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By Devvy Kidd
June 4, 2003
NewsWithViews.com
The electronic and print media these days is filled with articles and programs warning Americans about what has become a very serious health crisis: a fat nation. Most people are sensitive about their weight, so when I decided to write this article, the question arose in my mind: Should I tell it like it is, even if offends someone or should I sugar coat the truth? Considering just how bad the problem has become, I feel it's in the best interests for the people of this country to get it straight: America is suffering from a bad case of gluttony.
There are certain medical conditions that cause individuals to gain weight, i.e. thyroid problems. Also, the dangerous birth control pill adds the pounds, as does the onset of menopause. Most women are so uneducated about the human body, they simply have no way to understand how to keep it in good working condition when life's normal changes begin.
Most medical problems (except breaking your leg skiing) are caused from poor nutrition and deplorable eating habits.
It isn't just about 'looking good'
Only God is perfect and I certainly have my faults. However, being overweight isn't one of them. I'm not one of those rare individuals who can simply 'eat anything' anytime and never gain an ounce. Hardly. Later this month I will turn 54, but I only weigh seven pounds more than I did the day I graduated from high school. Yes, I'm a mom, but bearing a child should not be the big excuse for letting your body go to fat.
The high cost of gluttony is financial as well as life threatening. In 2001, about 295,000 people died in the United States from obesity-related illnesses at a whopping estimated cost of $117 billion in health care. More than half our nation's population are well over their recommended weight; 20 per cent qualifying as obese. Sadly, about 14 per cent of teenagers and children are overweight. This is an unacceptable increase from the 70s when it was approximately 5 per cent. Pediatric diabetes is reaching epidemic rates.
Roughly 17 million Americans now have diabetes, a very serious disease which can damage the eyes, nerves, kidneys and cardiovascular system. About 90 percent of people living with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes, a devastating disease with potentially life-threatening complications. It doesn't stop there. Further complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, strokes, blindness, nerve damage, skin disorders and foot problems can also plague a person with diabetes.
Who is at great risk for diabetes? Overweight humans. My sister has it and she's been overweight all her life. My little sister is very overweight and with her getting ready to turn 40, she's a prime candidate to develop diabetes within a few short years. According to some industry estimates, more than 300,000 children now suffer from this disease. Their lives are made miserable by all the problems associated with the disease and the regimen they have to follow each day, i.e. insulin.
When a person is carrying around an extra 30-100 pounds, it does very bad things to the body. Being overweight puts extra weight on your feet and legs, causing a myriad of problems. All that fat choking your internal organs - especially your heart. Being fat makes even walking more than 50 feet a challenge: huffing and puffing, even though you don't smoke. The health problems just keep growing, plate by plate.
Besides the medical problems associated with diabetes, children are teased by classmates and called names like 'fatso.' Fat and morbidly obese people feel the stares by those walking by who can't believe what they see. This in turn instills feelings of embarrassment, humiliation and inferiority complexes for those on the other end of this treatment.
Keeping the medical industry unnecessarily busy
The hospital ERs are full of the by-products of gluttony. Doctors offices are full of individuals who refuse to be responsible for their own health and guess who pays for all this? Those of us who feel it's our own personal responsibility to stay as healthy as we can and not become a burden to others. Yes, we do pay through taxes for Medicare, Medi-Cal and "free medical" within the states of the Union under welfare programs.
Yes, I do resent having to pay through various taxes and high health care premiums for other people's gluttony. I see them driving down the road in their mini-vans stuffing down burgers or ice cream and they're so fat, you can see their swollen hands and arms through the window. Then, when their excesses of food, booze and those little purple or blue pills destroy their bodies, off they go to the ER and health care costs continue to skyrocket. I realize there are other reasons why health care costs continue to rise, but America's gluttony is certainly feeding the system.
If that sounds harsh, it is meant to. There is no reason for most people to become fat except through their own actions. I travel more than most people and just returned from almost a month on the road: Sacramento to Washington, DC and back. As I drive instead of fly, I get a good eye full of everything along the way. Fat America is everywhere. I'm sorry if that sounds mean, but I see people coast to coast who are simply stuffing themselves when they know they're already overweight.
When I eat in restaurants, I see people with the rolls hanging, eating all the wrong foods. They eat and eat and eat and then waddle or roll out the front door. While purchasing gasoline, I observe overweight individuals sucking up the sodas, chips and doughnuts. I haven't consumed ten "soft" drinks in my entire life. I see their children from kindergarten age to teens, not with a little 'baby fat' here and there, but fat children and teen age girls whose bellies look like jiggling Jell-O. All I see are people with future health problems and I find it very sad because it doesn't have to be that way.
You can't fight back if you're unhealthy
Being five or ten pounds overweight isn't the problem. All of us have our weight fluctuate here and there for one reason or another and I'm no exception to the rule. However, if I see the scale move upward the day after Thanksgiving, I know what I have to do to make sure it doesn't continue to move in that direction. It's called self-control.
We the people who understand the truth about the agenda of the one worlder's are being taxed with our time as never before. Our efforts to stop this tyrannical government require our time, energy and financial resources. However, you can't be a good warrior if you're unhealthy. All you become is a burden to yourself, your family and an already overburdened health care industry.
How well would we have done in the wars America has fought if our soldiers all looked like Humpty Dumpty? Well, the answer is obvious. If we are to be effective warriors in our quest for freedom, we also have to make sure we treat our bodies with respect and stay healthy. You can't be an effective freedom fighter if you're constantly trying to cope with health problems, not to mention that your quality of life is lousy.
You can win this weight war
Are you someone who is overweight by more than 20 pounds and really wants to get healthy? If you are, you can do it. It isn't easy and that's the number one reason why so many people fail at trying to get back to a healthy weight: it takes commitment and work. Sadly, too many Americans today suffer from a bad case of infantilism. If they can't have their way, they pout and give up. Instead of pushing themselves away from bad food, like a child, they will sit there and stuff themselves like a glutton.
I have studied the health issue and the alternative health industry for more than a decade. My interest in staying healthy became a way of life long, long ago. Your body is your temple. It houses the brain and the very organs needed to be alive. All these components should be treasured and treated with care. If you feed your body garbage, it will become garbage.
Today we have a nation drowning their bodies in "recreational" drugs and booze (including beer) that wreck those very vital mechanisms. We have a nation doping themselves into oblivion for every little "crisis" or to "make them feel good." Another prime example of infantilism and our population's inability to face the real world any longer. Decades of conditioning to mother government has turned a frightening percentage of Americans into little more than children who can't cope.
While the "fast food" industry employs a lot of Americans, you cannot make the case that the food fare from any of these outlets is healthy. Junk food, as well as processed foods, are poison to your body. Again, these products are manufactured here in America and a lot of people's jobs depend on consumers continuing to stuff themselves with them. However, that doesn't make it good for America.
Processed foods (Rice-A-Roni, pre-packaged "TV dinners" or Hamburger Helper) have no nutritional value whatsoever. You might as well throw hog slop on your dinner table. It's very difficult anymore for working women to set a dinner for their family that consists of fresh vegetables and entrees that are the best for the body. They get up at 5:00 in the morning, get the kids off to school, go sit in commute traffic, go sit in an office all day, rush home, throw something on the table and are ready to pass out by 9:00 pm, only to face the same routine the next day. The result is all around us: overweight families.
Eating healthy does take effort. It does take more time to make a nice salad than it does to plop KFC or pizza on the table. It does take time to learn about carbs vs fat calories. It does take time to learn why plain white bread is worthless to your body. But, the long term benefits far outweigh the effort in my humble opinion. You make the time for what's important.
I also wonder: Where are people's pride? Don't they care anymore how bad they look with those big bellies hanging out there? Don't they really look at their teenage daughters wearing the latest low rider jeans and immodest tops with jiggling fat for all to see? Can't parents see their 12 year old son who looks like a Good-year blimp and realize how tragic it will be just a few years down the road when the results of gluttony and poor eating habits kick in?
Each individual, once they decide to get healthy, will find what works for them and what doesn't. I would respectfully offer up some suggestions to those who really want to get healthy:
Don't buy bigger clothes. Throw out every bit of processed food in your house. Do not eat at fast food joints unless you can get a salad, but watch out for the salad dressing! It probably has more fat calories than the fries. Read the label on the products you buy. Learn how your body works - do the research.
There isn't enough space to go into a complete breakdown of my own personal health regimen. But, since I get so many inquiries, I'm considering adding a new section to another web site I own (www.devvy.net) that will give helpful information and research.
You don't have to diet and in my humble opinion, a person should never take diet pills. You don't need them. You just need to learn to eat properly, understand how your body works and your weight will remain stable.
Learn to learn to eat right and stop abusing your body. You don't gain a hundred pounds overnight and you're not going to lose it overnight. It takes time for your body to make adjustments.
In closing, if you are having a problem with your weight, I sincerely hope you will make the commitment to get healthy. Your body doesn't have to be a toxic waste dump. Good health is your greatest wealth and six months to a year down the road when you see and feel the benefits of all your hard work, you'll wonder why you didn't get started earlier!
� 2003 Devvy Kidd - All Rights Reserved
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Devvy Kidd is the founder and Director of POWER (Project on Winning Economic Reform). Has been a guest on more than 1500 radio shows, given hundreds of speeches and has run for Congress twice. Sales of her little booklets, "Why A Bankrupt America" and "Blind Loyalty" sold close to 2,000,000 copies. Devvy is a contibuting writer for www.NewsWithViews.com �Devvy's web site is: www.devvy.com�E-Mail: wallace@devvy.com
"If that sounds harsh, it is meant to. There is no reason for most people to become fat except through their own actions. I travel more than most people and just returned from almost a month on the road: Sacramento to Washington, DC and back. As I drive instead of fly, I get a good eye full of everything along the way. Fat America is everywhere."