231114 Extra Pounds

No shame, no blame.

Here are the facts in America: 39,6% of adults are obese; 31,6% are overweight and 7.7% are severely obese. Add that together and 78,9% of us are endangering their health.

The reason for this is multifold. This has its origin way back during the great depression. People were hungry, starving in many cases. That was followed by WW-2 when food was rationed. After the war rationing ended and food was plentiful,people had become used to eating less, so things were okay. As late as the early 60s we were a trim nation overall. Then came the “All you can eat” restaurants and people flocked to them. Regular restaurants had to keep up with the competition and they did. Now we have triple cheeseburgers with bacon and french fries in combo meals. I don’t deny that they are delicious, but we are packing in too many calories and living in sedentary lifestyles. Humans love salt and sugar and there is plenty of that available with snacks and fries and cheeseburgers with greasy bacon. Fast foods and sugary treats along with processed foods are a recipe for putting on too many pounds, clogged arteries and the sedentary lifestyle. Diabetes and heart disease can follow in lockstep with the foods mentioned above.

I admit to falling into everything I have mentioned in the paragraph above. I was 45 pounds over my ideal weight until Joyce had her first brain aneurysm and spent 2.5 months in hospital and rehabilitation. I worried every day that she might die or not fully recover. I didn’t eat, I spent every day in the hospital or rehab facility. I didn’t sleep well. When Joyce came home I had to take care of her 24/7 for another few months until she could walk by herself again. That’s when I lost all those 45 pounds. That is not a recommended way to lose weight, but it sure worked.

I don’t eat much these days, nothing tastes good to me. I do eat a balanced diet and get my exercise daily. If I overeat, I have digestion problems. So I eat 4 small meals a day, never fill a plate and consume more vegetables than meat. I am currently 141 pounds, 20 pounds lower than ideal weight for my height, but I feel better and can get around and still keep active. I do not recommend eliminating all fats from one’s diet. Our brain runs on fat, so we need some in our system, just not too much for the rest of our body.

I don’t claim to be any expert on anything, least of all health. I am merely passing on what I have read and believe to be true. What others do with their bodies is their business; I neither shame them or applaud them. I am what I am and I don’t mean to criticize anyone.