Today Paul Plakas, personal education and fitness trainer and television host of X Weighted posted this on Facebook: Question to provoke discussion - This year I am going to ask questions that I would like a variety of opinions upon. Question #1 - Do people have a responsibility to the rest of society to take care of their own health? or the less politically correct question: Do people have the right to make themselves morbidly obese?
Plakas always seems to have a way of making one think. Even if it ruffles one’s skin the wrong way. It took me about two hours to sort out how I was going to respond to his provocative questions because there was at least 100 different ways I could go with this.
The only person that has a responsibility for your health is you. Society on the other hand has the responsibility to provide services and tools to help those with the desire take control of their own destinies.
A few years ago I was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. There is no denying that with amount of stress and trauma occurring around me this was a real possibility. At the same time I was also having problems with “strange attacks” that felt like butterflies in my chest and my hands would turn bright red.
To help with the post traumatic stress disorder I was put on the most fashionable drug of choice at the time for anxiety - starting out with half a pill of the lowest dose.
The affects were quick and profound. I was so keyed up I was nearing swinging from the chandeliers. To help with my sudden burst of non-stop energy I was then put on another drug to bring me down. All the while the “strange attacks” were not getting better, they were getting worse.
Already struggling with my weight the one good news story during that period was that I was experiencing amazing results with my trainer at the gym. For the first time in my life I was able to do chin ups and was jogging. That all fell apart when the cocktail of uppers and downers caught up resulting in a weight gained 40 pounds in two weeks.
I was immediately taken off the drugs, however, the “attacks” continued.
Outwardly I appeared calm. Inwardly I was hysterical. Desperate to get the weight off I attended a healthy eating class and took up walking as much and as often as I could.
While in class I had one of my episode and was ushered in to see a Nurse Practitioner.
Turned out those “strange attacks” were allergic reactions to the preservatives and chemicals added into our foods. Later I learned that tests could not be run to find out which chemicals were the culprits because they don’t know what is being put in our food and whatever the additives are they are constantly being changed and the medical community cannot keep up. I also learned that a symptom of an allergy attack is anxiety.
Ugg!
The Rule of thumb became eat nothing out of a box or a can and if I do – don`t just read the labels - study them.
Unfortunately my body could not hold the weight and I started to fall, successfully managing to embarrass my niece and nephew (and others) at the most inconvenient times and in most public places. Eventually I tore up the cartilage in my knee so badly I could barely stand never mind trying to walk. Advil and Tylenol became my friends for months until I was able to receive surgery to get things cleaned up.
The rips in my knee were so bad the surgeon took pictures of it and dropped
them off in the recovery room as a parting present. He also told me that that the surgery was not going to work and even though he wrote me the script for physiotherapy neither was it.
I chose not to hear him.
Off I went for physio learning very quickly the problem was not my knee it was the way I was walking. I spent that summer learning how to re-walk and dropped 30 pounds.
By the next summer I had taken up biking but a cyst on my foot, a popped knee cap, and a car accident put a damper on all of it. Even with physiotherapy the bike riding became too difficult.
Getting really fed up with the situation I got myself back to the gym, got focused, said the hell with everything. Eventually I got a hold of Paul Plakas who set up a couple of routines to help strengthen the injured areas and I went to work. Just over a year later another fifteen pounds lighter and four sizes smaller my health is now that much better.
Do people have the right to make themselves morbidly obese?
Every person has their own unique story on how they found themselves in trouble with their weight and chronic obesity. To me obesity is just an outward reflection on what is occurring on the inside. Every person’s weight story is complex and to try to put it all under one label as being this or that is being irresponsible and naive.
It is one of the most stigmatized conditions especially in Western society and reality television shows that offer prize money for weight loss in my mind is offensive. So is cutting funding in schools for things like physical education and then as a fundraiser having the students sell chocolate covered almonds.
What I have shared is just a tiny glimpse into all the work that has occurred during the past five years, but the work is paying off and I’m not done yet. Slowly yes, but every step with assured confidence.
The only person that has and can take responsibility for your health is you. The services and tools you need exist within society should you desire take control of your own destiny.
ThInQ About It
1 comment:
Love this!
Post a Comment