The Truth About Obesity

Obesity affects 42% of American adults and 20% of our children. It is a disease of pandemic proportions.

And it is pernicious.

There is a cultural debate about whether obesity is a disease or whether it is simply the consequence of poor choices. Some fear that labeling it a disease diminishes personal responsibility in weight management.

However, this approach ignores the complexity and nefariousness of obesity.

Obesity is a genuine disease, regardless of its cause.

It significantly alters your body's biochemistry and function. We recognize lung cancer in smokers as a disease requiring medical treatment, not just behavioral change. Obesity should be viewed similarly.

Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to lose weight?

How many times have you heard the axiom, “It’s calories in vs. calories out?”

This perspective overlooks obesity's intricacies, naively proposing that mere calorie reduction and increased physical activity are sufficient for weight management.

How many different diets have you tried?

There is Atkins and Keto and Mediterranean and Intermittent Fasting and Weight Watchers and Paleo to name just a few. You probably know a few of those.

How many different exercise plans have you started? Yoga? Pilates? Barre? P90X? F45? Zumba? Dumbbells? Aerobics?

The list is goes on and on and on and on.

If this were the solution, why doesn’t it work? If it’s merely calories in vs. calories out, why do people suffering from morbid obesity fail to lose weight — even with highly restricted caloric intake?

Here’s what they don’t tell you about Obesity:

Obesity is a disease that fundamentally alters your body's biochemistry and metabolism.

• It breaks up your mitochondria (the cells responsible for energy consumption), making it more difficult to burn calories. This lowers your baseline metabolism.
• It changes your hormone levels and hormonal responses to stimuli.
• It shifts the body's fuel preference, preventing the use of stored fat reserves despite increased physical activity.
• Excess weight impedes movement—making it harder to burn excess calories.
• Excess weight impedes respiration—diminishing the oxygen available to metabolize fuel.

Obesity becomes self-perpetuating. It reaches a stage where it doesn’t matter how little you eat or how much you move, you can't move enough to overcome its effects.

This self-sustaining nature is what makes obesity such a tenacious disease that needs more than simplistic prescriptions of diet and exercise alone.

Obesity is further reinforced by a societal trap.

Our modern lifestyle has created an obesity-prone environment.

• We're surrounded by an abundance of processed, high-sugar foods and inventions that promote comfort and sedentary behavior.
• We have never ending entertainment at the push of a button.
• As we've become increasingly isolated, close-knit social circles where individuals have meaningful roles have grown scarce.
• In our past, we had to physically hunt, gather, or farm our food. Now we don’t even do our own grocery shopping. We make a few clicks on our phones, and within a few hours we have ice cream in our freezer.

This combination of circumstances has created a widespread problem, ensnaring over two-fifths of the population.

Obesity negatively impacts your life in several ways:

1. Financial burden: It increases your healthcare costs, diverting resources from your priorities and loved ones to medical treatments.
2. Reduced enjoyment: It restricts your ability to participate in many activities, lowering your overall quality of life.
3. Diminished self-esteem: Individuals struggling with obesity often experience feelings of shame or other psychological conflicts related to their weight.
4. Shortened lifespan: Severe obesity can decrease your life expectancy by approximately ten years on average.

If you're reading this, you feel caught in that trap. You are not alone.

However, the fact that you're reading this demonstrates your self-worth and desire for change. This self-valuation is a critical first step in winning the battle with obesity. And it's the only step you have to do on your own.

There is a way out.

It’s not simple. It’s not easy. But it works.

It involves lifestyle choices and personal responsibility. And it is assisted by medicine, psychological support, nutritional support, and community support.

And for those who qualify—it includes a surgical intervention that doesn’t just change your caloric intake, but also strikes at the very biochemical changes obesity uses to wreak havoc on your body and your life.

Are you ready to end your battle with obesity?

Good. Let’s get started.