Day One Hundred and Sixteen!!!!

How does obesity effect the female body?


Apparently, with increased weight comes an increased risk of diseases and ailments such as migraines, especially for younger women who have general body obesity or belly obesity. There is actually a 42% higher risk when obese, of developing dementia. There is also an increased risk of coronary artery disease. For those after menopause there is a 30% to 60% higher breast cancer risk, as well as a 12 times higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 


For those in their child bearing years there is a 6% increase of infertility. Also, for post menopausal women, additional weight adds the risk of fractures and back trouble as well as knee and hip problems and osteoarthritis. There is a higher risk of joint problems all around. Gaining just ten pounds feels more like thirty pounds to your knees while walking, and while taking the steps to go upstairs those ten pounds feels like seventy pounds to your knee joints.


Weight gain can also cause conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, gallbladder disease and gallstones, gout, sleep apnea, and asthma. The other cancers that obesity can lead to includes; colon and rectum, endometrium, esophagus, pancreas, prostate, and kidney. 


I remember when my family was at its heaviest and the skin above my dads eyes started to turn yellow because there was too much fat in his eyelids, he also developed sleep apnea, his skin condition was inflamed to where he was in constant pain, and later he suffered from a heart attack. He also developed gout, was on the cusp of developing type 2 diabetes, had back problems and he had high blood pressure.


My mother had a bad case of sciatica, she fell in the bath tub and pulled enough muscle that the doctor at the hospital suspected she had broken her leg, after trying to do pilates. My mom would walk up a flight of steps and puff. She also pulled her back out so many times from that added weight. 


I had shortness of breath, I could easily pull my back out because of all the weight I was carrying. I was covered in stretch marks, nasty red marks that made me unable to wear short sleeves. My period was out of control to the point where I had to be on birth control to stop it. I’m pretty sure at one point I had it for 4 months straight. 


Long story short, my whole family has suffered from obesity and each of us has had different health issues caused by it. With the loss of weight, my dad is doing really well now. He has lost 40 pounds, no longer has sleep apnea, is no longer worried about type 2 diabetes, no longer has gout or high blood pressure and hasn’t any back problems. My mom, lost a total of 80 pounds, no longer has any back problems, and no longer suffers from sciatica. The best of all now is that she gets to wear whatever she wants. She has moved on from only wearing black every day to being a fashionista, wearing the most beautiful combinations of clothing and accessories. I am really proud of her. I want to be able to do that too! 

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