Lose Weight, Live Healthy (eBook)

Chapter 1 Understanding the RelationshipBetween Weight and Health NITA WAS CONSIDERABLY OVERWEIGHT. Her young daughter Gaby was, too. Nita worked two jobs trying to make ends meet, often it was easier to pick up dinner at the local McDonalds than to try to cook at home. Nita disliked the taste of diet drinks and preferred drinking Classic Coke. Gaby went to a nearby grade school, which provided lunches, typical choices included corn dogs, chicken nuggets, chips, cookies, apples, and sweet drink options. Nita worried that Gaby had to walk back and forth to school, even though it was only a few blocks, because the neighborhood was known to be unsafe. She insisted that Gaby stay inside to play or do her homework. Gaby didn't have many friends at school, anyway-she was teased about her weight, and about her mother's weight. Nita's doctor told her that her blood pressure was high, as was her cholesterol, and that she needed to lose weight. Nita had tried diets before, but none worked. Recently, Nita had purchased an iPhone. She installed SparkPeople, a free application, or 'app,' to help her with weight loss. It provided access to support groups and information that helped her start a weight loss and healthy eating effort, she found the blogs and stories especially helpful. Nita also found help for budgeting and planning at www.betterbudgeting.com. As Nita began to change the way she shopped and cooked, her actions helped Gaby change her unhealthy habits as well. The Epidemic of Obesity Given that more than 60 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and that many health care professionals recommend weight loss to reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, finding ways to make weight loss, weight maintenance, and physical activity programs more widely accessible is a national health priority. Obesity is at epidemic proportions in the United States-indeed, in most Westernized countries. Since the mid-seventies, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased sharply in both adults and children. Data from two NHANES1 surveys covering more than two decades show that among adults aged 20-74 years the prevalence of obesity increased from 15.0 percent (in the 1976-1980 survey) to 32.9 percent (in the 2003-2004 survey).2 Today, two in every three adults aged 20 and over is overweight or obese, and one in every three children is. One of four adults meets the criterion for obesity-having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Excess body fat increases the risk of many diseases, as well as of premature death. Of course, weight is just one measure of health. People who are slimmer but don't exercise or eat nutritious foods aren't necessarily healthy just because they don't appear overweight. Excess body fat can be a killer for both those who are obese as well as for some who appear to be of average weight. Over the past decade, the Internet, smartphones, and other new communication technologies (e.g., personal digital assistants [PDAs], iPods, iPhones, podcasts, blogs, chat rooms, interactive video and television, computer-aided instruction) have experienced rapid growth as potential tools against a variety of health-related problems. Thousands of applications and programs now exist that provide health and fitness information, a means of monitoring food intake and activity levels, and feedback on reaching weight and exercise goals, many include options such as calorie counters, weight tracking, pedometers, and blood pressure monitors. Technology is beginning to provide help for those who are caught in the epidemic of obesity.