Obesity Makes the World Heavy

By Christopher Casillas
Teens now eat more than before. There are many teens that are suffering from obesity, and its becoming something doctors are worried about.
Alexis Casillas, an 18-year old South Gate resident, first encountered obesity when he was 8-years old. His obesity continued all the way through middle school. Casillas said he felt depressed because he felt left out of physical activities. He lost weight through the 9th grade. Casillas wished that he could have lost weight when he was younger. He is still thankful for losing all that weight. Casillas said, “I didn’t want to have health problems in the future and now I am 18-years old and out of high school and I am proud I lost weight when I was younger”.
Obesity is a huge problem for teens. Wangsness M. from PubMed said,“In the past physicians didn’t know how obesity was cured so they would give dangerous drugs such as Thyroid Hormone and Exogenous that affect the human body”. Even though they had dangerous medicine in the past people becoming obese has grown. “Now the youth are considered the most unhealthy generation in history because their poor eating habits and poor inactivity,” according to Americas Fit Organization. Obesity is a problem for teens because it affects the future and it creates health issues. It is important for teens to take care of themselves so they won’t suffer in the future.
There are many reasons why kids become obese. Some teens become obese because they find comfort in eating so they over-eat, and they spend most of their time watching television, playing video games, and they use the computer more than they exercise. According to Kids Health Organization, “Teens spend 4 or more hours in front of the TV everyday when they are only supposed to watch 1 to 2 hours a day. The lack of exercise isn’t the only reason kids are obese. Kids Health Organization said, “Teens should exercise everyday for 30 minutes or more”. Now kids also tend to eat more than before. Now that there is food available everywhere kids can eat whenever they want. For example, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and many more have food that is very fattening. Burger King’s hamburgers have 500 to 1600 calories and their fries have 400 to 600 calories, when teens are only supposed to have 1500 to 2000 calories. This one meal then equals 3 pleasant meals a day. Eating this much can cause problems for anyone.
Obesity is a disease that is very dangerous. Mariles Kalam, the nurse at South East High School, said, “Obesity can lead to many different chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart problems, and cancer”. As children grow they will start having difficulty living their life normally. According to the Kids Health Organization, “Most adults that are suffering from obesity right now, 25% of them were overweight or obese when they were a child. Some diseases like cancer can be treated, but it will never fade away.
Something that all overweight and obese people suffer is from depression. Casillas said, “Obese teens become depressed because they are unhealthy and they have to pay all their medical bills which make them nervous and mad which leads to depression”. That is why doctors and professionals want kids to lose weight when they are younger because they don’t want them to suffer of more severe medical problems when they are older. “Kids here in the United States aren’t the only ones suffering of obesity it’s everywhere” said Kalam.
Obesity is something awful, but there are solutions. Casillas said, “I lost weight by doing a lot of exercise and by eating less. According to Procor Organization kids should have 3 normal meals a day. Teens should have less time playing video games and more time running. Teens can be on a team of any sport they like. Overweight teens should try losing weight as much as possible by doing little things such as walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator or stop eating snacks. It is important for obese teens to lose weight before they become adults so they won’t suffer later in life.
For better health it is important that obese teens realize that they are in trouble. Being obese is a really big deal; there are some really dangerous consequences of being obese. Casillas said, “Being obese is of the worst feelings someone can have”.