Facing another weighty problem

STEVE SMITH

You’ve probably heard of the report or read about it in the

newspaper.

According to a government agency, “A growing obesity epidemic is

threatening the health of millions of Americans in the United

States.” The report cites many reasons for the epidemic but makes a

point of singling out physical inactivity as a major contributor to

the problem.

In past years, this would have been my segue into the perils of

watching television and letting kids fritter away their time playing

mind-numbing video games. But this year is different. After now

pointing out that National No-TV Week is April 19 through 25, it’s

time to concentrate on our weight problem.

Last year, obesity was said to have accounted for 400,000 deaths,

second only to smoking with 435,000 deaths. It is important to note

here that both of these causes of death, nearly a million, are from

lifestyle choices. We choose to smoke and we choose to eat too much

of the wrong foods and avoid exercise.

The statistics have the “nearly” asterisk because there are some

folks, including some well-informed professionals, who believe that

some obesity has genetic origins.

Robert Skversky, a Newport Beach-based bariatric physician, is one

of them. A few years back, I did some marketing work for Skversky; I

had lunch with him last Tuesday to catch up.

Skversky, who does not have a weight problem, had a ham and cheese

sandwich. My 20-pounds-overweight body absorbed grilled fish.

“The focus on taking the stairs instead of the elevator and all

that won’t make any difference,” Skversky said. “Obesity must be

treated like a disease.”

That is, in fact, exactly what the Center for Disease Control and

Prevention advised. To combat the disease, Skversky combines

medications to reduce the “metabolic set point,” or the weight level

that you body believes it should be. The program works, as Skversky’s

patients will tell you.

Much of the rest lies in what has become an ingrained part of our

existence. Americans drive far too much instead of walking or riding

a bike and we eat far too much death food (formerly known as “junk”

food).

None of this is news. What may be news to you is that the quotes

I’ve given you from the study are not from the recent federal report

of a few days ago but one from 1999. And if I tried just a little, I

could probably find similar studies from many years before that.

Exercising has benefits far beyond those of weight control -- just

ask anyone who has just finished a two-mile run or a workout at a

gym.

Gyms are great, but what I fear is that we’ve become too dependent

on them for our exercise. Instead of just walking outside, running or

riding a bike, many of us are certain that unless we make it to the

gym, we can’t properly exercise.

Thirty years ago in Los Angeles, I could have walked into any

number of school gyms on a Saturday and played basketball for a few

hours. I often did. The gates to the school grounds were also open in

case kids wanted to play handball, baseball or football.

But thanks to a combination of budget reductions, rising insurance

costs from frivolous lawsuits and general stupidity, gyms and school

grounds are no longer open to kids.

Instead, we send them mixed messages. On one hand, we want them to

exercise. On the other, we feed them death food, buy them computers

and TVs instead of balls and bats and keep them inside when it is

perfectly safe outside, due to our abnormal fear of the bogeyman

snatching them (statistically, the streets of your city are safer

than they were decades ago -- just ask your police chief).

Today, our kids don’t have access to gyms. Gates to the

schoolyards are locked, sending them the message that they are not

wanted there and they’ll be breaking the law if they try to get in

the yard and play. But it’s quite all right to set Johnny down with a

GameBoy and chips -- at least we know where he is.

The other part of the childhood obesity equation is the cues that

our kids are taking from their parents. If we watch a lot of TV,

exercise too little and eat death food, chances are pretty good that

the last thing on Johnny’s mind is hopping on his bike on Saturday

for a five-mile ride.

Here’s how to get your kids to shed those extra pounds:

1) Lose some weight yourself, if appropriate

2) Turn off the TV (this means you and your kids)

3) Start riding a bike to the market, dry cleaners and the bank

4) Ditch the video games

5) Let them play outside. No, check that -- kick them outside to

play

6) Eat right. See doctors such as Skversky for professional advice

-- don’t allow someone on commission to advise you what to eat.

If all that fails, my final advice is to stop reading the

newspaper because the news is only going to get worse.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer.

Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at

(949) 642-6086.