Let’s Get Serious About Obesity, Part 3

Recently, I saw a good friend who had lost a significant amount of weight at the urging of her personal physician.  She was amazed that many of her African American friends thought she was sick because of the weight loss.  This thinking is common in the African American community and people are accustomed to others being obese and tend to view this as normal or healthy.  A change in mindset is essential in losing weight.

Obesity is a disease of malnutrition that often occurs in families.  It is common to see obese parents with obese children.  Obesity has often been described as a disease of poverty, in many cases.  People who consume a poor selection of food are more likely to be overweight and obese.

It is known that obese women are often depressed and as one lady indicated to me, “man issues.”  The stresses of life can contribute to overindulgence in poor food choices.