Overweight is not healthy!

The editors at Cosmopolitan should hang their heads in shame for promoting this message on the cover of their magazine. It may be the only message people see.

Health is what ever you want to call it? No, health is not what ever you want to call it my friends. Being overweight is not a healthy state of being. Slipping into obesity is an even worse state of health. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but we are not entitled to our own facts. The fact is, when we are overweight, we may appear somewhat healthy in the moment. But, it will not take much to push us over the edge in due time. The health implications of being overweight catches up with everyone at some point, no matter what Cosmopolitan would have you believe.

Before anyone begins to accuse me of fat shaming, you must know that is not my intent. I have been fat, and I have dedicated myself to helping others in overcoming their weight problems. At David’s Way to Health and Fitness, we dedicate numerous hours per week studying and researching issues. We write to educate people who have weight problems. This is a labor of love from the heart and not from a profit motive. I will never charge anyone a single cent to access David’s Way.

Being overweight, or obese brings about preventable health issues!

This simple fact above is not even arguable. It is a fact that is irrefutable, not an opinion that being overweight is not healthy. The idea that someone can be “fat and fit” but still healthy has been around for some time. But don’t be fooled by this malarkey. The science is quite clear that excess weight can carry considerable health risks, including a higher risk for heart attack and stroke. The denier is only placing themselves at greater risk of an early death when these facts are denied.  Excess weight can make you more susceptible to sleep apnea, joint pain, and arthritis and increase your resistance to insulin, which can lead to diabetes. These are scientific facts no matter who might tell you differently.

What if you are only a little overweight?

Is an extra 3 or 5 pounds a problem?

Well, of course an extra 3 to 5 pounds is not a problem to one who is at a healthy body fat percentage. That could just be water retention. The problems come when that 3 to 5 pounds become 30 to 50 pounds too heavy over time. And the heavier you go, the larger your problems will become. No one who is being intellectually honest can argue that overweight is healthy.

Obesity isn’t just a cosmetic concern. It is a medical problem that increases your risk of other diseases and health problems. It only takes being over your ideal body weight by 20% to be considered obese. If your ideal body weight is 150 pounds and you weigh 180 pounds, you are obese. Anyone more than 100 pounds over weight is considered morbidly obese.

Health Risks!

Overweight and obese people  are more likely to develop a number of potentially serious health problems, including:

• Heart disease and strokes. Obesity makes you more likely to have high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels, which are risk factors for heart disease and strokes.
• Type 2 diabetes. Obesity can affect the way your body uses insulin to control blood sugar levels. This raises your risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.
• Certain cancers. Obesity may increase your risk of cancer of the uterus, cervix, endometrium, ovary, breast, colon, rectum, esophagus, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney and prostate.
• Digestive problems. Obesity increases the likelihood that you’ll develop heartburn, gallbladder disease and liver problems.
• Gynecological and sexual problems. Obesity may cause infertility and irregular periods in women. Obesity also can cause erectile dysfunction in men.
• Sleep apnea. People with obesity are more likely to have sleep apnea, a potentially serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.
• Osteoarthritis. Obesity increases the stress placed on weight-bearing joints, in addition to promoting inflammation within the body. These factors may lead to complications such as osteoarthritis.
• Severe COVID-19 symptoms. Obesity increases the risk of developing severe symptoms if you become infected with the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). People who have severe cases of Covid-19 may require treatment in intensive care units or even mechanical assistance to breathe. (1)

Overweight is not healthy!

Sixteen years ago in 2005, the health care costs of obesity in the U.S. were estimated to be as high as $190 billion. Just imagine where those costs are now in 2021.  This includes money spent directly on medical care and prescription drugs related to obesity.

But obesity has other costs associated with it, too, among them, the cost of lost days of work, higher employer insurance premiums, and lower wages and incomes linked to obesity-related illnesses. Countries with lower obesity rates than the U.S. spend a smaller share of their healthcare dollars on obesity, but the burden is still sizable. Perhaps one of the most surprising consequences of the current obesity epidemic in the U.S. is its impact on recruitment for the armed services, with data showing that close to 30 percent of young people in the U.S. are now too heavy to qualify for military service. Apart from tobacco, there is perhaps no greater harm to the collective health in the U.S. than obesity.

I cannot even begin to fathom the reasoning behind Cosmopolitan magazine promoting overweight people on their cover as being healthy. Obesity is an epidemic disease that threatens to inundate our precious health care resources. If you think you may be obese, and especially if you’re concerned about weight-related health problems, see your health care provider. You and your provider can evaluate your health risks and discuss your weight-loss options. Setting realistic weight-loss goals is an important first step to losing weight.

Childhood Obesity’s Effect on Bone and Joint Health

Check out our our plan here at David’s Way to Health and Fitness. It is not complicated at all and is really nothing more than a common sense approach to nutrition. I guarantee that anyone who tries our methodology will lose weight, and then keep it off. Best of all, we charge nothing to anyone to follow our methodology, we are entirely free to all.

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(1) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-20375742