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by Ann Major

Created on: March 06, 2010   Last Updated: June 10, 2010

Being more active is just a drop in the bucket and will not cure America of its obesity problem.  By the time a person has achieved obese proportions, the limbs no longer have mobility, the major organs are being taxed to the hilt, and being more active would actually be deleterious to one's health.  Before addressing the physical aspects of obesity/health, other issues need to be addressed.

Fat has a history.  Be forewarned, fat cells accumulated during a person's lifetime are there to stay.  Fat cells have memory, just like a computer.  Just because something is deleted, it is not necessarily gone. Fat cells hide in the body very much like bytes in cyberspace, just waiting to be reactivated at an opportune time.  That's why when a person loses weight for a short period of time, the potential to gain weight is possible, plus a few more pounds.

So before embarking on any kind of activity, an obese person must do a one-eighty degree turn, a complete overhaul of one's mental processes.  It was a lax lifestyle of convenience, laziness, instant gratification and even low self-esteem which has led a person to an obese state.  It will take a lifetime of commitment, dedication, and lots of hard work to get out of a love affair with food.

No kind of activity will help obesity if the reasons for eating are not addressed.  Like smokers and drinkers, overeating is linked to established eating habits.  Changing these habits will help one to not eat so much.  Knowing why one eats when one is feeling lonely, depressed, sad, angry, etc. will help channel these responses to elsewhere rather than always food to solve the problem.  Gaining more self-confidence and self-esteem through other channels will help curtail out-of-control eating habits.

Obesity cannot be addressed if the general populace knows so little about nutrition.  Even when we think we are eating right, we often self-sabotage ourselves because we know so little about how certain foods work in our bodies.  We need to be better, more informed consumers. 

Cigarette companies do not advertise the multiple chemicals added in a single cigarette; just as food manufacturers do not tell you about the fillers, additives, preservatives, coloring and flavorings used to enhance processed food aimed at creating food addiction.  Eating lots of sugar will in turn make the body crave more sugar.  Withholding sugar will actually make a body go into withdrawal, much like any drug addict.  Know this, and it will help in making better food choices and changes.

Again, commercialism has bested the obesity problem.  Buying into the concept of " bigger is better", we are sold the idea of super-sizing fast food to where the portions seems normal after a time.  Obese stomachs have gotten so used to gigantic portions, many have resorted to gastric bypass to cure there ills. 

High tech has also coerced the American population into a more sedentary lifestyle where anything can be had at the click of a mouse.  There is no need for physical activity.  At the same time, when things go at a faster speed because of innovations, more is being done at the workplace, producing more stress than the body can handle.  Even if eating is curtailed, stress hormones called cortisol puts the body into a "fight or flight" syndrome where energy and fat are conserved because the body thinks it is famine time.  So, take care of life's stresses and it will help in fat loss.

Exercising implies personal responsibility.  Having a "Big Brother" mentality in America where a government wants to take away your rights by telling you what you should eat or not eat; we begin to feel we no longer need to be responsible for the consequences created by obesity.  If there is a problem, the government will tell us what to do.  We want someone with more money and more power to look after our health when we have failed.

Sometimes, when one is trying to beat an addiction, one needs to stay away from enablers.  Enablers can be anyone from spouse to family, to friends who in social situations will encourage you to eat.  Eating is a social activity, just like smoking and drinking.  It's more fun to do similar things when one has company.  So break those habits if necessary, even if it includes staying away from those people for a while.

Once these factors have been examined, start your physical activity one step at a time.  The best program is "10,000 steps" which at the onset seems like an impossible feat.  Obese people can start with a few steps at time and add extra steps every day or every week.  This program is doable because it is flexible, easy, and can be done at any time.  The simplicity is you determine your goals.  You also determine the time frame to achieve this goal of 10,000 steps.  In this way, it is a start to cure America of its obesity problem.

Learn more about this author, Ann Major.
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