The Not-So-Good News

The news is in, and it's not good . . . there is more reason than ever to get to a healthy weight and then stay there!  Our health, and our lives, may depend on it.  An article published on November 4 was headlined, "H1N1 Poses Special Threat to Obese People."  The article reported "As with other studies, obesity appeared to play a significant role in the severity of disease. In the 268 cases of adults over 20 whose weight was known, 58 percent were obese, with a body mass index of over 30, and of these, 67 percent were morbidly obese, with a BMI of over 40."

Another article, published yesterday, reported that "Approximately 100,500 cancers occurring in the US every year can be attributed to excess body fat, according to estimates released today by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). The figure underscores the central role that overweight and obesity are now understood to play both in the development of cancer and in cancer survivorship, said researchers."

Ugh!  When I was hovering around 260 pounds, I hated hearing about all of the health dangers associated with obesity.  I hated how I looked and felt, and it seemed like adding insult to injury to remind me that I might also be killing myself because I couldn't figure out how to stop eating.  When I was finally diagnosed with diabetes a little over 4 years ago, the reality of the health risks of my obesity finally hit home.

The reality was that, whether I liked it or not, I was at risk for a host of health issues, and I'm thankful that my diabetes was diagnosed early, before it did damage.  I'm also incredibly thankful that my diabetes is completely gone, and I'm hopeful that if I continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle and normal weight, the diabetes will never return.

I've shared a lot about many of the joys I've experienced since reaching my goal, and having tangible benefits to weight loss is wonderful.  What I can't measure are the diseases I won't get because I'm no longer obese.  

There are days when staying on plan is hard.  There are days when continuing to deny ourselves our favorite foods just doesn't seem worth it.  The reality is that it IS worth it, perhaps more than we even know!

The choice is yours - choose wisely :-)