We have always been a nation of excess and current times are no exception.  Many of us have cars that are too fast, houses that are too big, clothes that we’ll never get around to wearing and so forth.  While this type of excess might be cannon fodder for future article, by myself and others, having too much of anything usually has no direct relationship to a person’s good health or lack of same.  There is, however, one exception to that statement and it’s an exception of huge proportions (no pun intended).

To see what I mean, you need only take a short trip to your local mall or supermarket.  Once there, forget the many items which are so attractively displayed for sale and look at the people….really look at the people.  Many of them are greatly overweight.

As a nation we are plagued by obesity and according to recent studies, the problem is getting worse, not better.  OK, now that you’ve taken a good look at the people, take in a few other sights.  It was no accident that I asked you to visit your local mall or supermarket to see the fat of the land.  At the supermarket look at some of the foods on the shelf and read the labels.  You'll find many are heavily loaded with fat and calories and very little food value.  The problem is, most of these types of foods taste great.  We crave them and love to eat them for no other reason than we love the way they taste.

As for the mall, take a walk through the food court that sits in a prominent place in most malls.  There you’ll see fast food places of all types.  You can find your fill of hamburgers, fries, milk shakes, pizza, donuts, cookies and other fat laden dishes.  You’ll also see that most of these businesses have no lack of customers as lines of hungry patrons wait their turn to order.

Bad enough that we have so many overweight adults in this country, we are now plagued with an ever growing number of overweight children and teens.  High blood pressure, once the strict domain for older adults, is now creeping into our younger, overweight population, fueled by a diet of fast food and an exercise schedule of video games.  Consider this.  A McDonald’s Extra Value Meal consisting of a Quarter Pounder with cheese, a super sized order of fries and a super sized coke contains 1,550 calories and is loaded with fat.  There is a straight line on the medical chart from super sized  fries to super sized people.  In essence, many of our citizens are eating themselves into an early grave, not to mention a poorer quality of health while they are alive.

I can hear it now as some of you read this and say, "Probably written by some skinny little guy who never weighed more than a few pounds all his life.  What does he know?"  Oh my, if only that were so.  Not quite six months ago I weighed the most I’d ever weighed in my life.  My slacks wouldn’t fit, my suit and sports coats wouldn’t button, most of my shirts were too tight and I was an overweight mess who, like many, was eating my way into a shorter life.  The fact that I had bypass surgery a few years ago only served to increase my health risk due to being overweight.  I got mad one night getting ready to go out with my wife, because everything hanging in my closet seemed too small.  That was 24 weeks ago and since then I have lost 30 pounds, my slacks and sport coats fit fine (in fact, one coat is now a bit too large) and I have casual pants to wear (some. almost new) that I haven’t been able to get into in several years.  Has it been easy to lose 30 pounds?  Not at all as I try to eat between 1,200 and 1,500 low far calories per day instead of the excess of 3,000 calories a day I used to get.  I’ve found low fat foods that taste good, are filling and are either good for you or at least are not bad for your weight and health.  I’m not through losing and plan to drop still another five to ten pounds.  Once there, I will need to eat a diet of no more than 1,800 to 2,000 low fat calories per day, coupled with some regular exercise, to maintain my weight.  My body (and mind) are now trained to accept less food in a day. Many people diet with the thought that as soon as they lose the desired amount of weight, they can go back to their old eating habits.  NOT SO!!  Long term success requires that you change your eating habits for good.  It’s not easy but the results are more than worth the effort.

I’m just one person who has faced their overweight condition and started to do something about it.  Many others have done the same.  I love to eat and, like most, I love rich fatty foods.  However, I find, that I love weighing less even more.

Every person is different and must find their own sensible way to lose weight and keep it off.  The over-the-top claims of infomercials aside, quick weight loss fad diets or weight loss supplements never work and often cause a person to gain back more weight than they lost.  Find what works for you and make it a way of life.  If you have overweight kids, work with them so they may learn how to eat better and live longer. 

Here's a piece of advice that may seem quite strange in light of my previous remarks.  All I can say is, "It works for me."  Once a month, go out and eat whatever food it is that you love and then go back to your sensible way of eating.  That’s right, go off your healthy eating style for one meal a month.  My wife (who has also lost a significant amount of weight) and I do exactly that (last month it was Mexican food with a margarita).  That one meal a month doesn’t hurt our overall weight that much and it does wonders for our sense of well being.  Mind you, do this once a month, not two or more times a month.

Since losing weight, my blood pressure is down, my resting heart rate has dropped to 60, my cholesterol is down, my energy is up and my clothes fit better than they have in a long time.  All in all, not a bad trade-off for some Extra Value Meals, a couple of pizzas and a bag of donuts.

Finally, let me make a statement which will not be at all popular with most overweight people and may not set well with some of you who are not overweight.  Without any attempt to be rude I must express my belief that the large majority of people who are overweight are that way for two simple reasons.  They eat too much and exercise too little.  To be sure, there is a very small minority of people who are overweight due to some medical problem and whose weight has no bearing on how much they do or do not eat.  They have my best wishes that, working with their doctor, they can gain control of their condition.  For the rest of us, however, the problem is caused simply because we stuff too much of the wrong kind of food into our faces on a daily basis.  Solve that problem and you'll live longer and have a more productive life.  Fail to solve the problem and you won’t.  In most cases, it’s really that simple.

©2002 by Ken Kreps.  This article may not be re-published in electronic or print media without the express written permission of the author.  All Rights reserved.