The Management of Obesity

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Today, more than ever before, Americans are bursting at their seams. This may sound funny to some, but it is far from humorous. Obesity engulfed my body at the young age of twenty-five, as I topped the scales at a whopping three hundred pounds. At this point, I could no longer fit into average-sized clothing, but more importantly I could barely breathe. I napped most of the day, yet never felt rested. My blood pressure was elevated, as well as my lipids. As a brand new nurse, I knew something had to shift. I decided to embark on a life-long journey towards health and wellness. I became a vegan, joined a gym and ever so slowly put one foot in front of the other. After a year and a half, I had lost over one hundred and forty pounds. Now, twenty years later, I remain healthy, and in excellent shape. However, most people will not take the same journey as I have. They will continue to follow on a path of self-destruction, leading to disease, disability and ultimately death. An example of this is my father. He passed away a year ago at the age of sixty-nine, and a weight of four hundred pounds. His body finally gave in to decades of food over-indulgence and sedentary lifestyle. Obesity ravaged his entire body, from his liver and kidneys, to his heart. I knew as I hit my heaviest weight, that if I did not make a change, my fate would be the same as his.

Obesity is not just a topic for me to research and analyze as a nurse/student, it is part of me. It is a monster rearing its evil head, in every donut or slice of pizza that crosses my eyes. It requires taming and constant vigilance to continue making healthy choices in order to avoid its wrath. Educating others about obesity is something I do every day, not just...

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.... P., Mamun, A. A., & Bonneux, L. (2003). Obesity in adulthood and its consequences for life expectancy: A life-table analysis. Retrieved from http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=715888

Prescription medications for the treatment of obesity. (2013). Retrieved from http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/PDFs/Prescription_Medications.pdf

The National Institute of Health. (1998). Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/ob_gdlns.pdf

The Ohio Department of Health. (2009). The Ohio Obesity Prevention Plan. Retrieved from http://www.healthy.ohio.gov/resources/datareports/~/media/9B42F122F2074DB19E0A931505BE01D4.ashx

World Health Organization. (2013). Obesity and overweight. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/

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