With the world’s obsession with weight being a constant factor in everyday life, it is not surprising that the ever-increasing problem of obesity is an epidemic that is continually scrutinised. An issue that has gradually worsened throughout the last 40 years and is continuing to affect two-thirds of the population in the UK, the need to repress obesity is more crucial than ever.
In a study in which formerly obese people were interviewed, virtually all of them said that they would rather be blind, deaf or have a leg amputated than be obese again. This drastic declaration shows the extent of the public’s desire to be slim and yet, in the UK, 60.8% of adults and 31.1% of children are still obese. To add to this distressing statistic, as many as 30,000 people die prematurely every year from obese-related conditions with the problem is growing rapidly. Experts predict that if the current rate of growth continues, three-quarters of the population could suffer the ill effects of excess weight within 10-15 years.
Recently, the shocking issue of obesity has been made even more aware to the public through Channel 4’s programme “Embarrassing Fat Bodies”. Even the title suggests a sincere sense of negativity and demoralization towards the epidemic and if you allow yourself to delve further into the programme and you are faced with numerous sufferers dealing with unimaginable problems as a result of their excess weight. Examples include:
- A 33 year old woman whose fat pubis (the area above the genitals) is stopping her from enjoying her sex life)
- A 56 year old with an out-of-control appetite who has grown to weigh 36 stone and as a result can barely walk and standing for longer than 10 minutes reduces her to physical exhaustion
- A 19 stone woman who suffers from bladder and pelvic floor weakness known as incontinence
With these examples and the outrageous statistics in mind, you are often led to ponder just what causes people to become obese? Is it the overwhelming pressure to have a perfect figure? Is it all just too much for people to lose weight that they opt for the complete reverse simply because it’s easier? It is difficult to know, each case presents different reasons. Occasionally, it is a matter of illness, however the majority of the time it comes down to laziness and a lack of self control; the inability to limit the quantity of food ingested and increase the amount of exercise necessary.
So what does the public have to do to avoid this problem and improve the current situation? The answer is so simple: exercise regularly and eat healthily. It sounds too easy but simply by avoiding pre-cooked meals, takeaways and overly fatty foods and opting for the stairs instead of the lifts, you can keep the horrible issues that obesity causes at bay.
channel4embarrassingillnesses.com, bonewellness.com