Posted by Constance D'Angelis
 

OVERWEIGHT? Hurts your health - Take Charge 

73.7%  of Americans are overweight or obese.That is more than 2 in 3 adults. A startling statistic! I will refer to this statistical information as the “overweight syndrome” in this article. 

This overweight syndrome is known to cause or promote: 

• High blood pressure (Hypertension)

• High bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and low good cholesterol

• Diabetes

• Coronary heart disease

• Stroke

• Gallbladder disease

• Osteoarthritis

• Sleep apnea and breathing problems

• Cancers such as breast, colon, kidney, gallbladder, uterine and liver

• Mental illness: clinical depression, anxiety, and others

• Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning

Heart disease and stroke are the the first and third most common causes of death. Cancer is the second leading cause of death of Americans.

Diabetes contributes to these statistics, and about 80 percent with diabetes are overweight. (CDC - Centers for Disease Control data)

The medical costs are over $150 Billion per year. That’s Billion with a “B”

The annual nationwide productive losses of overweight absenteeism are about $10 billion ($200 per individual)

Many overweight Americans don't know they could change their lives if they attained a healthy weight. 

Don’t be one of the Americans who don’t know.  Come to the Health Fair on April 28th from 7 - 11 a.m. at the High School.

 
 
 
My friend, Charlotte, didn't know. She asked her doctor, “Am I morbidly obese?" At 300lbs, what could he say? "Yes, I'm afraid you are." He was thrilled to hear that she wanted to do something about it, so he asked her to describe an average meal. She said she really liked the cheeseburgers at Burger King, because they were flame broiled. She would normally eat one with a small order of fries and a diet coke. 
 
He was very kind. The first thing he thought she should know is her average
meal included more calories than she should have in a whole day. The second thing he told her was to stop with the diet coke, "just have the regular sugar soda, if you have to drink soda."
 
She followed the doctors orders and lost over 100 lbs. At 180lbs, she feels like she looks great, which she does, comparatively speaking. She still drinks a lot of soda, but not diet. In fact, she stopped the diet soda right away, as per his advice, and while she went through physical therapy, mindful eating and an exercise program to lose all the weight, she thought cutting out the diet soda did more for her health than anything else.
 
9Health Fairs offer weight assessments, testings and education. Our lifesaving blood tests are a great way to ward off potential problems. 
 
Come to the High School on April 28 from 7 to 11 a.m. Get a whole battery of tests for a minimal cost of $35, free blood pressure check and education.
 
Be a volunteer
 
If you have a working brain and a good attitude, you’ll be perfect! Special skills? You could contribute in a particular capacity. Contact Constance: text/call (813) 373-8004, email 7LawsofHealth@gmail.com