Obesity Now a Disease? WHAT?

The American Medical Association has deemed that obesity is now classified as a disease. 35% of adults and 17% of teens are now considered obese in America, but I am having a hard time understanding why a side effect of unhealthy living (weight gain) which brings with it the onslaught of disease such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. is being labeled a disease by itself.

With this classification, the doors swing wide open for surgeries, diets, drugs and other extreme measures to be recommended for people who are obese including lap band surgery, liposuction, prescription drugs and unhealthy and extreme fad diets. All of these methods are a short term solution to a long term issue. When are we going to talk about the ELEPHANT in the ROOM? Obesity is 100% preventable and it is reversible based on our lifestyle.

So if insurance companies start providing options for things like lap band surgeries and liposuction or extreme diets, HOW IN THE WORLD is this addressing the core issue which is LIFESTYLE? You know, drinking water instead of soda, eating whole foods instead of processed, making a dinner at home with your family versus drive thru's? At what point are we going to STEP UP and take personal responsibility for the state of our health and the health of our families?  Oh, WAIT, because there is a HUGE DOLLAR sign on obesity already, but now it's a disease! Look at ALL THE MONEY that can be made now with new drugs and surgeries and therapies.

My husband and I make decisions everyday on what to eat (or whether to eat) breakfast, I make decisions on what goes in my cart at the grocery store, I make decisions on whether to spend my time watching TV or taking a walk or jog, I make decisions on whether to feed my emotions or deal with my emotions. Food doesn't climb up me and jump in my mouth. Food doesn't knock on my door and when I open the door, it flies into my cupboards. Until we start supporting people in taking personal responsibility, holding them accountable for their own life and health and helping them deal with emotional and physical food addictions, this is the beginning of a battle that will never be won but it will destroy millions.

There is over 60 billion dollars spent on diets, yearly. As a society we are getting fatter, more depressed, more medicated and more disconnected from our bodies. Two-thirds of people that go on a diet fail and gain even more weight. This approach is a band aid to a deeper issue. We are passing these beliefs and patterns to the next generation that will suffer from diseases in their teens and early twenties instead of their fifties and sixties.

It's time to stop listening to the lies about diets and surgeries and drugs and what they are promising. Instead of getting wrapped up in the outcome they are promising, look to your day to day choices. Our health is based on what we do MOST of the time, not what we do SOME of the time. The journey doesn't need to be perfect, but it needs to be headed in the right direction.

I love what I do. I love the way I live. I love what I eat. I spent too many years of my life wondering if this was all there was to life...gaining and losing weight and obsessing over a body that I wish I had. There is freedom and a solution available and it's not found in a diet or a pill, it's within yourself. If you uncover your potential, nourish the amazing body you have been given and heal the brokenness of the past and present, it is possible to reflect on the outside the amazing person you are on the inside. For more information on how to take this journey, check out The Healthy Edge or contact support@getthehealthyedge.com and request to talk to someone about how to take the first step.