Stop the Food Cravings

AMA just declares Obesity is a disease(1).

There is a serious situation in the world and especially in the USA that is garnering the attention of both the medical world and the public in general. That situation is the ever growing problem of being overweight and obesity that is finally being recognized as endangering the health of Americans everywhere.

The idea of starting this blog is to raise awareness of this problem and how we can possibly find ways to combat it. The fact that the number of health issues that are directly related to obesity have grown substantially, like:

·         Heart disease and stroke.

·         High blood pressure.

·         Diabetes.

·         Cancer.

·         Gallbladder disease and gallstones.

·         Osteoarthritis.

·         Gout.

·         Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea

That's probably just a sample of some of the health problems we could list even more. But the point is the ones on this list are significant enough.  My opinion on the matter focuses on the medical professionals who see these problems and are not doing enough to emphasize the need for us to make the radical changes in our life to address the health issues of being overweight or obese. I am glad that the AMA has recognized obesity to be a disease. This is a good first step in getting the country and specifically medical profession to focus on the problem. Yes your doctor may point out that you need to lose weight in an annual physical but another year goes by and you may even be worse.

At this point I would like to present my personal story of recent time that is dealing with my health. In the past 4-5 years my weight has been steadily gaining. It has resulted in stress to my knees, my blood pressure has increased to the point I'm taking medicine. I also take medicine for my stomach to regulate it better. Of course clothes don't fit properly and I have not felt good about myself in awhile. I'm not that vain a person but obviously you realize how you are presenting yourself to the world is not the way you want to viewed.

A new weight-loss drug that I have been following for some time since being approved by the FDA last June finally became available this past week. The drug is called Belviq and it is restricted currently to people who have a BMI over 30 or a BMI over 27 and  at least one "weight-related medical condition such as hypertension, type 2 Diabetes, or high cholesterol.

So for one week I have been taking the drug and have noted no side effects. What I have experienced is a significantly reduced desire for food. The greatest support I have received is from my wife who has started us on a healthier path to eating. By reducing my overall intake of calories and getting calories from more nutritious foods I am feeling 100% better. In addition my blood pressure has dropped to a normal level( previously 150/95 now closer to 114/72). That in itself makes me feel good.

Is Belviq a magic pill? No! Can it get you to a place that can help you change your eating habits? Yes, I believe so. We need to change our eating habits and exercise more, that's what the doctors say. I totally agree. But America would have done that by now if they recognized the gravity of the situation about their health. The more severe the situation the harder it is to get going and doing it. Belviq could finally break through and help individuals get to a point that change is possible. The additional effect that it has documented in trial studies of reducing a person's HbA1c levels from taking Belviq will be a substantial benefits to diabetic patients.

In conclusion, AMA is making a stand on obesity, that is a good thing. Maybe now we will get serious about this serious problem. Many get discouraged in their efforts to fight this disease and will need each other to support any effort to overcome it. My personal quest is to get to a better place and my hope is the prescription drug Belviq will help me attain that goal. I welcome any comments and if anyone needs more info on Belviq check out belviq.com and I will update in later post how things going so stay tuned. Hopefully if by my example I give hope to one person it will mean a lot to me.

(1) http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/usa-doctors-obesity-idUSL2N0EU2AB20130618

http://belviq.com