There are 3 reasons people can’t lose weight. it is easy to look at someone that is overweight and speculate why they are overweight. It is interesting to hear people talking about friends and family who are overweight. most overweight people re accused of being lazy, eats too much, not motivated and they just want someone to wait on them. What is funny about it is, many of the accusers are just as overweight or close. In 1996, I weighed 315 lbs. and was in a terrible physical place. At 36, my doctor that if I did not change my lifestyle, with my family history, I would probably have a stroke, heart attack, or be dead by 40. Talk about a wake-up call. I was floored!
I told my doctor that I didn’t know what to do. I had tried every diet in the world and nothing seemed to work. She said to me, “I will help you because I want to save your life. You have 1 week to decide if you are willing to do as I say so WE can save you.” The key here is the “we” and I will explain later what that meant. I knew in 2 days that I was up to the challenge because I did not want to die. I wasn’t brave, I was scared! In 18 months, I lost 105 lbs.
Reason #1- Low Energy
Let’s take on the accusations one by one. Here is the first of the 3 reasons people can’t lose weight. Overweight people are lazy. It may seem that way to the people on the outside, but to the person on the inside, it takes a lot of energy to move that big body from place to place. There are some overweight people that seem to have good energy, but it is the sheer force that they keep going because if they sit down, they may fall asleep due to fatigue. I remember at 36 walking up one flight of stairs, I had to sit on the top step to catch my breath. I would choose elevators or options to avoid wearing myself out. Carrying a hundred extra pounds is like asking a small adult to jump on your back as you move through the day. it can be tiring. While an overweight person may act like they have a lot of energy, their body is very tired. The weird thing is, the overweight person may not realize it either as it just seems normal to feel that way.
When I started moving, I can remember how hard it was to walk around my one-bedroom apartment. I could not imagine walking around the entire building. After a couple of weeks of walking around my apartment, I ventured out and could only walk halfway around the building. I continued to work at it and soon walked around the whole building. Later came the block, then a mile, and finally I was walking 5 miles without needing to stop. All I knew was, I needed to save my life for my daughters and I did it. Today at 60, I walk 3-5 miles every day, work out 3 times a week because I can. That was not always the case. To learn more check out https://stretchnrelease.com/2018/10/05/how-to-prepare-for-old-age/.
Reason #2- They Overeat
Overweight people love to eat everything. They just need to eat less. This is the second of the 3 reasons people can’t lose weight. At my worst, I ate a lot of food. More than I realized. The reality is, I loved eating food because it was better than moving. The truth is, our food industry has created a system that makes it difficult to stay thin. Keeping my weight in check has taken a lot of education and help from professionals that are not always available to everyone. When you study the origins of the American food pyramid, you will learn that it is flawed because it is based on studies that were flawed. In the ’50s and ’60’s our society was still reeling from the Great Depression. Most parents believed that grains were good for us. Grains were plentiful and cheap.
Over the years we have added sugars like high fructose corn syrup to our cereals, and processed foods which are very addictive. The grains are still very cheap when compared to fruits and vegetables so people with lower incomes can buy food with grains than fresh vegetables. Plus, big agriculture companies have been subsidized to keep the prices lower on grains instead of the subsidies going to farmers that raise fruits and vegetables. This has created a huge problem for the health of our people. The sugar in processed foods has increased the risk of Type 2 diabetes and is very addictive. Things like soft drinks, fast foods, cereals, and many other processed foods.
Education and availability of good food is the key to people reducing their weight and improving their health. For me, when the doctor told me, we were going to work on my brain and how I thought about food, everything started to change. Our families and culture can contribute too. I thought that the more I ate, the happier it made my mom and grandmother, not realizing at 36, I was still to please them even though I was not living with them. It is called a habit or tradition. I was fortunate enough to have access to the educational materials to learn how food affects my body and understand the information before me. I had access to fresh vegetables and fruits daily, which many Americans do not. It takes work and a drive to want to change. With the support of my doctor, I was able to achieve my weight loss. Not everyone has that support. Overweight needs support, not ridicule. The irony in my life, once I lost the weight, I met my wife, who happened to be a Registered Dietitian. How is that for irony!
Reason #3 Not Motivated
Most people think that overweight people are not motivated and want someone to wait on them. This is the third reason people can’t lose weight. It is like they think overweight people can’t see themselves in the mirror. I knew I was overweight and I wanted to lose weight but there seems to be little direction as to how. Most diet companies have a plan for you to lose 10, 20, 30 pounds of fat, but no plan to sustain the new weight. What do you do once you lose weight?
Without education, chances are you will re-gain the weight and then some. Look at people that have had gastric bypasses or their stomach stapled, think they are not motivated, yet most of them regain the weight. The reason is there is little support and education on maintaining a healthy weight. there is no money in it. People spend millions of dollars on diet programs and yet the obesity rate and Type 2 diabetes keep climbing. The motivation is there, the support is not. To make matters worse, the food industry is subsidized to produce cheap foods that are bad for our bodies. The sicker we get the healthcare industry gets richer. The drug industry gets richer.
There is a lack of motivation, but it is not just overweight people. The lack of motivation comes from the unwillingness to change how we produce and provide food. AS I learned more about food, I realized that the system was working against me. I was able to make that change with the help of my doctor. We need more doctors like her to help us.
Conclusion
Don’t mean to get on a soapbox here, but I know how hard it was for me to lose 105 lbs. I was lucky enough to have the support, availability of educational resources, and access to fresh food. Yes, I did have to self motivate, but without the support, education, and access, motivation would have been hard to sustain for a long period of time. To learn more go to https://www.musclerepairshop.com.
