Look down. What do you see? Statistically, at least one out of every nine of you are going to be looking at clear evidence of obesity. Ladies, for you, it’s one out of every seven!
No, I’m not talking about ‘a couple of extra pounds’, I’m talking about obesity! It gets worse… 1 in 40 of you men are morbidly obese and that sky rockets to 1 in 20 for you ladies!
There are now more obese people in the world than there are underweight people!
Do you rationalise your weight? It’s my hormones. It’s my genes – my parents were overweight too.
Absolute rubbish except for one fact, obese parents raise obese kids. Not because of genes or hormones, but because of bad eating habits… too much of the wrong stuff, too often! Here’s the proof:
In 1975 the world housed 105 million obese people. Today, based on analysis of 1698 data sources covering 200 countries and almost 20 million people, that number stands at 641 million!
For males, that’s an increase from 3.2% of the population to 10.8% and for women, from 6.4% to 14.9%.
During the same period, the percentage of global population classified as underweight fell by approximately one-third. In other words, the malnourished got healthier while the well nourished just got fatter!
If you’re overweight, with rare exception, it’s your fault! And it’s your responsibility to change things.
Yes, I know this is going to piss a lot of people off! But why should people who care about their health face a future where they will pay an ever increasing share of their income to cover the health care costs of those who want to pretend that they don’t have a problem?
The extraordinary thing is that the solution is so damn simple! And cheap!
Do you eat wholegrain rice or white rice? Fries or skin on whole potato. Biscuits and muffins or nuts and fruit? Packaged meals or fresh cooked foods? When was the last time you walked more than a couple of hundred metres?
Don’t talk to me about being time poor! I can cook an omelette with salad in the same time you can heat up something out of the freezer. And I’ve washed and dried the dishes and pans before you’ve even reached the car park of your favourite fast food restaurant!
Oh, and BTW, my meal cost a damn sight less than yours!
I wrote Easy meals for healthy living a long time back. Have you read it?
You can change and you owe it to your children to do so. Why condemn them to a life of chronic illness? Why expect them to be your carer when you’re bed-ridden and miserable?
You might also want to read this post linking junk food to smaller brains!
It’s your diet and your lifestyle!
It’s not the ‘guvmint’ or ‘the system’ or work pressures or an income issue.
It’s a lack of will!
Quality wholegrain bread costs exactly the same amount as high fructose, bleached, high GI white bread. There are simply no valid excuses.
What right do I have to judge others? Let’s be clear, I’m no saint but I am 66 years old, 187 centimetres tall (6’3″) and weight in around 80 kgs (177 lb). I’m active and in perfect health! I feed my kids good, wholesome, tasty food and they are whip-thin and brimming with energy. I live the walk, I don’t just talk about it.
Here’s the frightening summary of the report (published in The Lancet, one of the most respected journals anywhere):
If post-2000 trends continue, the probability of meeting the global obesity target is virtually zero. Rather, if these trends continue, by 2025, global obesity prevalence will reach 18% in men and surpass 21% in women; severe obesity will surpass 6% in men and 9% in women.
So, like everyone else, you’ve got a choice. Will it be more of the ‘same old, same old, same shit different day’ or are you going to step up and step out? If you don’t make a conscious decision right now, you’ve made the decision anyway!
Go ahead and hate me. Frankly, m’dear, I don’t give a damn!
Source: The Lancet
Footnote:
If this got your hackles up, here’s another post to put you over the top – America 2030
