117 pounds(these are the average dimensions of a female model) is acompletely unrealistic body type for most people. And whenfaced with such an impossible ideal of beauty, one can onlyfeel overwhelmed and ultimately discouraged, retreating to foodfor comfort. One gains weight by simply consuming more calories than he orshe burns. But if you work at an office job, have kids to takecare of, and are constantly dealing with a social stigma aboutyour weight, it can be enormously challenging to find time tobe physically active and to cook healthy meals. Similarly, youmay be unaware that you suffer from problems like foodaddiction and thus you may feel you don't know how to get thewill power to make even the smallest lifestyle changes. But there is help. Whether you are dangerously obese and needprescription diet pills and/or surgery or you are only mildlyoverweight and you need guidance over what to eat and how toexercise, there are so many resources. And you can accessalmost all of them over the World Wide Web. In the 1980's, itwould've been very difficult to find help for obesity. Buttoday, even though there is progress to be made and most healthinsurance providers don't cover obesity treatment, it's a loteasier. But what are some specific options for you if you arestruggling with obesity? Well, first know that if you simplydecrease your body fat by a mere 10%, you can be on the road toa healthier lifestyle and reduce your risk for a bunch of healthcomplications that previously haunted you. So don't panic andoverexert yourself at the gym or go on a starvation diet.Instead, aim to lose a half to two pounds a week. And if engaging in a strict work out schedule is intimidating,why not just incorporate physical activity into your dailyroutine? For example, pick up a new hobby like gardening. Andof course watch what you eat! Or, rather, what how manycalories you consume. All of this may seem like common sense and yet it still may betoo elusive for you. Maybe you find that no matter how hard youtry, you can't seem to avoid eating that extra slice of cake oryou just can't get motivated to go for a walk around the parkafter supper. That's okay. The United States Department of Health and HumanServices has lots of resources for you on the national level,but your state and local community likely has counselingservices too, that can get you into shape fast. Sometimes justhaving a game plan and a little accountability about how muchyou exercise and how much you eat can make all the difference.And some of that conventional wisdom like "don't eat if you'refull" will suddenly ring true if you have an expert giving itto you. However, if you are indeed struggling with a food addiction youcan't seem to control, there are even more intensive treatmentsthat may come in the form of a diet pill or even surgery. Justmake sure to properly research these treatment options, as it'salways advisable to lose weight naturally. Truthfully, it's not all that difficult to lose weight. What'sreally challenging is to maintain that weight loss that's whyjoining a weight loss program that will keep you committed to ahealthy diet of exercise and food can be very beneficial. For those with severe obesity, there are many surgeriesavailable. They include the popular gastric bypass surgery. Sitdown and have a long talk with your doctor if you areconsidering surgery the risks and side effects may not beworth the weight loss, especially if you can achieve that sameweight loss through mere diet and exercise. If you are suffering from obesity, don't let it get the best ofyou. It is a complicated problem, not one that you areoverreacting to by being concerned. Luckily, there are manyways out and you don't have to go through the process alone.About The Author: David Beart is the owner ofhttp://www.professorshouse.com. Our site covers family issuessuch as health, relationships and household issues.