Paula Deen and Me: Obesity Causes Pain ~ Emerald Quill

Apr 28, 2012

Paula Deen and Me: Obesity Causes Pain

4/28/2012 Celestine Green No comments

Paul Deen is still trying to handle the push-back from the public after the announcement of her diabetes three years after her diagnosis. As I mentioned in an earlier article, my diagnosis came twenty six years ago and I still work every day to manage it. I struggle to exercise, faithfully attend Weight Watchers weekly meetings. and track my daily food intake. I've lost 73 pounds to date and am still counting down. To reach my goal, I need to shed about 25 additional pounds. For me, it's a day by day journey, trying to look ahead, never looking back.

Last week, I learned the value of looking back. A few days ago, my Weight Watcher leader Arlene asked each of us to bring something to match the weight we'd loss to the weekly meeting. Wow, I thought, I'd have to bring in something that weighed 70 pounds. All week I tried to think of something to bring and finally, I decided to either skip the meeting or attend without bring in anything. As always, my husband came to my rescue with a fifty pound bad of water softener salt and a twenty five pound cast iron door stop that was collecting dust in our garage. He helped me lug the two items into the meeting and came back to help me carry them back to the car.

I learned the lesson that Arlene meant for us to learn. You see I realized that I had carry that seventy pounds on my body day in and day out as I lived my daily life, walking, sitting, dancing, breathing, etc. I remembered that I couldn't get out of my easy chair without help. My grandson Mekhi took it upon himself to be available to help me get to my feet when I sat in my chair. When he wasn't around, I'd have to ask someone close by to help me. Now I can look back and understand that struggle and remember the embarrassment of that situation. It made me realize that obesity causes pain, something that we often don't associate with being overweight.

Here are some things to think about as you accept the challenge to reduce your weight:
· Inactivity increases the risk of osteoarthritis by leading to weight gain, muscle atrophy and failure to produce new, healthy cartilage.

· If you are obese, your knees and hips experience up to 6 times as much pressure when walking down a flight of stairs.

· For every ten pounds of excess weight gained, the risk of developing osteoarthritis increases by approximately 40%.

· Obesity is a risk factor for developing arthritis in the knees, hips, hands and ankles.

· Overweight women who lose as little as 11 pounds decrease their risk of developing arthritis by more than 50%.

· Every extra pound of weight you put on adds 4 to 8 more pounds of stress to your knees and hips, the body's load-bearing joints.

· If you are obese, your knees and hips experience up to 3 times as much pressure with each step.

· If you are obese, your knees and hips experience up to 6 times as much pressure when walking down a flight of stairs.

· For every ten pounds of excess weight gained, the risk of developing osteoarthritis increases by approximately 40%.

My hope is that you will accept the challenge to lose weight, if you need to, or maintain a healthy weight to enjoy a better life without the pain obesity can bring. It's not easy, but success brings great rewards.