So many folks are suffering with obesity. I’d like to see that change. I’ve struggled with obesity and pre-diabetes myself. Carrying extra pounds and feeling shame day in and day out is miserable. Being healthy is hard, it is like you are the odd one out when you are trying to make healthy choices. Folks are faced with mixed messages, packed schedules, demanding jobs, family duties, computers and phones that are constantly squawking with messages that raise stress hormones.
After long days of battle, it seems like another mountain to climb when it comes to caring for yourself. It is easy to let weeks, months and years slip by suffering with all this stress and poor self-care habits. It is easy to justify putting others first and yourself last. There are times in your life that you stop and try to improve your health, yet get caught up in the same circle of frustration. Now is the time to pump the brakes and really focus on yourself so you can live your best life. You need a supportive circle to help you navigate and reshape your life into a healthy one.
After doing extensive research into the root cause of obesity and listening to the struggles of thousands of patients over my last 24 years of working in health care, I’ve come to realize that people need help. Deep, real help. The traditional messages about health have failed. Each person that struggles with obesity has their own story, their own causes and, typically, a traumatic past. Healing is a big job, and can feel scary. Facing your inner critic is hard, however key in respect to healing. It is time for us to have a real conversation about making changes in your life.
Obesity
The obesity rate for adults in America is over 40% and rising. The struggle is real. Basically, folks are set up for obesity and diabetes, set up for sickness and taking pills. Our food policies are not based on what is best for Americans, they are based on profits.
The American consumer has been tricked by the processed food (junk food) industry and by false information. Ultra-processed food is toxic and addictive, thus keeping you trapped and sick. Not only has the processed food industry hijacked your taste buds into a circle of addiction, the health information that has been fed to you is false.
Lies
Most of us grew up being forced to study the food pyramid. In 1992, the food pyramid was shaped to guide Americans to a low-fat diet. Americans were told to eat 6-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta. This pyramid was born out of fear of eating fat. During those years, it was easy to link the idea of eating fat to becoming obese, thus the fat-free rage was on. We ate anything and everything that was labeled “fat-free” and the pounds piled on.
Fat-free Red Vines anybody? Ohh, I remember eating the entire bag of licorice thinking that I would not gain weight. Who can admit to eating an entire box of fat-free Fig Newtons? I remember reading the “fat-free” label, and thinking that I had gotten away with binge-eating and that I would not gain a pound. I was wrong and angry about it.
Now we know that refined carbohydrates contribute to a cascade of hormones that leave you feeling hungrier. The food pyramid has contributed to the obesity problem in the United States.
Figure 1: USDA Food Pyramid 1992
Following the food pyramid, the US government introduced “My Plate” in 2011. This was meant to improve dietary guidelines and explain the 5 food groups. It is a slight improvement over the food pyramid, but a far cry from a healthy plate of food. Below are the current recommendations for a plate of food. Dairy is encouraged; however milk is meant for a baby cow, not you.
Figure 2: My Plate, 2011
Calories
Next came the years of counting calories and all of our steps, yet our waistlines grew bigger. Too bad we could not walk-off our fat-free cookies. Oh the frustration! I remember huffing and puffing on a stair-stepper machine at the gym, watching the calorie counter slowly tick. All that time, sweating and frustration did not “burn the fat”. Of course, when that failed, I turned to weight loss drugs. That did not work either.
Now our fellow Americans are taking billions of dollars worth of drugs and having gastric bypass surgery to battle the bulge. According to the Obesity Medicine Association, the direct cost of obesity is $173 billion. There is no guarantee that you will reach and maintain your goal weight with gastric bypass or gastric sleeve surgery. When a person continues to suffer with obesity despite gastric surgery, the diagnosis is known as “Failed Gastric Bypass”.
The American food philosophy needs a major overhaul. A grassroots movement. Convenience and taste should not come at the expense of health. Are you ready?
Addiction
Food addiction is real. It is easy to eat an entire bag of chips or a huge bowl of ice cream. I’m guilty of doing both. I think most of us can relate. I’ve known folks that have been in tears while binge eating because they feel out of control, like they are a victim of food.
It is in the interest of profits, that junk food companies work hard to fill store shelves with food-like substances that are irresistible, thus creating new addictions. We experience intense cravings and seemingly the only way to relieve the obsession is to give in. Now we find ourselves in the midst of yet another round of binge-eating. After these episodes, the guilt and shame set in.
When you eat ultra-processed food, the body releases dopamine (the feel good hormone) and yes, you feel good. This feeling is momentary, leaving you wanting more. Now, you are stuck in a vicious cycle. Yikes! It is in these moments that you feel stuck and trapped.
Hyper-palatable addictive food is everywhere. Every gas station and store of any type is filled with endless choices. Even clothing department and tech stores sell chocolates at the check-out line. Even in some grocery stores, where shoppers might have ventured in search of healthy choices, there is the lure of an in-store Burger King. For the most part, all these additive foods are cheap, convenient and easy to consume even while driving your car.
Most of us know that we should not consume junk food, but once the deep-rutted tracts of addiction have set in, willpower is almost useless. Junk food is pleasurable and temporarily meets some of our needs.
Diabetes
Obesity can lead to diabetes, which is directly related to cardiovascular disease, dementia, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Taking pills and poking your finger frequently (for blood glucose checks) and injecting insulin is not what we want to do daily to be “healthy”. For the most part, type 2 diabetes is reversible. Suffering with diabetes is a stressful disease that is costly. The annual cost of chronic diseases in the United States is almost 4.5 trillion dollars per year. According to the CDC the estimated percent of adults with diabetes is 14.7%. The rate of prediabetes in 2021 is thought to be close to 38%. This should be an emergency!
Triangles
In 1943 Dr. Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs. Physicological needs are at the bottom whereas the more intellectual and creative aspects of needs are at the top. The top of the triangle is where one is seeking self-fulfillment and peak experiences. The purple area is where you are really living your best life. That is where you wanna be.
Figure 3: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 1943
Over the years I’ve come up with the Triangle of Suffering. In essence, it is the opposite of Maslow’s triangle. At the bottom of Dr. Maslow’s triangle is food. Yes, you need food to live, you need healthy food to live your best life. As almost 50% of Americans suffer with obesity and other chronic diseases, it is mostly due to the standard American diet (SAD). If the SAD diet is your baseline, then you can see where you are headed.
You have the power to choose, to change. Where do you want to be?
Figure 4: Triangle of Suffering
Which Direction?
After reviewing the above information, please take time to reflect on where you are at, and what direction you are headed in respect to your health. Are you living your best life? Are you on Maslow’s triangle or on the Triangle of Suffering? I know it is hard to take an honest look at where you are at, however this is how healing begins. Take some time to write a journal.
Change is hard, but you are worth it. Join my health tribe to learn more about your body and how to optimize it so you can live your best life. Yes, LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE. The time is now.
To get started:
Learn and Change
After 24 years of working in the health care industry, I’ve decided that I want to be a part of a new wave of actual health care. Nurse Andrea, LLC was born in May 2024 and is growing. I started this tribe because the American medical system for chronic disease management has somewhat failed. I have figured out a way to demonstrate and teach the basis of obesity and diabetes, which is insulin-resistance. I could try to write it out, provide images and flow charts, but it is not good enough. I’ve figured out how to demonstrate it. My demonstrations provide the “Ah-ha” moment for participants. In my medical practice as a nurse practitioner I’ve helped an 81-year-old male reverse his diabetes. If he can do it so can you. My demonstrations are what is needed to help throw the switch of change into high-gear. Nurse Andrea, LLC offers a supportive educational transformative experience that provides new opportunities for healing mentally and physically.
Not only do I have a deep understanding of nutrition and how the human body works, I’ve suffered with obesity and pre-diabetes myself. I’ve had to battle my own food addictions. I had to learn how to love myself healthy.
Choices
The obesity fight cannot be done alone, nor should it be. I don’t want to see Americans suffer with obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, dementia, heart attacks and strokes. I’ve had enough of it. All of us want a long life-span, what about a long health-span? What if it was “normal” to be in your 80’s or 90’s and still exercising as you wish without using a walker or taking medication?
As one person, I cannot make significant change in our American food system. With your willingness to join this health tribe you will learn and be able to make change in your life. You don’t have to suffer with obesity. With health transformation, not only will you be living your best life, you will also leave a legacy for your family and friends.
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References
Centers for Disease control and Prevention. (2022, July 22). Overweight & obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/surveillance.html#NPAO
Fast Facts: health and economic costs of chronic conditions. (2024, January 12). https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from
Lustig, R. H. (2020). Ultraprocessed Food: addictive, toxic, and ready for regulation. Nutrients, 5(12). Retrieved August 23, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113401
Mcleod, S. (2024, January 24). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved January 25, 2024, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
Obesity Medicine Association. (2024, June 4). Rising Obesity Rates in America: A public health crisis. Retrieved August 24, 2024, from https://obesitymedicine.org/blog/rising-obesity-rates-in-america-a-public-health-crisis/
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 15). Diabetes. CDC. Retrieved August 28, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/php/data-research/index.html
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (1992). The Food Guide Pyramid. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Original-1992-USDA-Food-Guide-Pyramid_fig1_6072962. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Original-1992-USDA-Food-Guide-Pyramid_fig1_6072962
USDA. (2020, January 1). My Plate. MyPlate U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from https://www.myplate.gov/
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