The First of Seven Sins in Obesity

This article is not directed to any woeful sins that you are currently enjoying that are causing your obesity. The sins are what is society is creating, that makes it difficult for you to lose weight.

I feel that you need to understand what these sins are, in the hope that you can learn to make changes in your lifestyle that will better your overall health status.

I describe obesity as a condition, because it is a state that has developed, not out of your choice; but as a natural progression, due to convenience of the western style of eating. This style of eating gives you little opportunity to physically burn off the calories that should be utilized as a productive source of energy in an active lifestyle.

Dieting is not a cure for obesity, because it creates deprivation and misery with little assurance that you will not gain the weight back again. Dieting leads you down a spiral of more associations with food and less feelings of control in your eating habits.

As a qualified Occupational Therapist, I teach people practical ways of safe, independent activities in daily living, which has largely been with the frail elderly with multiple health problems. I see people with obesity having similar difficult problems and but with limited solutions to be safe and healthy.

I have about a dozen books from the library that discuss all aspects of obesity and why people have reached the size they have. All the books make for interesting reading, because each book uses a different focus for discussing the problem of being overweight.

The subject has become a political and a social topic of discourse, because of all the many negative health implications that obesity breeds. You as individuals are therefore not entirely to blame, but you need to see why you are "feeding" the corporate level of success and think about how you can change your life to make yourself a more healthy and active individual.

From my own perspective, I consider the worst sin in western society is our total dependency on the car as the vehicle for transportation. We have completely removed our functional ability use any other forms of transportation, such as walking a few blocks to pick up a newspaper, a carton of milk, or a cycle ride to visit the library.

My aim through these next seven papers is for you to look at your environment outside your home and think of ways that you can overcome the sins that is 'feeding' your obesity.

Think about this as an exercise towards healthy living. How would you get to the shops, to the library, to visit friends, or your doctor if you did not have your car to take you there?

How about this for a cringing scenario! I see people paying money to join a gym. They drive to the gym, spend money on wearing fancy outfits and running shoes; they use gym equipment, such as stair climbers, running and bicycle machines as well as continue to watch TV. They can actually perform most of these exercises that can be completed on a daily basis without even paying for them!

I no longer use a vehicle, because I seldom need one in Vancouver. Like any big city, parking a vehicle in Vancouver has become an expensive premium; with cycling becoming a much better supported alte
ative for transportation in a city.

As part of your fight with obesity, please look for other ways that you can get around your neighborhood so that you are less dependent on your vehicle sitting outside for getting round. You have been given legs to use, so use them in order to create a more active lifestyle.