Katie Woodall
English 1010
Jeff Greenwell
7/30/13
Disease of Fat
The world’s worst epidemic is not just starvation or diseases that cannot be cured, no, it is also the one thing that likes to sneak up slowly until you wonder how you got so big. Obesity likes to creep up on people like some hunter getting close to his prey and it is not ending. I for one am guilty of such a thing; I hardly eat any junk food but I don’t eat enough of the required vitamins and I have become one of those typical Americans that just sit there like a couch potato. A lot of Americans have this problem because it is just too easy to just sit there and watch our favorite shows or play our favorite games. There are many diets out there and many pills out there with some serious consequences. One that I have found that truly works, if you have the motivation and the patience, is Weight Watchers. We also have to realize that it is just too convenient to get something from a fast food place than it is to cook for ourselves and it has even affected our nation’s children, our bank accounts, and our very lifestyles.
American children are becoming more and more obese because of the environment their parents are setting for them. There was a story that a Weight Watchers counselor always seemed to tell at our meetings and it goes like this: “I was watching the Dr. Oz show and there was this child who weighed over two hundred pounds all because his parents ate fast-food for every meal; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was just so surprising to find that there is a child out there like that but it also got me thinking that we are products of our environment.” Our nation’s children are watching their parents make bad choices and find that it’s okay to make such a choice. As it is said in USA Today in an article by Nanci Hellmich, the percentage of how many of our children are obese is 31.7% and is probably still rising since this article was done in 2010. It all comes down to the fact that some of us adults are not in the position of being a good role model when it comes to our health. If we want children to change their eating habits we, in turn, must change our eating habits since children look up to the generation that gave them life.
We find ourselves wondering why our child is obese when we ourselves are healthy. Sometimes it is not our fault, I will admit that, it could be that something genetic is going on in their bodies that can or cannot be fixed. There are medications that should be prescribed as the Endocrine Society says that over the counter medicine (OTC) should be taken seriously and taken to a physician to consult on it. In my opinion I do not think OTC should ever be considered for a child unless a physician says that it is the only way for the child’s problem to go away if there is a fault in their genetic coding that makes them obese.
Now this becomes an endless cycle because our children are making poor choices and some of them do that for the rest of their lives. They have children and those children follow their parents who have been making poor choices for so long and thus obesity is transferred to one generation to the next. It has even gotten to the point where even children are not resistant to having a heart attack, which makes me scared to say the least. There is also the fact that our children are more likely to have diabetes than we did in our childhood days when playing outside was really the only entertainment we had. The other problem that it comes down to is that this generation is so spoiled that they do not even want to go outside anymore. They would rather play this video game, watch that movie, or just sit there and text. I mean really what ten year old needs a cell phone? It’s just ridiculous.
When it comes to our health care we Americans are spending about $147 billion a year in just obesity alone. Our insurance goes up since there are higher risks that someone who is obese is likely to die early because of all the health risks. In extreme cases we lose twelve years of lifespan. If I was someone that owned a company that could make a profit out of people’s health care I would want to get as much money as possible from the person that is taking twelve years off their lives because they are making poor choices; but because of politics I cannot do that so everyone suffers because I want that money. Because of this law we who are obese do not truly see the consequences of our actions from our wallets when it comes to health care because we are paying for someone else who is probably just as obese.
Our bank accounts are getting hit as well because of our habits of going out to eat over and over again. The price of food has gone up so our bills when it comes eating out is a lot higher than it would have been years ago. The access is easy but those that are just so used to eating out at a fast-food restaurant will go there every time and then wishing for just one meal even though they do not have any money in their accounts. A lot of people have become addicted to just eating out just like a druggy. It all comes down to the fact that this, is that we are products of our environment. There is a fast-food restaurant on almost every corner and a gas station full of junk that we just cannot get avoid. We find ourselves at crossroads as we buy and buy and then consume it as a lustful pleasure. As I keep telling myself in a spiritual thought (even though it hardly ever works) food is a fleeting pleasure. It fills you up and then you feel it in your wallet and that pleasure you have experienced is gone until your next meal or the next day.
We also spend a lot of money at the gym; one that I would never recommend is the Gold’s Gym. We spend so much on it and like me, they are just too lazy to even go. We find ourselves spending a lot of money on surgery as well that many experts say should be a last resort, but a lot of us do not listen since we want a quick fix. Which is where all the phony diets come in to our society that do not fix the problem but enable the obese Americans. We have diet companies bringing out pills, meals, and quick fix promises that cannot truly be made without harming your body’s chemistry. If we lose too much weight too fast we end up getting gallstones, or we end up fainting at all the wrong moments because our bodies just cannot compensate with the fact that all its ‘reserves’ are suddenly disappearing so quickly. So all this money is wasted with the fact that our behaviors are not changing and we just keep throwing money at it hoping for a quick fix to our situation.
Now we look at our lifestyles. To the obese person it is just eating junk and buying bigger clothes. We lose our confidence and we end up staying inside where we just get fatter. It is a never ending cycle that can only end when that individual says,“no more!” and does something about it. I would recommend Weight Watchers even though it is a profitable business it works since they do not say eat our products and you will be healthy or take this pill and you will lose weight. They bring out the truth. They tell you that it is not up to them to change your mind it is up to you and they are just a motivation.
They give you the tools to help you and it is up to you to be accountable for your actions and use those tools. Yes, it costs money but it works as long as you work for it. They keep telling you it takes time, that it is not easy. They give you the motivation through people that have gone through the program. My counselor is one of them that has gone through the program four times before she got it into her head that she needs to keep going at it. Once you get to your ideal weight you still have those cravings because of the environment we live in. We have to work at it, and the first step is changing our behaviors and our way of looking at our lifestyles and what we need to change. We cannot just get a quick fix since that will not stop us from having that bite of a cheeseburger or a piece of delicious cheesecake. We also need to realize that diet drinks do not promote weight loss but just the opposite. There is also a surprising habit that can bring us to gaining weight; lack of sleep. It has been scientifically proven that sleep can help you lose weight. All the big things end up being classified as little things in our minds and we end up wondering how we got so big.
As was stated in a letter by the President of the Obesity Society, “I am elated by the decision of the AMA to designate obesity as a disease.” Now, I know what you are thinking if you are overweight like I am: “A disease? I have a disease? I need to find a cure for it right away.” That bit of information changes your mindset as you start to reexamine your lifestyle but the only problem is, as I pointed out before, that there are those that will prey on you. These people, like every other sick deviant, wants a quick buck as much as you want a quick fix to your health problems. They scam you out of your money every month, every year, and still you do not get the results you want. Some of the scams even have celebrities telling you how it works and how much they lost. On the other hand, you have Weight Watchers, where the people that work there have been in your situation. They understand what it is like and they were doing just fine without Jenifer Hudson and Jessica Simpson. Their program works because they are not just selling products that their company would like you to buy they are giving you tips, helping you keep strong on your hard journey, and giving you challenges to keep you going.
It is an eye opener though, thinking of obesity as a disease and then looking at your stomach. It is scary since a lot of people did not listen before it became a disease. People were eating whatever they wanted and did not care that they might end up with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or might end up having a heart attack. Even depression goes into the mix and that is just an endless cycle of self-loathing as we end up eating a whole cake or chocolatejust to make ourselves feel better only to make it worse.
So as I end this elaborate speech. I hope you will take it in consideration that we must try harder to take care of ourselves as is our individual right.Though I will leave you with a food for thought that was pounded into me by my religion, “Our bodies are Temples and we shouldn’t put graffiti on it.” I implore you if you are in the same situation as I am to research. Research as much as your brain can take and then make that life changing step. For as I stated: obesity effects our children, our wallets, and our lifestyle. It’s time to grab that fool in those damn food commercials and say, “I’m not happy at all!” Because it comes down to this fact: are you happy? Are you truly happy with the way people look at you or how you look at yourself? Food is just a temporary pleasure.
Work Cited
“Combating Obesity” Obesity in America. The Endocrine Society, n.d. Web. 18 Jul 2013 (
Grill, Harvey J. “Message from the President” The Obesity Society. The Obesity Society, 26 Jun 2013 Web. 18 Jul 2013 (
Hellmich, Nanci “U.S. Obesity Rate Leveling Off, at About One-Third of Adults.” USA Today. USA Today, 13 Jan 2010 Web. 18 Jul 2013 (
Hendrick, Bill “Percentage of Overweight, Obese Americans Swells” WebMD. WebMD, 10 Feb 2010. Web. 18 Jul 2013 (
Rifkin, Beth “What are the Main Causes of Obesity in America Today?” LiveStrong. The LiveStrong Foundation, 11 Jan 2010. Web. 18 Jul 2013 (
Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers. Utah, West Jordan. . Lecture.