The Gut about Obesity.

Coming from a family history of diabetes and heart problems from being overweight you would think I would care more about what I eat and how much I eat. Frankly I don’t. Although obesity is seen as a common thing in the U.S today, over 50% of Americans are overweight and considered obese for their age.  To be considered obese your weight shouldn’t be more than 10% of the recommended weight for your body type and height. The main cause of obesity is of course, over eating on all the delicious fast food places that plaster every corner of the street. Another is lack of physical exercise, depression, family or per problems, and even having a family history of obesity puts you at a higher risk of becoming obese. Did you know growing up if one parent is obese, there is a 50% chance of the children being obese and if both parents are obese the chances go up by 30%, which is a 80% chance of the children being obese as well. That’s’ a shock to me, but I guess what one person eats everyone else is bond to eat it with them at one point and especially if your parents rely heavily on fast food restaurants for dinner and other meals then the chances of becoming obese are even greater. Here's a link that helps describe how obestiy starts and the causes of it.   http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Facts_for_Families_Pages/Obesity_In_Children_And_Teens_79.aspx   What can we do to stop obesity in adolescents and teens? Well personally first I say stop blaming the parents for the entire thing. Although the parents are the one buying the foods that cause the overweight problem to start, they are not shoving it down the kid’s mouths and telling them to eat it. The kids always have the option to say no and pick different foods if they choose; it’s both the parents and child’s fault for how the problem occurs. Here is a great step tool for parents or friends of someone who is overweight and you want them to get healthier.  http://www.webmd.com/parenting/raising-fit-kids/weight/treatment-overweight-teen  I recommend using this tool guide because it covers all the things one wouldn’t think about when it comes to weight loss, like the rick factors of trying to push someone past their ability to work out and also where to start at when it comes to deciding that losing weight is best.

There are many health risks that affect all different parts of our body when being obese. For one, of course, is getting diabetes, there is and increase for heart problems,  as well as high blood pressure, and also being a teenager there is that risk of being bullied for being overweight. This is the most common thing on why teens are afraid of obesity and why teens who have already reached that point want to lose the weight.  Personally, I shame those people who bully overweight kids because I have always been overweight, although I was never bullied for it, I still have seen what it does to people. In the end I think society should stop picking on the obesity children and help them instead by sticking together and letting them know its ok and people are here to help not judge. Like MTV’s show, “I used to be fat”, it’s a show that films the weight loss of overweight teens. I think this show is a great way to get the message out there for teens that losing the weight is hard but it can be attainable.