Nationally, 41.9 percent of adults have obesity. Black adults had the highest level of adult obesity at 49.9 percent. Hispanic adults had an obesity rate of 45.6 percent. White adults had an obesity rate of 41.4 percent according to the 2022 Obesity Report from Trust for America's Health. Most states in the USA have obesity rates higher than 30%…that's 1 in 3 adults. Just 10 years ago, no state had an obesity rate of 35%…2022 demonstrated 19 states at this level.
The sad truth is that children are being affected at alarming rates. According to the CDC, nearly 20% of US children are obese and prevalence is increasing every year. Diseases that have been seen in adults are now being identified in children. Type II Diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, depression and low self-esteem are becoming common in children and adolescents.
Obesity is a chronic multifactorial disease, characterized by an excessive accumulation of adipose (fat) tissue, commonly as a result of excessive food intake and/or low energy expenditure. Obesity can be triggered by genetic, psychological, lifestyle, nutritional, environmental, and hormonal factors. Obesity happens for children when their parents are overweight or obese. Habits that lead to obesity are unintentionally shared amongst family members.
An disturbing statistic from the CDC is that over 73% of US adults over age 20 are overweight or obese. About 75 million US adults are actively trying to lose weight…a large portion of this number are women. The weight loss industry targets us with all the things…all the ‘magic’ that will be the answer for us to finally lose the weight. It's enough to make you crazy!
The bottom line is weight loss is a mathematical equation…create a deficit and the weight comes down. We cannot expect to reduce our weight long term without reducing the amount of food we are putting in our mouths. It may sound crass, but it's the hard truth. We have a real problem and it's only going to get worse until we make the decision to stop the madness. The food industry makes foods highly desirable and it's hard to stop eating when it takes so good! Food manufacturers do research to find the ‘bliss’ point…where the food take so good we CANNOT stop. This is criminal in my mind. It sets us up for weight gain and chronic illness. And our healthcare costs continue to soar.
The best way to manage this concern? Take back your power and eliminate processed, highly palatable foods. As Michael Pollen says, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”. Simple and a great strategy to avoid being a statistic. Join me for my upcoming group coaching program to learn how YOU can take back your power and let go of the excess weight. Think of it as a gift to you and your family. When you get healthy, your entire family gets healthier. What a gift to give your children…healthy habits they can take into their adult years. It's a win-win!