What kills 598,000 people per year? What creates $147b -$210b in healthcare costs per year?
If you guessed anything besides obesity, you’re wrong.
To start, I’m not skinny. Far from it. I’m overweight and I know it. I’m not proud of it and I hate it. However, rather than embracing my unhealthiness I’m fighting it. I’m striving to be healthy.
The media and leftist want everyone to embrace fatness though. They want everyone to just accept fat as beautiful and ignore the health consequences.. They don’t want to acknowledge the fact that those who do nothing but eat and sit on their asses are the leading causes of heart disease and healthcare costs.
What healthcare costs?
- Moderately obese (BMI between 30 and 35) individuals are more than twice as likely as healthy weight individuals to be prescribed prescription pharmaceuticals to manage medical conditions.
- Costs for patients presenting at emergency rooms with chest pains are 41 percent higher for severely obese patients, 28 percent higher for obese patients and 22 percent higher for overweight patients than for healthy weight patients.
Let’s not forget:
- High blood pressure (Hypertension)
- High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Coronary heart disease
- Stroke
- Gallbladder disease
- Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)
- Sleep apnea and breathing problems
- Low quality of life
- Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders
- Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning
Why is obesity such a problem though? There are healthy food options out there and gyms are much more affordable now. So why don’t people take care of themselves?
Because they are comfortable with their lives. Sure, some folks have issues with their thyroid but that’s not an excuse with how accessible doctor’s are. Others claim it’s all generics, so what’s the point of even trying? They’re not fat, they’re big-boned.
What ever the reason they use, it’s an excuse.
I know what my reason has been… Laziness. Why spend an hour at the gym and eating healthy when sitting on the couch and ordering out is so convenient?
What changed my mind about being fat? When I had to go up a size in my pants. When my health started to deteriorate. When I couldn’t run around with my kids.
Not to mention I’m not about to be a burden on society.
If we end up with socialized healthcare the obese population will rack up $147b – $210b per YEAR in healthcare costs that the rest of us will have to cover
Once you become so large and acquire so many health problems you’re considered disabled. You can no longer work.
So when people are not keen on accepting obesity as normal and beautiful, it’s not hate. It’s about not wanting to cover healthcare costs because of bad life decisions. Fat acceptance is a lie to make those who are unwilling to live a healthier life feel good about themselves.
