Speaking or Hearing?

An article in the LA Times today reports 1 in 3 overweight adults said they were of normal weight and 82% of obese people thought they were merely overweight. What is going on here?

The article puts some of the blame on doctors for not adequately or accurately telling their patients they are overweight. I wonder if this is because our physicians have been forced, due to insurance company intervention, to only spend an average of 7 minutes with each patient. Who has time in 7 minutes to discuss the issue the patient presented for along with BMI and weight loss concerns? And, then what do doctors tell their patients? Eat less and exercise more. What does that mean, exactly? Our doctors haven't been trained in such things - astounding and true!

I would suspect every overweight person knows, somewhere in the depths of their soul, something is just not right. Does everyone know their BMI? Probably not. Is it easy to figure out? Yes - go here. Is BMI perfect? Certainly not. Is is a good place to start? Yes. If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9 you are considered of normal weight.

And, I wonder even more if this article is continuing the trend of blame push? Have we really gotten to a place where none of us knows anything about our bodies unless our doctor tells us it is so? None of should really need a doctor or a calculator to know that we should lose a few pounds (most women can tell you when they walk into their closet to choose something to wear).

We are each responsible for ourselves and we should watch out for our loved ones. Do you need to lose a few pounds? What about your spouse or kids? We need to listen to our bodies and hear the voice inside. Is it easier to eat a brownie in front of the television or take a walk after dinner? The sofa, brownie and television are calling. Don't answer... be too busy moving your body. You know. You only need to hear.