Obesity Overload

Obesity Overload.

Operation Transformation; I used to be Fat; The Biggest Loser. These are just a few of many weight loss programmes currently bombarding Irish TV screens. We are now considered just as fat as our trans-Atlantic cousins.

Yes, it seems that these days, the majority of Irish people are trying hard to fight the bulge. Recent figures released show that one in four Irish adults are now obese i.e. at least 30 lbs over weight (that’s 2 ½ – 3 stone).

This recent figures are shocking when compared to those released in 1990. Back then, just 8% of men were considered obese, and 13% of women.

One of the most worrying developments over the past 20 years is the increase in obesity in children which can lead to a myriad of childhood diseases including diabetes.

So what’s changed?

It is quite obvious. Our life-styles! For many years, Ireland was an agrarian, poor nation. People would be out working in the fields, and walking for many miles in the country  and even in the cities, few had cars, even up until the early 90s. Once our economy boomed, it seems that our belts did too!

For children, the influx of junk food, television, computer games and subsequent laziness are the major factors contributing to obesity. It is rare to see children out playing catch, playing skipping or riding bikes these days – most are sitting in front of their Playstation or other various sedentary mind-numbing games consoles, many of which are otherwise stuffing their faces with sweets, crisps and McDonalds.

It is a well established fact that an over-weight child is more likely to grow into an over-weight adult, because the bad habits picked up in childhood are hard to shift.

Being over-weight can cause a multitude of problems. Some of these include: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea (where you stop breathing in your sleep) and many more. This in turn costs the nation millions of Euro in health care each year. The worst part is? It’s all preventable.

Students run the risk of gaining weight when they move away from home for the first time. I remember that my diet consisted of Buckfast and Koka noodles, coupled with some microwave popcorn. This terrible dietary plan guaranteed that piled on the pounds! So it seems that all ages can be affected by obesity in today’s fast paced world. No one wants to cook anymore, or walk anywhere. If over half of all adults are over-weight, why isn’t something being done about it? I was in KFC the other day, and they have recently started showing the calories on all their products. You can imagine my absolute dismay when I realised the Popcorn chicken meal had 600 calories in it. But yes, I got it anyway and justified it on the walk home.

There are ways to lose weight that don’t involve hours on a treadmill, or living off nothing but tic tacs and celery sticks. Leave the car at home, go for a walk, make your own healthy dinner instead of relying on the microwave, go and play a game of footie and ignore the games console for a couple of evenings a week. It’s not real. It won’t miss you! These simple steps could mean the difference between life and death.

Visit www.irishhealth.com for more information on weight loss techniques and other tips on how to stay healthy.

Image from WikiCommons