Overcoming obesity

Blame the super-sized fast food orders, a lethargic lifestyle or genetics, but there's no escaping the fact: Americans are obese.

And the situation doesn't seem to be getting better. A report issued Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says obesity is poised to overcome tobacco as the No. 1 killer. A report on obesity by the Food and Drug Administration is planned for later this week and is expected to echo much the same information.

Poor diet and physical inactivity caused 400,000 deaths in 2000. That accounts for a 33 percent increase over a decade ago. In Missouri, 22.5 percent of the population is obese.

While the CDC report predicts that obesity will become the No. 1 killer in America, it doesn't reveal anything new: There have been numerous studies showing that weight gain is a problem with both adults and children.

"The reason we keep coming back to this is that people aren't getting it," said Eileen Sievers, a nurse and wellness instructor at St. Francis Medical Center.

So the federal government is going to drive the message home again. Several new public service announcements are set to air, with each telling people about the need to maintain a healthy weight.

In denialPlenty of overweight and obese people are in denial about their health condition, Sievers said.

"This is a slow process. Kids don't go to bed thin one night and wake up fat the next day," said Sievers. "The only way to turn the process around is to educate and institute behavior change."

But making those behavior changes is tough. People who are trying to lose weight choose from fad diets, exercise routines and programs like Weight Watchers, TOPS or Nutri-System.

Often those fad diets make something the culprit; one time it will be fat, another carbohydrates, said Debbie Leoni, assistant manager at Main Street Fitness Center in Jackson.

Without much modification, Keith Blechle of Jackson changed his diet and began an intense exercise program two years ago. A mild heart attack served as his reason for losing weight.

"I look at it as my second chance," he said. So far, he's dropped 65 pounds from his 6-foot frame, and he'd like to lose another 20. He exercises five to seven days a week doing both cardiovascular and strength training. He hit a plateau in January and has stepped up his routine since then.

Portion controlWhether you choose a plan that cuts carbs or sugars, the key is really in portion control, he said. Before his heart attack, Blechle said he was already eating healthy but too much. His wife, Bonnie, makes certain the cabinets are stocked with healthy foods and snacks.

"I still struggle with portion control," he said. For the past nine weeks he hasn't visited a restaurant because he's serious about getting to his goal weight.

"It's arduous but I'm pretty committed to getting to that target," he said.

Since losing the weight, Blechle, 52, said he's reduced the medications he takes for diabetes as well.

Portion control is a struggle for many people, and the convenience of fast food only compounds the problem, health educators say. Fast food is cheap and easy and solves the problem of what to feed the family, Sievers said.

But even a six-inch sub sandwich has about three servings of bread, half the necessary daily requirements for a woman, Leoni said. "Nothing is free and everything has nutrition and calories and energy."

People have to begin thinking more about the choices they make and the consequences that result, Sievers said. Saving eight cents on a super-sized meal might sound like a bargain, but when it means added weight and chronic disease later on, it's not that much of a savings. "You'd be saving pennies against a lifetime of disease and disability and early death."

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126

STARK STATISTICS

Studies in 2003 reported that the obesity rate among adults increased from 19.8 percent in 2000 to 20.9 percent in 2001. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that 64 percent of the adult population in the United States are overweight or obese.

What's the difference between being overweight and being obese?

Overweight means an increased body weight in relation to height, when compared to accepted standards. Being overweight might not necessarily be due to an increase in body fat but could be from an increase in lean muscle.

Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass.

Some facts to consider

In 2001:

20 states had obesity rates of 15 to 19 percent.

29 states had obesity rates of 20 to 24 percent. Missouri's rate is 22.5 percent.

One state -- Mississippi -- had a rate of 25 percent or more.

60 percent of Missouri adults are overweight.

28 percent of low-income children between 2 and 5 years old in Missouri are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

The obesity rate among Missouri adults increased by 95 percent from 1999 to 2002.

-- www.cdc.gov