It is a widely recognized and acknowledged fact that the population of
most developed Western countries is getting fatter, and we are not
talking about a gradual increase here.
The number of people who are seriously overweight or clinically obese is
exploding all over the Western world.
Just as an example, the statistics page of the 'Weight-control
Information Network' quotes data from the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) which indicates that by the end
of 2004, around two thirds of adults in the USA were officially
overweight, and nearly one third were clinically obese. The situation has
already deteriorated significantly since then, so we really do have a
global crisis on our hands.
This explosion is placing a very heavy additional burden on the already
overworked and under resourced health services in a number of
countries.
At the same time, statistics over the past few years would strongly
suggest that the trend for citizens of most developed countries to get
fatter by the day is not likely to be reversed any time soon without
dramatic action.
Consequently, the strain on health services across the world is also
going to increase, which in turn means that the inevitable breaking
point is likely to be reached soon.
This means that if you are seriously overweight or obese, grabbing your
copy of 'Losing weight nature's way' is important, because this
represents a significant step forward in a couple of very important
ways.
Firstly, it indicates that you or somebody that is close to you - perhaps
a family member or other loved one - has a weight problem.
Furthermore, if the individual with the problem is you rather than
someone else, this also indicates that you have acknowledged your
problem, which is often the first and hardest step.
Secondly, the fact that you are reading this now indicates that you have
decided to do something about your weight problem, and that decision
represents a very significant shift in your way of thinking and attitude to
the shape that you are in.
I don't know many overweight or obese people who are happy with
their physical condition, but I do know plenty of people who are
seemingly content to put off their decision to start losing weight to
3
another day. Unfortunately for people like this, another day never
comes, either because they simply choose to ignore their problem or
because their weight problem is a primary factor that helps to kill them
off early.
I make no apology for putting it in such blunt, stark terms, because as
suggested, people who are significantly overweight or obese represent
an increasingly troublesome burden on global society.
The day when health services collapse under the weight of treating
people whose problems are generally a result of their own self-
indulgence and inability or unwillingness to curb their bad habits is not
far away if we don't start reversing the trend towards obesity very
soon.
I know that there are hospitals in the UK (which has a National Health
Service that is supposed to offer treatment to all, remember) that are
already refusing to provide treatment to people who are seriously
overweight or obese. I am certain that this is a trend that is likely to
become far more common in the years to come, and not only in the UK.
Perhaps you live in a place where you pay for medical attention and
treatment, so you might say that this will never happen to you as long
as you are willing to pay for your treatment.
Fine, but what happens when your bill doubles or triples because you
are seriously overweight or obese?
It's going to happen because the risks involved in undergoing serious
medical treatment are significantly higher for overweight or obese
people, and you can be sure that if they are not already doing so, the
medical authorities will start factoring this into the amount that they
charge.
You are reading this, so I take that as a sign that you do not want to be
overweight or obese forever.
