Yes, it’s Five Things Wednesday! As some of you know, my Dad recently had a stint installed in an artery in his heart. It’s a relatively simple procedure, and he’s doing very well, but it served as a reminder of the primary reason I want to lose weight (I want to live a long, relatively surgery-free life). In humble commemoration of that event, here are Five Bad Things That Happen to Overweight Men as They Age:
1. ) Open Heart Surgery. Yep. It’s a bad one. The link is to a piece about recovering from open heart surgery, and includes this line: “The bone in the middle of your chest (the sternum) was opened during surgery.” No, seriously. Sure, skinny men end up having their chests cracked open as well, but at a vastly lower rate than big boys like myself.
2.) Strokes. Again, yes, people who aren’t fat have strokes too. But fat people – fat men particularly – are at a far greater risk. Having up-close experience with one, I’m pretty sure I’d like to avoid having one myself.
3.) Diabetes. You know, sometimes they end up chopping off a limb, or at least a smaller appendage, because of this stuff. I have a genetic predisposition to diabetes from both sides of my family, and I know living skinnier can help me avoid it. So shame on me if I don’t do everything I can to keep it from setting in on me.
4.) Dementia. You didn’t think this one would have a correlation, did you. From the link: “A study at Kaiser Permanente found that people in their 40s who had the highest amounts of visceral fat were three times more likely to suffer from dementia in later years compared with study participants with less visceral fat.” Yeah, I’d like to avoid dementia as long as possible, thanks.
5.) Erectile Dysfunction. Yeah, I know, some of us would rather deal with the previous four than this one. But the research appears to indicate the market for little blue pills would, umm, shrink, if the collective American waistband shrank as well. From the link: ” In large-scale studies, nearly 80 percent of men who reported having erectile dysfunction were also overweight or obese.”
So. There you have five really good reasons to skip dessert, at least occasionally, if not obsessively. Next time, something lighter. For now, be afraid and let that fear lead you to a healthier tomorrow.
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Thanks for reading. Sorry about Monday – I could make a really excellent excuse or two, but I won’t. See you Friday 🙂
Skipping Dessert 