Losing Weight – So Easy Even a Caveman Can Do It?

Obesity has recently been classified as a disease, starting the debate anew why we should give ‘those lazy people’ yet another excuse why they ‘don’t pull themselves together and just show a little more self-discipline’.

The fitness industry bears its share of blame for this attitude, pointing to the fact that we as fitness professionals are confronted with the same food choices and, for the most part, go for the green and low calorie options. We also exercise, get our heart rate just were it needs to be, and some have a great story how they were able to shed x number of pounds by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Good for them; I could not be happier. But can we really extrapolate so easily from ‘us’ to ‘them’?

There are not many ways in which I can relate to a person who is overweight and goes to food for comfort. When I get stressed, I lose my appetite to the point that the mere thought of food makes my nauseous.  Come to think of it, my survival chances would have been very marginal if I still lived in a cave.

However, I remember my struggle to quit smoking when I was 21, after having smoked for about 5 years. Well, I pulled myself together and showed self-discipline and quit cold turkey. 37 years later, I never touched another cigarette, and for the longest time I would not have dared to for fear to start over again.

So why don’t these ‘lazy obese people’ do the same? But wait – you can’t just stop eating. Not only are the overweight confronted with the challenge of consistently reducing their food intake, they are at the same time constantly bombarded with enticements of any imaginable kind. It is hardly surprising that so many are just giving up. We are hard-wired to eat as much as possible when food is available. For millennia, this has ensured the survival of any species, humans included.

So: do I have an answer to this problem? No; if I did, I would not write a blog but a book and make millions. But I hope that everybody will support those who are trying to lose weight in any way possible and by not judging and stereotyping just because their personal genetic make-up makes it easier for them to control what for others is uncontrollable.

Keeping Score: Lawyers 11 – Chiropractors 9

I have nothing against lawyers and chiropractors. I use a chiropractor myself when I need this kind of treatment, and lawyers can provide valuable assistance to maneuver the legal jungle.

I was in a car accident last Saturday. Rear-ended and then pushed against the car in front of me. Nobody got hurt but my car got the short end of the stick. After I got home, I MELTed and found that all the components were where they have always been. The insurance company took over. My car is in the shop to get fixed, I have a rental car, and my life resumes as normal.

One day after the accident, a Sunday, I received the first phone call from a lawyer offering his services. He seemed clearly disappointed to hear that, thank you, I am just fine. Since then the beleaguered US Postal Service has enjoyed an unexpected increase in mailings, about half and half lawyers and chiropractors.

By all appearances, lawyers have more money to spend because there are glossy brochures and heavy envelopes that require additional postage. In contrast, mostly postcards from chiropractors.

Personally, I find this distasteful - to say the least. I know it is the practice in the United States (in moments like this, my German-ness dominates). But I keep a list to make sure that I will not use any of those lawyers or chiropractors that are pushing their services on me!