Have you heard the joke about the Australian charged extra to fly on an Asian airline because he was too fat? Well it's no joke and it is a sure sign that the obesity epidemic is getting out of hand. AirAsia X is considering charging Aussies extra depending on their weight to "help Aussies lose weight" and to help cover fuel costs.
So what are we doing wrong?
I mean it is not as though we aren't trying. Every second Australian is on a diet but they obviously aren't working. In fact one UCLA study, over two-thirds of dieters regain more weight than they lost. So are we just terrible dieters or are we approaching this the wrong way.
We know that the obesity rate in Australia is high. We also know that the rates of chronic diseases are skyrocketing, even in our younger people. Does it therefore equate that obesity is what is causing the problem? I would argue that obesity is just another symptom of the problem. It is just one of the many unhealthy side effects of our modern lifestyles.
One of my favourite wellness experts Dr James Chestnut is fond of saying that modern people are like animals living in captivity. We don't eat real food, we don't move enough and we are continually stressed. If we put an animal into those conditions and it started getting as sick as we are, we'd be forced to do something about it. We would change its diet, make it exercise, give it some company - all to try and get it healthy again. We wouldn't start studying whether the problem was genetic, or look for a drug to help it. That would be crazy. We would change the very lifestyle issues that have caused the problem to be that way in the first place.
So why is it that when it comes to people, we don't think the same way?
Our modern lifestyles are causing us many more problems than just obesity. In 2003, 40 per cent of our 15-year-olds were suffering from some kind of chronic health condition and almost one in four people were taking pain relievers every single day. The rates of strokes, cancers, heart diseases and diabetes are increasing on a seemingly daily basis.
Consider this: suppose we find a way to reduce someone's weight, perhaps with a drug or some surgery, in a way that means they don't have to make any lifestyle changes. Now let's suppose that person eats junk food, drinks soft drinks and coffee, sits at work for hours in a very high stress job, then watches TV all night every single day, what are the chances of that person being healthy? Does the fact that we have now made them skinny really matter, if they are still going to be sick or die of a chronic disease?
Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with trying to lose a little weight! But my point here is that you need to have the right goal. Your goal should always be to make your body healthier, and if you make your body as healthy as it possibly can be by providing it with all of what it needs and none of what it doesn't, then you body will naturally find its ideal weight, and that weight will be well clear of the obesity range.
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