Curmudgeon's Corner

Too Short or Too Heavy?

Posted by Al Campbell on July 3, 2012

Quality of Life, Healthcare, People Making A Difference

During this season of cook-outs and picnics, it is probably not a good idea to be the bearer of not-so-good tidings.  Be that as it may, we have some issues about which we really have to begin getting serious.

Too many of us are too heavy!  Too many of us are beyond being too heavy, we are fat.  And, too many of us aren’t simply fat, we are borderline obese or beyond.  Why should we be concerned about this in our land of plenty?

Today there are some 17% of our children and teenagers who are classified as obese and that leads them on down the road to being diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease and other maladies starting at a young age.

Today, two-thirds of us adults are either overweight or obese.  Plainly put, those of us who are going in that direction are usually going to have related health problems, and those health problems are going to be significant in many cases.  We see it in others, but seem to have problems in seeing it within.  That is normal since, unless we are not feeling well, we think we are the picture of health.

I am in the health plan business and consequently see the numbers prove out and see the results of those increasing numbers in the size and number of health plan claims and in the increasing premium costs to support those claims, and in the human suffering that accompanies this issue.  I see it in virtually all walks of life, and often in areas where the people suffering really do know better.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) has been with us for years.  Some of us were skeptics of the BMI originally and then came to be believers over time.  Others of us continue to poo-poo.  I have come to understand that, while I might dispute a pound or two here or there, this is a good tool for the masses…you and me and our families and our friends and acquaintances.  There is a body mass index calculator here.  Plug in your weight and height and see where you stand.  Often it doesn’t take a huge weight loss to affect the BMI numbers, but it is better to face up to this potential problem sooner rather than later because it gets more difficult the more pounds we have to lose, unless we are somehow able to add inches to our height and not to our waist measurement.

The things we put into our bodies in excess will come back to haunt too many of us.  We all probably know a 250 lb. person who seems to be the emblem of good health.  That may be the case, but that is the rare exception rather than the rule unless you are at least 6’6” tall.  While some who carry excess weight might be well-muscled, the majority who carry excess weight cannot blame it on muscle mass.

Enough ‘preaching’ for now.  I am actually being selfish; I don’t want to lose any readers if it can be avoided.