Chapter 9

11/8/18
Chapter 9 kicks off a discussion about weight management and body image. Right off the bat the chapter tells us that Americans are fatter on average than any other generation before us. There are many factors to be discussed further in the chapter but a big concern is the lifestyle we live. Starting with our youth, they have very easy access to high fat and calorie foods but also fewer physical education requirements. This obesity issue we are struggling with can have plenty of ill effects. Some of these include depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, sexual dysfunction, and increased risk of all forms of heart disease. This chapter tells us that although some people may possess certain genes that predispose them to obesity, it may not be the only thing that matters. Sometimes a lifestyle full of healthy choices can be enough to offset the genes setback. There are also physiological factors as to why one might be overweight. These include our metabolic rates. This is the rate at which our bodies can use calories for energy throughout the day. Some of the environmental factors that can cause contribute to the obesity problem is media messages and advertisements for cheap, fattening foods and large portions. Sometimes our friends can be looked at as bad influences. The book likens overweight and obese people being likely to become friends to the likelihood of other smokers to hang out together. Your lifestyle also plays a large role in your weight. Those who live very active lifestyles are far less likely to be obese than those who live almost sedentary lifestyles. When thinking about our own healthy weights, we must take into account the accuracy of different body composition tests. According to the book, someone my age should be between 7%-19% body fat in order to be considered healthy. I am curious to know my own and will likely seek out a test in the near future. In order to maintain a healthy diet, we must know the relationship between calories and energy. Calories are like the fuel for our body. Eating more than your body needs is a way to gain weight and eating less is a way to lose weight. Exercising is a good way to burn up excess calories but the amount of calories burned for the same exercise varies from person to person. We also need to do research into the diets we choose to pursue. We should check to make sure that the diet affords us the proper nutrients for healthy life which we learned about in a previous chapter. We also need to be able to afford the diet and be able to sustain it over time. This chapter tells us to be aware of our body image and how we see ourselves. Sometimes we can have negative body images which can be a distorted perception of our shape. Sometimes the images set forth by media or images of celebrities set the standard for what we think we ought to look like. These images can be unrealistically thin people or people who use substances to enhance their body image. A small percentage of people can suffer from something called body dysmorphic disorder. These people can be obsessed with their body appearance and have a distorted view of themselves. These people can be at an increased risk for eating disorders. The book touches on two major eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia sufferers show symptoms such as refusal to maintain body weight above minimal normal weight, intense fear of gaining weight, and denial of their low body weight. People who suffer from bulimia often binge on large portions of food and then try to compensate through purging their body through the form of vomiting or taking laxatives. They can also over-exercise in an attempt to burn the calories. People can over-exercise without suffering from bulimia which can have problems in and of itself. This can cause muscle dysmorphia where a person thinks they are not muscular enough. These people are likely to abuse steroids and dietary substances which can cause more health problems.

This week I had a good exercise routine and felt stronger than I have recently. It was a pretty hectic week in terms of scheduling but I made it through without having any cheat meals which was another goal of mine, to go longer than 5 days without a cheat meal. I’ve been trying to think of my diet in terms of percentages, keeping it more than 80% good and 20% bad. This seems to be helping me keep to it. I only ran once this week but next week I will be looking to get back on track with that. As for this chapter and how it relates I feel like it was pretty similar to last week and nutrition. The diet is a very important part of the healthy lifestyle. I used to be about 260 pounds and although I was active and worked out, I ate huge amounts of unhealthy foods. It wasn’t until I changed my diet that I really started to see results. I still eat pretty close to the same foods and shy away from fast food in general. This chapter helped me see the other sides of obsessing with weight loss including eating disorders and such. Attached is a picture of my girlfriend and I who are both working to achieve our own personal fitness and diet goals.