Blog Nov. 27--Weight Debate

Discussion and Reading Question 6

America is one of the most--if not the most-- obese country in the world. Studies show that thirty percent of Americans are obese, and, including them, over sixty percent of all Americans are overweight. In America, people eat, and eat and gain, and gain. They are driven by their bodies to eat more and more until they become obese. Their diet is bad; it contains high-calorie and low-nutrient foods. Because of people’s obesity and overweight-ness, there comes low self-esteem, self hatred, guilt and depression. This occurs among men and women alike.

One common thing that is noticed among overweight and obese people is that they don’t want to be that way. They have a desire to change, but don’t do anything about it, or they try to do something about it and fail time and time again. They lack the power to change it. Diets, medications, and sometimes even short-term exercise are employed, but to no avail. They sink back into their previous states. There have been cases though of people who actually do come out and lose weight, but few.

There is an alternate way, however. A type of reconstructive surgery called “gastric-bypass surgery”– a surgery in which the stomach is cut smaller and connected directly to the middle of the small intestines– is often a chosen option. Used for extremely obese people, with a Body Fat Percentage of 40 or more, gastric-bypass surgery is used to curb eating. Because the stomach is smaller, less food is consumed, you get full faster, and you lower your calorie intake; as well as the fat that the food now bypasses a large portion of the small intestine, a lot of calories are not being absorbed. This is used mainly for emergencies in which the obese person’s condition is life-threatening; although sometimes people get it to take an easy way out.

Oh but how much better is it to lose weight the natural way! A person who loses 50 lbs has so much more mental strength and power than a person who gets the surgery; not to mention the side effects (which are irretractable). Our society should focus on the root of problems rather than the effects of the problems. If our society took a stand against unhealthiness and obesity, would it not save us all much trouble? Doctors and businesses are enjoying their fruits of money because we are not focusing on treating obesity. Obesity should be wiped out slowly but surely. Kids will be happier growing up without being teased or looked down upon for being overweight. A person would be able to get on an airplane in peace without having to worry about his or her belly and backside being so big that they can’t fit in the seat, thus having to buy two airplane tickets for two seats. People would have more energy and live longer and happier. It will save us all a lot of time and energy, as well as money; we can save it for our children’s education instead of spending it on gastric-bypass surgery.

Analyzing

Analyzing a paper is a very important thing to do. It requires a reader to do more than just read. It makes you think. It makes you question what you just read and get something from it. If you read a paper just to read it, you get nothing. I hold it similar to interpreting, but its a bit deeper than that.

If I read a story, such as Lord of the Rings, there would be plenty of opportunities to question it. I would ask things like what is this story about? Who are the characters? Is it a true story? Why did this character do this? Why did he do that? These are analytical questions.

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong one of the most vivid and descriptive writers I've ever known.

In his book, Its not about the bike, he describes clearly his battles with cancer. Before this, though, he gives us a picture of his life. He was a young man who had no good father figure. He had a stepfather (from whom he got his last name Armstrong) who was very strict and used to beat him. He lived in Texas and had no coordination at all as far as sports are concerned. He couldn’t play any ball sports because of his coordination. He found one thing, though, that he shined in the day his mother bought him his first bike.

This was the beginning. Lance begins to describe how he loved his bike, and how he had been through many trials with it, in accidents (like getting hit by a truck in which he describes the heat and black exhaust you experience), in triumphs, and in competitions and triathalons. He talks about his feelings of victory and defeat, and his special victory pose–raising his hands in the air and swinging his fists. He began to win competition after competition and learned more and more as a biker as he started to join national and world cycling teams.

When Lance first discovered his cancer, it was during a conversation with a friend of his on the phone, when he began to stutter and cough, tasting a thick metallic substance in the back of his throat. He ran into the bathroom and coughed up a large wad of blood, and fear siezed him as he stared at the blood splattered in the sink. He went to the doctors and got X-Rays and chemotherapy; thankfully he lived through this.

His mother is one of the most wonderful women in the world. She loves Lance with all her heart, and supports him in everything she does. She stands by his side, through thick and through thin. She bought him his first bike, and traveled with him when he traveled all over the world–to France, Italy, and other European countries as well as middle eastern countries– for his cycling competitions. She was a strong woman; noone could get over on her. When Lance had cancer, she was with him the whole time, comforting him and loving him. She was a bit taken at first, but was willing to battle it out with him, for she said to him, “Son, you never give up.”

I admire Lance Armstrong. He is a perfect example of a person who perseveres. Not just perseveres, but perseveres beyond human capabilities (what do you expect from someone who was born with a body more powerful than the average human?). He never gives up. It is almost as if he cannot be destroyed. It is amazing how much will power he has. He beat cancer, and won Tour de France 5 times in a row afterwards. For anyone who needs encouragement to persevere, look at someone who has been to Hell and back, like Lance Armstrong.