Fit Communications

There’s no need to freak out if we’re not a size 4. Most of us aren’t meant to be.

But apparently being even a little bit overweight (that is, overfat) poses dangers. Adding to the confusion is the fact that many of us don’t know what a healthy weight is, judging overweight adults and children as being at “normal” weight.

Study: Even a few extra pounds are risky
Being a little overweight can kill you, according to new research that leaves little room for denial that a few extra pounds is harmful. Baby boomers who were even just a tad pudgy were more likely to die prematurely than those who were at a healthy weight, U.S. researchers reported.

You’ve got to see this presentation on msn.com. It depicts a map of the United States and shows, from 1986 to the present, how the percentage of obese people changed, state by state, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control.

Folks, this is amazing and horrifying. At the end you can click on any state to see what efforts are being made there to combat obesity.

I keep thinking I’m obesity-obsessed, but the fact that “everybody’s fat” now (OK, slight exaggeration) is not my imagination. The numbers don’t lie.

A story posted in mid-July on MSNBC.com’s diet and health section begins as follows:

With excess weight a greater problem than ever, the question of whether
changing eating habits or exercise is more likely to produce weight
loss is vital.

No, that question isn’t vital. It misses the point entirely.

Here’s the point: Most of us aren’t as healthy as we could be because we make poor food choices, eat too much, and move too little. As a result, the majority of the population is overweight. These are indisputable–the kind of obvious conclusions the U.S. government presents in its 2005 Dietary Guidelines.

If those factors are endangering our health, the solution is striving for greater health by making better food choices, eating the appropriate amount of food for our activity level, and engaging in regular physical exercise.

So why does this article’s author–a registered dietician–pose the irrelevant question "should we eat better or exercise in order to lose weight?"

The problem–overweight–has multiple causes, including too many calories and too little activity. The solution has to involve both food choices and physical exercise.

You can find the full article here.

Today Reuters published a story about the consequences of obesity in teens. The upshot is, the heavier one is at 18, the more likely one is to die in middle age.

Here’s the blurb:

Overweight at 18, maybe dead in middle age?
Young women who are overweight at the age of 18 have a higher risk of dying young, but medication and behavior therapy can help young people lose weight, U.S. researchers reported Monday.

I’d love to see the so-called fat activists—the people who maintain that being overweight poses no health risks—explain this one.

Here’s an eye-opener: teenage girls gain weight when they stop exercising.

Read the article on msnbc.com:

Weight gain in girls blamed on drop in exercise
Adolescent girls in the United States are putting on weight because
they are doing less physical activity than they did as children,
according to a study.

Speaking of joint pain, I’m gonna be in a world of trouble if the FDA takes all the COX-2 inhibitors off the market. My (relatively low) daily dose of Celebrex makes all the difference between having an occasional tiny twinge in my extremely arthritic right ankle  and a constant, nagging pain that makes me limp.

Pain-free Mary on Celebrex lifts weights, walks dogs, uses the treadmill, and works like hell on the elliptical trainer. Mary without Celebrex . . . well, I don’t like thinking about it.

Here’s a Reuters article published on MSNBC.com this evening:

U.S. may pull painkillers, researchers say
Doctors who led three studies showing prescription painkillers called COX-2 inhibitors raise the risk of heart attacks and stroke said the whole class of drugs was in danger of being pulled from the market.

One of the sources quoted in the article praises acetaminophen as a good and safe drug. Sure. And for me, it may as well be a placebo.

Maybe it’s time for me to reconsider plain old aspirin.