I have two good reasons to write about weight today. First, it is Healthy Weight Week and second, new obesity statistics (childhood and adult) have been released. And I want my readers to be in the know.
Obesity statistics published in the Journal of the American Medical Association have been updated to account for the decade that just ended. Drum roll please…
There was no change. Children (except the heaviest boys from 6-19 years old) and adult women had no real increase while men’s numbers went up but from 2003 onward this wasn’t significant. Still, almost 7 out of 10 adults (68%) are either overweight or obese. So while the numbers haven’t gone up, most health professionals prefer they go down.
At the same time these statistics were splattered all over the news, another interesting research study was reported. According to a study in the Journal of Preventative Medicine, women who have had children are at the highest risk for weight gain over time. The researchers studied 6478 Australian women and found that over ten years the women without children or a partner gained 11 pounds, those with a partner gained 15 pounds, and with a partner and a child gained 20.
According to the International Food and Information Council, in the last decade media stories on obesity have skyrocketed. I often wonder what effect this news really has on people. Does hearing about weight make them want to jump on the treadmill or give up in defeat?
And if you have an overweight child, how does this news sit with you? Will you be tempted to restrict your child’s intake? Take away all his sweets? All of which are things that backfire.
Clients have always told me “I know what to do, I just don’t do it.” And this makes them feel bad, lazy even, for not doing what they think they should do. (For a great reason not to “should” yourself see this article!)
But I think the key is identifying and removing obstacles – real and perceived. Yes, those of us married with children are more at risk to gain weight. We are so busy with children and responsibilities that we tend to put ourselves on the back burner. But there’s so much we can do to help ourselves and our kids if we learned how to look at things differently.
Many of you said time was your major barrier to taking care of your own health. So stay tuned for tips on how to remove barriers, save time and prove that being married with children does not make unnecessary weight gain inevitable.
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References
Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Lamb MM, Flegal KM. Prevalence of high body mass Index in US children and adolescents, 2007-2008. JAMA. 2010;303(3):242-249.
Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Ogden CL, Curtin LR. Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999-2008. JAMA. 2010;303(3):235-241.
Brown WJ, Hockey R, Dobson AJ. Effects of having a baby on weight gain. Am J Prev Med. 2010;38(2): 163-170.
