Weight ManageMent

Current trends show higher rates of overweight and obesity than ever before in U.S. history. Excess weight is linked with the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and elevated cholesterol. Even osteoarthritis, which develops in joints with age, is aggravated by excess weight. Now that over one third of U.S. children are classified as overweight, it’s becoming impossible to ignore our collective weight problem.

How does this trend affect each of us, personally? Researchers at Columbia University found that overweight and obese women spend an average of three more years managing health problems than normal-weight women. Heavy men, on average, are sicker one more year than their thinner counterparts.

Dr. Tamika Perry of Uptown Health and Wellness says, “Weight loss isn’t rocket science. It’s all about what you take in with your diet, and what you use up with your activity. It’s a math equation. If you think about gasoline in your car, whatever you don’t use, you store it in the reserve tank. That’s when people gain weight.”

It may not be rocket science, but it’s not easy to change habits and lifestyles. “We help each patient figure out the right amount they need to eat, based on their activity,” says Dr. Perry. “Sometimes it’s hard for people to change what they’re used to eating cold turkey. Based on the person’s health patterns, we may or may not give medicine to suppress appetites.”

Katie Brumley, strength and conditioning coordinator at Baylor