CNN News offers a very concise, measured overview article about the dangers of obesity, with a compelling lead about formerly obese Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who now speaks out about the need for Americans to peel off the pounds.
Huckabee — who began to lose weight after being diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic, believes he hit about 300 pounds (his scale only went up to 280) — also presents an optimistic view — one much needed, given the alarming stats.
"My own experience gives credibility to the fact that people can change," Huckabee told CNN.
Well, in my humble opintion, we need lots of optimism like that and equally ample motivation, because, as CNN pointed out, about two of every three American adults, and more than one in six children and adolescents are considered overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What’s more, some 31 percent or 60 million people in the U.S. are now obese — they have a Body Mass Index of 30 or more, according to Dr. Cynthia Ogden, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As news accounts warn repeatedly, if you’re overweight, you increase your risk of getting type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, sleep apnea, respiratory problems and some cancers.
"A study released last year by the National Institutes of Health suggests average life expectancy could decline by nearly five years if the rising rates of obesity cannot be curbed," CNN reports.
"Costs attributed to overweight and obesity accounted for 9.1 percent of total U.S. medical expenditures in 1998, according to a study cited by the CDC. The costs may have been as high as $78.5 billion — $92.6 billion in 2002 dollars."
Read CNN’s interesting article.
Then, please take some action. Here are some ideas of how you could lose weight to increase your health, get more energy, and scale back the threat of all many diseases and conditions.
- Join my free, online KickSugar group for some support. (Cutting out sweets or at least cutting back on them and getting your blood sugar under control could help you lose weight.)
- If you eat when under stress, sign up for this Tuesday’s Don’t Mess With Stress™ tele-seminar with stress-management expert Jill Baron, M.D. (We’re offering replays/MP3s of the course so you can re-use these relaxation techniques over and over again.)
- Join Weight Watchers, Overeaters Anonymous or another weight-loss support group.
Please, I urge you, if you’re among the overweight or obese, do something! Is eating all those sweets, quickie carbs and fast foods worth living a shorter life?