A universal havoc

A universal havoc

September 1st, 2013

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

As the health and fitness enthusiast and worry freak I am in regards to the universal havoc the world has long faced (overweight and obesity), I like to be up to date with this issue. 

I just read this article that was published on April 29, 2012, by the Guardian Weekly, 'Doctors back denial of treatment for smokers and the obese'

“A majority of doctors support measures to deny treatment to smokers and the obese, according to a survey that has sparked a row over the NHS’s growing use of "lifestyle rationing".

Some 54% of doctors who took part said the NHS should have the right to withhold non-emergency treatment from patients who do not lose weight or stop smoking. Some medics believe unhealthy behaviour can make procedures less likely to work, and that the service is not obliged to devote scarce resources to them.

However, senior doctors and patient groups have voiced alarm at what they call "blackmailing" of the sick, and denial of their human rights.”

I have mixed feelings about such controversy. Putting myself on the healthy side, I can be very critical and overlook the problems each person is dealing with which are preventing them from reaching being thin and healthy. On the other hand, I can see how they feel that their human rights are being violated. It must be demeaning to read headlines like this: “Will airlines charge Fat passengers More?” Or, "Airline charges Passengers by the pound."

News reporters must be careful with their wording, as professionals they should know that there is always a better way to address delicate controversies. When I used to work at Allstate Insurance, every time underwriting refused a life insurance policy, they sent out a letter to each client stating, “Due to excessive body mass your policy could not be authorized.” It may sound just as bad but we could’ve have gotten the company into serious problems had we said, “We cannot authorize your policy because you’re fat.”

Sometimes I try to sympathize with everyone’s hardships but once again I can’t help wondering how, why when did they let themselves go like that? There must have been a point where the vast majority who are suffering from this illness must’ve realized that  they were getting heavier. Why didn’t they do something to let it progress any further?

There are endless excuses: “It’s genetics, it runs in the family, I come from a thick-boned family, I don’t have time, I am not obsessed like you, I don’t have money to join a gym, I can’t get motivated, I don’t have anybody to workout with, my metabolism is very slow, I like having curves, you look anorexic, etc.” When we flip the coin, there are amazingly fit individuals who devote some time to their health. They’ve got discipline, focus, determination, they train their mind and body to demand a clean and healthy lifestyle. They are well aware that there’s a price to pay and they are willing to pay whatever it takes to get that reward. 

It is NOT easy to say no to cravings, we definitely don’t want people to deprive themselves from one of the greatest pleasures (food), and we beyond any doubt don’t want to form Barbies and Kens or super models but we all want a cleaner, healthier, more transparent, energized and productive world. We don’t want any more families suffering due to the impacting havoc overweight and obesity can wreak, like the misery this woman went through before her life came to an end. I was overly shocked and saddened.  “600-POund Mom: Race Against Time.”

Every day is a new and different battle, our toughest opponent is the person who is staring right back at us in the mirror but we have to have incredible SELF-CONTROL to help put an end to this phenomenon.

“Lo más difícil es renunciar a uno

mismo”

“The hardest thing is to resign yourself”