Obesity – A Global Pandemic

With so many people in the world overweight or obese and the number is on the increase, it is hard to ignore that we have a problem. It may not be you or anyone in your household. Still, I old by your extended family, friends or colleagues that have a problem with managing their weight and, likely, it is not entirely their fault. If you think it does not affect you, you are wrong, it does. Hopefully, this helps provide some insight and practical actions to start addressing this issue.

The reasons behind this being such a big issue is not just because the individual lacks self-control and is lazy. In fact, this is far from it, most people who are overweight try so hard to do everything they can conceive of, trying every fad there is out there often to no avail.

From starvation diets to bullshit diet pills, often they have tried them all.

People who are overweight are one of the highest groups to be discriminated against. Wrongly so! They know they have a problem; they do not need you to point it out to them, they live with it every day. Often friends and family can have good intentions but poor execution in trying to help them ends up as saying the most hurtful things. Just because they carry more weight than you do, does not make them any less of a person. They are still intelligent, articulate, useful, loving people with feelings. They require your love and support. Not your undeserved hate.

A common complaint I hear from overweight people is that they do not like going to the doctor or a health care professional because the professional does not listen. They feel like they are being discriminated against and spoken down to by their own health professional. Again, this is wrong, and I would urge these people to try again, seeking a true professional who will take the time to get to know you and your situation. There are plenty of us good ones out there. And we will not just tell you to diet and exercise more (although that is likely to help too). We will look at your specific needs and help you through the process.

The causes of obesity are very complex, where goodwill can only go so far. Factors, such as an individuals physiology play a big role, and that is why they say prevention is the best cure because once someone gets to the obese stage, they are already doing damage to their body, it is then harder to work with them, but not impossible.

There are big issues with the sugar industry and the foods we have available. When 80% or so of the foods available in supermarkets, are laced with sugar or corn syrup, we, as a society, are set up for failure. In some places, a head of lettuce can cost the same as a meal at Maccas, our options are limited. We have been conditioned in our fast pace of life, fast foods and quick eating habits to become addicted to the molecule fructose. This addictive property in sugar leads to cause the diseases that alcoholism creates, from fatty liver to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. This, over time, has caused leptin (the hormone that signals that we are full, from eating) resistance.

This leptin resistance drives people to eat more, to feel full. When they have a diet full of sugar, they sometimes don’t know when to stop because, although they have increased leptin being produced, their body is not acknowledging it. This causes an increase in the sugar in the blood and to counteract this the medical model has been to give people insulin to lower their blood sugar levels, but this just helps to store that sugar, and the problem is compounded. People are doing what they have been told to do, and things are still getting worse.

Not all hope is lost!

We can make a difference, and it is not as simple as 1 calorie in, 1 calorie out. As sugar is 50 times harder to burn. Unfortunately, there are not enough health professionals out there to help everyone who is suffering from the medical condition of obesity.

However, even a small reduction in weight can have a massive impact on a person’s health. Strategies that are going to affect the global population need to be aimed around what is actually going to help. There needs to be a lot more research in this area, but what they have so far is improving the quality of food we have available to us. The UK has introduced a sugar tax, and it will be interesting to see what the effects of that have. I would imagine that it would be more challenging to implement in Australia, as we have a big sugar industry here, but who knows.

Other research that has come out of looking at the increase in childhood obesity rates is that of the mother’s health before a baby is even conceived, plays a big role in how healthy their children are. So, the health and fitness of young women these days are more important than ever.

There should be programs encouraging young people, women, aged 13 – 16 to stay involved in sporting activities or at least fostering an environment to keep them fit and healthy.

At an individual level, you can do so much also. If you are overweight or obese, seek professional help. You might require a team of health professionals starting out as you learn how to best manage your situation. One of the biggest things you could do for yourself is to control your stress levels better.

The stress hormone, cortisol, causes us to seek sugary foods as a quick fix and demotivates us to exercise, becoming another compounding factor. The best way stress can be managed, is to practice gratitude and mindfulness every morning, as well as developing a good relationship with food. That means before a meal, you rate how hungry you feel, then after the meal, you rate how fulfilling and satisfying that meal was. You quickly discover how processed sugary foods leave you feeling hungry and dissatisfied, while proper fresh whole food tastes better and leaves you feeling fuller for longer.

You also need to get your sleep, in check, as sleep regulates the hormones that control the feelings of hunger and being satisfied.

In terms of dietary needs, it may be worth your while visiting a dietician. You can also try the 16-hour intermittent fasting, exercising fasted, a Mediterranean based diet, consume foods with Omega-6 (strong fish oil?), use caffeine (black coffee, green tea) or cold water o increase your thermogenic effect, without breaking your fast, have a modest (up to 10%) reduction in your calorie intake, getting rid of every sugary beverage in your house (including fruit juice), if eating solid processed food to ensure it has at least 3g of fibre per serve(helps signal peptide-yy to reduce appetite) and wait 20 minutes after finishing a meal before considering seconds.

Exercise recommendations involve aerobic exercise of at least 30 minutes in duration at least at a moderate intensity, 5 times a week. Resistance training to focus on functional movements (at least squat and deadlift movement) 2 times a week, hitting most major muscle groups. There has been some very encouraging evidence looking at High-Intensity Interval Training also. Trade exercise for screen time (kids).