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Breaking Free Of Obesity
Face the fat facts: Georgians are too heavy. We rank #6 in the nation in terms of obesity, and most of our lifestyles and eating habits are a recipe for disaster.
by Harriet Hollis
January 1, 2005
W
e have met the enemy and it is us. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the
leading causes of death in the United States now are self-inflicted: obesity and tobacco use. The
CDC reports 400,000 deaths annually can be attributed to the category of "overweight and obesity"
while medical and scientific journals refer to the growing problem as an epidemic.
The
statistics are staggering: Nearly two out of every three American adults are classified as
overweight or obese; costs related to treating obesity related health problems are estimated at
$117 billion; and only 14% of Americans meet the minimum standard of 30 minutes of moderate
exercise five times a week. And the sad legacy we are leaving our children is that one out of every
three babies born in the year 2000 will develop Type II diabetes, a preventable disease.
In Georgia, 59% of all adults are classified as over-weight or obese. Nearly one quarter
(23.5%) of women in Georgia are overweight and African American women fare the worst, with 32.5%,
or nearly one-third of the entire black female population considered obese.
Yet we are in heavy denial on the issue: While 92% of women say that conducting research on
breast cancer is very important, only 8% say conducting research on obesity is important, according
to a new survey on women's health by Parade Magazine and Research! America.
Excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle cause a variety of chronic and serious health
problems including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease,
arthritis and several types of cancer- and specifically for women, breast and uterine cancer. Being
overweight affects a person's quality of life in almost every facet from finding a comfortable
chair to getting a good night's sleep. A new Journal of the American Medical Association study says
those who are overweight or obese can now expect to live shorter lives: on average 13 years less
for men and 8 years less for women.
So how did we get to this point? The simple answer is by eating more and exercising less.
Indeed, 30% of Georgia women say they have no leisure time.
The way we eat and live today is very different from 30 years ago. Food portions both at
home and in restaurants are larger and more calorie dense. According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, we spend nearly three hours in front of the TV every day and nearly another hour on the
computer at home.
For many women becoming overweight creeps in gradually. Just as our metabolism slows down,
the pace of our careers and family life speed up. Examine just about any working woman's diet
closely, and you'll see some bad habits: We often skip breakfast, eat lunch at our desks, and work
late - meaning dinner comes even later. When we attend business lunches and dinners as well as the
many events jobs may require, the offerings are typically rich and fat laden.
Indeed, the general "busyness" of work and family life today leaves little time for shopping
or cooking. The last thing we want to do at the end of a long day is cook, so more of us opt for
fast food dinners or highly-processed convenience foods. Or we reward ourselves at the end of a
long day with comfort food and a glass of calorie-laden wine.
For Misty Overman, wife, mother of three and principal of the Junior High at Greater Atlanta
Christian School, long days and information overload make eating out the easier choice. "I know
what I need to prepare healthy meals but it's so difficult to find the time to plan, shop, put it
up and prepare it while accommodating the different needs of different family members," says
Overman. "It's overwhelming to try to keep up with what you're supposed to eat and what's
considered healthy today."
Overman, like many professional women, is frustrated in her search for accurate and
reasonable information that works for how we live.
Finding time to exercise is the other side of the equation to staying healthy as a family.
But that's often the first thing to get squeezed out. After atypical day of working 7 a.m. to 7
p.m. outside the home, most of us, like Overman, are exhausted and exercise is generally far down
on the priority list after laundry, homework help, and phone calls.
Emotional and psychological satisfaction complicates these weighty matters. As Shira Miller,
a public relations professional who lost 50 pounds and has kept it off for more than 10 years,
says, "There wasn't an emotional response - good, bad or otherwise - that didn't require
chocolate!"
"The choices I made earlier in my life were because I didn't feel good about myself. I
strongly believe that to lose weight and keep it off, you start with your brain first. Therapy
helped me realize that I deserve to look and feel my best."
Miller took 15 months to lose her excess weight through exercise and changing her eating
habits, which she called "atrocious." The results were that, she says, "I realized a huge
improvement in my stamina. I used to be tired and irritable all the time, and I didn't sleep well.
I started with small changes and when I started feeling good, I wanted to feel better so eating
healthy and exercising became my choice."
The costs of poor food choices and a sedentary lifestyle continue to rise. "We're very
worried about today and tomorrow as we see an increase in obesity at all ages but especially in
children and young adults," says LuAnne Heinen, Director of the Institute on Costs and Health
Effects of Obesity for the National Business Group on Health. "We are seeing people in their 30s
and 40s who are becoming disabled as a result of health problems caused by obesity. If we stay on
the current trend, today's kids are looking at coronaries and heart bypass operations in their
30s."
Heinen calls obesity "our greatest health problem." "Employers and employees are on the same
side of the issue because they share costs," says Heinen. "Both want to put health care dollars
towards diseases and conditions that aren't preventable."
Emory University professor Kenneth Thorpe reported in the journal Health Affairs
that obesity is responsible for a 27% increase in medical spending from 1987 to 2001. In general,
it costs more to treat an obese patient, on average about 37% more or just over $300 per patient.
Companies are spending more to battle their employees' bulging waistlines, too. According to
the American Management Association's new 2004 Survey on Corporate Health and Wellness Programs,
55% of companies now offer exercise and fitness programs for their employees, up from 47% in 2003;
47% are offering weight management as part of a wellness program, up from 34% in 2003; and a
whopping 39% are now offering nutrition counseling, jumping from 25%.
Donna Lopiano, CEO of the Women's Sports Foundation, agrees that the obesity issue has
reached the crisis stage: "No one thing is going to correct the system that has crumbled in the
past 30years. Everybody is starting to pitch in to change what they've been doing in the past, from
fast food restaurants offering salads and healthy menu items to the low carb craze. We've got to do
a lot over a long period of time to change habits." GoGirlGo! is an initiative just launched by the
Women's Sports Foundation to encourage girls to get and stay active (see side-bar p. 26).
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta started a program in 1996 called FITKIDS in response to the
rising incidence of diabetes and other health problems associated with obesity in children. The
program treats the family lifestyle and habits. "We work with families to prioritize their lives
and put health first," says Beth Passehl, program Coordinator of FITKIDS. "We want the child to be
motivated to take care of themselves, to be active, feel good about their bodies, in control and
confident. We encourage the parents to be role models and become physically active with their
child."
As with most family lifestyle decisions, women play a key role. "Women are important because
we educate and feed our families," says Heinen of the National Business Group on Health. But not
many of us follow the 5-A-Day guidelines developed by the CDC that call for eating five or more
fruit and vegetable servings every day. In Georgia, just over 25% of women and only 13.7% of female
students report eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.
What we are eating and drinking are plenty of super-sized meals and soft drinks. The Journal
of the American Dietetic Association reports that portion sizes of food, both packaged and sold in
restaurants, can sometimes exceed the recommended USDA portion sizes by as much as eight times. The
journal Obesity Research reported a study that showed those who practiced portion control lost the
most weight while those who exercised but did not manage portions, actually gained weight.
Portion control is a highly effective weapon in the battle of the bulge and understanding
how much a portion is becomes critical. Most recommendations use common objects that are easy to
visualize and follow. For example, a serving of meat should be about 3 ounces or the size of a deck
of cards. Fruits and vegetable servings are about a half-cup, or the size of a half baseball. A
bagel should be about the size of a hockey puck, but most are closer in diameter to a compact disc.
Elizabeth Schultz, M.D., of Watkinsville, Ga., an expert on women's health and menopause, is
especially alarmed about the rising rates of insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes, among her
patients. "If you are gaining weight around your waistline, that's a big warning sign," she says.
She recommends following The Zone Diet, which calls for eating six small meals - a healthy balance
of protein and complex carbohydrates - a day. "It's almost the perfect diet for just about
everybody, but especially if you're in a pre-diabetic state." For more information, see her Network
for Optimal Aging &Wellness (www.noaw.com).
So what can we do to help ourselves and our families? Every piece of scientific research
emphasizes the same theme: Eat better, eat less and be more active. All that's left is the question
of commitment to better health.
GoGirlGo! Launches In Atlanta
The Women's Sports Foundation launched its first GoGirlGo! Program in Atlanta in November. That's the good news. The bad news is the metro Atlanta area has some real problems with getting girls active and getting them to stay active, avoiding the health and social problems that come with being overweight and obese.
Georgia girls in general lag behind the national averages in both team sports and vigorous physical activity, with less than half of young women participating in either category. The push to raise academic standards has squeezed out recess and physical education as part of the school day for many young people, leaving after school programs as the primary outlet. That's where GoGirlGo! is stepping in to work with a coalition of public and private girl-serving agencies to share money, go after federal grants and develop partners to create and manage more ways for girls to actively participate in sports and exercise.
"Our public education campaign points out that participation in sports is a fundamental intervention that cuts across risky health behaviors," says Donna Lopiano, CEO of Women's Sports Foundation (WSF).
In the WSF's report Her Life Depends on It, research shows that girls who participate in sports perform better in school, score higher in math and science, are more likely to graduate from high school, have a more positive self-concept and more often reject risky behaviors.
Straight From The Heart
Heart disease, often directly linked with obesity, is the number one killer of women in the United States. The Sister to Sister - Everyone Has a Heart Foundation, Inc., the only national organization that focuses solely on women's heart disease screening and prevention, is hosting an Executive Women's Breakfast, to raise awareness about women's heart health. The program includes free heart health screenings with counseling, a keynote speaker, and door prizes (luxury car rental, airline tickets, gift certificates, jewelry and more) and, of course, a healthy breakfast. The event will be held at theWestin Peachtree Plaza (210 Peachtree Street, Vinings Rm., Level 6) on Friday, Feb. 4, 2005, from 8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m.
Then on Friday, Feb.18,2005, Atlanta and 11 other cities will celebrate National Woman's Heart Day with a health fair from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Atrium in CNN Center (100 CNN Center-South Tower). All events are free and feature heart-health screenings, fitness and cooking demonstrations, educational seminars, dozens of exhibits and giveaways. Over the past four years, more than 10,000 women have been screened at these events. One-third subsequently discovered that they had a medical issue that required further investigation with their physicians.
For more information on Sister to Sister, or to reserve a place at the Executive Women's Breakfast, visit www.sistertosister.org, or call 678-935-1932.
Are You Eating Yourself To Death?
Women who are overweight sometimes struggle with binge eating disorder (BED). Frequent binges during which they may, for example, consume entire cakes by themselves, leave these women distressed and ashamed. Because of the high ingestion of calories, individuals with BED are often overweight. We live in a "food toxic" environment, with continuous easy access to delicious, sweet, high-fat foods (as well as those tricky "No Fat" foods, which are full of sugar and calories).
For compulsive overeaters, any emotion can be experienced as a reason to eat: anger, sadness, guilt, shame, fear, and even joy are experienced as a vague anxious feeling. Eating serves as a way to quiet this internal storm. BED sufferers often grew up watching parents use food and other substances (drugs, alcohol) to self-medicate depression.
There are many approaches to addressing this problem, from stomach stapling to 12-step groups to diet pills. For most sufferers of BED, long-term success requires some combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy and anti-depressant medication. Medical, spiritual, emotional, and interpersonal issues, and, most importantly, the self-loathing that fuels the problem must all be addressed. Learn more about binge eating and other eating disorders during "Listen to Your Body Week," held Feb.17-28, 2005. Check with the Eating Disorders Information Network (www.edin-ga.org) for more details or see p. TK for a partial listing of events. - Dina Zeckhausen, executive director of E.D.I.N.
Harriett Hollis was fortunate enough to have a mother ahead of the times on health and nutrition.
