Chew On This.

Obesity is an army conquering this country and its taking no prisoners. 18-30 year olds is the bracket where obesity most develops. Sure, it can be the discovery of beer and fast food wile most attend college. It can also be the fact that some have just gotten cars and a license to drive that finds them at the nearest Wendy's Drive-Thru. I'll admit, during my high school years, I had a neverending struggle with weight maintenance, and it still haunts me to this day. Had I not played football for seven years (pop warner and high school), I could have even worse problems to this day. By senior year, I was a lean 200 pounds. For a guy standing at 6'1, that ain't too bad.

Then college came into my life; where the beer was cheap, a fast food place near the campus was always open and the talk of caloric intake was only something you'd hear about on an exam. Due to college, and the two years after, in six years I gained roughly 80 pounds. This is not a joke. Eating poorly is an illness that has to be stopped.

I had my checkup with the doctor yesterday who has tried at least four times in the past to get me on blood pressure medication. But even in my lighter days, my endless activity always left it a little high. Well, since dropping 12 pounds since my last checkup (in March), and I was in such a good mood - she got me. She found an opening and put me on blood pressure medication. I'm 24 years old and I dread the thought of being on any kind of medication this young. We're a medicated country; where people prefer monetary relief compared to a longer battle for better results in the long run. If you have back pain, they prescribe you something INSTEAD of having you go to physical therapy to take care of the problems before by the time you're 40, you can't even lift a stack of papers without a sharp, wincing pain.

Education is the only way to make the change. People need to know. People need to stand together and hunt down the mindless bastards who prescribe the wrong treatments and line their pockets. I'm making a personal goal to myself to drop some serious weight in the next month, so when I have a follow-up appointment with my doctor, I can stick the pills in her face and say "Good riddance, I don't need them." I almost contemplated not taking the damned pills at all and working on my cardio even harder. I'm eating healthier already, which I can attribute to the 12 pound loss and I'm eating less, which is a big thing. I feel better typing this now, and once more pounds are shed, my grin can only grow wider.

Conquer the problem before it claims you too. Control yourself. Your body is yours - you ultimately decide what goes in it. Make the change. You won't regret it.