I find myself straddling the fence here. Sandra is correct in stating 
that the statistics do not prove that disease was "caused" by being 
overweight. They simply show a statistical correlation. And statistical 
correlations can exist where there is no cause and effect relationship.

But I also have to agree with some of the points made by Dr. Fanning - 
but instead of focusing on "obesity", I keyed in on "poor nutrition". 
Doesn't anyone else find it ironic that the best fed country in the 
world also suffers from diseases caused by poor nutrition? I also found 
it interesting that "poor nutrition" was labeled a "behavioral factor". 
Has anyone ever tried to get good nutrition? It's not a behavioral 
factor, it's almost an impossibility in our culture.

When you combine poor nutrition with the level of (in)activity for most 
Americans, you wonder how any of us manage to get through the day? I 
guess it's all the drugs: stimulatants like caffeine, antidepressants 
like prozac, etc., that keep us moving, numbed to the state of our selves.

But to sound like a hypocrite, I give my personal recommendation:

Sit. Sit very still in a very quiet place. Listen to your body.

It may take a while to really hear it again. We all did when we were 
kids but our parents told us to ignore the feelings in our bodies. It 
wasn't productive to listen to what your body had to say. For me, it 
took about a year of doing yoga 3-4 times a week for 2 hours at a shot. 
And then, the only way I managed to do it was somehow the style of yoga 
I chose to do felt like work. I felt like I had to accomplish something. 
So in the process of trying to get in some elaborate pose, I managed to 
start hearing my body.

Now, I can hear my body loud and clear when I eat (and afterward). I can 
tell you that a donut will make me very excitable for a few minutes and 
then put me to sleep. Cooked fats, especially burnt fats and oils, feel 
like poison. Salad - giant bowls of mineral rich greens (not ice berg) - 
  make me feel grounded, happy, and energetic.

I'm not saying you should eat salads. I'm just saying: slow down and 
learn to listen to your body again. Then, hear what it has to say about 
what you eat and eat what it is happiest about.

-Eric Wolf







Sandy Dodd wrote:
> I don't know about the rest of campus, but I find this email offensive and
> discriminatory.  It is a witch hunt against people who are overweight, as if
> they are the cause of all monies spent on healthcare.  And don't think that
> we all have to believe that just because a person is overweight, that their
> particular illness or disease was specifically "caused" by being overweight.
> They may have had an increased "risk" factor, but not the direct cause.  
> 
> I don't see equal time being spent on blaming cancer patients for "causing"
> their own ailment and costing the government and American people billions of
> dollars in medical costs.
> 
> I don't see anything about any number of diseases that are completely
> unrelated to weight being mentioned and people with them being persecuted.  
> 
> I for one do not appreciate these emails that seem to attempt to get thin
> people to "hate" and "blame" overweight people for all the healthcare costs
> in this world.
> 
> Sandy 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: UTC Staff E-Mail List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of W.
> Leroy Fanning
> Sent: Monday, September 19, 2005 2:16 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [UTCSTAFF] Here's The Latest
> 
> Medicaid and health care costs continue to rise due to increased use of
> medications and long-term care, as well as higher incidence of preventable
> illness and disabling conditions. Cost-containment strategies are failing,
> and policymakers are confronting the root causes of rising costs, namely
> chronic diseases. Obesity is a primary cost driver, causing or complicating
> many chronic conditions.
> 
> Overweight and obesity result from consuming more energy<or food<than is
> burned through activity or exercise. Primary behavioral factors that cause
> obesity are physical inactivity and poor nutrition. Lack of environmental
> supports for healthy choices where we work, live and play contribute to
> these risks. 
> 
> Despite the proven benefits of physical activity, more than 50% (67% in
> Tennessee) of American adults do not get enough physical activity to provide
> health benefits (30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least 5 days
> per week), and 24 percent are not active at all in their leisure time.
> 
> Obesity costs Americans $117 billion annually, including $61 billion in
> direct medical costs for treatment of related diseases plus $56 billion in
> indirect costs such as lost productivity.
> 
> Health care costs are 36% higher and medication costs are 77% higher for an
> obese person compared to an individual at healthy weight.
> 
> If 10% of adults began a regular walking program, $5.6 billion in heart
> disease costs could be saved.
> ................Source: National Institute for Health
> 
> Do your part! Get off your "Fatty-Acids" and join me and go play.
> 
> Leroy Fanning
> Health and Human Performance 
>