It’s that time of the year again when diets feature regularly in conversations along with thoughts of new body shapes for 2019. If everyone loses the pounds they are hoping to lose in the coming months, Ireland will rise a few centimetres above sea level. But that probably won’t happen.
Jeremy Clarkson, the previous star of Top Gear, gave up cigarettes some time ago and as a result, he put on two stone in weight. His said his belt started screaming at him and his legs and ankles began to hurt, so he decided to try and lose some weight.
He drank lots of water that he describes as tasting like liquid lettuce and he ate small quantities of slimming food for ten days but was surprised to find that when he stood on the weighing scales, he had gained two pounds. That brought him to the conclusion that water is fattening and I have a certain amount of sympathy for Jeremy because I have had a similar experience.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I got one of these Garmin watches for Christmas. The kind that tells you to get off the couch and walk. Since I got it, I have made a big effort at the walking and the watch tells me that I have walked 95 miles in the last two weeks. But when I stood on the scales after all that exercise, the needle was going in the wrong direction.
Normally, dieting is not an issue I need to concern myself with. I’m lucky to have the body of Adonis, or whoever that guy with the good physique was, or Ronaldo if you want a modern-day comparison.
I’m always reminding my wife how lucky she is to have the perfect husband, but she doesn’t say very much. She usually throws her eyes skyward whenever I mention it and I suppose she’s quietly giving thanks for being so fortunate. I reckon she’s just overwhelmed and that’s understandable.
In the meantime, other mere mortals will be testing out diets of all kinds and setting various targets for the rest of the year. It’s big business and there is plenty of money to be made from it and no shortage of people willing to fork out for the opportunity to lose a few kilos.
Many of the weight loss programmes promote the fact that they are scientifically proven to work and guarantee a successful outcome. Really though, it isn’t rocket science at all and if you eat less and move more, you will lose weight and that’s the reality of it. So, you might well ask, if it’s that simple why are we heading for a problem in this country with obesity?
The main issue is that we lack discipline. We eat and drink too many of the wrong things because we’re human and we like nice stuff. It’s also far easier to sit down and watch the telly than it is to move outside, especially when there’s a chance we could get wet or cold.
We spend more time sitting down than our parents did and we have a more sedentary lifestyle. For those who are desk bound at work, they can leave their job, drive home and sit in front of the TV without taking too many steps during the entire day. Because of this, we are getting fatter.
This is bad news because obesity can cause a number of health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease which can reduce your life expectancy.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, Ireland has the highest cases of obesity and excess weight in the whole of Europe. The research involved 53 countries from the WHO European region and compared recorded figures of 2010 and projected ones for the year 2030. If this trend in Ireland continues, experts are of the opinion that by the year 2030, we may have to deal with a big obesity crisis.
Anyone who has ever struggled with being overweight will tell you it’s not easy to lose a few pounds. And it takes a lot of effort and can be a constant battle. If you’re struggling, you should take some encouragement from the story of Juan Pedro Franco, a 33-year-old Mexican man.
At one point he topped the weighing scales at 93 stone, almost 600kg and the Guinness World Records named him the heaviest person alive in 2017.
He was involved in a car accident at the age of 17, and the injuries he sustained meant he was confined to bed, so the pounds piled on. He really wanted to be able to go for a walk outside and breathe fresh air and not to be trapped in his house, but it wasn’t possible. He was simply too heavy.
Two years ago, he was removed from his bedroom for the first time in seven years to undergo life-saving treatment in hospital. He was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, hypertension and liquid in his lungs. His future was looking bleak unless he shed the weight.
By May 2017, Franco had lost 170 kg (26 st. 10 lb) and was able to have gastric bypass surgery. After the surgery, he started a supervised dietary programme and a new exercise regime which saw him lose a third of his body weight by the time he appeared in the pages of Guinness World Records 2019. By November last year he had reduced his weight even further and reached 304 kg. So far, he has lost a staggering 45 stone or 291 kg.
The next time you complain about being a bit roundy, think about this guy. So far, he has lost somewhere in the region of the combined weight of four average sized men.
Now that’s dieting.