Hello Whyville. This week I'm going to talk about obesity. Now, countless articles have been written on this, I know. I, like many of you with my last article, don't believe they've covered all the information. Although I'm not obese, I'm overweight. Think of 6'0 ft. and 220 Lbs. Not the best ratio. So, when I talk about this, I'm going to try to cover all of the information.
This article isn't necessarily about how YOU hurt your body, because it isn't always a person's fault they are obese. There are many people who are overweight because of medical conditions, disabilities, eating disorders, parents, genetics; a million things can affect it. There are also people who are overweight because they don't know what's right.
There is not just one medical disorder that can cause obesity. It's also not always a direct effect of the disease, but an effect that happens because of it. People who have spinal cord injuries and are paralyzed, like the late Christopher Reeve, cannot possibly exercise, because they can't move. 3,500 Calories equal 1 lb. of fat. According to the WhyEat Dietician, you should be consuming about 3145 calories a day, which you can work most off just by walking around your school campus and participating in PE class. However, if you can't move, they just convert to fat to be stored for future use. Other people have mental disorders, where for their safety, they are kept from walking because they could easily hurt themselves, like if they had a seizure disorder. Other physical disorders, like pigeon toes and arthritis, cause it to be very hard for people to walk.
Everyone knows about anorexia, where you don't want to eat anything, and do your best not to. Think of the exact opposite of that. Not being able to stop eating or wanting food. You are constantly hungry. This does happen, it's a disease called Prader-Willi Syndrome. This is where you cannot feel full. The message, so to speak, that is sent to your brain normally to tell you to stop eating because you are full, does not send. People who suffer from this live in a house where all the food is padlocked, and where they are locked inside, or even physically restrained, to keep them from literally eating themselves to death. If someone was to go on a spree of eating, or binge, they will eventually pop their stomach, killing themselves. You can obviously see how serious this disease is.
By this point, many of you must be wondering, "What do parents have to do with it?" It may not seem like they directly affect the child's weight, but they can. Many parents are uneducated in the science of nutrition. Think about it. They buy the food for the house. They probably cook you a few meals a week. If they don't know what's healthy, you could be hurt by it. If they choose chips and dip over salad and vinegar, you just added on a couple hundred calories that you don't need, and do nothing for you. Things that give you calories, but don't give your body nutrients are called "empty calories." A good example of empty calories is soda. An 8 oz. can of regular Coca-Cola has 97 calories, yet no nutrients. Diet soda? Absolutely nothing. Since parents cook, buy food, and choose when you go out to eat, they somewhat control what you put into your body. Although it may be common sense to some, not everyone knows.
Along with all of this, there is one factor you can't change. It's genetics. When you were, er, conceived, your parents gave you certain genes passed down through generations. These genes tell your body how tall to be, what color eyes your supposed to have, etc. They also tell your body whether you are going to be more heavy set than others. Other factors in your body also contribute to your weight.
Your metabolism is the speed at which you digest food and burn calories. If you have a fast metabolism, you are usually thin because your body burns calories before they turn into fat. Serious athletes usually have fast metabolisms, with exceptions, of course. Others, who don't exercise a lot, tend to have slower metabolism, which causes you to hold in more calories. However, you can change your metabolism! For example, if you are a lethargic person, who doesn't exercise much, you can speed up your metabolism by working out regularly. I said your metabolism doesn't stay the same though, so if your metabolism is fast, you're not off the hook. If you stop exercising, your metabolism will become slow again. So make sure to keep at it!
Exercise. Many just don't. Most adult Americans don't take over 2,000 steps in a day. You can exercise in many different ways. Running around your neighborhood, watching TV while jogging on a treadmill. Whatever you do, find something that you like. For me, playing high school football this year got me into great shape, and it was really fun, but also very disciplined. If you like nature, try taking a hike or mountain biking. Whatever you want to do, go do it. Two things though, 1) Video games are not exercise, and 2) Don't rely on your PE class. From personal experience, I believe PE is not close to enough to what you need to help you. You don't do enough physical activity for it to really help you. It really makes a difference if you also work out on your own. As you will see in the interviews below, some Whyvillians also believe this is the case.
Above I talked about your parents having good nutrition knowledge. They need to have it, but so do you. In the end, you make the choice between the brownie and the apple. Try to keep away from school lunches, too. They caused me to gain 5 lbs. in one week! Also, don't crash diet. It can really hurt you. Look at Katluvr11's articles on healthy food for some suggestions on how to eat well.
I know this may freak some of you out, but what your mom says may be right. Slow down and chew your food. A recent study showed that many kids eat so fast, their brain doesn't have time to tell them they are full. This goes along with portion control. Eat small. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a normal-sized hamburger patty is 3oz., McDonald's smallest size.
I decided to interview some Whyvillians on their thoughts on obesity. This is what they have to say:
I first interviewed Vancyon via y-mail.
Eric5675: Are you overweight or obese?
Vancyon: No.
Eric5675: Can you tell us, in your personal opinion, the biggest cause of obesity?
Vancyon: I don't know . . . eating trans fats?
Eric5675: Would you like to share some effects of obesity you see in everyday life?
Vancyon: Not really xD. Um it's harder to walk around I'd say if you can't support your own weight . . . ?
Eric5675: Do you think Physical Education (PE) helps you lose weight?
Vancyon: I doubt it. All we do is juggling and volleyball O_O you need to get out every so often to stop yourself from becoming obese.
Eric5675: If there was one tip that you would like to share with someone that's obese to help them out, what would it be?
Vancyon: Get some exercise and try a diet, but don't starve yourself!
I also talked to Bllyjo, again via y-mail.
Eric5675: Are you overweight or obese?
Bllyjo: No, I'm actually underweight, and it's a bit scary.
Eric5675: Can you tell us, in your personal opinion, the biggest cause of obesity?
Bllyjo: I think the biggest cause of obesity is big restaurant franchises. They put so much fat and carbohydrates into their food, and tell no one. People eat all this food, like Subway, and think it's healthy, when it's killing them slowly.
Eric5675: Would you like to share some effects of obesity you see in everyday life?
Bllyjo: The only main effects of obesity I see in my life are that people are getting fatter and fatter, and more people are suffering from anorexia.
Eric5675: Do you think Physical Education (PE) helps you lose weight?
Bllyjo: PE kind of does, but people also need to work out on their own as well.
Eric5675: If there was one tip that you would like to share with someone that's obese to help them out, what would it be?
Bllyjo: If you're obese, don't take it harshly, but try in small steps to make your intake of carbohydrates a bit less.
Finally, I talked to Lyd1212
Eric5675: Are you overweight or obese?
Lyd1212: No I am not overweight or obese. I am actually slightly underweight and petite. I eat a lot sometimes, yet people still say I am anorexic or bulimic. I used to be a little concerned with my weight a while ago, and restrained my eating; but I realized this did nothing and I went back to my normal eating habits. I am about 87 pounds. (I just weighed myself for this) and around 5 feet or so tall. I guess that makes my BMI (Body mass index) around 16 or so and anything less than 18.5 is underweight.
Eric5675: Can you tell us the biggest cause, in your personal opinion, of obesity?
Lyd1212: I personally think that obesity is in most situations, a reflection of your personal lifestyle. Pretty much if you exercise and everything you tend not to be as heavy. Same thing with healthy eating habits. But in some situations, like when people are on steroids; and the steroids cause them to gain a lot of weight, then they can't really help that. Also if people are paralyzed and can't physically exercise then they may be more obese. But if you sit all day and eat pizza and Big Macs; you can do something to help that.
Eric5675: Would you like to share some effects of obesity you see in everyday life?
Lyd1212: Well there are shows that put people under fat suits so that they can see how obese or overweight people are kind of "shunned" from society. I do not think this personally affects my life because none of my friends are obese. One was and she lost a lot of weight. Now she's better at sports, she can run well and everything. I thought it was good how she lost weight because it would improve her life, not to look better. I think people who do this tend to lost the weight faster and keep it off too!
Eric5675: Do you believe that Physical Education (PE) helps you lose weight?
Lyd1212: My opinion on Physical Education and helping you lose weight is that it is in my opinion quite useless for losing weight. Our school board says that it is because some people do not exercise so gym will be the only time they exercise, but that 30 minutes for half the year really does nothing because the other half of the year they don't have gym, they will veg out and not exercise and undo any progress they may have made during their time in gym.
Eric5675: If there was one tip that you would like to share with someone that's obese to help them out, what would it be?
Lyd1212: I really have no universal tip for everyone. Every person has a different metabolism and situation is completely different. All I can say is if you don't like how you look or how your life is; just make little changes like watching what you eat. Instead of eating some ice cream, eat an apple. Also you could just do small things like dance randomly to your favorite song when no one is around or just go for a stroll. Don't use diet pills or anything. Lose your weight slowly and naturally and then it will stay off and be that much beneficial.
If you want more information on nutrition, join WhyEat, and once you're healthy, you get 25 clams a day for it, too!
It's not as hard as I thought it was to lose some weight and become healthy again, and I hope this article makes it so much easier for you than it was for me.
Happy Thanksgiving! Eat Healthy!
Eric5675
Author's Note: I tried to accommodate most of the suggestions posted in the last BBD. When posting, let's all, including myself, remember the Whyville Way.
Sources:
www.wikipedia.org
www.pwsausa.org
kidshealth.org
The film Super Size Me
