Americans spend $30 billion trying to lose weight -- on things such as diet sodas and foods, appetite suppressants, fitness clubs and dieting guide books or videos.
Our nation is obsessed with weight.
So why do we have an obesity crisis?
Health officials say obesity is to blame for $61 billion in health care costs a year.
Recent statistics from the Pennsylvania Department of Health reveal the counties of Snyder, Union, Northumberland, Montour as well as Centre and Columbia have 26 percent obesity rates. Mifflin and Juniata counties have 29 percent obesity rates.
Blame the pot pie and cheesesteaks, but maybe an important step could be to look past the whole idea of "blaming."
There is a stigma based on the perception that those who are overweight are responsible for their condition. The stigma, right or wrong, may make those dealing with obesity become defensive, to the point of resistance when it comes to losing weight.
Recent research at the Geisinger Obesity Institute in Danville seems to shed light on the problem -- a genetic disposition may make some people more susceptible to weight problems. In such cases, remedies, such as gastric bypass surgery, become the most effective means of achieving weight loss.
Doctors point out, though, that surgery is not needed in many cases. Psychology is more important than genetics for most people. Exercise and better dietary decision-making will help most people attain appropriate weights.
But, there is a reason fitness ads often use "before" and "after" photos, such as those featuring the hero who lost 245 pounds by eating subs and adding a little exercise to his daily routine.
Losing weight can be difficult and success is often short-lived. The Valley is blessed with a number of fitness centers and great expanses of rolling countryside -- perfect for autumn strolls. Whatever path to fitness works, follow it. Reasonable goals and expectations can be helpful.
The battle of the bulge ought to be a community fight -- once it becomes one, more of us will win the fight.
Opinion
Battling our bulging waist lines
- Opinion
-
-
Good-paying jobs
I am writing in response to comments made by several lawmakers and certain media regarding people receiving unemployment compensation not searching for employment but only wanting extensions.
-
Economy is tough but still pay rises
It was my first time attending a Lewisburg School Board meeting last night. I went to hear public comment on the Boards recent decision to extend the Superintendents contract, which included a 20-plus percent pay raise.
-
Sunbury has a lot to offer
I would like to respond to the letter writer that inferred that Sunbury was a pretty package with nothing inside.
-
Mutual aid is necessary
Mutual aid agreements in local law enforcement strike at the heart of basic small-town decency. When a neighbor is in need, those equipped to help ought to drop everything and spring to aid.
-
Lifting me higher
I am not a winner of a Pulitzer Prize, nor am I an author of best selling novels, I'm just a human being attempting to live life here on earth with purpose and I can find no greater way to do that than through my faith and my belief in God.
-
Understaffing
I read with interest your article regarding police mutual aid in Northumberland County.
-
Carney, Marino ought to get focused on issues
U.S. Rep. Chris Carney and Tom Marino ought to focus on the issues in the upcoming campaign for Congress.
-
Blatantly unfair
The Pennsylvania Republican Party is supporting an effort to strike third-party candidates from the general election ballot in November.
-
Fiscal responsibility
This editorial letter is only the second such letter I have been moved to pen in my lifetime.
-
Schools need a little help from home
Milton High School failed to meet its adequate yearly progress under Pennsylvania's version of the federal No Child Left Behind because one student did not show up for the standardized test.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Good-paying jobs
