Beating the Odds and Obesity

I can’t help but want to cheer for the underdog. Maybe it’s because it makes winning that much sweeter.
Today, I’m rooting for the American public.
Perhaps you haven’t heard the latest dire prediction.

By 2020, the majority of American adults will either qualify as overweight or obese. Researchers from Northwestern Medicine also predict that more than half of us will suffer from diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions.
I guess part of me can’t believe that the obesity epidemic in our society today can get any worse. As it is, 72 percent of men and 63 percent of women are overweight or obese. Obese is when someone’s body mass index is greater than 30. A person qualifies as overweight when they reach a BMI of 25 to 29.
Another reason I think the predictions won’t come true is because people can lose weight with the right knowledge and support.
Whether it’s learning proper nutrition from a Registered Dietitian or hiring a personal trainer at the gym, weight loss can be achieved. For those who are seriously overweight, there are medically-supervised diets and bariatric surgery. Sometimes it takes physical therapy to recover from an injury that prevents exercise.
Lastly, I think the researchers who make these predictions are also forgetting to consider the obvious: losing weight feels really, really good.

Alice Warchol is a freelance health writer and fitness instructor.

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