IS OBESITY THE CONCERN OF THE GOVERNMENT?

Whose responsibility is it to solve problems? Most people in our day look to the government to take the lead in solving all of life’s problems. This is because the money expended is not personal to those advocating government involvement. They must think that government needs to be bigger.

There was a recent article in the newspaper about obesity rates going up in many states. The data was gathered from a survey of height and weight conducted by state health departments by telephone. Question, what was asked in this survey? How tall are you and how much do you weigh? My response to that would have been none of your business. That is personal information, not for public consumption.

Apparently some people must have answered these personal questions and from this those calculating the rates were able to see that the numbers were up for 2004-2006 from 2003-2005. How accurate are the calculated obesity rates? It is at best a very poor estimated guess. Of course, these are the things that government policy thrive upon.

These obesity rates are being called a public health crisis. Because of this, there are those who are wanting the government to take a larger role in preventing obesity. This means more government funds allocated to obesity. The ultimate goal backing the call for government involvement is socialized medicine. The thought is the government must take to policing people’s eating habits upon itself. A new department will have to be instituted called the Federal Food Police (FFP).

This police force will be put in place to monitor obese people from eating too much. The government is to now take away the responsibility of obese people from eating too much. The government is to step in and take the role of a parent because these people are incapable of controlling themselves.

Government intervention for obesity is unnecessary. Our weight is our responsibility. Who best to control our eating habits than ourselves and at no cost to the taxpayer.

Is obesity a health problem? The answer is affirmative. When someone is obese it taxes their heart. The heart must pump harder because of the extra weight. This means that it will shorten its useful life. Diabetes and other diseases are prevalent among the obese. When they seek treatment for their ailments, it does drive up health costs.

Does something need to be done to combat obesity? The answer is again, yes. Weight loss is a matter of simple math. If you take in more calories than you expend, you will gain weight. The key to losing weight is to take in less calories. Obesity can also be linked with being inactive. Physical exercise is a must for anyone desiring to lose weight.

As I have gotten older, my weight has increased to a level that I could no longer accept. I exercise regularly but I realized that I had to cut my calorie consumption, as well. I have lost 16 pounds over the last three months. I want to lose 7 to 12 more pounds. The key here is to lose weight gradually. This helps to keep the weight off for good.

There are many physical activities that someone can do. I prefer running and weight lifting. I have had many people tell me that they cannot run for various reasons. I tell them that walking is good exercise. As with all exercise programs, begin small and work your way up. Exercise does a myriad of things for us. It improves our mental as well as physical health. After exercising, you will feel much happier and more alive.

Obesity and lack of exercise go hand in hand. One will cause the other. Many people’s employment is not related to physical labor. Therefore, they are sedentary and this will cause weight gain. This can be remedied by exercise.

Let us be quite honest and frank. Obesity is also caused by a lack of discipline or self-control. They do not regulate their food intake. If they see something, to eat it they eat it. Besides learning to do push ups, they should learn to do push outs. Okay now, push out from the table. Do not take that extra piece of pie. Eat more nutritious food. Do not take that extra scoop of ice cream with chocolate topping and nuts. The key here is learning to be moderate in eating.

Let’s face it, eating is an emotional experience. The obese live to eat and not eat to live. People eat too much for emotional reasons rather than health. They find comfort in food. It makes them feel better about themselves for a short period. The emotional aspect of food is what will have to be broken if obesity rates are to plummet.

There has been more of an acceptance of obesity in our day. This is because there has been a change in theology. The Bible teaches self-control and moderation. The world teaches indulgence and instant gratification. These two systems are at odds. If obesity rates are increasing, then we see who is winning the battle at this point.

Since there are health risks associated with obesity, the obese will have to pay higher health insurance premiums. Insurance is calculated on probabilities. The probability of obese people developing a health problem is very high. It is not a matter of if, but when.

Obesity rates are supposed to be higher in states that are considered to be the poorest. This is would be attributable to those buying cheaper food products that are boxed and those with high fat contents. Also, some of these people may not be health conscious. In other words, they do not understand cause and effect. They do not see a correlation between what you eat and your physical health. They may believe that going to a doctor makes you well and taking some medicine is what makes you healthy.

Medical professionals could play a key role for the obese. The problem here though is the medical profession, in general, does not teach prevention. To an extent, their livelihood depends upon treating sick people. Healthy people do not need a physician. There is not an incentive here for them to teach prevention.

If there is an obesity crisis, its solution is for individuals to take responsibility for themselves. This is not a function of government. Encourage yourself to take steps in reducing your weight if you need to.